Redskins' offense struggles again in blowout loss to Jags

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Gregg Williams didn't have to tell his players how motivated he was to show up his old team. All the former Washington Redskins assistant coach had to do was crank up his renowned intensity to get the message across.

"He didn't say anything about it, but we kind of knew," Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Mike Peterson said. "Some hard coaching was going on, a little more coaching than normal in the last preseason game, so we kind of knew what the deal was."

Williams got a measure of revenge against the team that let him go Thursday night, his Jaguars defense stopping cold a Redskins first-string attack that once again looked far from ready for the regular season.

The Jaguars held the Redskins' starters to 14 total yards in three first-quarter drives, and David Garrard, Cleo Lemon and Todd Bouman all threw a touchdown pass in Jacksonville's 24-3 victory.

"It was a preseason game," said Peterson, who intercepted a pass on the Redskins' first play from scrimmage, "but we wanted him coming back to get a win for him."

Seventh-round draft pick Chauncey Washington, making a final bid for a spot on the 53-man roster instead of the practice squad, ran 11 times for 68 yards and caught four passes for 40 yards for Jacksonville in a game that mostly featured backups over the final three quarters.

The game also marked the Jaguars debut of No. 8 overall draft pick Derrick Harvey, who ended his holdout Wednesday and entered the game on the defensive line in the second half despite not having taken part in a single practice.

But the most intriguing matchup pitted the combative Williams against his old team. The Redskins' top defensive guru for four years under Joe Gibbs, Williams was considered the favorite to get the head coaching job when Gibbs retired in January. Instead, Williams was fired by owner Dan Snyder, and Jim Zorn got the job.

On Thursday, Williams vs. Zorn was no contest.

Zorn had decided to play his first-string offense for a series -- perhaps two -- only because he felt the players needed to regain some momentum after last week's 47-3 sack-filled debacle against the Carolina Panthers.

The move backfired.

While the offensive line played better, Jason Campbell's first pass was deflected into Peterson's arms. The Redskins' next possession was a three-and-out, prompting Zorn to send his starters back for a third series -- and another three-and-out.

Zorn finally, and mercifully, pulled the starters -- but with a bit of reluctance.

"I would love to have had them play the whole game," Zorn said, "and just grind it out and work and get into some rhythm, things like that. But that would not have been smart."

Campbell finished 1-for-4 for 3 yards and an interception.

Garrard also played three series, going 5-of-8 for 58 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The pick was by safety Reed Doughty, one of only two Redskins defensive starters who didn't get the night off.

Considering that the Jaguars' first-team offense was facing mostly second-teamers, the results were spotty. Jacksonville managed two first downs in Garrard's three possessions, and his touchdown -- a 3-yard pass to Reggie Williams -- came after he was given a short field following Peterson's interception.

Afterward, Garrard was happy just to have the preseason over.

"Ready to roll," he said. "Everybody is excited. The guys were talking about it on the sideline. It's time to stop just practicing and playing for fun and start playing for real."

Game notes
Jacksonville injuries: RG Maurice Williams (sprained right knee) and DT Jonathan Lewis (sprained left knee). Coach Jack Del Rio said neither injury was serious. ... Washington S Kareem Moore strained his left hamstring. ... The Redskins' punting battle between veteran Derrick Frost and draft pick Durant Brooks went down to the wire. Both punted three times. Frost had the better average, but Brooks put two inside the Jaguars' 20-yard line. ... The Redskins were outscored 71-6 in their last two preseason games.