Garrard’s Poor Passing Dooms Jags Comeback Attempt

In a tough physical loss to the Titans, the Jaguars got run on in the first half and helped Tennessee’s rookie RB Chris Johnson introduce himself to America with a breakout performance.  And much of the postgame press centers on the complete lack of a Jaguar running game (only a paltry 33 yards on the day).  However I’m focused on the multiple opportunities squandered by Jags quarterback David Garrard.   By part way through the third quarter and through much of the fourth, the Jags defense toughened considerably, and time after time forced the Titans to punt quickly in their possessions and returned the ball to the Jags offense with great field position (their average starting field position on the day was their own 43 yard line).  Inaccurate passing from Garrard derailed these golden opportunities.

Garrard got worse as the game progressed, climaxing with a terrible performance on the games final two desperate drives.  In the fourth quarter trailing 17-7 Garrard did get a sustained drive together and had the Jags into the red zone, but his last series was tough to swallow.  A poor dumpoff attempt on 1st down was followed by two errant attempts to throw into the endzone.  The third down attempt sailed over the head of a wide open receiver.  Furthermore, Garrard’s ineffectiveness seemed to affect his confidence.  In a third quarter possession on 3rd and 16, he threw a five yard toss to Troy Williamson, hoping that yards after the catch could account for the first down yardage.  It didn’t, Williamson was stopped immediately.  Did Garrard lack the confidence to throw a longer pass?

Last year Garrard had only three interceptions on the entire season; yesterday he had two, putting him on a pace to exceed last years total by over 10 times!  I’d argue that neither INT hurt the Jags that much, the first was a long bomb that left the Titans deep in their own end and acted as a punt, and the second was answered by an amazing reaction play interception right at the line of scrimmage by Derrick Harvey on the very next play.  The real effect of course was the confidence factor.  The Harvey interception is hopefully a positive indication of the athleticism and skill Jag fans can expect from him every Sunday.

Maurice Jones-Drew got stuffed for a loss on the game’s first play, which was an unfortunate tonesetter for the rest of the day.  The Jaguars offensive line was ineffective at opening holes in the tough Titans front line that includes Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch.  I actually thought the Jags offenseive line was effective for most of the game in creating a pocket and protecting Garrard on passing plays, however at a certain point in the second half they seemed to tire, and when the dust cleared Tennessee ended up sacking Garrard seven times.  Some of these looked like “coverage sacks” to me, and Garrard deserves some of the blame for remaining in the pocket way too long when he had no one open to throw to.

Another obvious factor with the O-line was injuries, as the Jags, already without backup Richard Collier due to his shooting, had three other losses over the course of the game.  Starting right guard Maurice WIlliams tore a biceps muscle in pre-game warmups (talk about bad luck) and starting left guard Vince Manuwai suffered a sprained right knee.  Both will have MRIs today.  Add to this an injured left knee to Uche Nwaneri (who will get x-rays today) and you are looking at a code red, Defcon 1 crisis on the offensive line that threatens to derail the entire season.

A nifty interception in the first quarter by Gerald Sensabaugh is only thing that kept the Jaguars in the game early.  Sensabaugh was able to take advantage of a very shaky looking Vince Young and jump the play, giving Jacksonville a possession deep in the redzone.  However, I’m critical of the challenge that was burned by Jack Del Rio right before they punched it in.  On the challenged play, Maurice Jones-Drew’s knee clearly touched the ground before he went in, and its such a difficult thing to see exactly where the ball was when the knee touched, so it should have been obvious not to burn a challenge when there wouldn’t be enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.  This affected the later stages of the game when the Jaguars had what I thought was a much better opportunity to challenge on a long pass to tight end Marcedes Lewis.  The tip of the ball did make contact with the ground, but he had complete control and had his hand wrapped around the rest of the ball.  I believe this qualifies as a catch, and the call on the field nullified a big gain and a first down.  Was Del Rio reluctant to throw the red flag after losing that first challenge?

The injury to Vince Young in the fourth quarter ended up as an upgrade for the Titans, as wily veteran Kerry Collins came in and commanded them down the field with authority.  His well-executed screen to tight end Bo Scaife (who terrorized the Jags secondary all day) ended up being a 44-yard back-breaking scamper.

The Jags were also victimized by a poor kick from Josh Scobee, whose wounded duck on a 37-yard attempt in the third quarter went over and to the right of the upright (although replays showed it was very close and even possibly good).  Still, a very ugly looking kick at a key point in the game.

One special teams positive was the play of rookie kick returner Brian Witherspoon, who sizzled with 124 yards on three returns.  The game opened as Witherspoon bobbled the opening squib kickoff, only to pick it up and race across midfield to start the Jags first possession in striking distance of scoring.  But alas the tough Titans D would allow them to get no closer.

All in all a very tough day for the Jaguars.  Perhaps there was a distraction factor following the Collier shooting, as the Jags reverted to their powerless form from their early preseason contests.  Jacksonville fans now hold their breath for positive news on the injuries, a bounce back from the running game, and an improvement in the confidence and performance of David Garrard as the Jags prepare for Buffalo next week.

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Last post (s) by Mark Reichman

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