JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Matt Turk(notes) drove from Houston to Jacksonville on
Saturday night, a 14-hour trek across Interstate 10 that included several stops.

None of them was for a nap.

One of the oldest players in the NFL last season signed a one-year contract
worth nearly $2 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, giving the team
an experienced punter to replace Adam Podlesh(notes).

Calling Turk a veteran would be an understatement. The 43-year-old punter is
joining his seventh franchise in 18 seasons.

“He could walk in here with a cane, but I think he’s going to be OK,”
coach Jack Del Rio said.

Turk said he had contact with Philadelphia and the New York Giants as well
as Houston, where he spent the last four seasons. He said the Texans asked him
to hold off on making a choice until after they worked out Dave Zastudil(notes) and
Daniel Sepulveda(notes).

“I was like, `You want me to wait around?’ I can’t do it,” he said. “I
know how this business works and I was told that they were going to go young,
which I understood. But when they want you to wait to see if two other guys are
going to replace you or not is just something you can’t do.”

So he chose Jacksonville, returning to the Sunshine State where he played
two stints with the Miami Dolphins. Turk, who dealt with a hip flexor injury
last season, said the Jaguars were enticing because he will get to play with
special teams standouts Montell Owens(notes) and Kassim Osgood(notes).

Podlesh enjoyed a career year with Owens and Osgood. He ranked fifth in the
league with a net average of 39.2 yards. Tuck ranked 20th with a net average of
36.8 yards.

The Jaguars had hoped to keep Podlesh, but the free agent signed a
five-year, $10 million contract with Chicago. Jacksonville quickly turned to
Turk, who packed up his sports utility vehicle and made the nearly 900-mile
drive Saturday.

The Jaguars waived linebacker JoJo Dickson(notes) so make room for Turk, who signed
his contract Sunday and joined his teammates on the field for a morning
walkthrough. League rules prohibit him from practicing until next week, maybe as
late as Thursday.

“He’s been a good punter for a long time,” Del Rio said. “He’s punted at
a high level, he’s got great experience, he’s good with holds, poised and he’s
still got some pop in his leg. He’s done a great job taking care of himself and
that’s a position—kind of like maybe backup quarterback or even some of the
cornerbacks—you can play in your 40s now. I don’t think you could see a
running back doing that, but you can get with it at punter.”

Turk’s career started in 1993 by calling the Green Bay Packers relentlessly
while working at his brother’s bar. He eventually got a tryout and played in a
preseason game. He also played with the Los Angeles Rams (1994), Washington
(1995-99), Miami (2000-01, 2003-05), the New York Jets (2002) and the St. Louis
Rams (2006).

“I’ve been very blessed with health and longevity and my skill level to be
able stay at the level that it has in order to stay in the league,” Turk said.
“Because once that goes, they don’t keep you around because they like you.”

He could be far from done, too.

Turk has thought about trying to become the oldest player in the NFL,
breaking George Blanda’s record of kicking at age 48 in 1976.

“I think I could (play at 50),” he said. “I would love to. … If the
Lord blesses me with my health the way that he has and I continue to train the
way that I do in the offseason, it definitely can be done.”

Will Rackley’s tweet summed it up best: “Just got that phone call I been waiting on since the draft.”

The former Lehigh University left tackle and current Jacksonville Jaguars rookie has been waiting on the edge of his seat — like other players, coaches, owners and fans — for the NFL lockout to end.

After 136 days, the wait is finally over.

“It’s a relief. I’m excited and pretty anxious to get going,” said Rackley, who’s projected as either a guard or center. “It’s weird to not know what’s going on, then have camp in a couple of days. It’s different, but I’m excited to get out there.”

The NFLPA executive board and 32 team representatives voted unanimously Monday to approve the terms of a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, ending the 4½-month lockout, the longest work stoppage in league history.

Teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Jaguars, are scheduled to open training camp on Wednesday. Organizations can start signing rookies today.

“It’s definitely important to get that finalized,” said the 6-foot-3, 309-pound Rackley. “I want to get that contract signed so I can report on Wednesday.”

Rackley, who was recently named to the Patriot League’s 25th anniversary team, said he wasn’t focusing on the legal aspect of the lockout and CBA but instead wanted to remain in shape. The four-year starter for the Mountain Hawks, who was selected in the third round (76th overall) in the NFL Draft in April, spent time in Bethlehem working out with former teammates during the lockout.

The Riverdale, Ga., resident arrived in Atlanta on Sunday. He looks forward to heading farther south to training camp in Jacksonville either tonight or early Wednesday morning for the first day of physicals, meetings and to receive his playbook.

“Probably the first time I followed it (lockout) was last Thursday and today (Monday),” he said. “I was just focusing on trying to get in better shape and working on my football skills and techniques. I knew they were going to figure that stuff out. I was waiting until it was getting close so I could get the exact time they’d figure it out.

“I’m glad it’s over.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard will miss the season finale at Houston because of a finger injury.

Garrard will have surgery on the middle finger of his right hand Thursday. Trent Edwards is likely to start in Garrard’s place, essentially giving the former Buffalo Bills starter an audition with Jacksonville.

