"As more signs indicate that an NFL owners lockout is a certainty, David Garrard has no intention of being in a holding pattern. He wants to be ready to lock and load.

If you think the Jaguars quarterback took owner Wayne Weaver's remarks to heart after the 2009 season about stepping up his game, Garrard wants everyone to know that he's not letting up just because he threw a team-record 23 touchdown passes last year. A potential work stoppage has only emboldened Garrard, making sure his team prepares every bit as hard this offseason to fulfill the playoffs-or-else ultimatum that Weaver directed last month at coach Jack Del Rio.

"I can't do the things I did last year, I got to do more," Garrard said Friday in a phone interview from North Carolina. "I have to make sure I step up my leadership abilities. More is counted on me now with the coaches [possibly] not being involved."

With a looming lockout, which could prevent players from working out at NFL team facilities or having contact with the coaching staff into late summer, the difference between winning and losing next season could come down to which teams are diligent about offseason discipline. Not just who will maintain conditioning, but whether a team's leaders are willing to organize workouts or practice sessions that ensure a smoother transition once a lockout ends."