David Garrard News: Pro Sports Daily

Del Rio to Garrard: Give ball to Jones-Drew

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November 3

Jacksonville Times-Union

"The Jaguars believe they've figured out a way to get the ball in the hands of running back Maurice Jones-Drew. They'll make what coach Jack Del Rio called "hard ball calls." That means quarterback David Garrard will be told on occasion not to call audibles out of running plays and into passing plays. Garrard changed the play from a run to a pass a few times in the first quarter-and-a-half of the Jaguars' 30-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, including on their first two offensive plays. That strategy worked in the first game against the Titans, when Garrard checked from runs to passes and threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-17 victory even though Jones-Drew had just ..."

Jaguars' passing attack takes off

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October 6

Jacksonville Times-Union

"The Jaguars might be on the verge of changing their offensive identity. Noted as a running team during coach Jack Del Rio's first six years, the Jaguars showed Sunday that they can rout a team by relying almost exclusively on the passing game. When they jumped to a 27-3 halftime lead en route to a 37-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars had 25 passes and just nine runs in the first half. Two of those runs were scrambles by quarterback David Garrard, so the Jaguars called 27 passes to seven runs. They piled up 203 passing yards in the first half, compared to 67 rushing yards. Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars' featured runner, had four carries for 12 yards in the first half and ..."

Garrard: Tebow has potential

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September 19

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Maybe Jaguars quarterback David Garrard wanted to ignore it. But there's no way he could've turned a deaf ear to the attention given to team owner Wayne Weaver, who recently discussed the club's possible interest in Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow. Upon hearing Weaver's comments, Garrard focused on himself. "I've just got to do my job," he said. "I can't worry about whom they draft and that kind of stuff." Seconds later, a teammate walked by, sarcastically remarking that "Tebow is gonna save us all." In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Weaver called Tebow "iconic" and said the former Nease High standout would be "an asset to any football organization." Garrard ..."

Garrard finds perspective off the field

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December 11

Wisconsin State Journal

"David Garrard laughed. Sometimes spreading the word about Crohn's disease and fighting for a cure means sharing an occasional unexpected detail with your listening audience. "I go in every year and have a wonderful colonoscopy," the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback said Wednesday, during a conference call with Wisconsin reporters as he prepared for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. "That's very exciting." Having become a famous face in the battle against the disease, Garrard is only able to joke about it because he survived the frightening ordeal in spring 2004 that led to being diagnosed with Crohn's, a incurable chronic inflammation of the lower intestines, with symptoms that ..."

Garrard still unable to deliver

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December 2

Jacksonville Times-Union

columnist Gene Frenette

"As the Jaguars' season keeps sinking to new depths of despair, the blame that must be shared naturally gravitates toward the most important player on the field. And it begs one question about Jacksonville's starting quarterback: Who is the real David Garrard? That's getting harder to read as time goes on. It's a picture becoming almost as confusing as what Garrard sees this year when he looks downfield for an open receiver. Monday night's first-half offensive debacle against the Houston Texans produced zero points, one penetration into enemy territory, and more questions about whether the $60 million offseason investment in Garrard was another case of front office pork-barrel spending. ..."

Q

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October 28

Jacksonville Times-Union

"When Matt Jones was bobbling that pass on the next-to-last play of the game, did you think he'd come up with the catch? I was just hoping the ball was high enough over the defensive back to get to his hands and I thought, 'Man, he's got a great chance to catch this ball.' The defender did a good job trying to bang his arms a little bit to make it a tougher catch. Then when he bobbled it a second time, I thought he had another chance at it, but the defensive guy just made a good play there. This team hasn't done well in recent years after a bye. With the stretch run now starting, how important was it to win this game? Whenever we're at home, we want to come up with a "W." We want to give ..."

Big games for Jones, Garrard not enough

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October 27

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Quarterback David Garrard passed for a season-high 283 yards (third-most of his career) and receiver Matt Jones tied his career-high with eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars' 23-17 loss to the Browns on Sunday. "I thought we had it today," Garrard said after the game. "I really thought were going to pull it out." Jones has caught at least five passes in six of the first seven games, including back-to-back games with at least seven catches. Currently appealing a possible three-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy, Jones nearly hauled in a game-winning TD on the next-to-last play. "It was a tough loss. We know we can play a lot better than we did," ..."

Garrard dresses down Denver defense

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October 13

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Running back Maurice Drew was at the podium in the interview room Sunday when quarterback David Garrard walked in. "Look at my man," Drew said. "I'm ready to get off. I want you to see what I see." Once again, David Garrard was dressed for success. He wore a charcoal gray fedora to go with a shark gray shirt and a gray paisley tie and pinstriped dark suit, and his play on the field was as flashy as his dress. He led the Jaguars to a 24-17 win over the Denver Broncos. He passed for 276 yards and a touchdown, had a 107.0 passer rating and ran 4 yards on a quarterback draw to keep the final drive alive, enabling the Jaguars to run out the clock. He also had a 69-yard pass to Troy Williamson ..."

