Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard has been added to the AFC roster for the upcoming AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, replacing the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning. Garrard, playing in the Pro Bowl for the first time in his eight-year career, will join teammate Maurice Jones-Drew as the two Jaguars representatives.
Garrard, 31, just completed his third season as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback with a streak of 32 consecutive starts which is the longest in team history for a quarterback. He finished the 2009 season with an 83.5 passer rating, completing 314 of 516 passes (60.9%) for 3,597 yards with 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher and tops among NFL quarterbacks, gaining 323 yards on 77 attempts and scoring three touchdowns. He had three 300-yard passing games last season and twice threw three touchdown passes in a game.
For his career Garrard has completed 1,170 of 1,915 passes (61.1%) for 13,269 yards with 66 touchdown passes and 39 interceptions for a career passer rating of 84.9. He is one of just nine NFL quarterbacks to start 32 regular season games over the last two seasons. Garrard has started 62 of the 72 games in which he has played.
Garrard becomes the second Jaguars quarterback to play in a Pro Bowl, joining Mark Brunell (1996, ’97, ’99). Jones-Drew earlier became the second Jaguars running back named to the Pro Bowl, joining Fred Taylor (2007).
Because the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 31, the Pro Bowl players who are on the Colts and the New Orleans Saints will be unable to participate in the game because their teams will meet in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, Feb. 7. Both games will be played at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida.