Well, what can we say about Jacksonville’s new favorite son??? The man who has gone through more than anyone his age should have to go through. His travails include a mom dead of cancer at 14, an often fatal disease that almost got him, and having to backup a second-rate QB for four years.
I’ll say this to be honest. When I heard the news we got rid of the aforementioned second-rate QB, and that Garrard was starting, I was happy because I figured that my man Gray would finally get his playing time. As a matter of fact, Jags02 and I both figured four weeks, and Garrard would be done. Man, were we wrong or what?
In the first week, against the Titans, he actually wowed me with his very controlling and calm demeanor. He wasn’t pushing for anything and taking what the defense gave him. He played an awesome game with a QB rating of 88.7. Take into account that in the eleven games he’s played, six resulted in ratings over 100, two in ratings over 90, and three in the 80s.
In the second week, he controlled the game once again, setting a pace for the season. He threw for a ton of yards, and made no mistakes. Was this the same guy who single-handedly lost three games the year before due to bad QB play?? How could it be?
Week three was the same. Against a dangerous Denver team, he was very calm, as the game seemed almost too easy for him. I listened on Sirius radio before watching the game (working on Sundays suck), and the commentators were just hanging onto Garrard at every instant they could.
Week five came following their bye week, and I saw something in Dave that made me realize he’s got it. He went into Kansas City, where he had bombed the year before, and played lights out. He threw for 218 yards and a 74% completion rating. That is phenomenal!!!
Week 6, he started hitting a stride. I figured, without injury, he would easily win a Pro Bowl nod, especially at this level of play. Unfortunately, on our single MNF game, Garrard got hurt. Gray (my man) came in, and totally handed the game over to the Colts. I think this was the point I said ok…..I was wrong.
Somehow, on the backs of Freddy T and Mojo, we won two of three games with Gray. He played ok, but we were lacking that pizzazz, that swagger in the offense.
Garrard came back just in time for a brutal game against the Chargers, which we won on the heels of an awesome game by Garrard. Stat wise it was not a big thing, but for Jacksonville it was huge.
Fast forward through some big games….he blew away Buffalo, posted a 112.2 rating at Indy, and handled Carolina’s number two defense. Last week we faced the Steelers number one defense, and Garrard makes them look silly, or else they made him look like an all-star QB. Either way, we beat a very good, playoff bound team, and now we have nut baggers hanging on the Jaguars…well, you get the idea.
An interesting stat is that David has not lost to an out-of-division opponent. The only loss we have outside of the division came with Gray at the helm, and as a matter of fact, Dave’s two losses equals amount of INTs he has on the year. That speaks volumes to his tenacity, his mental abilities, and his decision-making.
David Garrard is by far a top 5 QB; one that the Jags have been searching for since Brunell was the man. Now that we have a QB, our defense doesn’t have to be elite, just top 10.
My question would have been, “what made you change, Dave?” I believe his answer would be to the effect that he’s been through battles of life and death, that he’s seen famine, death, injury, pain and misery, that at the end of the day he’s loyal to his causes, and that he’s now the face of the Jaguars NFL franchise. Keep pimping the fedoras, Dave. I think I’m gonna start calling you Dashing Dave.
Written by December 21, 2007 by
Elliot James Mandeville
So, the question of the week would have to be, what the hell is going to happen to the Jags now? Mr. WWE himself, Marcus Stroud, doesn’t seem to be missed. Freddy T got his 10,000. MoJo is the most talked about Little Man in the USA. Durant fell asleep on an onramp (hey, who hasn’t?) and Collier is just a….well, I digress. And San Diego is coming to town.
Well, after a little research, and a lot of help from my friend Jager and Rocky, I think I found the answer.
You see, the old adage says, “Through adversity, people stand up and become hero’s, which breeds a champion of a cause.” Take the tragic events of 9-11. We now idolize and worship firefighters, especially the NYFD, and have made some, if not most quasi-gods, in metaphor. Throughout history, it has shown that people, in a time of extreme adversity and facing the most impossible odds, step it up. These are the people we look up to: Leonidas, King of Sparta, who faced a Persian Army of unlimited size; the Colonials versus the British in the Revolution; and the Russians versus the Germans at Stalingrad. These are also the events we remember in history due to the fact that these people faced overwhelming odds, and yet still left a mark. Leonidas died, the Colonials won, and the Russians pushed back the Germans and subsequently never quit until they were in downtown Berlin.
What does history and life have to do with Football?? Well, many people see football as a chess game of sorts. The game of Chess was derived from war having been created so people could learn strategy. You lose a piece and you have to totally change your strategy, or, make other pieces take up the slack. If you lose a pawn, that doesn’t hurt as bad as say a queen or a rook. Seems to me in recent football history, a certain Quarterback for a team got hurt, and his backup, a no-name from Michigan, a 6th round pick, went on to win the Super Bowl, and subsequently secured a starting job. It happens.
How can the Jags learn from the last couple weeks?? Well for one, we should be happy because we’ve only lost to two division rivals, and a resurging New Orleans team. In the toughest division in football, this shouldn’t be a surprise. The Jags know that we have one of the best D-Lines in football, and even with Marcus “I wannabe a WWE Superstar” Stroud out for the next few weeks, I bet the rest of our guys step it up and play their hearts out.
Now, look around and tell me of any other division that has three teams with at least five wins, and consider that one of those teams only lost to the Colts, Bucs, and Jags. That’s damn good. It’s not time to panic yet.
This week we should finally have Davey Boy back, however, I am comfortable with Gray in the game now….I have always been comfortable with Gray; He just needed game time experience. Now we have a QB who can manage a game in case our wonder boy gets hurt. Not many other teams can claim that.
The Fans of this team need to thank Shack and Jack for knowing how to draft depth (even though I thought 1st rounders were supposed to start?). Hell, even our free agency pickups have been good….well, I don’t know about Pathos…I mean Patheticos, whatever his name is.
In this division, we’re one-and-a-half games out of first. The Colts are stumbling, and the Titans are overrated. The AFC South is ours for the taking. Now, we face a San Diego team who couldn’t run their way out of a paper bag!! We got it.
In closing, Go Jags!! We are the New Bad Boys on campus. Maybe we should be called the Bengals of the South....only better?
Written on November 12, 2007 by
So, Maurice Jones-Drew, or MJD, or Mojo (depending on which demographic of the Jagnation you speak to), one week after taking out some cash, deposits some “Take Some” back to the League.
Only one week after getting fined for an ill advised mock ATM withdrawal, in which he used the FG post for a prop, Mojo sent a message to the League, and to the many Bandwagon fans of the Jags, “I’m here, and I’m here to stay.”
This guy is like a package of TNT. They say the smaller the person, the bigger the explosion, and in fact, I believe this to be true. At 5’7, Mojo fits the bill for attitude and explosiveness. In many regards, and this has been said before, he’s just like Giants great Joe Morris, RB from 1982-1991. He was short and full of steam, just like Mojo, but Mojo has more talent then Joe did. Mojo is the poor man’s Barry.
