Del Rio was convinced Byron Leftwich wasn't his man long before his formal announcement to make Garrard the starter. Throughout Leftwich's time in Jacksonville, the signs grew impossible to ignore.
During one offseason, Del Rio suggested that Leftwich work with passing guru Tom Martinez, who is renowned for honing the mechanics of several top-flight quarterbacks, most notably New England's Tom Brady. Leftwich refused.
But Del Rio continued to reach out to the young quarterback, who was the first draft pick in his tenure as the Jaguars head coach. In another instance, Del Rio - hoping to see improvement in the mental aspect of Leftwich's game - asked him to consult with the same sports psychologist used by Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Again, Leftwich refused.
Adding to that was Leftwich's nonchalant demeanor, which was viewed by Del Rio as an impediment to the progress of both the quarterback and the team. Dating back to Leftwich's rookie year, Del Rio stressed to the quarterback the importance of approaching his career with a sense of urgency.
Del Rio's messages - some even left in Leftwich's locker - never got through.
The moment Del Rio finally came to the conclusion that Leftwich wasn't the man for the job is unclear. Though he formally announced Leftwich as the starter at the NFL Combine on Feb. 22, the Jaguars' coach still wasn't convinced. The move was merely an organizational strategy to avoid an offseason quarterback controversy.
Del Rio felt uneasy about that decision. When the coach informed Garrard of the decision that day, Del Rio even said the move was more about avoiding controversy than anything performance-related.
Heading into the draft in April, Del Rio told his assistants and members of the Jaguars' personnel department that the team needed to draft a quarterback. Despite having two chances to take former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in the first round, the club settled on former Florida safety Reggie Nelson.
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While Leftwich seemed to be an improved quarterback during practices, he struggled where it counted most - in game situations. Garrard, meanwhile, looked like a different quarterback. He displayed significant improvement in the first preseason game, completing 12-of-16 passes for 153 yards against Miami. In that game, Jaguars coaches noted that Garrard passed with better touch and accuracy than any time in his previous five years as a Jaguar.
Most observers point to the third preseason contest on Aug. 23 at Green Bay as the game that convinced Del Rio to bench Leftwich and name Garrard the starter. Leftwich again struggled (and was nonchalant about it in subsequent meetings with reporters). He played five series and failed to put up any points, completing only 6-of-16 passes for 67 yards. Garrard completed 6-of-7 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown and made no mistakes.
But the truth is that Del Rio's mind was already made up before that game.
Leftwich's disappointing performance in Green Bay just solidified what he was already thinking.
Del Rio had already spoken with several friends around the league about his team's situation during training camp. When he told them of his plans to promote Garrard and possibly cut Leftwich, who was in the last year of his contract, many said, "Are you sure you want to do that?" Del Rio was sure, but the move wouldn't come without staunch opposition from inside the organization.
While all of the club's assistants agreed - at least publicly - with the decision, others in the personnel department vehemently disagreed with dumping Leftwich, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2003 draft. In the end, Del Rio and those against the move met with team owner Wayne Weaver.
Weaver gave Del Rio the final say, because ultimately, the owner holds the coach accountable for whether the team is successful or not.
On Aug. 31, Garrard was named the starting quarterback. The next day, Leftwich was cut.
