Big Cat Country

Game Preview Week 11: Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

2009-11-20T17:27:43Z

Buffalo Bills (3-6)	Week #11	Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4)
	VS.

Date:	November 22nd, 2009	Location:	Jacksonville, FL
Time:	1:00 PM EST	Stadium:	The Jack
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Jaguars -9
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	43
Weather:	Low 70's, 50% chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Buffalo Rumblings	Coverage Map	Click Here

First, I want to offer an apology for helping drag this site back down into negative territory. I realize that 99% of the people who come to this site are either season ticket holders or do their best to attend as many games as they can. We all appreciate the support you show this team. Now, we have a game to play Sunday!

The Buffalo Bills travel to Northeast Florida this week as something of an enigma. Head coach Dick Jauron was fired on Wednesday and rumors that the Bills are already in talks with Mike Shanahan have already begun to emerge. Not to mentioned benching Trent Edwards for Ryan Fitzpatrick, having the worst run defense in the NFL, and the malignant locker room cancer Terrell Owens.

The Jaguars are coming off perhaps their most impressive road win since the 2007 Wild Card win over Pittsburgh. Maurice Jones-Drew is already within sight of the franchise's single season touchdown record, needing only two more to tie Fred Taylor's record of 14. Mike Sims-Walker's performance against the Jets seems to have signaled his arrival as a #1 wide receiver. The defense has seen a resurgence under the 4-3, and it seems the Jaguars will have meaningful games past Thanksgiving.

What does this all add up to? Well, under Jack Del Rio this usually means the Jaguars will under perform and either squeak out a win or lose. However, something strikes me as it being different this time. Click below to read why.

Jaguars Offense vs Bills Defense

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an easily pushed around object? We'll find out Sunday as Maurice Jones-Drew gets a golden opportunity going against the Bills run defense. The Bills are averaging giving up 173 yards a game on the ground. Yes, you read that right, 173 yards a game.

The Bills do have a good pass defense though. They rank 9th in the league against the pass, though that may be because teams realize they don't need to throw that much to beat them.

The Jaguars will see the return of long time defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. Stroud was traded to Buffalo during the 2008 off season after several injury filled season's seemingly signaled the end of his great career. However, it seems that wasn't the case as Stroud has played in all 25 games since joining the Bills and putting up repectable numbers to boot. If any Bills player will care about the out come of Sunday's game, it will be Marcus.

Offensively, expect the Jaguars to pound the ball to Jones-Drew early and often to see if they even need to throw the ball. The Jaguars managed to gash the Jets #1 rush defense very well last week, and If you have both Sims-Walker and Jones-Drew on your fantasy team, I think it's obvious who to sit and who to start.

Jaguars Defense vs Bills Offense

This is the match up that be worried. The Jaguars will be without Rashean Mathis and Justin Durant this week because of injuries. That means almost certainly Reggie Nelson will once again be at corner. Let me put this into perspective, Reggie Nelson one on one with Terrell Owens. TO may be over the hill, but I still don't like that match up one bit.

If however, premadonna TO shows up and doesn't care, then I don't think the Bills have much of a chance this week offensively. Marshawn Lynch has been banged up and more of an off the field problem than anything else. In fact, Fred Jackson is their leading rusher at this point in the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick torched the Jaguars last year in Cincinnati, but that 2008 team would lose 34-7 to this year's Jaguars.

Special Teams and Intangibles

Simple this week, the Bills fired their head coach and are being lead out by a man who already knows he doesn't have a chance to even play himself into the position. Some are saying this will lead them to come out being fired up, but I say this team comes out flat and disinterested, only to get even more disinterested when Jones-Drew gets 7 yards everytime he touched the ball.

Player On The Hot Seat

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB

Jones-Drew has the franchise TD record in his sights, and he is going against the worst run defense in the league. Not to mention he'll be needed to chew up clock in case TO and the Bills offense does decide to show up Sunday.

Prediction

Jacksonville Jaguars 31

Buffalo Bills 10

Maurice Jones-Drew goes off for 210 yards and four touchdowns while the Bills get their only points in garbage time.

-Jonathan Loesche

Was Jacksonville and the NFL a case of mutually assured destruction?

2009-11-20T02:19:03Z

A typical sight at home games this season

Anyone familiar with the Cold War knows the phrase Mutually Assured Destruction. It, along with the United State's paranoid Domino Theory were the two driving forces behind almost every foreign policy decision made from 1949 until 1991.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the idea, in a nutshell, it said that if either the US or Soviet Union finally decided to launch nuclear weapons at the other, the resulting retaliation would leave both countries devastated and broken.

The nuclear arms build up of the Cold War gave us some great theater and a lot of "What if" scenarios, but ultimately didn't amount to anything, thankfully. Instead, it was much more a promotional vehicle than anything. Threats to cut the military budget? Just throw up some footage of the Soviets marching their newest ICBM past the Kremlin and nobody said anything. Deep down, I don't think either side really intended to make good on their threats as they knew the other side wasn't crazy enough to end the world either.

I can't help but wonder if this same principal applies to the NFL and Jacksonville. Ironically, during the 1970's and 1980's, Jacksonville was in much the same position Los Angeles is in. We were the big bad boogyman NFL owners used when they wanted new stadiums. They would just point to Jacksonville and say, "If you won't give me what you want, I have a 80,000 seat stadium and town rabid enough to fill it in Jacksonville."

