Garrard Impressive In Only Second Start
November 15, 2004 | Football
Jacksonville, Fla. --- Fernando Bryant warned his teammates all week. The cornerback spent five seasons with the Jaguars before joining the Lions as a free agent in March, so he knew what kind of quarterback the Jags had in David Garrard.
"I believe he could start for a lot of teams in the NFL," Bryant said.
Garrard had started only one game in 2 1/2 years with the Jaguars. He had taken only two snaps this season. But he was their man Sunday because Byron Leftwich was out with a sprained knee.
All he did was complete 19 of 36 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns -- and carry seven times for 42 yards -- as the Jaguars beat the Lions in overtime, 23-17.
"I'm still living in the moment," Garrard said. "I can't put my thoughts together right now, but I know it feels good. I think it's just one more step for me, one more thing to add on my resume.
"I hope this just means that Jacksonville still believes in me. And who knows? Maybe I can still be here. But if not, whoever else sees this game, hopefully they will see a quarterback that can control the offense and control a team and make things happen."
Garrard -- a fourth-round pick out of East Carolina in 2002, the same year Joey Harrington was drafted -- said this week he had been called "a poor man's Michael Vick" because of his running ability. But the Jaguars didn't need him to be slick like Vick, just solid enough to win.
"The strategy was not to put the pressure on David and to put the play into the playmaker's hands," wide receiver Jimmy Smith said. "Our playmaker on offense is Fred Taylor."
The strategy worked. Taylor carried 23 times for 144 yards.
"It took a lot of pressure off of him," Bryant said. "He didn't really have to worry about too much because Freddy T. was on track."
Garrard looked comfortable from the start.
"He's been through a lot on and off the field, and some people wouldn't be able to handle it," said Bryant, referring to Garrard's lack of playing time and his case of Crohn's disease. "He's very confident in his abilities, and he should be. He's just real poised."
The Jaguars stalled in the fourth quarter, and with Eddie Drummond's two punt return touchdowns, the Lions rallied from a 17-0 deficit and forced overtime. Still, Garrard was unfazed.
"It was amazing to see them make those plays," he said. "I didn't think that would happen at all. Everyone was doing their job and doing it well.
"But things happen, and they put some points on the board. It was OK, because I knew the ball would be in my hands and I would have to make some plays. I've made plays my whole life, my entire quarterbacking career, so it was nothing different for me."
The Jaguars won the coin toss and Garrard converted three third downs, including a 36-yard pass to Smith for the winning touchdown.
"Wins are not easy in this league, and to have your backup quarterback step up like he did and lead the offense like he did was big," Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. "He did a terrific job."
