ESPN Hashmarks

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

	AP Photo/David Zalubowski
	Last year David Garrard threw 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

David Garrard, a backup in 2006, now ranks as the highest-paid player in Jaguars history.

His six-year contract extension can be worth $60 million, and it came with $20 million guaranteed.

Expectations for him, like his team, are very high. But Jacksonville Vice President of Player Personnel James "Shack" Harris is wary of people who might gage Garrard by his numbers.

Last year, Garrard threw 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions, posting a 102.2 passer rating that ranked him behind only Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger

"He had some outstanding numbers last year," Harris said. "This year he can play as well and may not match the numbers that he had. But we feel confident he's a good player who will continue to play at a high level.

"He's got another year with the coordinator [Dirk Koetter] and quarterback coach [Mike Shula] that he's been working with. They'll be more familiar with each other in terms of concepts and play-calling and anticipating what plays will be coming in. [Garrard] will be more familiar with just being the starting quarterback. He has started a lot of games. Last year really wasn't his first year -- he had a lot of starts prior to that. So he's a seasoned veteran that we think that can continue to play at a high level."

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

Jacksonville Vice President of Player Personnel James "Shack" Harris knows a lot of people are expecting big things from the Jaguars this season.

They are a popular pick to return to the playoffs a year after an 11-5 season and an upset Wild Card round playoff win in Pittsburgh. Now, some even expect Jacksonville to knock Indianapolis out of the top spot in the AFC South.

But Harris said such talk falls outside what the Jaguars are looking at and thinking about.

"Our focus is on continuing to play hard and to play our best football consistently," Harris said. "How we are perceived, you don't want to allow that to affect our performance. It's just important we continue to play well, play hard. That's what we've done and the team had matured some. So that's not something that will be part of our focus."

Is he conscious of the talk, though?

"We hear it and we're aware of it," he said. "You always like the compliments, but not to the point where they become part of your focus. We want to keep our focus on the field."

Sounds like focus will be a big theme in Jacksonville when players report to camp on July 25.

With an influx of new players, the Jaguars are counting on significant contributions from veteran receivers Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson and rookie defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves as well as four new assistant coaches on Jack Del Rio's staff. It may be a bit easier for the Jaguars not to get caught up in expectations.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

Porter	Williamson

Jacksonville vice president of player personnel James "Shack" Harris knows that Jerry Porter was on the market because the Raiders weren't going to pursue their own free agent and Troy Williamson was available for a sixth-round pick because Minnesota was done with him.

But all around the league teams are counting on fresh starts to revive players who had been well regarded before their clubs decided to go a different direction. And it's easy for Harris to point to his own team's history for an example of a successful reclamation project at the same position.

"Jimmy Smith came here the same way," Harris told me Tuesday afternoon. "So in this league you get players [like that], you just try to coach them up and get the best out of them. We think they are two players that can help us, and we're excited to have them. They've both worked well since they've been here."

Smith was a second-round choice by Dallas in 1992 but endured a broken leg as a rookie and missed his second year due to complications from an emergency appendectomy. The Cowboys cut him in 1994. He was picked up and cut by Philadelphia and had at least two unsuccessful tryouts elsewhere before the expansion Jaguars signed him in 1995.

He retired in 2006 with 862 catches, good for 10th all-time, and 12,287 career receiving yards, which put him 13th on the all-time list.

Neither Porter nor Williamson has endured anything like Smith did, and it's doubtful either will provide a comeback story as impressive. But each has to like the idea of becoming a good get for the Jaguars, just like Smith was.