Within the span of a few years, the Colts, Falcons, and Oilers all used Jacksonville as a ploy to get new stadiums. The most famous example was when Colts owner Bob Irsay landed via helicopter in the Gator Bowl during Colt Fever Night. You're welcome Indianapolis.

However, I have to wonder now if any of these owners (or the NFL at that point) were even genuinely interested in Jacksonville? If Jacksonville would be just another second rate Southern city at this point if the Jaguars left, what was it then? The owners had to see that. They just figured everyone else around them would be so paniced at the thought of losing a team that nobody would put two and two together.

Maybe Pete Rozell forgot to brief Paul Taglieabue as to the top secret Jacksonville policy. Never actually let a team move there, but drum it up as much as possible to make sure we get the extra few hundred million in local taxpayer money for the next palace.

When Jacksonville was selected for the 30th franchise in 1993, it was a decision that directly impacted the fortunes of numerous franchises. Instead of a proper expansion team in Baltimore, we helped cause one of the bloodiest divorces in sports history between Art Modell and Cleveland.Instead of the St.Louis Stallions, we have the St.Louis Rams and no team in LA.

Maybe it was mutually assured destruction after all. The NFL is finally crazy enough to award Jacksonville a team and as a seemingly direct result, loses all of it's presence in Los Angeles. Jacksonville got what it seemingly always wanted, but now is acting like a spoiled 15 year old girl who wants to upgrade to the latest iPhone every year. Be damn happy you have what you do and hope you'll stay as fortunate as you have been.

-Jonathan Loesche

Check out this review of "The Jack". Don't forget about this week's episode of BCC Radio. Click...

2009-11-19T19:44:18Z

Check out this review of "The Jack".

Don't forget about this week's episode of BCC Radio. Click here.

Is A Wild Card Enough?

2009-11-19T13:55:02Z

Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars' Josh Scobee (10) celebrates with teammate Zach Miller (86) as New York Jets' Marquice Cole (34) looks on after Scobee hit the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jaguars won 24-22. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Despite the balmy temperature at kick-off, the Jaguars' Week 10 game against the New York Jets definitely had the feel of December football. Both teams entered the game with equal records and "must-win" attitudes that normally don't appear until later in the year. Win, and you're still in the playoff hunt. Lose, and you're basically out of contention and just playing out the rest of your schedule. Fortunately, with post-season hopes on the line, the Jaguars failed to disappoint.

In a game that looked to be slowly slipping through their fingers, the Jaguars were able to rally at crunch time and allow Josh Scobee to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. With the win, Jacksonville improved its record to 5-4 and remains a legitimate contender for one of the two heavily coveted AFC Wild Card spots.

Interestingly enough, the term "wild card" seems like an appropriate handle for this young, upstart football team. At the beginning of the season, if anyone had predicted the Jaguars would be in this position at this point of the year, I might have laughed in their face. Then I probably would have lectured them about rebuilding.. and patience.. and tempered expectations. But, here we are. The Jaguars have proven to be unpredictable.

Heading into the game New York was one of the league's best defenses and ranked number two against the pass. Against all logic, the Jaguars offense had considerable success, in the first half. By halftime, David Garrard had thrown for 142 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 127.7. He also ran for a touchdown. On the ground, Pro Bowl (Vote NOW!) running back Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown, on his way to becoming the only 100-yard rusher that the Jets allowed this season.

Photo: Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, left, runs for a touchdown as New York Jets' Dwight Lowery (21) pursues during the first quarter Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Even more surprising than the offense was the performance of the defense. In its first true test after switching base schemes, the Jaguars' more "bulky" 4-3 defense rose to the occasion and proved to be the more successful and natural alignment for the second week in a row. Throughout the game, the front four were able to successfully stop the run and force the ball into the hands of rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez. The defense was also able to get decent pressure on Sanchez at times and came away with three takeaways, including two interceptions.

Unfortunately, for as well as they played in the first half, the Jaguars came out completely flat in the second half. Half-time adjustments made by Rex Ryan and the Jets coaching staff seemed to effectively neutralize the Jags' offense. Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis was assigned to exclusively cover Mike Sims-Walker, essentially taking the Jags' number one receiver out of the game. Ryan also decided to throw the defensive kitchen sink at Garrard, sending pressure from everywhere but the press-box. As a result, the Jaguars went three-and-out on four of their five possessions to start the second half and fumbled away another on the one-yard line.

Photo: New York Jets' Jim Leonhard (36) sacks Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard (9) during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

The sputtering of the offense allowed the Jets to score nine unanswered points and take a one point lead (22-21) heading into the closing minutes. For the Jaguars, the game and all their postseason hopes were circling the drain. Visions of meaningful December football were slowly leaving our minds, and flashbacks of the 2008 season began to creep into their place. It was under this sense of urgency, with just over five minutes left, at crunch time, that Garrard and the offense came back to life.

Starting from his own 17-yard line, Garrard completed 4 of 6 passes, including a huge third-down conversion to wide-receiver Mike Thomas and a 33-yard strike to tight-end Marcedes Lewis. Led by their quarterback, the Jaguars were able to march 69 yards, to the Jets' 14-yard line, just as the clock reached the two-minute warning.

It was then that "unpredictable" became an understatement for the Jaguars. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Rex Ryan told his defense to give Maurice Jones-Drew a "free-way". The Jets would "try to make it look good", but still allow Jones-Drew to score. Hoping they would get the ball back in the hands of their offense with enough time left to march down-field and score.

