SB Nation - Atiyyah Ellison

San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0000

vs.

The 49ers look to get back on the winning track against a quirky Jacksonville Jaguars squad. I have always been intrigued by the Jaguars because something doesn't add up about them. They are 6-4, but something just seems off about that. Going through their 2009 statistics (listed at the bottom), I noticed that they've been outscored this season by 36 points. The only other team above .500 with a negative scoring differential is Denver (-13)...and I've always questioned Denver's early success (which is certainly bearing fruit now). Will the Jaguars keep it up the rest of the season?

The 49ers host the Jaguars in what will be the 3rd meeting between the two teams in the series, and the first at Candlestick Park. The last time the two teams squared off was in 2005 in Jacksonville, when the Jaguars defeated the 49ers 10-9.

The 49ers enter the upcoming game following a 30-24 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field last weekend. In that game, the Packers defense was able to hold off a second half surge by the 49ers offense to seal the victory. QB Alex Smith connected on three touchdown passes in the final two quarters of play, which included a 38-yard strike to rookie
WR Michael Crabtree for his first career touchdown, a 24-yard toss to TE Vernon Davis for his 8th score of the season and a 10-yard pass to RB Frank Gore, marking his 4th consecutive game with a touchdown.

The 49ers have won 6 out of their last 8 games at Candlestick Park. In those games, San Francisco has rushed for over 100 yards in all but one contest.

49ers-Jaguars Connections
Coaching Connections
• 49ers assistant strength coach Mark Uyeyama worked as a graduate assistant from 2001-2002 and an assistant in 2003 at Arizona State under Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who was then head coach. Jaguars defensive line coach Ted Monachino served in the same position with Arizona State during that time.
• 49ers QB Shaun Hill was coached by Jaguars assistant head coach/tight ends Mike Tice from 2002-2005 when Tice was the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
• 49ers rookie RB Glen Coffee was recruited and coached by Jaguars QBs coach Mike Shula when Shula was the head coach at Alabama (2003-06).
• 49ers DE Justin Smith was coached by Jaguars LBs coach Mark Duffner in Cincinnati from 2001-2002 when Duffner was the defensive coordinator there.

RAMS RE-UNITED - 49ers WR Isaac Bruce and CB Dre’ Bly were teammates with Jaguars WR Torry Holt for the St. Louis Rams from 1999-2002, winning a Super Bowl together in 1999. Bruce and Holt remained with the Rams and played together until 2007.

NOR-CAL CONNECTIONS – RB Maurice Jones-Drew was born in Anticoh, and still calls it home. Jones-Drew prepped at national powerhouse De La Salle High School, which won a record 151 straight games from 1992-2003. During the three years Jones-Drew starred there (1999-2002), he kept the streak alive, never losing a game.

HELLO AGAIN – 49ers SS Michael Lewis and Jaguars T Tra Thomas were teammates in Philadelphia from 2002-2006. Lewis, Thomas and Jaguars S Sean Considine all played together with the Eagles in 2005 and 2006. 49ers LB Takeo Spikes played on the same defense with Considine and was a teammate of Thomas’ while in Philadelphia in 2007.

GOLDEN DOMERS - 49ers WR Arnaz Battle and Jaguars T Jordan Black were teammates at Notre Dame for four seasons (1999-2002).

NATIONAL CHAMPS - 49ers DT Ray McDonald was a teammate of Jaguars DE Derrick Harvey and S Reggie Nelson at Florida. They were part of a National Championship team in 2006.

ROCKY TOP - 49ers NT Aubrayo Franklin and Jaguars DT John Henderson played on the same defensive line at the University of Tennessee in 2001.

FORMER 49ERS - Jaguars DL Atiyyah Ellison spent two years with the 49ers, serving on the active roster in 2007, and as a member of the practice squad in 2008.

