| Brian Carlton. 19th April, 2007 - 2:01 pm
 Sometimes you need a translator to understand coach-speak. “We’re going in another direction” usually means “you stink, but we’re going to have the decency not to announce it on live TV.” Or there’s always the popular “he does things that don’t show up on the stat sheet,” translated as “my coordinator loves this guy to death, but I have no idea why.”
With that in mind, it’s hard to accept everything Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio says about his quarterbacks at face value. Recently, Del Rio named Byron Leftwich as the starter for next season, a move that could hurt the team both on the field and in the wallet.
Leftwich is hardly the poster boy for a franchise quarterback. He’s missed at least five games each of the last three seasons, while never tossing for more than 15 touchdowns. Is he really worth the headache, not to mention the $7.02 million he’s set to count against the cap this year?
It’s a tale of the tape. Leftwich’s numbers are only slightly better than either backup David Garrard or third stringer Quinn Gray. When healthy last year, Leftwich tossed for 1159 yards and 7 touchdowns in six games. Break that down over a full season and it translates to 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, not exactly Pro Bowl numbers but it comes at a Pro Bowl price. In a market where David Carr gets $6.3 million to be a backup in Carolina, a base salary of $5.19 million might not be enough to keep Leftwich happy. The only problem is, the Jaguars don’t have any other option.
When Leftwich was named the starter, bridges were burned with the other quarterbacks on the roster, who assumed they would at least get to compete for the job. After Leftwich went down, Garrard stepped in and threw for 1735 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games. He had a problem with control however, getting picked 11 times. Over a full season, that breaks down to 20 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, on par with Leftwich but at a much lower price of $1.5 million. Gray even showed his talent in the season ender against Kansas City, tossing for 166 yards while going 13 of 22.
Is either one starter material? That’s questionable, but if Del Rio’s not comfortable turning over the reigns to either Garrard or Gray, then he’s got to make a trade. Gray is a restricted free agent, while Garrard is still under contract. It’s a perfect time to take advantage of teams who need a quarterback, like Oakland or Minnesota. Already there are rumors swirling around the Raider Nation that if the deal with Detroit falls through for Josh McCown, Oakland will offer a fourth round pick for Garrard. Make a deal with either team and bring back a third or fourth round pick in one of the deeper drafts as far as quarterbacks go.
That way, Leftwich gets one more year to prove he’s the guy, while using a draft pick to get the quarterback of the future. In case Leftwich flops, then there’s a backup plan in place with a quarterback of Del Rio’s own choosing, something he’s never had before. If he wants a scrambler, there’s Jared Zabransky from Boise State or national champion Chris Leak from Florida. If he wants a pocket passer, there’s Kurt Kolb from Houston or Drew Stanton from Michigan State.
With not only Leftwich’s job on the line but Del Rio’s possibly as well, be sure to keep that coach speak dictionary on hand over the next year. Byron may be the starter for now, but if you think Del Rio’s willing to bet his job on it, then something was lost in translation. |
