Playmaking skills? This Jag caught all off Garrard

According to his teammates, he shows a lot of that type of play on the practice field, only to be stifled on game days.

"You should see him out there," said one teammate. "If they gave him the shots he gets in practice in the game he could do a lot more."

The Jaguars came into the league 26th in passing, some of that having to do with Garrard being out three games, but also because of an offensive philosophy to run first. The Jaguars' 244 pass attempts entering the game tied them with the Minnesota Vikings for the second fewest in the league. Their 297 rushing attempts were the third most.

Against the Chargers, they still ran it more than they passed it, handing off 37 times compared to 24 passes. But throwing the ball down the field is a sign first-year offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is getting more comfortable calling those types of plays. Koetter came to the Jaguars from Arizona State where he had a reputation for playing it wide open on offense, but under coach Jack Del Rio that hasn't been the case.

"Having a new offensive coordinator, it take a few game situations for you to figure out who is on your team and what kind of guys you have," said Williams, who also caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Garrard in the second quarter. "Coach Koetter has done a great job figuring out everybody's strength."

Williams was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2004 draft, the guy the Jaguars thought would be their go-to receiver. Instead he's been a favorite target of fans' criticism. But he has five touchdown catches this season and is developing into a quality target. He won't ever live up to the hype of being the ninth pick, but he's looking more and more like a threat down the field.

The offensive line, which seemed to be a problem a month ago, has suddenly re-emerged as a positive. Concern about the line was a big reason why Del Rio made the decision to let Leftwich go and make Garrard the starter. Garrard is much more mobile, but the way the line played Sunday he didn't need to be.

Garrard wasn't sacked and he scrambled away from pressure on five occasions to run the football. Shawne Merriman, the Chargers' star linebacker, was held without a sack and had just one tackle.

The lack of a passing game has been the talk in this city since Mark Brunell left a few years back. Leftwich, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2003 draft, never came close to winning over the fans. They ripped him for his slow delivery and his methodical ways and when he left the polls all indicated the fans thought it was the right thing to do.

Del Rio, the only one whose opinion really mattered, made the decision on a Thursday night after deciding it was the right thing for his team. It was a controversial move, but it now appears it might have been the right one -- at least for the way this team wants to play offense.

Garrard started the second half of last season when Leftwich was hurt and played himself out of the job. Del Rio named Leftwich his starter last February, but the closer it got to the start of the season, the more uncomfortable Del Rio was with Leftwich, which led to the change.

So for the first time in his career, Garrard went into a season as the starter. But in a Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts, he suffered the ankle injury. It was the first time he was out with an injury in his career.

Now that he's back, the Jaguars are a dangerous team, one flying under the radar in most circles. At 7-3, they're one game behind the Colts in the AFC South and meet them in two weeks in Indianapolis.

Asked if the offense was clicking yet, Williams laughed.

"No, we'll wait until February," he said.

February?

"Yeah, the Super Bowl," he said.

Seeing as the main threats in the AFC are the New England Patriots and the Colts, two teams that can score, the Jaguars will need to be able to throw it down the field. If Garrard can continue to grow and make believers out of doubters, who knows?

He outplayed Pro Bowl passer in Philip Rivers on Sunday, and his confidence is growing by the day.

Before the game an Army general in attendance handed Garrard a good luck piece. It's called a challenge coin. Garrard had it on the podium as he met the media after the game. The name of the piece refers to how the quarterback has met the challenge of being the starter head on.

Oh, and the jacket. It was part of the day because he said he wanted to come back in style. Just don't say the color is burgundy.

"Merlot," Garrard said.

He's feeling good, looking good and playing good. His teammates were right as they heckled him. He is looking like a quality NFL quarterback more and more every time he takes the field.