SB Nation - Rashean Mathis

Eben Misses a Block

Tkopa — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:32:26 -0000

This is the last of my game analysis photo journal. If we had a longer week, I would show how much we missed Rashean Mathis. Tyron Brackenridge was victimized by Chad Henning and was the leading tackler for a reason. I like Tyron, he is learning, but will be very glad to see Rashean back. This series will show how much more Eben Britton needs to improve. I have faith in him and trust during the off season he will work on his game, but the loss to Miami was not all David as you will see.

This is the sequence where it is third down and four from the Miami 47 yard line, the two minute warning has just ended. We are losing 14-10 and must score a touchdown. Eben Britton and Maurice are sent out alone to the right side. This is good play calling and should work. That is rookie corner-back Vonte Davis for Miami. Based on what I saw in this game, he is a much better candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year than Brian Cushing. In this critical play, if Eben takes Vonte out, Maurice gets the first down and our hopes stay alive.

This is perfect position. One big push and Vonte should go flying. Take him out Eben.

I don't know what kind of move Vonte pulls here, but it looks like it was drawn from a comic book. Somehow he goes down and under Eben in a some kind of flying move (notice he and Eben are off the ground), and manages to get an arm on Maurice. Eben is blocking air.

Not only does Vonte get an arm on Maurice, he brings him down. That saves the game for Miami and in my eyes qualifies him as quite a player. Eben actually blocks no one in this play. He whiffed. It goes without saying Eben needs to improve especially since run blocking is the strongest part of his game.

Here is the lesson we are learning, rookies are an investment for the future. The fact that we are getting as much productivity as we do from the rookies and are posting wins says a lot. When Eben and Eugene round out their skills and Derek Cox moves up a level, the strength of the team improves. I have been reading and hearing how David took all the blame for the loss. Not true. It was a team loss and it will be a team win. I am still happy with the progress of this team. I am ready to renew my season tickets right now. The growth of the rookies has been a joy to watch. Marcedes, Harvey, and soon the offensive line. Good football is on it's way. See you on Thursday.

- Terry O'Brien

Jets Flight Connections 121309

dvdvil — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:34:12 -0000

First of all, don't forget to check out "Jets 24/7" "Jets Flight Plan" on WCBS-TV New York at 11:30am.

Brian Schottenheimer explains why Kellen Clemens looked so bad against Buffalo.

Kellen is eager to start again at quarterback.

His coaches and teammates say they have total trust in the back-up.

Will Tampa Bay hurt our post-season push?

This article says bet on the Jets, while this one says bet on the Bucs.

With Robert Turner out and Alan Faneca recovering from illness, the Jets activated OT Ryan McKee from the practice squad.

Former Army HC and current Jets LB Coach Bob Sutton was at the Army-Navy game.

Buccaneers HC Raheem Morris and Jets Strength and Conditioning Coach Sal Alosi were teammates at Hofstra.

More connections after the jump.

Read about how well former Jets Jason Trusnik and David Bowens are doing with the Browns.

What's going wrong in New England is not Tom Brady's fault.

Maybe it's Adalius Thomas's fault, who will not play today.

Matt Moore will be the quarterback for the Panthers against the Patriots.

Do you remember when Carolina went to the Super Bowl? What if Kris Jenkins and the Panthers had won then?

The Dolphins will be playing without Jake Grove again, while the Jaguars will be without Mike Sims-Walker, John Henderson and Rashean Mathis.

Lastly, please keep voting for you favorite Jets to go to the Pro Bowl.

Here are some highlights of the last one, where we voted in seven Jets players:

Dolphins vs Jaguars: Keys to Victory

Matty I — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Let if fly!

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We're getting closer and closer to Sunday's big game between the Dolphins and Jaguars. For all intents and purposes, this game is essentially a playoff game - at least for the Dolphins, as every game has been since last week.

So let's get to my keys to the game. Last week, the Dolphins were three for three with the keys I highlighted. Let's hope for another outstanding performance.

Aggressively attack Jacksonville's secondary
I talked about this earlier in the week as well and I'm going to talk about it again because I think it's extremely important. I really hope that Dan Henning uses what he learned last week against New England - that Chad Henne can indeed win a game with his arm - and applies it again this week against an even worse (statistically) secondary.

