Quote:In 2005 Leftwich had a 89.3 QB rating, which put him in the top 10 in the NFL at the time he was injured. Moreover, his play was improving at the time. In only two of those games (2nd and 4th) were the Jags held to single digits. In the six game from weeks 5-10 the Jags scored at least 21 points each game and were 5-1, the only loss coming in St.L. when the defense couldn't stop Steven Jackson. He faced defenses ranked 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10, not exactly the cake-walk schedule you make it out to be.


http://www.pro-football-reference.com/pl...elog/2005/

 

 

Go back and watch that playoff game. Maurice Williams had the worst day at RT that I have ever seen, Guy Whimper was never that bad. Garrard, the not 'slow and lethargic' QB, was sacked more per dropback that game than Leftwich, who was still recovering from a broken ankle.


 

All this was AFTER the 2005 draft. Leftwich progressed each year until his injury in 2005. While I thought the Jags should have drafted Roethlisberger, it was not to replace Leftwich, who looked good as a rookie in 2003, but to force a favorable trade.

 

I haven't denied that Leftwich showed progress over time back then. 

 

I still maintain that you simply cannot ultimately win with a QB that slow because you will get those games where you OL is atrocious (such as your example above), ...its the NFL. The QB has to be able to make something out of broken plays and extend plays. Leftwich simply had a hard time doing that because of his physical limitations. It also made him more susceptible to injury. Thats simply the hard facts. 

 

To be fair, similar criticism can be thrown Gabbert's way as well. While he wasn't quite as slow as Leftwich - he too - had trouble extending plays and making something out of broken plays. It was almost as if he'd find a QB sack where we didn't realize one existed, lol.

 

In the upcoming draft I hope that the Jags finally get a QB that has some of the attributes that a guy like Brunell had pre-injury.

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