Garrard Nearly Perfect. Why Not Every Week?

Jaguars Journal Commentary By Sports Director Sam Kouvaris

Published On: Oct 14 2011 11:59:32 AM EDT  Updated On: Oct 31 2010 10:53:55 AM EDT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

As Paul Newman said in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: ?Who are those guys?? That?s about the only phrase I can think of when it comes to the 2010 version of the Jaguars.

With their 35-17 win over the Cowboys in Texas, the Jaguars have now won four games by 38 points and lost four by 99. How is it that a team can be so slick, together and occasionally dominant one week and so clueless the next?

Jim Nantz and Phil Simms alluded to that today with Simms saying, ?I can remember some big losses by the Cardinals a few years ago and they went to the Super Bowl.?

If you want to get technical about it, you don?t have to look much farther than the play of quarterback David Garrard. Garrard went 17 of 21 with four TD passes, ran for another and a 157.8 passer rating, just a half a point from perfect. Really? Garrard?

Apparently Dallas plays a style of defense that?s easy to read but not always easy to beat. But Garrard had a field day in his first game back since the concussion on Monday night against Tennessee. Did the bump on the head hit the ?reset? button on his brain?

He did say he was more energized this week preparing for the Cowboys. Receivers were open and he hit them. The blitz was coming and he got rid of the ball to the ?hot? man. He ran when he needed to and was about as efficient as you can be.

So why not that every week? That?s the big question the Jaguars are asking and their fans want answered. He?s capable and can do it, but if he has a hallmark of his career it?s his inconsistency.

Maurice Jones Drew had his breakout game. MJD had a couple of long plays, including a 24-yard run and finished with 135 yards on 27 carries. Those are the kinds of stats that we were expecting this year from the Jaguars running game.

I actually thought the play calling by Dirk Koetter was excellent, mixing the pass and the run and letting the offense do the things they?re good at.

The Jaguars created some turnovers for the first time in four games, and took advantage of each one, scoring points and building confidence. The defensive stand at the end of the half was just outstanding, stopping the run at the one-yard line not necessarily by only tough play but by team play. One guy makes the hit; several others back him up and close things down. That?s something we haven?t seen before.

I don?t know if this is the start of what the Jaguars have been talking about when they talk about ?clicking? but they looked like world-beaters in Dallas. Yes the Cowboys are in disarray but that?s the kind of team you take advantage of, and that?s jus what the Jaguars did.

Jack Del Rio held a little carrot out for the players promising extra days off during the bye week if they won. I suppose it worked. And they?ll have Monday off for the first time this year.

Del Rio and the Jaguars are 6-0 in the last six years in the game before the bye week, so whatever he uses as motivation that week, works. Last year this team was in a similar situation and ran their record to 7-5 before finishing at 7-9. They have a chance to be in the thick of things when their season starts up again.

Let?s wait and see what Jack has up his sleeve for those weeks.


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