49ERS Garcia, Owens feuding

Coach Dennis Erickson says sideline tantrums no longer will be tolerated.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- Though Terrell Owens has feuded with coaches and criticized teammates during his tumultuous tenure with the San Francisco 49ers, he had always stayed on his quarterback's good side -- until now.
The relationship between Owens and Jeff Garcia appears strained after a disastrous weekend trip to Minnesota for the 49ers, who fell to 1-3 with a 35-7 loss to the Vikings.
Owens directed blame and shame at his entire team during a postgame diatribe at the Metrodome -- and for the first time, Garcia was a target.
Owens stopped just short of suggesting the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback should be benched after finding his All-Pro receiver for just five catches for 55 yards and no touchdowns.
On Monday, the 49ers' quarterbacks and receivers watched film together as usual. Garcia and Owens didn't say a word to each other.
"Either we're all in this together, or some changes have to be made," Garcia said. "This is a team effort, and there's not any one individual that is above the team."
No discipline
Coach Dennis Erickson met with Owens in the morning, but he didn't discipline the receiver for the latest in a long line of questionable behavior. Owens didn't speak to reporters Monday.
"Obviously, I didn't like what happened [Sunday]," Erickson said. "It will not be tolerated any longer, basically."
Owens threw a sideline tantrum during a loss to Cleveland the previous week, and he lost it again after the Vikings turned back a fourth-and-1 running play on the Minnesota 31 in the third quarter. Owens stormed off the field and chewed out offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, the subject of a similar tirade in the Browns game.
"What happened with Coach Knapp is just something that I don't care for," said Erickson, who called the running play.
Owens' oblique criticisms of Garcia were grounded in fact. Garcia might have played his worst game for San Francisco, going 11-of-23 for 108 yards and three interceptions before giving way to backup Tim Rattay in the fourth quarter.
Support for Rattay
"That's not my position to say we need a quarterback change, but Rat did a good job when he was in there," said Owens, who also admired Rattay's 37-yard TD pass to Tai Streets. "It's been a long time since I've seen that. He threw it deep and gave us a chance. That's all you can ever ask as a receiver."
Garcia took responsibility for his poor play, which was abetted by a lingering groin injury.
But Garcia couldn't overlook Owens' impetuous decisions to air his complaints to reporters, who have rarely heard Owens' voice in the last two years except in anger or pleasure after games.
"Sickness can spread," Garcia said. "We're trying to do our best possible job to not allow that sickness to spread.
"All the wins that we've had over the past two or three seasons are because this team came together on the football field. It wasn't because of one individual making exceptional plays, and all of a sudden we're finding ourselves on top of other teams. It doesn't happen that way."