Though we have never seen him in a playoff game and though today’s start against the Broncos is only his 31st in the NFL, why does it seem like Byron Leftwich has been around much longer?
Maybe it is the way he plays quarterback, big and rugged with a brawny arm. Or the way his critics in Jacksonville in past years howled so nastily that we could not help but notice him. Could be the smooth way he communicates. Likely, we recognize him now because we can see that this 25-year-old is destined for giant games and treasured moments.
“I want to be great at this,” Leftwich said about playing quarterback for the Jaguars. “I’ve had my boos here, but the people of Jacksonville have mostly welcomed me with open arms. Every quarterback in the league goes through the rough stuff, all but one – Tom Brady, because he keeps winning Super Bowls. I want to get to that point.”
Leftwich won five games as a rookie in 2003 a few months after the Jaguars made him the No. 7 pick in the NFL draft. He won nine last year.
He improved the second season in completions, completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns, interceptions and passer rating.
He is fresh from a winning touchdown pass in overtime at the New York Jets last week.
The Broncos will find a quarterback sturdy and fearless in the pocket, one who takes his licks but often gets the last one. A passer with a quick release who likes flinging it long. The leader of his offense. A quarterback with a 15-15 record as an NFL starter who is not average.
In his past two games he has been crushed by Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney and by Jets end John Abraham. Leftwich finished a game in college at Marshall with a fractured leg. As a pro he has fought through injuries suffered during games in a way that few quarterbacks could.
He reminds me of Roman Gabriel, the old Ram who often got battered but always dug in, who threw the ball downfield with such ease it looked as if he were flicking a Frisbee.
“Roman who?” Leftwich asked.
Never mind.
“I don’t want that to be the reason people remember me,” Leftwich said. “I want to be remembered for winning Super Bowls. Everybody wants to avoid contact. If you want to get the ball into special guys’ hands, sometimes you have to take that hit in the pocket. I only know one way to play, and that is do anything possible to help us win.”
Being a black quarterback but not a running quarterback has caused him to absorb some ribbing. Leftwich says he is not the slowest quarterback in the league, only the slowest black one. He is 6-feet-5 and weighs 245 pounds. He said he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds as a rookie.
Could he do it now?
“If I had to,” he said.
He can be drop-dead candid. No doubt he learned that trait growing up in Washington, about 10 miles from RFK Stadium.
“We’ve gotten a whole lot better around here,” Leftwich said. “My rookie year we were sorry, including myself. I don’t know how we won five games. Last year we improved. Now I know what it feels like to be on a good football team.”
He has shown his spirit, his edge. In Week 2 at Indianapolis when the Jaguars lost 10-3, Leftwich got into a spat with Colts defensive line coach John Teerlinck. Leftwich flashed an obscene gesture at Teerlinck.
“I’m not going to keep going backward on that,” Leftwich said. “I’ll say this: I made a mistake. Was I provoked? Yes. What did I learn from it? You do that, and you get fined $5,000 by the league.”
Both the Broncos and Jaguars have 2-1 records. Leftwich has fewer passing yards than Jake Plummer (651 to 627) but more touchdown passes (four to two). Leftwich in his past seven games at home has nine touchdown passes and only two interceptions.
“I’m a football fan and though I don’t know Jake, I know he’s a good quarterback,” Leftwich said. “When he gets outside the pocket and runs those bootlegs, it is one of the better-looking plays in football.”
And Leftwich’s style?
“I drop back,” he said, “and put it up. That’s pretty, too.”
Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