However, Jack Del Rio suspected Ryan's plan, so he instructed Maurice Jones-Drew to get as close to the end zone as possible... then take a knee. Say whaaa?! If you tell me you saw it coming, then you better have fire-retardant pants. I mean, we've seen this type of thing before, but why would you forgo the go-ahead touchdown and six free points? It's a question that sports analysts and football pundits around the country are debating this week. However, in Del Rio's mind, it was never a question. Rather than to take the touchdown and kick-off to the Jets with the issue still in doubt, he wanted to seal the game right then and there. Milk the clock. Kick the walk-off, three-point "extra-point".

I can't say I agree wholeheartedly with the strategy, considering it was a crazy, gutsy, against the percentages, "feast-or-famine" type of call, but hey; that's why I'm not a head coach. However, I feel obligated to mention that Del Rio's decision cost me and countless others some serious MJD fantasy football points! (Kidding!... Kind of...)

Fortunately though, JDR's fourth quarter gamble yielded dividends in real life (unlike this guy's). With 3 seconds left in regulation, Josh Scobee came on and drilled the 21-yard game-winning field goal. Game over. Del Rio is a genius. Or very lucky. Either way, I'll take it.

Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars' Josh Scobee (10) kicks the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jaguars won 24-22. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

With a finish that no one could ever have predicted, the Jaguars have positioned themselves to get in the driver's seat of their post-season aspirations. At 5-4 in Week 10, there is no doubt that the Jaguars are playing well-beyond everyone's expectations. But you know what? Forget expectations and predictions. Let's focus on the right now. Right now, the Jaguars are winning games. They're playing with passion. They're putting on that entertaining show that so many people have cried out for. This team is giving this city all it's got, trying to turn nothing into something. But they can't play the games and sit in the stands too.

This Sunday, the Buffalo Bills will be coming to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, and the Jaguars will try to continue their pursuit of an entertaining, over-achieving, "wild card" 2009 season. As of this morning, the Jaguars are about 4,000 tickets shy of reaching their blackout number of about 50,0000 for next Sunday's game against the Bills. If they fail to reach 50,000 by Friday, the game will be, once again, blacked out. People in this town are still searching for a reason to come watch the Jags.

So I guess the question is: "Is being a wild card enough for Jacksonville?"

This post is republished from my blog Urban Jacksonville and is written by Gil Samson. If you enjoy this, let me know and I'll ask Gil to begin reposting his articles here. Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any feedback. More Jaguars articles on Urban Jacksonville

Clint Ingram: A rusty cog that needs changing

2009-11-19T05:54:17Z

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Who is this man, and what's he done with Clint Ingram?!?

Browse more photos »

Clint "Country" Ingram, the Jaguars' LB known for devastating hits, had this to say about the team's defense.

"We need to match them, it's obvious."

No, Clint, what's obvious is that you need to match them.

Attention to the linebacker formerly known as Clint Ingram: You should be a well-oiled, hard-firing piston for the defense. Instead, you've been a rusty cog that has hardly lived up to expectations. I don't blame you for playing poorly in that infernal 3-4 scheme, you clearly aren't built for that kind of game-plan. However, last Sunday's game against the Jets was inexcusable. Let's review a few plays that led to the Jets continuing their second drive (After the int).

Few plays into the drive, 1st and 10 on Jacksonville's 25 yard-line. Clint is lined up on the line of scrimmage, the Jets in an I formation. Knighton and Henderson are both easily blocked, Pot Roast is spun around, but Clint is left un accounted for off the edge. He misses the tackle.

Next play, 2nd and 5 Jacksonville's 20 yard-line. Jag's in zone, throw to the Slot in the flat at the 19, Clint comes running into the view of the camera and... stops?!? Seriously, he stops in his tracks and waits for the ball-carrier to come to him, allowing the first down. That's entirely on you Clint, and there is no excuse (part of the reason Mr. Allen took your place for a while starting the next drive).

Poor play in the 4-3 defensive scheme is not what we expect from you. You've been part of the reason our run defense has been successful, and you were fair against the pass coming out of college. Neither has been the case this season, and the latter hasen't been the case since your second-year. Either your speed has altogether faltered, or you're over-thinking plays. I'm hoping it's just because you have been forced to learn so many defensive alignments and responsibilities as the Jaguars continue their yearly defensive coordinator carousal.

I know you realize you played far and away your worst game of the season Sunday, and it was only compounded by the fact that it was predominantly in the 4-3 defensive front, which suits your style and build. The hesitation has got to stop. You can have only one mind-set... No, not win... Never win... Only kill. That's it. Kill.

Stay quiet, or call out your own abhorrent play.

Since you did neither, We're calling you out, you impostor. Whatever you've done with Clint Ingram, we want him back playing LB this week in Duval. We've got a game Sunday, just in case it wasn't on your calendar.

Sincerely,

The 46,000 Fans Attending Sunday's Game.

Jaguars Scouting Locations This Week

2009-11-18T17:54:30Z

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

The Jaguars will scout UF for the 5th time this season, easily the most of any team in the country.

Browse more photos »

UPDATE: The Jaguars will also be present at the San Diego State/Utah game.

Chris Steuber of Scout.com is reporting the Jaguars will have scouts in attendance at the following games

Nicholls St @ SE Louisiana

Florida International @ Florida

Minnesota @ Iowa

This marks the 5th time the Jaguars have had scouts attend a UF game, the most of any college team. The only team the Jaguars have had scouts present more than twice is FSU, which the Jaguars have seen three times.

