It took me three full seasons, plus four games but I have finally figured out the quarterback situation for the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’ll be honest when I tell you that the play of the Jaguars signal caller David Garrard has confused me. He is more hot and cold than Katy Perry. It has perplexed us all.
But, like I said, I figured it out. David Garrard is the efficient, smart, accurate passer that we saw in 2007 and off and on ever since then. However, on certain Sundays something changes and before you know it the Jaguars have Garrard’s alter ego David “Jarrard,” the inaccurate, interception throwing, fumbling quarterback that Jaguar fans have come to fear.
It is the only possible reason that in some games the Jaguars’ quarterback is good in his decision-making, throws touchdowns and operates a smooth offense. Then the very next week he is taking sacks, not going through reads and doing his best Byron Leftwich impression.
I can’t believe it was right in front of me this entire time. I always thought that there were ignorant fans who, after nine years of having a player, still couldn’t pronounce his name right. I would get frustrated and yell “it’s Garrard not ‘Jarrard’.” Little did I know, I was the ignorant one.
Now that I have seen the light, everything has become so much clearer. David truly has been two different players throughout his starting career. He assumed his true form of Garrard on Sunday in the Jaguars’ 31-28 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Garrard was 17-22 for 163 yards, two touchdowns, and he ran for one. Who could turn down those numbers?
The differences in his two personalities are amazing. Going into Sunday’s game everyone had him pegged as a quarterback that had lost his confidence. Now I see that it was just his evil other half playing in the two, dare I say, embarrassing losses to the Chargers and Eagles.
When Garrard is good, he is really good. In the Jaguars two wins this season Garrard has thrown for 333 yards, five touchdown passes and no interceptions. He also has one rushing touchdown. However, when he is bad he makes an art out of it. In the two losing efforts, “Jarrard” has thrown for just 278 yards, five interceptions and one garbage-time touchdown.
It is no coincidence that the Jaguars won the two games that Garrard played well. You need your quarterback to play well to win in the NFL. I’m not saying the Jaguars need him to go out and lead the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, they just need him to be Garrard, the efficient, savvy, playmaking quarterback that he has shown he can be.
They don’t need him to do any more than he did Sunday. The Jaguars have to be a run-first team. Maurice Jones-Drew is where the ball is going the majority of the time. The Jaguars just need Garrard to make smart decisions out there and try his best to keep “Jarrard” from sneaking out of his cage.
“Jarrard” attempted to make an appearance on the second to last play of the game against the Colts when he threw a ball while falling to the ground that was almost intercepted and could have been returned for a touchdown. It could have lost the game for the Jaguars in the final seconds. Those are the plays he has to eliminate.
While they don’t need him to be a Manning, Brees, or Brady, the Jaguars can still only go as far as Garrard takes them. He has shown that he has what it takes to win in the NFL — now he just has to play with the consistency it takes to continue winning.
If Garrard is able to keep the good throws coming and the bad throws locked away with that guy “Jarrard” — who could not quarterback an arena football team — it doesn’t change the fact that the Jaguars will look for a quarterback in April’s draft. They have to do it. The quarterback issue has been ignored for too long already. The fact that they brought in the Buffalo outcast Trent Edwards doesn’t mean the future of the position is solved for the Jags.
They do not need to draft a guy to play next year. But they do need to get the future of the position. I’ve said before that Garrard can get it done, just as long as it is Garrard and not “Jarrard.”
I’ll admit it, I was wrong. To think I have spent all these years getting frustrated with the Jacksonville fan base, thinking they were so ignorant and incapable of pronouncing a seemingly easy name correctly. I apologize, Jacksonville.
So David Garrard, I think it’s time you cut your alter ego, “Jarrard.” There is only room for one quarterback in the Jaguars’ huddle.
