Sprint Game Ball of the Week: Courtney Greene

This post is sponsored by Sprint

Each week, win or lose, we will be announcing the player of the game for the Jaguars and who deserves the Sprint Game Ball of the Week. Prior to the rough 38-13 loss in San Diego, the big news among Jaguar fans was the news that Anthony Smith's injury would prevent him from playing and that second year player, Courtney Greene, would be the replacement at the position against the Chargers. There were doubts from many about how the untested player would perform in his starting debut and he certainly did not disappoint.

The Jaguars lost after giving up 6 turnovers despite the fact that their defense provided them with 3. Of those 3, Courtney Greene was responsible for 2 of the takeaways. With 8:17 left in the first quarter, Greene made up for a David Garrard interception by forcing and recovering a fumble while tackling Chargers running back, Ryan Mathews. Later with 9:27 left in the 2nd quarter Greene made up for a Mike Sims-Walker fumble by intercepting a pass from Philip Rivers that just went over the head of receiver, Legedu Naanee.

Along with the turnovers Greene added a team high 11 tackles. His performance on Sunday ought to make the Jaguars feel a little more comfortable about their safety depth and should Anthony Smith return for the week 3 matchup against the Eagles it'll be interesting to see if Greene starts beside him or in place of him. Or maybe he'll be relegated to backup duties again despite his player of the game performance.

Regardless, it was an impressive debut for a player in his first career start and Courtney Greene is very deserving of Big Cat Country's first Spring Game Ball of the Week.