This will be the second time the Jaguars have scouted Iowa, while this will be their first look at every other team. What players do you think they'll have their eyes on this week?

-Jonathan Loesche

Big Cat Country Radio 11/18/2009

2009-11-18T15:41:28Z

Where: Click Here

When: 10pm-11pm

Call in Number: (646) 478-3939

It's that time of the week kids. This week on Big Cat Country Radio we'll discuss the Jaguars 24-22 win over the New York Jets. Jones-Drew, great running back or greatest running back? How will the Jaguars cure their red zone ills?

In addition, we'll discuss the upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills. This team has become such a circus the original Buffalo Bill would've been proud.

It seems the guys from Buffalo Rumblings can't make it tonight, so we'll have open lines through out the night!

I just wanted to bring to your attention Touchdown Jacksonville will be having a Pep Rally at...

2009-11-17T20:11:05Z

I just wanted to bring to your attention Touchdown Jacksonville will be having a Pep Rally at 5:30pm today. It will be in Lot J of the stadium and will feature appearances by Maurice Jones-Drew and Tony Boselli. I believe it will be an official kickoff event for the drive to sell out the stadium vs the Colts on December 17th. If anyone isn't stuck at work and can attend, please do and then write a fan post about what went on.

Somethin's Happening

2009-11-17T13:39:41Z

[Editorial NOTE: Rather than post something above such a spectacular article, please take note that it was just reported that Trent Edwards will be replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting QB. Terry's stat-sheet should look even better after next week.] -Collin

Something is happening on the Jaguar defense and it looks very good. This chart shows the average yards allowed by the defense for the first 5 games though Seattle and the average yards allowed for the next 4 games through New York.

While on the radio program a few weeks back I wondered why we were so bad on defense, especially pass defense. Mel Tucker didn't have Greg Williams reputation as a defensive genius, but he always had good pass defense. Cleveland had near the top numbers in interceptions and was fairly stout against the pass, they just couldn't stop the run. So why were we having so much trouble? I surmised at the time that it might be temporary and as soon as Derek Cox learned more and the secondary got settled, it would improve. I think that might be happening. The average of the last four games includes the 430 yards Tennessee hung on us. After the jump, let's look a little deeper.

I did a study about a year ago in which I took every game played in 2007 and averaged the defensive yards allowed by the winners and losers. The numbers said that winners averaged 300 yards allowed on defense while losers averaged 330 yards allowed. I did the study for 2006 and 2008, all told I looked at over 700 games played. The numbers never move, winners allow 300 yards on average, losers allow 330 yards on average. Now a team can lose giving up only 250 yards and a team can win giving up 400 yards, but not often. If a team allows 300 yards or less, it has a 75% chance of victory. Before you site examples of times this doesn't work, I get it. The Redskins are allowing under 300 yards this year and they are losing and the same with the Jets. My arguement is both of those teams are closer to winning than we might think. The Redskins need just a little bit of offense. Sorry, I digress, back to the Jaguars. I consider the 300 yard metric to be the champion level defensive metric. Hit that and you are playing good defense. Let's look at the Jaguar defensive performance this season.

Do you see the difference? Do you begin to see a move down to the 300 yard level? To be sure I am not being a homer, I ran a statistical analysis on the two averages I mentioned above. I wanted to know if the change was real or just random variation. Even though we have a small sample size, the averages are different to an 88% confidence factor. Statisticians like to see a 95% minimum to state anything with certainty, but this isn't bad. What it says is it looks like our defense has probably changed for the better, but we can't be sure just yet. Statistics and I agree, we can't be sure yet, but it looks very promising.

Now defensive performance is based on individuals. Quentin Groves missing a tackle, Reggie Nelson missing an assignment, or any other miss can pile yards on fast. If Rashean Mathis is hurt as seriously as we believe, we might not see him again this year. That will probably change the defense. Probably? It will.

My point of the article is this, I think Mel Tucker has been good for the Jaguars. I think Jack and Mel are bringing the players along quite nicely. With an offense able to put up some huge numbers and a defense getting better I can't help but remember the lyrics of an old Peter Frampton song...

You know it's alright somethin's happening
Hold tight it might be lightning

Keeping my fingers crossed and my prayers for Rashean.

- Terry O'Brien

Thinking about Baby Holt

2009-11-17T03:24:51Z

Jarret Dillard broke his ankle in the Jets game and will be out the remainder of the year. It happened in the second quarter at a critical third and five. Jarret ran a clean route, setting his break and cut for the sidelines, one yard past the marker. Donald Strickland and Kerry Rhodes were in pursuit. David hit him just as he came open and Donald Strickland rode him to the ground. Jarret hung on to the ball, made the first down, and then rode the cart. I couldn't help but think about him all day today.

I jokingly call him Baby Holt because I noticed he made friends with Torry at training camp. Everywhere Torry went, Jarret went. During pre-season, when Jarret got in the game and made a play, he came to the sidelines looking for Torry. It didn't take long to find him, Torry was waiting to congratulate him. The relationship seemed special and Jarret waited for his chance during the season.

Jarret demonstrated his gravity defying abilty during the Chiefs game here in Jacksonville. It was third and fourteen with David standing in his owm endzone, Jags up 7 to 3. David threw a rope over the middle 40 yards to a leaping Jarret Dillard. Jarret is 5 foot 11 inches and went over 6 ft 2 inch Javon Belcher to grab the ball. It was a stunning catch and one the home crowd hadn't seen in five years. We came to our feet in appreciation.