Series Highlights
Matchups: 2
Series Record: Jaguars Lead Series 2-0
49ers Home Record vs. Jaguars: None
First Meeting: 9/12/99, Jaguars win 41-3
Last Meeting: 12/18/05, Jaguars win 10-9
Current Streak: Lost 2
Longest 49ers Win Streak: None
Longest Jaguars Win Streak: 2
Most 49ers Points: 9 (12/18/05)
Most Jaguars Points: 4 (9/12/99)
49ers Shutouts: None
Jaguars Shutouts: None

JACKSONVILLE 10, SAN FRANCISCO 9
At Jacksonville, FL, December 18, 2005

The San Francisco 49ers lost 10-9 to Jacksonville in what Head Coach Mike Nolan termed the most physical game of the season. The 49ers entered the game with six rookies in the starting lineup, including four on offense. Rookie RB Frank Gore started in place of the injured RB Kevan Barlow (knee) and gained over 100 combined yards with 79 yards rushing and 57 yards receiving. His most impressive play was at the end of the 1st half when he caught a screen pass from QB Alex Smith and raced down the right sideline for a 47-yard gain to the Jacksonville 30-yard line to set up a 47-yard FG by K Joe Nedney with one second left in the 1st half.

The 49ers opened the game with an 8-play, 80-yard drive that ended in the first of three Nedney FGs for a 3-0 lead. A big defensive play helped the 49ers take the 3-0 lead into the 2nd quarter. On 4th-and-1 from the San Francisco 6-yard line, DE Marques Douglas stopped FB Greg Jones for no gain and the 49ers took over on downs. Jacksonville converted two, 3rd-down plays on a 71-yard drive in the 2nd quarter that ended when QB David Garrard broke free from LB Julian Peterson on his way to a 13-yard TD for a 7-3 lead. The 49ers regained possession deep in their own territory with just 24 seconds left to play in the 1st half. Instead of taking a knee and allowing time to run out, the 49ers attempted a high percentage screen pass with the hopes of being able to break one for a big play. A pass from Smith to Gore in the right flat went for a 47-yard gain, with Gore sprinting down the sideline to the Jacksonville 30-yard line with 6 seconds left to play. Nedney nailed a 47-yard FG for a 7-6 halftime deficit.

After a scoreless 3rd quarter, the 49ers took a 9-7 lead on the first play of the 4th quarter with a 33-yard FG by Nedney. Smith completed a 28-yard pass to WR Johnnie Morton to get the 49ers in FG range. Jacksonville responded by taking the ensuing kick and advancing on a 10-play, 47-yard drive that ended in a 32-yard FG for a 10-9 lead. The Jaguars drive was aided when Nedney’s kickoff went out of bounds, allowing Jacksonville to start the drive at their own 40-yard line. The 49ers gained just 15 yards on their next four drives and committed one turnover when Smith was intercepted.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		JAGUARS (rank)
4-6 (2nd NFCW)	Record	6-4 (2nd AFCS)
20.8 (19th)	Points per game	19.9 (21st)
278.5 (27th)	Total Offense	354.0 (12th)
99.0 (24th)	Rushing Offense	136.3 (6th)
179.5 (23rd)	Passing Offense	217.7 (17th)
28:44 (21st)	Possession Avg	30:46 (11th)
21.0 (17th)	Points allowed/gm	23.5 (23rd)
350.8 (22nd)	Total Defense	356.9 (23rd)
94.7 (6th)	Rushing Defense	112.1 (17th)
256.1 (30th)	Passing Defense	244.8 (25th)
19 (t-21st)	Sacks	10 (32nd)
47.9 (2nd)	Punting Avg (Gross)	41.7 (26th)
0 (t-15th)	Turnover Differential	0 (t-15th)

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Run Defense

John B — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:24:04 -0000

by Peter Morgan - AP

View full size photo »

The Jaguars have one of the worst statistical run defenses in football. The Chiefs did little to try and exploit it last week, running only 12 times. Part of this was due to them playing from behind. The Jets are going to test Jacksonville's new 4-3 base defense much more up front.

Jacksonville hopes its strength will come from up the middle and tackles John Henderson and Terrance Knighton. Henderson is a multi time Pro Bowler. Knighton is a rookie space eater. He's been pretty good defending the run, although he's less likely to beat his man and penetrate. He's more of a Sione Pouha type. Atiyyah Ellison will rotate in with them, a guy who doesn't do anything poorly but also doesn't do anything particularly well.

