Leftwich's status in doubt
Byron Leftwich will be a game-time decision because of an ankle injury.
Alan Schmadtke
Sentinel Staff Writer
October 22, 2006

JACKSONVILLE -- Byron Leftwich takes no sides, but he has an opinion. He, too, wishes the Houston Texans had picked Reggie Bush first in last year's draft.

"If they'd taken Reggie, I wouldn't have to worry about Mario Williams," Leftwich said.

He hopes he can make a firsthand judgment on Houston's newest defensive end. He won't know until game time.

Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio won't decide until just before today's 1 p.m. kickoff at Reliant Stadium whether his starting quarterback will play against the Texans.

Tests on Leftwich's left ankle were negative, team spokesman Dan Edwards said Saturday, although the joint is still sore from an undetermined injury. That's the same ankle Leftwich broke last year, causing him to miss the final five games of the regular season.

Team officials are unsure whether Leftwich's latest injury is related to that fracture, and they have no explanation for how or why the ankle was swollen and tender when Leftwich reported to work Friday morning. Team doctors placed him in a walking boot following treatment.

If Leftwich can't play, the Jags will plug in David Garrard, a fifth-year backup. The Jags won four of their five final regular-season games that Garrard started in 2005. That includes a 38-20 victory at Houston, a triumph that clinched a playoff appearance for the Jags.

Regardless of the quarterback, the Jags are going to have to cope with Williams, the rookie from North Carolina State. Videotape already has them impressed.

"Numbers and labels don't really mean anything. It's how you play on Sunday," said Jags left tackle Khalif Barnes, who figures to draw the assignment of blocking Williams most of the day. "From what I've seen, he's a good player with a good motor. He's playing well right now, but he's going to get better and better."

For the Jags (3-2), Williams is arguably the focal point of a defense struggling for answers. Houston (1-4) has surrendered 147 points and been handcuffed by a spate of injuries.

The latest came last week. Defensive tackle Seth Payne tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee a week ago. He's now on injured reserve.

Payne's injury could impact Houston's highly touted rookie. The Texans already played Williams on both sides of the line and even at defensive tackle a time or two. He might play more tackle if defensive coordinator Richard Smith thinks that will put his best front four on the field at the same time.

Tight end Kyle Brady, a key blocker in the Jags' plan to attack Houston, expects nothing less. He has been here before. He lined up opposite former Cleveland end Courtney Brown after Brown was the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft.

It's not what he would call a magical moment. Fact is, he didn't have much intrigue about sizing up Brown then and doesn't have much about gauging Williams today.

"I just approach it knowing you're going to go up against a really good player," Brady said. "If you're in this game for a while, you understand that anybody who's taken that high knows how to play the game. As far as Mario, I go by what I see on film. . . . He's going to play for a long time."

Read more at the Orlando Sentinel

March
•Reggie Bush Vows to Focus on Football

February
•Bush teams with Shaq to host All-Star charity event
•Dog thinks 2 $900 Super Bowl tickets tasty treat
•Boonton man scores big with Super Bowl tickets
•Dog thinks 2 $900 Super Bowl tickets tasty treat

Super Bowl Weekend
•OK!'s Guide to the Super Bowl Parties
•"Hannah" primed to claim Super Bowl weekend
•Paris Hilton, Ludacris party alongside 50 Cent at pre-game Super Bowl concert

January
•Reggie Bush Engaged to Kim Kardashian?

December
•Eagles vs. Saints Preview 12/23/07
•Bush Hoping to Play Against Eagles 12/18/07
•Cardinals 24, Saints 31
•Bush Out For the Year 12/12/07
•Falcons 14, Saints 34 12/10/07
•Falcons vs. Saints Preview 12/10/07
•Buccaneers 27, Saints 23 12/02/07
•Buccaneers vs. Saints Preview 12/02/07


•2007 News
•2006 News
•2005 News