Jarret Dillard was a Gene Smith gem in the fifth round. In 2006 Jarret was a sophmore at Rice. Rice went on a terror streak to finish the season with a 7-1 run. That brought Rice it's first bowl game in 45 years. During that run of 8 games, Jarret caught 55 passes and 16 touchdowns. I'm sorry, maybe you didn't quite understand that. In 8 games he caught 55 passes and 16 touchdowns. One more time, in 8 games, first bowl game in 45 years. Can you feel the respect and admiration?

There are two guys who held the record for touchdowns catches in consecutive games, Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss each with 12 consecutive games with a touchdown. Only one guy has more, Jarret Dillard has 13. Very few players have meant as much to their school football program as Jarret Dillard did to Rice. He was amazing. Watch this video if you want to understand how special this guy is.

Dillard at Rice

I always wanted him to get in the game as a Jaguar. I knew he was a player who could make a difference. I can't help but think about him now and wish him well. Get well Baby Holt. We want to see you back so very very much.

- Terry O'Brien

Mathis to have MRI, may miss time

2009-11-16T22:32:36Z

It what can only be described as bad news, Jack Del Rio said in today's press conference that Rashean Mathis will undergo a MRI on his groin tomorrow and is expected to miss time. If he does miss time the *gulp* Reggie Nelson will once again start at corner opposite Derek Cox.

More on this as it develops.

Comcast Presents: The Fumble and The Knee

2009-11-16T16:03:18Z

This post is brought to you by Comcast. Check out the new NFL Red Zone Channel. Catch every touchdown from every game, only on NFL Red Zone!

On the surface, the Jaguars had yet another sub par red zone performance against the Jets. The Jaguars only scored one touchdown in three trips inside the Jets 20 yard line, making it 14 out of 28 for the year. The only touchdown came on a David Garrard scramble.

However, the other two trips inside the 20 were the one's that everyone is still buzzing about. Maurice Jones-Drew's fumble and kneel down were to the bane of every fantasy owner who had a close loss this week. Not to mention nearly season wrecking plays for the Jaguars.

The first major play was the fumble. Quentin Groves made a rare meaningful contribution by intercepting a Mark Sanchez pass and looked like he was going in for a touchdown. Instead, he tripped inside the 5 yard line to setup a first and goal. On the ensuing 2nd and goal, a bad exchange between David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew resulted in a fumble that the Jets recovered.

That marked the fifth red zone turnover of the year for the Jaguars and their seventh red zone possession with no points on the season. Or in other words, one out of every four red zone trips for the Jaguars have resulted in no points.

This is a trend that has to stop if the Jaguars want to end the season with a winning record. Even if those turnovers end up being Scobee field goals, 3 points is better than nothing.

The other play that everyone is talking about is Maurice Jones-Drew's knee down at the one yard line. Coach Del Rio ordered Jones-Drew to take a knee at the one if the Jets allowed him to walk into the end zone so that the Jaguars could run out the clock and kick a field goal to win.

The national media is comparing this to Brian Westbrook's play, half the time forgetting the caveat that the Eagles were ahead at the time. They're calling it a great effort, a sign of what a team player Jones-Drew is, etc.

I would call it the obvious decision considering the situation. If Jones-Drew scores a touchdown, that gives the Jaguars a 5 point lead and an obvious two point conversion attempt upcoming. Regardless of if they make it or not, the Jags would've kicked it off to the Jets with approximately 90 seconds remaining.

Is it really a smart thing to give the ball back to an offense that had been moving well in the second half, with a defense that had spent most of the 2nd half on the field and had just lost it's best player in Rashean Mathis?

I can understand the argument against taking the knee at the one. The Jaguars have had two kicks blocked already this year (1 FG and 1 XP), not to mention the possibility of a bad snap. However, those are two exceptions to the rule with a 20 yard FG.

What is the standard MO for a two minute offense in the NFL these days? A QB having all day against a three man rush before finding a receiver open in a hole in the zone. Sanchez already had a few deep throws open that either he miss timed or were dropped.

What happens if the Jets get a good return out to the 35, Sanchez hits either Edwards or Cotchery for a big gain, and then all of the sudden the Jets are inside the Jags 25 with a minute to play? We're sitting here shaking our heads at the defense this morning.

Is it so hard to see that scenario playing out in Jack's head as he gave the order to Jones-Drew to just take the knee? I'll take the play where the negatives are the exception to the rule, rather than the expected outcome.

-Jonathan Loesche

Quick Bytes: 11/16/2009

2009-11-16T14:30:18Z

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Browse more photos »

Bill Belichick made wrong call in Patriots-Colts game - Peter King - SI.com
Peter King says the Jaguars are riding Maurice Jones-Drew's cape.

The Jets are all talk; the Bengals are A-OK in the North - Don Banks - SI.com
Don Banks applauds Jones-Drew's play and says the Jags are for real.

Weird, Disjointed Win Lifts Jags To 5-4 - Sports News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
Sam Kouvaris says the Jaguars looked in control and completely out of it almost at the same time in Sunday's 24-22 victory over the New York Jets.

Wrap-up: Jaguars 24, Jets 22 - AFC South Blog - ESPN
Paul Kuharksy says the Jaguars seized control at the end, did what they needed to do to win at the Meadowlands and moved to 5-4.