Jaguar fans can come onto this site all they want and talk about how their cornerbacks aren't below average players. But without Rashean Mathis, who is again not expected to play, the Jaguars really don't have any cornerback that I'd be worried about throwing at. Don't get me wrong - Derek Cox, the rookie corner, seems like he's got plenty of potential. But when he's your best corner on the field, you got problems. He's allowing 64% of the passes thrown at him to be completed. On the other side, Tyron Brackenridge is giving up over 15 yards per completion and, quite frankly, should probably be no better than a fourth or fifth corner in the NFL.

I'm not trying to trash their secondary. But I just can't believe Jacksonville fans will come on here and defend their 23rd ranked pass defense - a unit that is allowing 242 yards per game - and say that they hope the Dolphins pass against them. This is a pass defense that gives up 7.2 yards per attempt, has surrendered 20 touchdown passes (more than even Miami's secondary has), and lets opponents complete a ridiculous 65.5% of their pass attempts. For comparison's sake, the Dolphins are only allowing opponents to complete 57% of their pass attempts.

Now I'm not saying that we should forget about Ricky Williams and the ground game. I certainly don't want to see Henne throw over 50 passes again. But let's not be afraid to attack a secondary that let Alex Smith throw for 232 yards and two touchdowns just two weeks ago.

Contain the hyphens
I think the Jaguars lead the NFL in longest last names among offensive starters. But both of the "hypheners" - yes, I made up my own word - are very good players.

The Dolphins need to contain Maurice Jones-Drew as best they can. He's fourth in the NFL in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns. And we can't forget how talented MJD can be catching the football out of the backfield as well. I'd be lying if I didn't say how worried I am about the Jaguars getting Jones-Drew in space against our inside linebackers. We all know that one thing our two inside backers are not is quick. They're big and powerful - but have no shot at making a play on a guy like MJD in open space.

Luckily, Jones-Drew hasn't looked like himself since his 120+ yard performance four games ago against the Jets. Since then, he has carried the ball 64 times for just 217 yards in three games, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. That includes a game against Buffalo - one of the NFL's worst rushing defenses - in which MJD gained 66 yards on just 25 carries. If the Bills can do it, so can the Dolphins.

The other "hyphener" is, of course, Mike Sims-Walker. Sims-Walker is a big, physical receiver who is David Garrard's primary target through the air. He leads the Jaguars in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns (52-752-6). But he hasn't been the same receiver, it seems, over the past four weeks. In that span, despite being targeted 32 times, Sims-Walker has just 16 receptions for 198 yards.

It'll be interesting to see which rookie cornerback gets the job of covering Sims-Walker on Sunday.

Get the early lead
You'd obviously like to do this in every game. But I think it's especially important against a team with a great running back. And the stats back it up. The Jaguars are 2-5 when trailing at the half. And one of those wins was an overtime win at home against the terrible St. Louis Rams. But what's more telling is that the Jaguars are 5-0 when leading at the half. Why? I'd say that having a second half lead allows Jacksonville to really work Jones-Drew and the running game late in the game, wearing down a defense. From there, the play-action pass opens up as defenses get desperate to contain MJD and it goes downhill.

Again, not to hate on the Jaguars, but I'm just not a fan of David Garrard. And I'd love nothing more than forcing the Jaguars to abandon the run in the second half and put the game on Garrard's arm. This would allow the Dolphins to really pin their ears back and get after Garrard. The Jaguars surrender a ton of sacks - 34 on the season, to be exact. If the Dolphins can get a lead and force the Jaguars to throw, I think Sunday will be a fine day for Dolphin fans.

Jaguars defeat Texans 23-18 in a mistake filled game

Jonathan Loesche — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:16:15 -0000

More photos » by Stephen Morton - AP

Play of the game right here.

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Some games simply defy logic, and this game would be one of them. The Jaguars defeated the Texans in a game seemingly neither wanted to win, based on the bizarre mix of miscues and turnovers. However, all that matters is that the Jaguars are 7-5 and still in control of their destiny in the AFC's Wild Card race.

