Jaguars Closing In on Title of ‘Second Best in AFC’

Yesterday was an important one in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars: It marked the first time I have ever watched one of their games from beginning to end. I just can’t get used to the idea that the NFL has a franchise in Jacksonville, and I’ll bet that very few people outside Jacksonville can, either.It has nothing to do with the actual quality of the Jaguars’ teams. Jacksonville’s name brings no heat as a football town, and the teams themselves, even when they win, seem as colorless and lacking in identity as the specials on an Applebee’s menu. The Jaguars are one of those teams that only came into existence so the NFL could add a TV market and sell more caps and jerseys. TV executives must lose sleep thinking of the national ratings disaster that will some day occur when the Jaguars make it to the Super Bowl.That won’t happen this season, but in a normal year — meaning one in which there is no 2007 New England Patriots — these Jags might have had a pretty good shot. After dismantling the Buffalo Bills 36–14 yesterday, they may in fact be the third- or possibly the second-best team in the AFC. That might — just might — make them the second- or third-best team in the entire league. It also makes next week’s game against the Colts at Indianapolis the biggest of the season for Jacksonville.Against the Bills, the Jaguars proved their success is no fluke: They did everything they’ve been doing all season long, but just a little bit better. They’re number three in the league in yards rushing per game, and on their first possession in yesterday’s game, running back Fred Taylor went 50 yards for a touchdown to set the pace. But no one wins with running in the NFL. There always has to be a sharp passing game for an offense to score consistently. That passing has suddenly emerged in the figure of David Garrard who, after six years of sitting or coming off the bench, has come as close to anonymity as a quarterback in the NFL is likely to come. The Jaguars may not be the surprise team of the 2007 season, but Garrard is almost certainly the most surprising player: After cutting up the Bills’ secondary yesterday for 296 yards on 37 passes, he is now the fourth leading passer in the league, behind only Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Tony Romo. His 7.8 yards per throw is one of the highest averages in the league, and he has thrown nine TD passes without an interception.The real stars of the Jags, though, may be the members of the team’s jackhammer offensive line, especially tackles Tony Pashos and Khalif Barnes. These two have provided spectacular pass protection for Garrard while maintaining their reputations as two of the league’s better run blockers. In fact, right now the Jags’ o-line may be the most versatile in pro football.In truth, one of the main reasons Jacksonville has caught us by surprise this year is because not enough of us were watching them closely last year. In 2005, the Jaguars were a lucky 12–4. Last season, they were an unlucky 8–8: They still outscored their opponents by nearly 100 points, winning five of eight games against playoff teams. They beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts not once but twice, including a 44–17 shocker in Week 14. But the Jaguars missed the postseason because they lost their concentration against bad teams such as Houston and Buffalo, against whom the Jaguars were a combined 0–3. In their sixth game of this season, they lost to the Colts 29–7 on Monday Night Football, but Garrard saw limited action in that game and threw just 12 passes. A victory next week could set them up very well for a playoff shot this year, as well as for the unofficial title of “Second-Best Team in the AFC” this season.* * *Speaking of anonymous, imagine how Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson felt when the Browns dumped all that money in Brady Quinn’s lap earlier this year. Who would have guessed that after eleven games, the Browns would have won seven, three more than all of last year, and that they would have done it without Quinn? With the Browns’ 27–17 victory over Houston yesterday — a win paced by his 253 yards and two TDs — Anderson, who has now thrown 22 TD passes against 11 interceptions, might be the league’s next superstar quarterback.I don’t really think the Browns are as good as they looked against the Texans — despite their 7–4 record, they’ve outscored their opposition by just four points this year — but Anderson is headed for a sensational year, and he could be the kind of player a franchise could be built around (and that makes Quinn very expensive trade bait). With final five games against Arizona, the Jets, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and San Francisco, Anderson, at his current rate, could easily wind up passing for 4,000 yards and 30–35 TD passes. This could well be the greatest season by a Browns quarterback since Otto Graham was in his prime more than half a century ago.If the Browns get a big lead on any one of their final five opponents, look for them to let Quinn spend a couple of quarters auditioning for a starting job with another team next year.Mr. Barra is the author of “The Last Coach: A Life of Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant.”

Jaguars Closing In on Title of ‘Second Best in AFC’

Jaguars Closing In on Title of ‘Second Best in AFC’

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