Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

It seems Jacksonville Jags wide receiver Troy Williamson has been catching everything thrown at him during the team’s offseason workouts, prompting quarterback David Garrard to say:

“He caught everything. He did a great job. He’s so smooth and fluid that he barely looks like he’s running, but he’s always running right by somebody.”

This is good news for Jags fans and I’m happy to hear it, but a word of caution — this is the norm. Troy did the same thing in Minnesota — during practice. It’s when the lights come on and the bullets are flying for real that he drops passes. It was extremely frustrating to watch and I’m sure he was very frustrated during three uneventful seasons in Minnesota (79 catches, 1,067 yards, 3 TDs) where he was the Vikings’ first-round pick (7th overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft. Of course, it’s all in his head. I think Troy has supreme talent. He just has a mental block about catching the ball when it counts. But the Jags are counting on him to make those catches. If he doesn’t, his time in Jax will be a lot shorter than the time he spent trying to “catch” on in Minnesota.

Source: The Boston Globe

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Troy Williamson Catching on in Jacksonville

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

David Garrard’s career has taken an amazing turn. A year ago at this time, he was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ backup quarterback with — let’s face it — an uncertain future behind Byron Leftwich. David probably wondered if he would ever be given a chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Fast forward to today and he is the proud owner of a new seven-year, $60 million contract extension (the richest in Jags history). What a difference a year makes. After being named the starter and unquestioned leader of the team during training camp last season, David proceeded to throw for 2,509 yards and 18 TDs (with a 102.2 QB rating) in 12 games while leading Jacksonville into the AFC Divisional playoffs.

I think David is one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL right now. He’s smart (only three INTs last regular season). He’s tough. And he makes plays with his arm and his legs. I think he’s the complete quarterback. And with a year of experience as the starter and some clever offseason additions, 2008 could be the year David and the Jags put it all together.

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David Garrard Signs Contract Extension

It was dink. And dunk. But whatever it takes to win a football game is what the New England Patriots are willing to do. And they did it last night. This season’s MVP quarterback, Tom Brady, set an NFL playoff record for completion percentage (he was 26 of 28) — mostly of the short variety but to eight different receivers — as the Pats beat the Jacksonville Jags 31-20 to advance to the AFC Championship game still undefeated at 17-0. Which makes the Patriots unflappable. Even after the Jags made an early statement with a convincing nine-play, 80-yard TD drive to lead 7-0, the Pats answered. Twice. And they never looked back against a very determined Jacksonville team.

With Tom Brady’s near-perfect play, New England got a boost from the running game as Laurence Maroney added 122 yards. Talk about balance. The Patriots had 29 passes and 29 runs. This is bad news for Indy or San Diego. New England will beat you any way they see fit. With Laurence running as well as he has all season (he showed a second gear several times), this is an offense that no team seems to have an answer for.

Let’s face it. It was a perfect game plan against a team that refused to blitz. All-Pro WR Randy Moss had one catch for 14 yards. He was blanketed by the Jags secondary who just didn’t want to get beat deep by one of the most exciting players in the game. Fair enough. My question was why the Jags stuck with their game plan to rush four and give Tom Brady five or six seconds to find a receiver? Sure, it was worth a shot, but when Tom Brady is picking you apart, it’s time to try a different strategy. In my book, there is only one way to beat the Patriots. You have to get pressure on Tom Brady. He will make mistakes if he’s forced into them. I realize you’re taking your chances in getting burned by one of Tom’s many options in the passing game. It’s hard — maybe impossible — to cover these guys one-on-one. But I think it’s the chance you have to take.

Nevertheless, I was impressed by what the Jags did on the other side of the ball. David Garrard has evolved into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. I think he’s going to be other-worldly good next season. And with the improved play of Ernest Wilford, Reggie Williams and Marcedes Lewis — coupled with an obviously potent ground game — the Jags will be a force next season. They need a deep threat. They need speed on the outside. But this team’s going to be very good again.

Still, the Patriots continue their path toward perfection. They are as good as any team I’ve ever seen, if not just in talent, in adjusting their game plan to beat their opponent. No one does it better.

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New England Patriots Still Perfect at 17-0, Tom Brady Breaks Playoff Record vs. Jags

Jacksonville Jaguars QB David Garrard was making throws he hadn’t made all season. Bad throws. One of the main reasons the Jags were in the playoffs with an 11-5 record was the consistent, virtually error-free play of one David Garrard. That’s the main reason head coach Jack Del Rio sent Byron Leftwich packing and handed the starting job to David. But with a push of playoff pressure, David had already thrown two INTs. Big deal? Well, in the playoffs, it most certainly is. But factor this in — he had only thrown three all season!

In this Wild Card playoff game, these weren’t just accidental interceptions. These were awful decisions thrown into ample coverage. This was not like David Garrard. In the process, Jacksonville had squandered an 18-point fourth quarter lead and given the Pittsburgh Steelers all the momentum they would need to achieve the biggest final quarter comeback in the history of the NFL. Then the Jags took it back. David Garrard took it back. On a 4th and two, David ran 32 yards to the Pittsburgh 11 to essentially seal the victory (Jags 31, Steelers 29 on a Josh Scobee FG) — the play of the year so far for Jacksonville. And that play was everything I like about David Garrard. Mobile, elusive, smart. For as big as he is, he moves quickly. He’s not fast … there’s a difference. And once he found himself in the Steelers’ secondary and close to contact, he had both hands wrapped around the football as if he was carrying his own child toward the endzone. This is a quarterback who is thinking. This is a quarterback I want on my football team.

Are the Jags a team of destiny? Well, until they meet the Patriots they are. So, I guess that means no. But I like what they bring to the playoff table in the meantime. They run the ball and stop the run. Their QB rarely makes mistakes. And look at the depth. Here’s just one example. When monster DT John Henderson went down with a strained hamstring, enter Derek Landri. The De La Salle high school product (see also Maurice Jones-Drew) and Notre Dame rookie only had one tackle but he added a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery for very good measure. Now that’s productivity off the bench. Depth will always be a key ingredient to any successful championship run.

No, I’m not predicting the Jags will get to the Super Bowl. I don’t think they’ll get past New England or Indy, but they will make those teams play four full quarters. Jacksonville is going to make life miserable for the rest of the AFC.

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Jaguars Spoil Steelers’ Comeback Effort, David Garrard Leads Jacksonville to Win

All that last night’s MNF game did was reaffirm that there are two dominant teams in the National Football League — the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. Notice I listed the Colts first, but don’t read into it. I was just arranging alphabetically. The Patriots have been my Super Bowl favorite since … well, a long time ago.

The way Indy manhandled the Jags on the road was awe-inspiring. Yet, as impressed as I was with the Colts, I was equally as disappointed in Jacksonville for not showing up for such a big game in front of their home crowd. Sure, starting QB David Garrard left in the second quarter with a leg injury, but he doesn’t play defense. I’ll allow the offense some level of excuse, but the Jags D gave up 400 yards of total offense and a touchdown to TE Dallas Clark that looked like he was warming up playing catch with Peyton Manning. The game lacked the emotion and intensity I thought it would have and for the few days prior I thought Jacksonville actually had a chance in this game, I feel pretty foolish.

Fellow b5er James Edwards has some thoughts on this game at SquibKick.com.

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Colts, Patriots in a League of Their Own