The play of the game was undoubtably Derrick Harvey sacking Houston QB Matt Schaub on Houston's first offensive play. The play resulted in Schaub seperating his shoulder and missing the majority of the first half. Backup QB Rex Grossman came in and lead the Texans offense straight into the gutter, posting a 5.6 QB rating in the process.

The Jaguars used this to their advantage and managed to build a 17-0 lead before Schaub managed to return. However, the Jaguars had their own fair share of issues. Maurice Jones-Drew was stuffed on consecutive runs at the goal line that cost the Jaguars seven points.

When Matt Schaub return to the game, the Texans offense went into high gear. He led the Texans quickly downfield and got them within 17-7 to end the half.

The second half was where the game began to turn into the surreal. Maurice Jones-Drew slipped in the Jaguars end zone resulting in a safety, and then the usually sure handed Mike Thomas fumbled a punt inside the Jaguars 20.

However, the Jaguars defense played perhaps it's best sixty minutes of the season, without Rashean Mathis no less. The Jaguars held following the Thomas fumble and forced the Texans to settle for three points. Gerald Alexander gets a game ball for playing perhaps the best game any player has had in the secondary.

The moment of the game that will be the most talked about had yet to come, though. Half way through the 4th quarter the Texans had a 1st and goal on the Jaguars four yard line. Coach Gary Kubiak decided to throw a half back pass that would be intercepted by Gerald Alexander.

Simply put, I can't explain how or why that play happened other than it's the Houston Texans. Despite the Texans getting a late touchdown, it was clear the game was over after the interception.

With the Oakland Raiders beating the Steelers, the Jaguars have a major lead over most of their other playoff competitors. This sets up a major game next week against the Miami Dolphins. A win over the Dolphins, along with a very winnable game against Cleveland to end the year, would mean at worst the Jaguars would have a winning record in 2009.

Game Preview Week 13: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Jonathan Loesche — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:01:50 -0000

Houston Texans(5-6)	Week #13	Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5)
	VS.

Date:	December 6th, 2009	Location:	Jacksonville, FL
Time:	4:15 PM EST	Stadium:	The Jack
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Pick Em
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	46.5
Weather:	High 50's with a slight chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Battle Red Blog	Coverage Map	Click Here

Sorry for not getting this up earlier, and sorry for the lack of front page stuff in general over the last few days. Anyway, the Jaguars come back limping from San Francisco to take on a Houston team playing for it's season. It's no secret the Texans have been a disappointment this season. Expected to go to the playoffs and starting 5-3, the Texans have dropped three straight divisional games and virtually sunk their season.

The Jaguars are still in the thick of the playoff race, and despite all of the negativity surrounding the debacle in SF, would still be in the playoffs as a sixth seed if the playoffs started today. With games against the Colts and Patriots still to come, the Jaguars need to capitalize on all of their remaining games.

Jaguars Offense vs Texans Defense

First and foremost, the Jaguars offensive line has to rebound from easily it's worst showing in weeks. Eugene Monroe turned his season around with a solid performance against Mario Williams back in Week 3, and not having to deal with Super Mario would be great for David.

Former All-Pro CB Duanta Robinson has been woefully under performing for the Texans. Going up against Mike Sims-Walker and Torry Holt, I would expect the Jaguars to actively target Robinson's side as much as they can.

The Texans do feature one of the best up and coming players in the league with LB Brian Cushing. The last two weeks the Jaguars have struggled with linebackers keying in on Maurice Joens-Drew, and I would expect to see much of the same from Cushing.

Speaking of Maurice Jones-Drew, it would be nice to see him get back to his old self. He has been held to just 141 yards and 1 touchdown over the last two weeks. He still needs two touchdowns to break Fred Taylor's franchise record, and is still a manageable distance from setting the franchise's single season rushing record.

Texans Offense vs Jaguars Defense

I'm not going to really bother much with the Jags run defense and Texans run offense because we all expect to see Matt Schaub throw it 40+ times on Sunday.

It is very simple for the Jaguars defense, they don't have a pass rush and they lack Rashean Mathis, one of the only corners who could effectively cover Andre Johnson. Derrick Harvey has been showing some signs of life recently, but he needs to actually get to the quarterback occasionally.

The Jaguars are still sitting at 10 sacks and are running out of chances for setting the record for futility in that department. Good thing we still have Cleveland on our schedule.

