Well in a critical year for coach Jack Del Rio, he wanted no more of Byron Leftwich. He named David Garrard as his starting quarterback. It is definitely a surprise move, considering Del Rio is on the hot seat for this season. Del Rio better hope Garrard comes through for him, or else he will be out of a job. Dumping Leftwich is really not a good idea, at this point in time. Byron Leftwich is one of those quarterbacks like a Joey Harrington or a Daunte Culpepper. I think there are some teams that could use him, like Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa Bay (they have 4 QB's on there roster), St Louis, Denver, Green Bay (When Favre decides to retire), etc. Leftwich and Del Rio didn't see eye-to-eye on health issues, and the play on the field. How unfortunate for Leftwich, because he may not get another chance for quite some time. Is Jacksonville better off without Leftwich, or with Garrard at quarterback. Besides I don't see the Jaguars in the postseason, they have other issues to deal with! Maybe they should bring back Tim Couch. Oh What! he took steroids, or other performance enhancing drugs. Yep! we got another Barry Bonds on our hands. All those in favor of steroids raise your hands. All oppose get your little plastic cups ready for the golden shower
I take issue with most of your "teams that could use Leftwich".
Detroit: Jon Kitna is a well-seasoned veteran. Drew Stanton was a prime prospect out of Michigan State.
Cleveland: Keeping Derek Anderson and Charlie Frye on the roster is a tough decision; fans want Quinn now, and not some decoys while he progresses in practice. Bringing in Leftwich will do nothing but cause unrest in the Dawg Pound.
Tampa Bay: Jeff Garcia was a relatively coveted QB in this season's Free Agency. Former starters Simms and Gradkowski fill a roster that needs enough cap space to re-design its defense.
St. Louis: That Bulger guy is pretty good.
Denver: Removing proven starter Jake Plummer in favor of rookie wonder Jay Cutler just shows Shanahan's devotion to the kid.
Green Bay: Brett Favre already has an injury-prone protégé. Aaron Rodgers is making too much money to keep him on the roster as anything but the direct backup.
Atlanta: After what they've gone through in the off-season, there's no need to make another risky move. Joey Harrington is he safe pick, and he's performed very well in the pre-season.
So, after all that, you've not mentioned the one team who truly needs a change at QB: Kansas City. Up-and-Comer Brodie Croyle has a career regular season statline of 3-7 passing, with 2 interceptions. He was also sacked once. Nothing to be too optimistic about there. Damon Huard looks to be the starter, then. In 11 seasons in the league, Huard has played for three different teams and has accrued just 14 total starts (8 of which came last year). He is the safe start, aft
The only places could possibly go is Atlanta, who is not sold on Harrington.
Detroit is intriguing because Kitna is not great. With the core of receivers on the Lions, I think the team could use a more exciting QB. Leftwhich can stretch the field. So that's not out of the relm of possibility.
Del Rio is going to pay for letting this guy go. Though he has had a some injuries over the past couple of seasons, Leftwhich is a very good QB, I think.
I cant believe Jack Del Rio did that, in what way is Garrad a upgrade over Leftwhich.I think it has more to do with a coach and player not seeing eye to eye.
Leftwhich would be great for the Falcons whom only have 2 Qbs on there roster one being big bust joey
So the consensus appears to be that this was unfair to Byron. The same Byron who had 5 years to make the grade and failed, who lied about his health status on more than one occasion and who had serious awareness and mobility issues on top of injuries. Garrard brings mobility, what looks like a better rapport with the wideouts and a far more positive attitude to the position. His accuracy looks much improved from some disastrous throws last year. Listen for the cheers in Jax at the home opener when he's introduced. As for Byron, I don't think he was ever happy in Jax, and Jags fans never seemed that happy with him - but that didn't stop Del Rio from giving him every chance to keep the starting job. Quite simply, he wasn't up to the task. There's a slot for him somewhere, but not as a starter.
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