David Garrard’s transformation this season has been impressive, but not nearly as dramatic as Michael Vick’s. Garrard certainly didn’t have to rehabilitate his image like Vick did.
Despite that, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio sees a lot of similarities between the two quarterbacks.
“He has, almost like Michael Vick, gotten to where he’s figured out, ‘Hey, this is actually helping me -- doing this work and preparing and knowing what the heck is going on and all that stuff,’ ” Del Rio told Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com. “He’s worked harder at it. He’s committed more. It’s been demanded of him. He’s followed through.”
Owner Wayne Weaver’s critical offseason words about Garrard let everyone know that status quo could mean the end for Garrard and Del Rio in Jacksonville.
“That set the tone for the whole building.,” Del Rio said. “It’s like, ‘If the owner and coach are both going to call out the quarterback, everybody has got to get on point.’ ”
Marvez notes that Weaver also got more involved with the rest of the organization, interviewing every managerial figure inside the building. The team is headed for their eighth straight sellout next week and has a chance to win the AFC South on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Vick may be the most surprising individual story of the year, but no team has caught us more by surprise than the Jaguars.