Offensively, the Texans rank 3rd in the NFL in throwing the ball. Matt Schaub has finally been healthy for an entire year and it has shown. The Texans sport one of the best WRs in the NFL in Andre Johnson, and covering him is going to be the top priority for the Jaguars.

Expect to see alot of double or even triple coverage on Johnson to make up for the lack of pass rush on Schaub. The Jaguars do catch a break by not having to deal with All-Pro TE Owen Daniels, who would've perhaps been one weapon too many for the Jags to handle.

Player On The Hot Seat

The Jaguars Offensive Line

After a disasterous performance in San Francisco, the big boys up front need to get their heads screwed on straight and give David time to throw the ball. The Texans are going to put up points, and we'll need to as well.

Prediction

Jaguars 31
Texans 27

The Texans race out to a 17-3 lead before a series of events only the Texans can manage to pull off transpire. MJD scores his first TD, the Texans fumble the ensuing kick off, taken in one play later by MJD from 23 yards out. After some back and forth, Torry Holt finally gets his first TD as a Jaguar with 2:33 to play. Gary Kubiak decided to challenge, but the play is upheld. The lost time out costs the Texans as Andre Johnson catches the ball at the 8 yard line only to be tackled in bounds as the clock runs out.

Three And Out: Useless Predictions For Sunday's Game

Tim — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:05:23 -0000

I'm going to get this post up as quickly as I can, lest another Texan be ruled out for Sunday's tilt against the Jaguars and render my rock-solid (read: baby soft) predictions moot. To wit:

1. Your Houston Texans couldn't manage a single sack in their first meeting with the Jags. This time, the Texans shall notch three (3) sacks of David Garrard. One for Mario Williams, one for Antonio Smith, and one for Connor Barwin.

2. No Rashean Mathis means a big day for Andre Johnson. I foresee 132 yards receiving and a TD for 'Dre. Bonus prediction: James Casey scores his first NFL touchdown.

3. Chris Brown manages a rushing touchdown. Without fumbling the ~~game~~ ball away. He also finishes with 73 rushing yards, on 16 carries, on the afternoon.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT: As I told the guys on Big Cat Country Radio, I'm predicting a Texans win, based almost entirely on the notion that the Texans are going to go on a run over the next four weeks, in order to suck us all back in to believing in them before laying a monstrous egg against New England in Week 17. Crushing disappointment is our destiny. It's coming, but not this week. Texans 34, Jaguars 28.

Texans vs Jaguars coverage

Texans Five On Five: Week Thirteen

Jake — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:59:49 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

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The Houston Texans go to Jacksonville on Sunday to face the Jaguars. In Week 3, Chris Brown fumbled away a win on the goal line in Houston. Now the Texans will look for revenge. Here are the five matchups I feel are most important in order for that to happen.

1. Tyron Brackenridge vs. Andre Johnson - It's hard enough to contain Johnson with everyone healthy, much less when you're missing your best cover corner, Rashean Mathis. The Jags sport the 26th ranked pass defense this season, of which Mathis was one of the few highlights. Now Brackenridge, how has given up a total of 251 yards and a touchdown in the last two games since taking over the starting role, will try and stop Andre, who will likely play inspired because of the last couple of games.

2. John Busing vs. Maurice Jones-Drew - The Texans run defense has turned a corner since the last time they played the Jaguars, mostly due to improved play from the safety position. Busing hasn't contributed to that improvement though, and had not started since Week 3 until he was forced back into the lineup last week because of a season-ending injury to Eugene Wilson. The reason he lost his job? Poor support to the run. Busing will be dropped in coverage more than Bernard Pollard, but he will still be required to come up to help bring Jones-Drew down.

3. Dunta Robinson vs. Mike Sims-Walker - Anyone who has regularly watched the Texans this year knows that Robinson has been abused regularly. Opposing #1 wide receivers have tallied 50 receptions for 639 yards and 5 TDs, which is slightly deceiving considering it doesn't take into account the many pass interference infractions Dunta's committed. Sims-Walker can claim 6 receptions for 81 yards of that total. I honestly don't understand why teams don't throw Robinson's way more often.