Competitive Jones-Drew unaccustomed to not scoring | Jacksonville.com
Maurice Jones-Drew isn't the kind of back who likes to take a knee at the one but he is a team player above all. Expect some healthy debate on this site on that play later on in the week.

Critical drive for Jaguars trumps criticism of David Garrard | Jacksonville.com
Michael Wright says that David Garrard came up big when it counted most, and that trumps everything.

Jaguars deserve your attention | Jacksonville.com
Gene "Gremlin" Frenette says that this team deserves the attention and support of the community.

Highlights of the Jaguars 24-22 win over the Jets. Via TheSection300

2009-11-16T00:03:04Z

Highlights of the Jaguars 24-22 win over the Jets. Via TheSection300

Post Game Thoughts: I'll take it

2009-11-15T22:44:44Z

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

5 days ago: Jacksonville Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew (32) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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First off, I would like to thank John and the rest of the guys at Gang Green Nation for coming over and being so classy all week.

The Jaguars have often been called the most consistently inconsistent team in the NFL. Up one week and down the next. This time, they decided to trump that and go schizo in the process of one game. The Jaguars came out in the first half and took it to the Jets second ranked defense. Pounding away with Maurice Jones-Drew and then giving David Garrard time, the Jaguars stupefied defensive genius Rex Ryan.

However, in the second half, Ryan made a few adjustments that tipped the scales in his favor. Having Darrell Revis stick on Mike Sims-Walker was the first adjustment. The other was having his defense sellout to stop Jones-Drew. That combination managed to limit the Jaguars to just 18 yards of offense in the first 26 minutes of the second half. However, the Jaguars managed to rekindle the offense for a final drive that saw this team's best crunch time performance since the 2007 playoff win at Pittsburgh.

Offensively, I'm of two minds right now. I give Dirk Koetter a lot of credit for coming in with a solid gameplan that got the Jaguars up to a 21-10 half time lead. However, his refusal to adjust when the Jets clearly had it figured out is troubling. However, all in all I believe he did a good job.

Maurice Jones-Drew continues to show how important he is to this team. Jones-Drew had 91 yards going into halftime, only to be stopped consistently in the 2nd. Also, Mike Sims-Walker's forced absense showed how much he is a key to the offense. The fact Revis so totally shut him down shows he still has a ways to go before joining the upper tier of wide receivers.

The fumble at the goal line almost cost the Jaguars their season and is yet another bad red zone play in a season full of bad red zone plays. Expect more on that in this week's Comcast article.

Defensively, I genuinely liked what I saw from this team. I'll go so far as to say I think this was the best 60 minutes they've played all year. Until exhaustion creeped in during the 4th quarter, they were playing lights out and forcing mistakes.

The defense held the #1 rushing unit in football 60 yards below their season average. The Jaguars also held the Jets to a season low 3.8 yards per rush. If this isn't an indication the 4-3 is here to stay, I don't know what is.

Watching Mark Sanchez today, I thought about the first time the Jaguars went against Vince Young. Young was flat out horrible that game and convinced me he was never going to be an effective Pro QB. I don't get that feeling from Sanchez. He's learning on the job and makes plenty of mistakes, but he seems like he has the head and arm to be a Pro QB.

Congratulations go out to Rashean Mathis. His interception to start the ball game set the franchise record with 28 career INTs. H/T to Vic for pointing that out.

Also a shout out to Sean Considine. He played easily his best game as a Jagaurs delivering a few big hits to knock balls out and was a sure tackler today.

Whether or not you agree with Maurice Jones-Drew's decision to kneel at the one, I think it showed a great football acumen and how unselfish he is.

Jarrett Dillard's season ending injury is certainly a blow for this team. Perhaps this means Nate Hughes will get a second chance.

This was a game neither team seemingly wanted to win until the very end, with plenty of mistakes on both sides. However, the Jaguars got a big road win against a wild card competitor, and that is all that matters.

-Jonathan Loesche

We win in an unbelievable game! Post your thoughts!

2009-11-15T20:56:31Z

The Jaguars deliver a stunning come from behind drive against one of the best defenses in the NFL. A stunning win. While the staff gathers its thoughts, get your comments and excitement out here for now!

Terry

Jaguars @ Jets 2nd Half Thread

2009-11-15T19:26:14Z

New York Jets (4-4)	Week #10	Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
	VS.

Date:	November 15st, 2009	Location:	East Rutherford, New Jersey
Time:	1:00 PM EST	Stadium:	The Meadowlands
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Jets -7
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	40.5
Weather:	Mid 50's, no chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Gang Green Nation	Coverage Map	Click Here

Jones-Drew is owning the Jets Defense.

Jaguars own mistakes (bothced onsides and missed FG) only thing that's keeping the Jets in this game.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets: Final Game Preview

2009-11-15T15:54:47Z

Welcome to the Playoffs:

The Jaguars face the New York Jets in what is a playoff environment for both teams. The Jets and Jaguars are looking at the wild-card if they've got any shot at going to the post-season, and dropping to 4-5 would begin the long slow road to mathematical elimination.

Shocking Jaguars Fact of the Day:

If I was drinking coffee this morning, I would have spit it all over my screen at the most recent posting on Vic Ketchman's pre-game blog:

The Jaguars haven't thrown a touchdown pass on the road this year. That, in my opinion, has to change for the Jaguars to have any chance of winning today.

