Leftwich left the Jaguars with a winning record as a starting QB.  He wasn't spectacular, but in the right situation, he probably could have done pretty well.  Unfortunately, he never found that ideal situation, and injuries just piled up on the guy.  As a pure pocket passer, he had a great football IQ, a bazooka for an arm, a windmill delivery, long strider with no mobility, and was brittle as a piece of chalk.  They drafted this guy and paired him with an offensive coordinator who was a Walsh disciple who was mostly a west coast offense guy, and stuck him behind a line that wasn't much better than what we saw last year.  The one positive is that at least his line knew where he was.  He wasn't scrambling out of the pocket. 

 

Leftwich was unfortunate.  Gabbert was truly a miss.  He looked the part in shorts, was a practice warrior, but a miserable failure once the lights went on. 

Agreed.

 

And as a 4th round selection. Garrard really wasn't terrible. But once again, some GM made a bone-head move and over-paid a serviceable but non-franchise QB, who eventually was limited with health and injuries.

 

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Pretty much sums up the "Players not Plays" mantra.

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Agreed.

 

And as a 4th round selection. Garrard really wasn't terrible. But once again, some GM made a bone-head move and over-paid a serviceable but non-franchise QB, who eventually was limited with health and injuries.

 

 

Garrard wasn't terrible.  He was mediocre.  He had every tool you'd want an NFL QB to have physically.  He was built like a block of stone, had good mobility, and a strong arm. 

 

Where he lacked was between the ears, and that's not to say he was intellectually challenged because I think in general, Garrard is a pretty smart guy, but on the field?  He struggled reading defenses his entire career.  He also never really trusted his own instincts, and that hesitation usually resulted in bad things happening.  I think a lot of that had to do with him being drilled by the coaching staff to avoid making mistakes, and he really took that to heart. 


In 2007, Garrard had his best season.  He didn't set the world on fire, but he was efficient, protected the football, and for a fleeting moment showed a good deal of confidence on the field.  Then he got his new contract, and I think this put additional pressure on him to succeed, and that caused a catastrophic and expensive meltdown. 

 

It was unfortunate because I think most here were willing to support him after Leftwich was gone, and when he delivered the team to the playoffs in 2007, even critics like myself cut him more slack.  Then 2008 arrived, and the wheels fell off. 

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Pretty much sums up the "Players not Plays" mantra.

I still don't understand why people struggle with this concept so mightily. I wasn't even alive the last time the Steelers fired a head coach, yet they have the biggest collection of SB titles.


And of course, coaching is not irrelevant. That said, considering the limited number of positions available, it's quite unlikely a completely incompetent person finds themself in one. Players on the other hand, well, most Jags fans should know our draft history.

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It could be argued that the Steelers don't fire coaches because they are good at developing the players and having the correct schemes.


Coaches are just as important as players, imho

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I put Garrard right up there with Brunell.  Mark had better talent around him, but both were tough, good leaders, great citizens, and fun to watch.

 

Let's hope Bortles is the real deal.  He's got the tools, and I think he's got the desire.  He just needs to get his arm, legs, and brain all on the same page.  I like how he protected the ball in the 2nd half of the season. 

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 Then 2008 arrived, and the wheels fell off. 

Wasn't that when Collier was shot. And our O-line fell apart, we traded away the future for Harvey and Groves, signed Porter and other failure FA's? 


 

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Wasn't that when Collier was shot. And our O-line fell apart, we traded away the future for Harvey and Groves, signed Porter and other failure FA's? 


 

 

Yup - we were a couple WRs from being great the year before.  But 2008 was when keeping it real went wrong, Jagrong.

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Yup - we were a couple WRs from being great the year before.  But 2008 was when keeping it real went wrong, Jagrong.

Man we signed Mr. Million dollars a catch, what was his name?

 

We were superbowl bound baby!

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Jerry Porter.

 

Geez.

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It could be argued that the Steelers don't fire coaches because they are good at developing the players and having the correct schemes.


Coaches are just as important as players, imho

Then explain Tom Coughlin.

 

Good players, good teams.  Bad players, bad teams.  The end.

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