Derrick Harvey will line up at one end. He weighs in at 281 pounds, big for a 4-3 end. His play against the run seems to have improved a bit with the move to the 4-3. On the other side, the Jaguars will play a pair of smallish ends, Quentin Groves, a small speedy guy who is something of a liability in the run game and Bryan Smith, an even smaller player. They are in there to provide the pass rush. Jacksonville hopes the Jets run away from them, which they might if they are lined up against D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and Gang Green is best running it right.

Daryl Smith is Jacksonville's best linebacker against the run. Smith does everything well. For my money, he's one of the most overlooked players in football. He's had success at both middle and outside linebacker during his career. He'll start outside on the weak side. Justin Durant, who starts in the middle does a decent job against the run. Jacksonville wants the tackles to keep him clean. Strong side backer Clint Ingram is the weakest defending the run. I would expect the Jets to target him.

As always, Jacksonville will probably stick 8 in the box against the rookie quarterback, but neither safety Reggie Nelson nor Gerald Alexander has provided Jacksonville much in run support this year, which is stark considering how much their 3-4 base struggled against the run until they switched their scheme last week.

What are the keys? Knighton played nose in the 3-4 so he'll likely line up against Nick Mangold. Mangold has to control him on his own. The idea for any nose tackle is to occupy a pair of blockers. Nick has been great controlling his assignments to this point against more decorated linemen. The strength at the center position springs the run game because the Jets have an extra blocker who does not need to dedicate himself to blocking the nose. The Jets will. Knighton lined up on the left side against the Chiefs. If he does again, that will leave Brandon Moore, Damien Woody, and Tony Richardson to take on an end and linebacker. This looks like it could be a favorable matchup for the Jets.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Live Blog/Open Thread

River City Rage — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:18:09 -0000

Arizona Cardinals (0-1)

Week #2

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

VS.

Date:	September 20th, 2009	Location:	Jacksonville,FL
Time:	1:00 pm EST	Stadium:	"The Jack"
TV:	FOX	Favorite:	Jaguars -3.5
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	43
Weather:	87 w/moderate chance of thunderstorms	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Revenge of the Birds	Coverage Map	Click Here

Jaguars Inactives: Brian Witherspoon, Kynan Forney, Jordan Black, Mike Thomas, Zach Miller, Jarett Dillard, Jeremy Navarre, Montavious Stanley. Once again, Thomas and Dillard are out, very very strange.

Welcome to the Home Opener:

The best part about gameday is that you almost forget the previous week's game Here we are, two hours away from kickoff and I'm completely refreshed and pumped for the days action. Indianapolis is behind us, all eyes are forward on the Jaguars/Cardinals matchup. Let's look at some of the burning questions.

1. Is the Jaguars 3-4 defense for real? With Reggie Hayward out for the year, the Jacksonville Jaguars are forced to adopt the 3-4 that they experimented with during the preseason. Reggie, for good reason, was the key player in keeping the Jaguars in a 4-3, with his absence the Jaguars go full time to the new defensive front. Quentin Groves and Derrick Harvey will serve as outside linebackers, John Henderson becomes a defensive end, along with Atiyyah Ellison (HT to Michael Wright at the Times Union for finding that out), and Terrance Knighton holds the point at nose tackle.

Now, what hurts the Jaguars is that their stellar trio of linebackers, Durrant, Ingram, and Smith are restricted to (generally) only having two of them on the field at a time. Will this work? Will the Jaguars develop a new defensive identity? Is there anything stranger than thinking about John Henderson playing defensive end?

2. Can the Jaguars secondary stop Larry and Anquan? Derek Cox had a mixed day against Reggie Wayne, this week he'll probably see the best receiving duo on the league, rough way to open the season. Reggie Nelson and Sean Considine had moments of greatness followed by lapses of judgement, will that unit tighten up?

3. Will the story of the game be a Jaguars win or a blackout? Sadly, I think at the end of this game, the story will be the blackout, not the outcome.

Big Cat Country: The T-Shirt.

Make custom t-shirts at CustomInk.com

If you're interested in a Big Cat Country T-shirt (and really, why wouldn't you want one), I need you to seriously answer the poll question. Depending on the results, we'll work on getting these printed. So if you're really interested in spending 12 bucks (with shipping), let us know in the poll. If you're not interested, that's totally fine, just let us know in the poll.

Consider this the first open thread for the game.