Garrard injured his finger when he hit it on an opposing player’s helmet at Indianapolis on Dec. 19. He threw a crucial interception late in the that game, and threw two more picks in a 20-17 overtime loss to Washington on Sunday. He also fumbled twice.

Garrard likely would miss a first-round playoff game if the Jaguars (8-7) make the postseason. Jacksonville needs to beat Houston and have Tennessee upset Indianapolis to win the AFC South.

Making that even more improbable, the Jaguars likely will be without star running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He missed his fourth consecutive practice Wednesday because of an injured right knee that probably will need offseason surgery.

Garrard set the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season, enjoyed five of the best eight games of his nine-year career and led the team to several late wins. But his final two games, which included two costly turnovers late, had fans calling for a quarterback change.

Garrard’s injury probably might not do much to dampen those feelings. After all, he’s just 39-37 as a starter and has one playoff victory.

This season was one of his best, though. He completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,734 yards, with 23 TD passes and 15 interceptions and a passer rating of 90.8.

He led the team to late wins against Indianapolis, Buffalo, Houston and Cleveland. But he showed more inconsistency in losses to San Diego, Philadelphia, Tennessee, the New York Giants and Washington.

The Jaguars claimed Edwards off waivers in late September, picking him off after he was benched and later released by the Bills. Edwards has played in one game with Jacksonville, completing 14 of 24 passes for 140 yards and two interceptions.

Edwards replaced Garrard when he left a Monday night game against the Titans in mid-October with a concussion. Garrard missed the following week’s game at Kansas City, but Edwards was unavailable because of a thumb injury, so journeyman Todd Bouman got the start.

Bouman likely will serve as the backup this week against the Texans.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard will miss the season finale at Houston because of a finger injury, making the team’s playoff quest even more challenging.

Garrard will have surgery on the middle finger of his right hand Thursday. Trent Edwards is likely to start in Garrard’s place.

Garrard injured his finger when he hit it on an opposing player’s helmet at Indianapolis on Dec. 19. He threw a crucial interception late in the that game, and threw two more picks in a 20-17 overtime loss to Washington on Sunday. He also fumbled twice.

The Jaguars also likely will be without star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who missed his fourth consecutive practice Wednesday because of an injured right knee that probably will need off-season surgery.

Jacksonville can claim the AFC South with a win against the Texans and hope that Indianapolis loses to Tennessee.

Garrard set the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season, enjoyed five of the best eight games of his nine-year career

This season was one of his best, though. He completed 64.5 per cent of his passes for 2,734 yards, with 23 TD passes and 15 interceptions and a passer rating of 90.8.

He led the team to late wins against Indianapolis, Buffalo, Houston and Cleveland. But he showed more inconsistency in losses to San Diego, Philadelphia, Tennessee, the New York Giants and Washington.

He’s just 39-37 as a starter overall, and has one playoff victory. He signed a six-year contract in 2008.

The Jaguars claimed Edwards off waivers in late September, picking him off after he was benched and later released by the Bills. Edwards has played in one game with Jacksonville, completing 14-of-24 passes for 140 yards and two interceptions.

Edwards replaced Garrard when he left a Monday night game against the Titans in mid-October with a concussion. Garrard missed the following week’s game at Kansas City, but Edwards was unavailable because of a thumb injury, so journeyman Todd Bouman got the start.

Bouman likely will serve as the backup this week against the Texans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard will miss the season finale at Houston because of a finger injury.

Garrard will have surgery on the middle finger of his right hand Thursday. Trent Edwards is likely to start in Garrard’s place, essentially giving the former Buffalo Bills starter an audition with Jacksonville.

Garrard injured his finger when he hit it on an opposing player’s helmet at Indianapolis on Dec. 19. He threw a crucial interception late in that game, and threw two more picks in a 20-17 overtime loss to Washington on Sunday. He also fumbled twice.

Garrard likely would miss a first-round playoff game if the Jaguars (8-7) make the postseason. Jacksonville needs to beat Houston and have Tennessee upset Indianapolis to win the AFC South.

Making that even more improbable, the Jaguars likely will be without star running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He missed his fourth consecutive practice Wednesday because of an injured right knee that probably will need offseason surgery.

Garrard set the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season, enjoyed five of the best eight games of his nine-year career and led the team to several late wins. But his final two games, which included two costly turnovers late, had fans calling for a quarterback change.

Garrard’s injury might not do much to dampen those feelings. After all, he’s just 39-37 as a starter and has one playoff victory.

This season was one of his best, though. He completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,734 yards, with 23 TD passes and 15 interceptions and a passer rating of 90.8.

He led the team to late wins against Indianapolis, Buffalo, Houston and Cleveland. But he showed more inconsistency in losses to San Diego, Philadelphia, Tennessee, the New York Giants and Washington.

The Jaguars claimed Edwards off waivers in late September, getting him after he was benched and later released by the Bills. Edwards has played in one game with Jacksonville, completing 14 of 24 passes for 140 yards and two interceptions.

Edwards replaced Garrard when he left a Monday night game against the Titans in mid-October with a concussion. Garrard missed the following week’s game at Kansas City, but Edwards was unavailable because of a thumb injury, so journeyman Todd Bouman got the start.

Bouman likely will serve as the backup this week against the Texans.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press