Byron Leftwich
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Leftwich at an Atlanta Hawks game in May 2008 Photo by Chris Nelson |
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| Free-Agent — No. -- | |
| Quarterback | |
| Date of birth: January 14, 1980 | |
| Place of birth: Washington, D.C. | |
| Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | Weight: 240 lb (110 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2003 for the Jacksonville Jaguars | |
| Career history | |
| College: Marshall | |
| NFL Draft: 2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Byron Anton Leftwich (Born January 14, 1980 in Washington, D.C.) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars seventh overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall.
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[edit] Early years
Leftwich attended H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C. and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. He garnered an honorable mention on the Washington Post's All-Met football team in 1997 as a senior. He was also first team All-DCIAA East in basketball his senior year. Nicknamed "SqueE" for his loud, casual footwear.
[edit] College career
Leftwich starred at Marshall University in West Virginia. He gained notability after quarterbacking a 64-61 overtime victory over East Carolina University in the 2001 GMAC Bowl (in which he took on future teammate David Garrard). He is also remembered for being carried by linemen Steve Sciullo and Steve Perretta, after breaking his shin and returning to the game, down the field on multiple series as he rallied his team to a 17 point comeback against Akron in November 2002. The image of Leftwich being carried after a completion has become iconic for compassion teammates show.[1] Leftwich, along with fellow Marshall Alumni Chad Pennington and Randy Moss is also credited for helping the Mid-American Conference (MAC) gain more national attention (Marshall has since joined Conference USA).
He was the MVP of the 2000 Motor City Bowl.
Leftwich, for his career at Marshall completed 939 of 1,442 passes (65.1 percent) for 11,903 yards, 89 touchdowns and only 28 interceptions. He amassed 12,090 yards of total offense on 1,632 plays, ranking second on the school’s all-time record lists behind Chad Pennington.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] 2003 NFL Draft
At the 2003 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens agreed to a trade to move the Ravens into position to take Leftwich. However, one of the teams had second thoughts at the last minute and the Vikings missed their pick. The Jaguars took Leftwich with the 7th overall pick.
[edit] Jacksonville Jaguars
Leftwich took over as the Jaguars starting quarterback in game four of his rookie year after Mark Brunell was injured in the previous week's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
For the first 11 games of the 2005 regular season, Leftwich was developing into the quarterback the Jaguars believed he would become when they picked him in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He obtained a passer rating of 89.3, ninth-best in the NFL, and a 3:1 touchdown:interception ratio (15:5).
However in the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals, Leftwich suffered a broken ankle after being sacked by Cardinals' safety Adrian Wilson on the first play of the game. Leftwich missed the remaining five games of the regular season. He returned against the New England Patriots in the AFC Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Patriots won 28-3.
Leftwich entered his fourth NFL season as the Jaguars starting quarterback. He entered the season without veteran wide receiver Jimmy Smith, who retired suddenly in May 2006. Leftwich led the Jaguars to victories on national television in consecutive weeks against the favored Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers to begin the 2006 season. After this win streak, he won national acclaim for being the first quarterback to wear loafers in an NFL game. This resulted in an ankle injury. Leftwich sustained an injury to his ankle after 5 games and has yet to return to the Jaguars lineup. In November, Leftwich had surgery on the injured ankle. The surgery forced the Jaguars to move Leftwich to their injured reserves, effectively ending his season.
In February of 2007, the Jaguars decided to formally name Leftwich the team's starter, favoring him instead of David Garrard or Quinn Gray. The decision was speculated to be due to the infusion of a heavy play-action offense for the 2007 season, which suits Leftwich's passing abilities greatly. After a highly successful training camp but disappointing pre-season during which his backup excelled, Leftwich was displaced from the Jaguars roster before the first game of 2007. Garrard was named the starting quarterback for the Jaguars on August 31, 2007, with the team stating that Leftwich would be either cut or traded.[2] Leftwich was cut on September 1, 2007, making him a free agent.
[edit] Atlanta Falcons
On September 17, Leftwich was flown out to Atlanta to meet with Atlanta Falcons officials, citing a possible signing with the team.[3] On September 18, Leftwich signed a two year deal with the Falcons with escalators attached that could make the deal worth up to $7 million.
Leftwich entered the season as a backup to starter Joey Harrington. After replacing Harrington late in Week 5, Leftwich got the start in Week 7 and played very well, before having to leave the game with an ankle sprain. He got the start again in Week 11 after returning from his injury. Harrington regained his starting position and Leftwich did not play again.
On February 15, 2008, he was released by the Falcons[4]
[edit] In the media
- In college he starred in MTV's True Life : I'm a Heisman Trophy candidate.
- During the 2003 season, Leftwich was featured on "Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL", an ESPN documentary profiling the life of a few select NFL first-year players.
- Leftwich appeared on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith hosted by Stephen A. Smith on ESPN in the spring of 2006.
- A 1967 Lincoln Continental owned by Leftwich was featured on an episode of the show Unique Whips on Speed Channel.
- Leftwich and fellow NFL player Michael Strahan were interviewed by NBC during coverage of the Kentucky Derby in May of 2007.
- Leftwich is a frequent guest on the NFL Total Access, the flagship show of the NFL Network. On multiple appearances, host Rich Eisen has drawn comparisons between Leftwich and actor Gary Coleman.
- In the ending clip montage of the 2006 film We Are Marshall, Leftwich can be seen throwing a deep pass and being carried down field by two of his offensive lineman.
[edit] References
- ^ ESPN.com - NCAA College Football - The 100
- ^ Ketchman, Vic (2007-08-31). Jags trying to move Leftwich. Jacksonville Jaguars. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ Jaguars Trim Roster to 53. Jacksonville Jaguars (2007-09-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
- ^ Falcons release Crumpler, Leftwich, five others
| Preceded by Mark Brunell |
Jacksonville Jaguars Starting Quarterbacks 2003-2007 |
Succeeded by David Garrard |
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