4. Mario Williams vs. Eugene Monroe - This one is a little obvious but pivotal nonetheless. The Jaguars have given up the 6th most sacks and the 88 times that David Garrard has been hit is the most in the NFL. It's been established that Williams is hurting, but he simply needs to be able to beat a rookie in a must win situation, period.

5. Gary Kubiak vs. Wasted Season - To say the season has been disappointing is an understatement, but it's not over yet. The playoffs is almost certainly out of the picture, but the first winning season in franchise history is not. The Texans under Gary Kubiak are ~~11-4~~ 10-5 in the last 5 games of the season over ~~the last 5 years~~ the Kubiak Era. Gary might be coaching for his job though. It will be interesting to see how his coaching demeanor changes, if any, now that his back is against the wall.

Jimmy Raye Approval Rating, Week 12

Fooch — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:15 -0000

Heading into this week, I'd imagine disapproval of Jimmy was fast closing in on rock bottom. After a week 10 approval rating of 35%, the loss in Green Bay and a variety of questionable calling issues dropped his approval rating to 13%. People were fed up with the play-calling, predicated in part upon seeing the offense not going to the shotgun/spread until they were already well behind. And then, when it seemed like the team might be coming back, they'd go back to conservative play-calling.

Suddenly we hear about the players "taking ownership" of the offense and going to Jimmy Raye with what they wanted to see more of in the offense. How often do you hear of this happening? Even more interesting is the fact that the team switched course against a decent Jaguars team and took care of business. Of course, even though the Jaguars entered the game at 6-4, their pass rush was sufficiently abysmal that they were the type of team that was pretty perfect for what ailed the 49ers. Throw in a missing Rashean Mathis, and the advantages were definitely in the 49ers favor.

The question thus becomes what will we see from the offense this Sunday at Seattle? The Seahawks have struggled in pass defense, whether you're looking at traditional counting stats (#25 against the pass prior to the Rams game), or advanced stats over at Football Outsiders (#26 against the pass, also prior to the Rams game). So, do we see more of the same game plan? Or given that they're missing Lofa Tatupu, does the offensive game plan mix in more of the pounding rush? I know folks are all about the spread offense, but given Frank Gore's ability to break big runs against Seattle, what ever do the 49ers do?

Poll

Do you approve of the job Jimmy Raye is doing as offensive coordinator?

Yes

503 votes

No

224 votes

727 votes | Poll has closed

49ers-Jaguars: Final Injury Report

Fooch — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:00:13 -0000

Not a whole lot of shockers in the final injury report, although we get confirmation that Michael Robinson will more than likely miss out on the game. Doubtful means 75% chance the player won't play. Safe to say no Robinson. So does that mean we'll get a bit more Josh Morgan in the return game? I've attached Coach Singletary's press conference from yesterday, but there's no mention of the return game.

For those wondering, Morgan does have some return experience back in college. His senior year he returned 16 kicks for 276 yards (long of 34). It's nothing spectacular, but better than nothing. We'll see how this plays out on Sunday.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Doubtful
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
RB Michael Robinson (concussion)

Questionable
WR Arnaz Battle (ankle)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Probable
G David Baas (ankle)
CB Tarell Brown (knee)
CB Marcus Hudson (back)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
S Reggie Smith (abdomen)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)
S Curtis Taylor (knee)
LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)

Jaguars
Out
CB Rashean Mathis (groin)

Probable
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee)
WR Mike Sims-Walker (knee)

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Practice - November 27, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On the status of LB Takeo Spikes:

"It's going to be a game time [decision]. He tried to practice a little bit today. We didn't have him overexert himself, but he looked pretty good. We'll see come game time."

On who takes over the leadership role on defense when Spikes is not in the lineup:

"I think [LB] Patrick [Willis] is doing a much better job. I think that Takeo and Pat work really well together, and I think that when Takeo is not there, that Pat has to pick it up a bit. [LB] Matt Wilhelm is still trying to get used to doing it, but hopefully this week Takeo steps up and is ready to go. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that."

On whether having Takeo Spikes out against Green Bay constituted to the yardage gained by Packers RB Ryan Grant:

"I'm sure that it had something to do with it, a little bit. I wouldn't go there and say, ‘well, he wasn't there,' no, I wouldn't go there. Certainly, continuity is big and Takeo really helps Pat out a lot, he really does, so he's a great asset to us."