-Chris

Poll

Will you buy a Big Cat Country T-shirt

Yes

30 votes

No

44 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed

Golden Nuggets: Your move, Foster.

Ninjames — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:20:46 -0000

I think that when we get to the offseason we'll be looking back at this upcoming game to determine who will be our backup running back. Not necessarily using it as the only source but Foster has a lot to show on Sunday. He says he's ready, and I sure hope so. I cant say I'm confident in the guy, and certainly Clayton is my man but I will definitely say this: I'm not rooting for Foster to do bad. I don't want him to screw up so badly that Clayton gets in. I want Foster to go out there, run all over Miami and show me he's a capable second stringer. I want to see Clayton a few times, but ultimately I want whatever we're doing to work. So if that means being completely wrong about DeShaun Foster, so be it. Anyway.. there's a lot of quality links right now, check 'em out.

An update on Frank Gore and an interesting article--what will happen between Porter and Davis? I honestly fully expect them to brawl in some form or another. (SFGate.com)

Pretty good article here that makes me like Aubrayo Franklin a bit more. I was writing him off for next season but I'm thinking another offseason for him and he can really bring it together in 2009. (SFGate.com)

Here's more on Franklin, and a nice bit on Patrick Willis with some quotes on his big hit Sunday. (You know the one.) (PressDemocrat.com)

This was posted in an update yesterday, but in case you missed it--the Jaguars signed defensive lineman Atiyyah Ellison out of our practice squad and we signed HB/FB Carl Stewart to ours. This could mean filling the gap for a certain HB to be elevated, no? (PressDemocrat.com)

Lowell Cohn interviews Singletary about his notebook--not the feature on the official website, his actual notebook. Pretty interesting read. (PressDemocrat.com)

Maiocco says that even though Singletary is proving himself time and time again he has the feeling that the Niners are still likely to hire an offensive minded coach at the end of the season. I hope not--I like Singletary. (PressDemocrat.com)

Wow. I nominate Matt Barrows for defensive coordinator. Seriously, read this article about the wildcat, mostly the end of it. (SacBee.com)

Here's more on the Wildcat. (MercuryNews.com)

Samuel Lam has my back--he's saying we should sign Clayton. Good man, that one. (MVN.com)

Help your community out with this food drive. (Found at MVN.com)

We've got a chance to beat the Dolphins. An article that actually states this is rare so far. (RealFootball365.com)

Here's yesterday's Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

DeShaun Foster is ready to start, he's confident. I hope so.. (49ers.com)

Nate Clements is probable for Miami. (49ers.com)

And to finish, a short preview for Sunday's game. (BleacherReport.com)

49ers Practice Squad rounding into shape

Fooch — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:29:47 -0000

I was originally going to include this in the post regarding Dontarrious Thomas's release. However, while related to roster cuts, I wanted to keep comments about the practice squad separate.

The 49ers announced that RB Thomas Clayton, DT Atiyyah Ellison, TE J.J. Finley, LB Larry Grant, DE Louis Holmes and WR Dominique Zeigler all were signed to the practice squad. For those who don't know, any player on the practice squad is similar to a free agent, in that any team can sign the player at any time. However, if a team signs somebody off another practice squad, the player is guaranteed to remain on the 53-man roster for at least three games (and a bye week counts as a game).

One player who did not make it through waivers was Brian De La Puente, the former Cal offensive guard. De La Puente was claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed he didn't make it through waivers. He got a chance to start one game at guard and seemed to play quite well. Had the 49ers suffered an injury on the o-line this season, he would have been perfect to come off the practice squad.

While you want every player to get a chance to play in the NFL, I'm happy that our practice squad players made it through waivers. The 49ers are only carrying 4 running backs, so if one of them went down Clayton gives the team an interesting option in reserve.

Also, assuming the team doesn't sign a wide receiver in the coming days, I would not be surprised to see Dominique Zeigler suiting up at some point this season. The Martz offense really utilizes those wide receivers and the team seemed close to keeping 6 of them. As has already been discussed, there is not much out there to claim, so maybe Zeigler gets a shot sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, the 49ers have two spots left for the practice squad. Ramiro Pruneda is on as part of the International Practice Squad program, but he doesn't count against the eight man limit.