David Garrard's Second Shot at 7-5

I have a quick trivia question for Jaguar fans. How many times have the Jacksonville Jaguars been 7-5 in franchise history prior to this year?

The answer is only once.

In 2006, the Jaguars defeated the Dolphins to improve their record to 7-5 as they approached the final stretch of games to decide their playoff fate. Byron Leftwich had been lost for the season long before and David Garrard was given the task to lead the team into the postseason.

These 2006 Jaguars were much different than our 2009 Jaguars. The #2 defense in the league coupled with the #10 offense combined for a deadly attack that gave fans hope for a deep run into January or possibly February. However, the last four games of the season included some tough opponents that would not provide a red carpet for the Jaguars to walk down. A group of four teams very similar to the four that the Jaguars will be facing in the next four weeks. The Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots both provided an obvious challenge as they were Super Bowl contenders, while the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs were hovering around .500, fighting for a wild card berth.

David was given the task to just not screw up. The Jaguars were riding the unstoppable combo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor. A devastating combo that had the team ranked third in the league in rushing offense. However, screw it up was exactly what David did.

In the first game the Jaguars routed the Colts 44-17 behind 375 yards rushing. The team was officially on the easy track to the playoffs. That was until the team dropped three consecutive games to close out the season.

Against Tennessee, Garrard's 4 turnovers, three of which were returned for long touchdowns. David was so bad that the Titans only needed 34 offensive plays to win. With that loss went all momentum the Colts game had given Jacksonville and the two games showed that. Against Kansas City, David threw yet another interception that was returned for a touchdown and in came Quinn Gray to finish a disappointing season for the Jaguars.

David is facing the same stretch that he painfully limped through just 3 years ago, but this team is much different than it was then. In 2006, the Jaguars rode a powerful rushing attack combined with a suffocating defense. Now in 2009, David will not be given the task to survive, but to actually lead this team to victory. The defense is young and still learning their craft. The rushing game is not what it was due to an aging line paired with rookie tackles. David Garrard will need to take this team to the playoffs on his back.

David Garrard has been given something that many football players never receive, a second chance and an opportunity for redemption.