After an offseason where Jack Del Rio wasn’t shy about criticizing his quarterback David Garrard, the Jaguars coach is now rallying behind Garrard. Sort of.
Del Rio declined to talk much about Garrard’s preseason opening performance Monday, simply joking Garrard looked “trim” and “good in the teal jersey.” Del Rio didn’t want to be drawn in to a quarterback controversy despite backup Luke McCown’s big game.
“I wouldn’t even care to get into that kind of discussion,” Del Rio said. “I would think even getting into questions like that would show a lack of perspective. We’ve got a lot of things to do better and we’ll just keep our head down and keep working at it and [he’s] certainly not going to get caught up in that kind of discussion after a couple of series in our first preseason game.”
It’s the only sensible approach, especially if you’ve ever watched Luke McCown start multiple games in a row. Garrard is simply a better player overall, and it’s not that close.
Any move to McCown should come out of desperation, not a mid-August preseason game.