The Jets are going to blitz, blitz, and blitz some more. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see Matt "Chimichonga" Sanchez on a blitz or two. (hilarious but potentially offensive link). They're going to rush from every angle, every position, and on third down they will rush everyone. David Garrard will have to know exactly where the ball is going on every snap, lest he sit in the pocket and be sacked by the waterboy. The Jets have a tremendous cornerback in Darrelle Revis that they can lock onto Mike Sims-Walker all day and not worry about a Chief's-esque blown coverage. The man-to-man coverage on the outside is what opens the doors to the Jailhouse Blitzes that the Jets employ on 3rd down.

Who are we rooting for and against:

Today, the Jaguars-Nation must be fans of the following teams:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bring back the creamsicles!

Tennessee Titans: Ugh. Is there anything worse than wanting the Titans to win? I don't really understand why the Titans beating Buffalo effects the playoff picture, but I'll roll with it.

Washington Redskins: Denver's got some issues, Washington has to win one, right?

Philadelphia Eagles: Why is Norv Turner still coaching the Chargers?

Cleveland Browns: Rex Ryan is my favorite coach in the league. Eric Mangini is the worst coach in the league. Because of Mangini, the Jets can go 0-16 and they'll still love Rex, just because Mangini is so terrible. It's too bad the Brown's haven't figured that out yet.

Pittsburgh Steelers: I'll let Vic explain this one:

If you really want to take it to the extreme, you root for Pittsburgh to beat Cincinnati and take the AFC North lead because the Bengals have lost to Denver and Houston, which are AFC losses that would hurt them in the tiebreakers and, thus, make the Bengals more vulnerable in a tiebreaking situation than the Steelers currently would be.

I'm in Miami, Trick:

Does anyone know of a Sports Bar in Miami that's open to the possibility that someone might actually want to watch the Jaguars play? There's no worse Sunday for me than when the Dolphins and Jaguars play at the same time. Thankfully I have NFL Mobile Live on my Palm Pre and can at least be that awkward guy who's trying to enjoy the sports bar while listening to the game on his phone.

Keys to Victory:

1. Feed the Ball to Maurice Jones-Drew, it works every time.

2. Know where the ball is going, especially on 3rd down.

3. When Mark Sanchez struggles, the Jets lose, Harvey, Smith, give him something to stress about.

-Chris

It could be a Defining Game

2009-11-15T00:23:32Z

Forty-five years ago, the words, "I shook up the world, I'm a bad man", were proclaimed announcing a surprising upset. The most feared man in the world, Sonny Liston, was vanquished. It was the upset, the surprise outcome, that still holds our attention.

Upsets, or even near upsets, are the most thrilling moments in sport. When a person or team stands in there and fights harder than imagined against all odds, we can't help but to rise to our feet and cheer. Even if the person or team loses, as long as the fight is good, we are moved. I don't care how many times I see "Rocky" or any of the sequels; they always hook me.

January 13, 2007 the Indianapolis Colts travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. The Ravens had a powerhouse defense allowing only 201 points all year. The Ravens could score as well with a league leading point differential of 157. The Colts could score but allowed a lot of points. The Jaguars hung 44 points on them earlier that season as Maurice Jones Drew announced his presence with 2 touchdowns and 166 yards rushing. Fred Taylor kicked in another 131 yards. No way could the Colts beat the Ravens, it was impossible. They did win and did it with their defense. Colt fans will tell you it was that game that supplied the power to carry the team past New England the next week and on to beat the Bears in the Super Bowl. Beating the Ravens was a defining game.

December 29, 2007, Tom Coughlin has nothing to gain by playing his starters against the undefeated Patriots in the last game of the year. Conventional wisdom said lay down and wait for the playoffs to begin. Tom threw everything at the Patriots in that game and went for the win. The fight was so good, the NY Giants earned respect. That game set the tempo for the playoff run that would have them fighting down to the last play of the Super Bowl to beat the Patriots, and ruin the perfect season. A meaningless season-ending game became a defining game.

The Jaguars are a touchdown underdog in the game against the Jets. A touchdown is a lot of points and indicates a potential blowout on the way. As fans, we expect to lose this game. The Jets are coming off a bye-week. They are at home. They need the win. The Jaguars can't keep people off of David and the Jets have a very good and fierce defense. There is no way the Jaguars can win. This is a perfect setting for a defining game.

Jack Del Rio senses this. He publicly proclaimed this team ready to make a surge. "Why not us", he asked. I agree. Despite having a good defense, the Jets are not much better at sacking the quarterback than the Jaguars are. The teams are almost even in offensive yards per game. A good game by the Jaguars, even in defeat can set up a good run for the rest of the season. Put up a good fight against the Jets and win or lose, the Jaguars earn respect. The Jaguars can use this game to their advantage.

This could be a defining game and you won't want to miss it. This is a must-see game.

- Terry O'Brien

Week 10: Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets Game Preview

2009-11-13T03:07:42Z

New York Jets (4-4)	Week #10	Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
	VS.

Date:	November 15st, 2009	Location:	East Rutherford, New Jersey
Time:	1:00 PM EST	Stadium:	The Meadowlands
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Jets -7
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	40.5
Weather:	Mid 50's, no chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Gang Green Nation	Coverage Map	Click Here

The Jaguars travel to the swamps of New Jersey for what is in essence a playoff elimination game. Both teams are part of the logjam of 5-3/4-4 teams in the AFC. A win means they get a leg up on one of their main competitors, a loss means they'll need a lot of help to keep their hopes alive.