Garrard, Jaguars defeat Broncos

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October 13

Denver Post

"In sporting establishments across the land, they can talk about Brady, Favre and the Mannings. Closer to home, the Generation X patron can swear to the yuppie that Jay Cutler has a stronger arm than John Elway. On a drizzly, frigid Sunday afternoon in Denver, though, it would have been sporting if football fans raised their glasses and proposed a toast: Here's to David Garrard. When it comes to playing in the difficult environment of Invesco Field at Mile High, there may not be a more efficient visiting quarterback - anywhere. For the second consecutive year, Garrard came through with a clutch performance to lead Jacksonville past the Broncos, this time by a 24-17 score on an inclement ..."

Clutch plays from Garrard

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September 29

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Just relax. That was the message from quarterback David Garrard to explain how he led the Jaguars to a come-from-behind victory for the second week in a row Sunday when the Jaguars edged the Houston Texans in overtime, 30-27. "We can't blink. We can't be scared. I just try to relax as much as possible. I don't like to press. When you start pressing, that's when you have turnovers or start doing bad things," Garrard said. "You have to just relax and let everybody else off the field worry. You have to stay on an even keel. You never get too high or too low. You have to make plays when they're necessary.'' Garrard, who directed a 47-yard drive that ended with Josh Scobee's 51-yard ..."

Garrard wouldn't let Jaguars fail

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September 29

Jacksonville Times-Union

"If this keeps up, it's going to be a long time before the Jaguars defense ever dines out with David Garrard and allows him to pick up the bill. Not that a starting NFL quarterback can't afford a dinner tab with a $60 million contract, but you have to wonder how much longer Garrard can keep bailing out a defense that is collapsing almost as badly as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For the second consecutive week, the Jaguars were one play away from defeat before Garrard used his big arm and nimble legs to keep his team from sinking into the AFC South abyss. First, he victimizes the Indianapolis Colts on a last-minute drive. Then on Sunday, Garrard tortures the Houston Texans Sunday in a 30-27 ..."

Texans' defense burned by running QB vs. Jaguars

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September 29

Houston Chronicle

"The Texans’ defense made sure the Jacksonville Jaguars’ running backs didn’t get out of control. The duo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, who combined for 228 yards a week earlier, rushed for 57 yards against the Texans. The Texans didn’t seem quite as prepared for the legs of Jaguars quarterback David Garrard, who ran his way past the Texans and led Jacksonville to a 30-27 overtime victory Sunday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. “When you have a quarterback like that, he can hurt you with the run and pass,” Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye said. “You want to contain him and keep him in the pocket. But toward the end of the game, he just seemed to take it upon himself. “He got ..."

Jags QB David Garrard, Texans QB Matt Schaub aim for efficiency

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September 28

Orlando Sentinel

"David Garrard knew he couldn't keep up the pace he set last season with just three interceptions in 325 attempts. It was too unrealistic to achieve one of the best interception ratios in NFL history a second year in a row. During the preseason, Garrard said he didn't expect that to happen again. He was right. Three games into the season, Garrard has thrown four interceptions and just one touchdown. He has that in common with Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, who's thrown five interceptions and one touchdown. Today, as the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2, 1-1 AFC South) host the Houston Texans (0-2, 0-1), both quarterbacks hope to reverse their production and find some rhythm. "I can be more ..."

Garrard looks for better days

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September 25

Jacksonville Times-Union

"In the final minute of Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars' David Garrard had one of those signature moments that defines a quarterback. Garrard drove the team 47 yards to set up Josh Scobee's game-winning, 51-yard field goal and was lauded by Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio. Garrard "very calmly, very accurately delivered the ball on time," Del Rio said. There haven't been many moments like that this season for Garrard, who isn't off to the kind of start he had in 2007. After three games last season, Garrard had a 103.8 passer rating with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. This year, he has a 68.1 rating and one touchdown and four interceptions. There are ..."

Garrard pays for costly turnover

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September 15

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Jaguars quarterback David Garrard is almost playing with the deck stacked against him. He's playing behind an injury -filled offensive line and doesn't have a deep threat at wideout because his two fastest receivers, Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson, were inactive. The lack of a deep threat enables opposing defenses to stack the run. Still, the quarterback is always under the microscope and coach Jack Del Rio was quick to criticize him for an interception in the end zone at the end of the first half that cost the Jaguars at least a field goal and contributed their 20-16 loss to Buffalo. "Can't throw it,'' Del Rio said of the pass that Terrence McGee, who had Mike Walker blanketed, hauled ..."

