The purple hat has been replaced by the pink coat. It brings back memories of 2007.
“It really did feel good today. It felt like the ’07 Jags and the ’07 David Garrard. We want to keep that same feeling,” Garrard said following the Jaguars’ 37-17 win over the visiting Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The ’07 season was Garrard’s breakout year and he capped it with two late-season wins in Pittsburgh, one of which was the Jaguars’ first and only playoff win in this century. In the first of those two wins, Garrard met with reporters wearing a purple fedora that became quite the fashion statement in NFL circles. Sunday, on breast cancer awareness day, Garrard wore a pink sports coat to his postgame press conference.
His rush of recent play is harkening memories of two years ago. This year’s team is largely different, but the quarterback has looked the same the last two weeks. Gone are the interceptions. All of a sudden, Garrard is the model of efficiency again, as he was in ’07.
“David Garrard played solid football today. He stepped up and made a bunch of plays,” coach Jack Del Rio said.
Garrard was the featured player in this game. He was the guy on whom the Jaguars were counting to lead them to victory because the Titans were 29th in the league against the pass and it was in the air that the Jaguars would have to score this victory.
That’s exactly where they did it, in the air.
The Jaguars came out throwing and by halftime Garrard had already topped the 200-yard mark. Meanwhile, falling behind 20-7 by the midway point of the second quarter forced the Titans to throw far more than they planned, and that played right into the Jaguars’ hands.
“The coaches put together a great scheme. To have those passes off the run game is huge,” Garrard said.
Mike Sims-Walker has become Garrard’s go-to receiver and Sims-Walker grabbed seven passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns against the Titans. He now has 19 catches for the season and the Jaguars finally have a receiver who shows up on the league’s receptions list.
“Mike is a weapon. Now he’s just being used. When he’s on the field and not hurt, he’s one of the best,” Garrard said.
Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck had instructed Fantasy League players not to play Maurice Jones-Drew on Sunday, which suggested the Titans would shut Jones-Drew down. Well, they did hold him to 14 yards rushing and one touchdown, as Jones-Drew retired to the bench in the third quarter to rest his legs for another day.
“I wish I had Mike Walker on my Fantasy team,” Jones-Drew said, unable to resist the temptation to shoot back at Bulluck. Jones-Drew kept his remark at the playful level, since the two teams will meet again in Nashville a month from now.
“Everybody made plays. David is comfortable getting the ball to anybody,” Jones-Drew said.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher managed to control his emotions, which are likely bordering on frustration. A preseason favorite, the Titans are 0-4 and likely out of the playoff race in the AFC.
“This team’s practicing hard, it’s preparing hard. It’s just not winning ballgames. Today we got beat,” Fisher said. “I believe this team’s not an 0-4 team. Clearly we’ve got a tough stretch ahead of us, but we’re going to give it our best shot.”
The Jaguars face a four-game stretch of schedule that sandwiches a bye week between four teams that are a combined 1-15.