Garrard’s Legs, Leadership Carries Jags to Win Over Texans

September 30, 2008 by Mark Reichman
Filed under Jaguars, NFL Football

Sunday saw positive development at the quarterback position and regression on defense for the 2-2 Jaguars. QB David Garrard showed his value when the chips are down for the second week in a row. Garrard orchestrated a would-be game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, and, when that failed, put together another drive in OT to actually win the game, on a field goal from the sure-footed Josh Scobee. While this is great new for the Jags as far as Garrard’s leadership and effectiveness, questions at defense are increasingly unanswered.

The fearless Garrard carried the team, both with his efficient passing and some great improvised runs. On a day where the Texans consistently put nine men in the box and thereby rendered the Jaguar running game ineffective, Garrard was dared to throw, and was ultimately able to make the Texans pay for this strategy. Once again Matt Jones was the most reliable target, although solid contributions also came from Reggie Williams, who was courageous making tough catches in traffic. Garrard kept the ball on seven runs of his own, but later claimed that six of them were improvised. On the only run of the day where his number was called, Garrard punched it in for a touchdown.

Meanwhile the Jaguar defense had to get bailed out by the offense this time around. Defensive end Paul Spicer took responsibility for a poor showing and tipped his hat to the offense for pulling off the win. In a game where the stated game plan was to pressure the quarterback, there were exactly zero sacks and no turnovers forced on the afternoon. As a result, Matt Schaub was comfortable in the pocket, and went from being the subject of benching rumors to a hot pickup on the fantasy circuit, thanks to 307 yards, 3 TDs and a 119.5 rating.

The Jags clearly missed standout safety Reggie Nelson and had to muddle through without their star cornerback Rashean Mathis. The team eagerly awaits a status update on both players later in the week. A lot of the press has centered around the poor pass rush; the aging front four of Hayward, Spicer, Meier and Henderson did not play well, and there were no discernable contributions from the rookies Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves, who the team hoped would have at least some type of instant impact. In his previous two games, Schaub was sacked eight times, which emphasizes the lack of effectiveness for the front four.

While the Jaguar defense has shined at times this year, those times have never seemed to be when it counted the most. All of their opponents have been able to put together fourth quarter drives agains the Jags D, which has looked tired and overmatched during the last phase of every game they have played. However, all that being said, the Jags are 2-2 and have to be excited that their next opponent, Pittsburgh saw themselves reduced to their fourth string running back due to injuries, and looked woefully ineffective during much of their MNF victory in overtime last night. Stay tuned for a full preview of the upcoming Sunday night tilt between the Jags and Steelers in the next couple of days.

Finally, I was disheartened to finally learn of the status of OT Richard Collier, who was shot days before the season opener, 14 times as it turns out. Collier had to have a leg amputated and is paralyzed from the waist down. Its a sobering reminder of the fragility of life and the many things that are more important than football. My prayers go out to Richard and his family in this difficult time.

Like this post? Share it »