The last time the Jaguars went against a Rex Ryan defense was the final game of the 2008 season at Baltimore. It was certainly a low point in a season filled with low points. The Jaguars committed four turnovers and were held to only 245 yards in a 27-7 defeat.

Now the Jaguars must find a way to defend against the defense to keep their playoff hopes alive. In addition, the Jaguars must deal with a hot rookie quarterback, much like last year in Baltimore. Mark Sanchez has played well for the Jets so far, but has had his fair share of rookie moments.

Can the Jags go into the Meadowlands and land one of Jack Del Rio's biggest wins in his career, or will they have another quiet flight home?

Jaguars Offense vs Jets Defense

The Jets have an impressive resume on defense. They're the only unit in football that hasn't given up 100 yard rusher, 100 yard receiver, or 300 yard passer all year. The defense is surrendering only 11.5 points in the game, best in the NFL. They come at you from every angle and any one of the 11 players on the field is liable to blitz at any given time.

However, here is something to ponder with the Jets defense. How will the react to getting smacked in the mouth running the football? The only time the Jets defense had genuinely looked bad was when Miami ran at them with the Wildcat. That is where this game is going to be won or lost.

Maurice Jones-Drew has to start fast for the Jaguars to have a chance. If he gets going running the ball, that'll force a cocky Jets defense onto it's heels and give David a chance to get throws off. If we come out and throw nine straight times again,we'll likely be seeing Luke McCown because David will be on the sideline with broken ribs.

If MJD can get it going, I expect to see alot of screens to Mike Thomas on the outside as well as to Jones-Drew coming out of the backfield. The way you beat a blitz heavy team is to get them aggrivated and then use that against them.

When the Jaguars do decide to test the Jets through the air, the obvious target is going to be CB Lito Sheppard. Sheppard is coming off a quad injury and the Jets' other corner, Darrell Revis, is one of the best in the league. I would try to get Sims-Walker matched up with Sheppard as often as possible to test the quad injury, while leaving Holt to deal with Revis most of the time.

Jaguars Defense vs Jets Offense

Rookie Quarterback Mark Sanchez came out of the gates like a man possessed. However, he has slid back down to reality as the season has progressed. Sanchez was a turnover machine in losses against Buffalo and New Orleans, throwing a combined nine interceptions.

The Jaguars will need to build on the success against the Chiefs and hopefully get into Sanchez's face early. All the indications are that he'll show you early on how he's going to be. If he gets hot, back by the NFL's #1 rushing attack, we could end up with a repeat of the Seattle game.

As I previously mentioned, the Jets have the NFL's #1 rushing attack averaging over 170 yards per game.The Jets leading rusher is Thomas Jones, who has 704 yards and 7 touchdowns so far this season.

The Jaguars' defensive line will have to be the key to stopping the Jets' rushing attack. John Henderson and Terrance Knighton will have to be getting penetration in the back field to help counter for a weak right edge.

Speaking of that right edge, former practice squad player Bryan Smith will be the starting RDE for the Jaguars. As Collin pointed out in his brilliant two part series, he didn't play all the well against the Chiefs. However, Quentin Groves has been such a liability against the run it's not likely things could get much worse.

The basic game plan for the Jaguars has to be stopping the run and putting the ball in Mark Sanchez's hands. Sanchez hasn't looked great over the last five games and he's never had a situation where he's been expected to simply throw it to win.

Intangibles and Special Teams

If the Jets have the best rushing offense and one of the best defenses in the NFL, then why are they sitting at 4-4? Two reasons, turnovers and bad special teams.

The Jets have committed 15 turnovers so far in 2009, eleven being Mark Sanchez interceptions. However, the Jaguars are even worse. The Jaguars are -3 in the turnover department in 2009. David Garrard has thrown four interceptions in the last three games and he'll need to be careful to avoid more on Sunday.

The Jets' Special Teams melt down against the Dolphins two weeks ago has been well documented. However, the unit has been suspect all season. Mike Thomas seems like he's due to finally break a touchdown on a return and this would be a perfect week to do it.

Josh Scobee has been having something of an off year. Scobee is just 9-14, though 4 of those misses have been from 50+ and another one was blocked. Also, here is an interestining tid bit. Scobee leads the league with 6 attempts from more than 50 yards. The next closest is Mason Crosby of Green Bay with 4, then several kickers with 3. Only 5 kickers have had more than 2 50+ yard attempts this year.

Coaching

Jack Del Rio leads the Jaguars to the Meadowlands for the final time as the stadium is scheduled to close after this year. After almost coughing up a win against the Chiefs, it will be interesting to see how the Jaguars respond to that scare.

Rex Ryan is coming off his first bye week as head coach. In an interesting move, the Jets only had two days worth of practice during the bye week, despite losing four of their last five games.

Player On The Hot Seat

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB

The entire fate of the Jaguars offense rests in his hands. If he can't get things going running the ball, then the Jets will have their ears pinned back the entire game and it could get even uglier than Seattle.

Video Killed The Game Preview

Prediction

Jacksonville Jaguars 28

New York Jets 24

Mike Thomas breaks a punt return for a touchdown, the Jaguars score following a Mark Sanchez interception deep in Jets territory, and get two long pounding drives thanks to Jones-Drew.

-Jonathan Loesche