Sad and sacked

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September 8

Jacksonville Times-Union

"This was the NFL's version of Groundhog Day for the Jaguars. For the second consecutive season, they opened the season against the Tennessee Titans and the results were eerily similar. The Titans, who held them to 75 yards rushing in last year's opener, gave up only 33 this time and once again held them to 10 points. Last year, the Jaguars lost at home 13-10. This year, they lost on the road 17-10. The big difference: This time the Jaguars had multiple chances. They made nine trips to Titans' territory, yet scored just 10 points. "For some reason, it doesn't feel as bad as last year. This time, it was who was going to blink first. We blinked. We didn't do enough,'' said middle linebacker ..."

'08 Key for Jags: QB

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September 2

Orlando Sentinel

"WHY: Garrard provides continuity for an offense that has seen a lot of turmoil at quarterback. He's steady and cool, though not spectacular at the position. What he can do with a stretch-the-field receiver remains to be seen due to a lack of said receiver and really enough time to throw. Everybody knows Jacksonville has a powerful running game. If it can add a productive passing game to that, the offense will make great strides. THE RECORD: The Jaguars drafted Garrard in the fourth round of the 2002 draft. He backed up Mark Brunell that year, then Brunell and Byron Leftwich in 2003 and just Leftwich in 2004 and 2005. In 2006 Garrard played a career-high 11 games, starting 10 and going 5-5. ..."

Jaguars unheralded leaders

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August 31

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Here, no one doubted David Garrard. There was never a question of whether he had the skills to succeed as a starting quarterback in the NFL or uncertainty about his ability to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs. In this town of 75,000 nestled midway between Raleigh and the Atlantic Coast, Garrard made believers out of just about anyone who watched him play at East Carolina, where he splashed his name across school record books and racked up wins against bigger college football programs. He spawned a colony of Jaguars fans 500 miles away from Jacksonville, and they bristled while Garrard spent five inconsistent seasons as a backup. But after he was named the starter last year, ..."

Jaguars QB at home in dugout

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August 25

Jacksonville Times-Union

"Less than 24 hours after turning in his best performance of the preseason, Jaguars quarterback David Garrard was at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Sunday night to throw out the first pitch of the Jacksonville Suns' game against Birmingham as part of David Garrard Night. Miniature autographed footballs were given out to fans, and Garrard spent the first two innings in the Suns' dugout with the players and the coaching staff. Jacksonville (28-34 second half, 61-71 overall) scored two runs in the third inning to earn a 2-1 victory over the Barons (31-30, 71-60) in a rain-shortened, five-inning game. "It's been a while since I've thrown a baseball other than playing catch with my ..."

For once, Jaguars, Garrard enjoys stability at quarterback

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August 13

Orlando Sentinel

"For the first time in a while, there's no confusion or controversy at the quarterback position for the Jacksonville Jaguars. David Garrard is the team's starter. Cleo Lemon is his backup. Todd Bouman is the third-team quarterback. "I think it helps big-time because they know what to look for," Garrard said of how that certainty helps the offense. "They know who's going to be leading the huddle. . . . I'm the quarterback of this team and everybody knows it. If they need to talk to somebody, they can talk to Dave and get any information from him that they need because I'm going to be out there." The three quarterbacks split time in Saturday's exhibition game and had nearly identical ..."

Jaguars' Garrard proving he's the money man

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August 11

Orlando Sentinel

"All it took was one season as a starter for David Garrard to prove his worth to the Jacksonville Jaguars and secure the biggest contract in franchise history. And in the team's 20-17 preseason-opening victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night, Garrard took a few series to show he's ready for the season -- ready to show once again that he deserves that contract. "We started out a little slow, a little sluggish, but once everyone relaxed and settled down, we realized we were just having fun out there, just playing football, we started getting things going," Garrard said. "We had a good drive to finish off my series of plays." In that series, Garrard threw two passes for 31 yards, ..."

Garrard, Lewis make instant connection

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July 29

Jacksonville Times-Union

"When tight end Marcedes Lewis was drafted in the first round by the Jaguars two years ago, quarterback David Garrard made an immediate impression. "It's weird because my rookie year when I came in, right away David came to me four times in a row. It stuck out quick. When I was a rookie, everything was moving fast, but I knew who David was very quickly," Lewis said. Lewis said he's never made the kind of immediate connection with a quarterback the way he did with Garrard. "Not even in college and high school. It was like I got on the field and, 'bam, bam, bam,' passes [were coming] from everywhere," he said. Not surprisingly, Lewis was impressed with Garrard right from the start. "Even ..."