On the challenge of containing Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew:

"It's a big challenge because you've got a huge offensive line, and next thing you know, he just comes out of nowhere. He hides really well behind them, so we really have our work cut out for us this week. They are a power team and he's a powerful runner. He's an effective guy, so we definitely have our hands full this week."

On whether he recollects having problems tackling diminutive runners when he played in the NFL:

"I would say for me - I was kind of small too, so it wasn't a big problem for me. For the linebackers, it shouldn't be a big issue. For our guys, we don't have huge guys, I think that Pat and Takeo should be just fine. The defensive linemen have to bend a little bit more to find him."

On Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew performance in short-yardage situations:

"He's a good back aside from being a shorter guy. I would say that's the only difference - he's a shorter guy, not a smaller guy. He's really compact and he keeps his legs moving behind that pile, and I'll tell you what now, the offensive line does a great job of pulling him forward. So I think that we have to reevaluate that rule before the game, but the offensive line does a great job of pulling him right along with them so that helps too."

On whether a sneak play against Green Bay should have been raised as an issue with the league:

"It should have been. The whole sneak thing when guys are pulling you forward - it should be, but I guess they don't enforce it that much, but we'll have to look at that."

On any other personnel moves to be made prior to Sunday's contest against Jacksonville:

"No."

On talking to the referees pre-game concerning the sneak plays:

"It's not really a big thing, we just have to mention things that could possibly come up in a game. Things that you see on film, those are just little things that you communicate to the referees before the game so they can look at it prior [to the game]."

On whether sneak plays are done by hitting a runner forward or pulling him forward:

"There are time when it's kind of like rugby - he's in there and they're just pushing, shoving, pulling, and the whole nine yards. They do a good job of blocking, it's not like they're cheating.They're working and they're doing what they have to do. I think that it's going to be up to us to do everything that we can do to stop them, but they do a good job of blocking for him."

On whether he agrees with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye's assessment of QB Alex Smith maturation and assertiveness:

"Oh yeah, I think that I've been saying the same thing. I haven't quite gotten to excellent yet, but I would say that only because I haven't used that word. But I think that Alex Smith is making really good progress. I think that we're all thankful that he's making the progress that he's making, so hopefully we just continue to go forward with that. If he can continue to get better from week to week, it helps us that much more trying to get where we need to go."

On what hasn't Alex Smith done in order to make progress:

"I would say, if I had to point to one thing, whenever you look at a quarterback, it's all about winning. I think that you could say that it's kind of like your team, ‘Whoa man, we're playing hard, we're doing this, we're doing that....did you win the game? No. Well, end of conversation.' So it's kind of like the same with the quarterback. We've had some good quarterbacks come through this league, but they didn't win, so we don't know a whole lot about them. So for Alex, I think that he just has to continue working, and also our team and everything else, and we just have to bring that thing together and win."

On his comments on Alex Smith being ‘meek' and how an NFL quarterback can be successful with that quality:

"It's kind of the whole thing with leadership. You hit that point, I just want to answer that question and make sure that I define him right. Are leaders born or are they made? I think both, but when I think about Alex Smith, when I was talking about meek, I should have used the word humble. He's a guy, he doesn't want to cause any problems. To me, he doesn't have the typical mentality of a quarterback, which is, ‘Hey, this is what I want.' He's not like that and that's thing that I like about him and I'm sure going forward, I'm see more and more assertiveness, I'm seeing more and more, ‘Coach I like this, I don't like that,' and those kinds of things so I think it's a tremendous asset for him to be a guy that is still willing to be molded, still willing to listen and it's not all of a sudden, he throws a couple of touchdowns and he's not all of a sudden the greatest quarterback in the world. He's still listening and I think that's great so going forward I think he's going to find his balance. We are on this side of it saying, ‘Come on, give us the information, let us know where you are, let us know what you are thinking,' and I think he has been on the other side saying, ‘I don't want to cause any problems, I don't want to make this about me, I want it to be about the team, I want it to be about the offense,' and I think that's been his mentality and that's been great and we are saying we love that, but come on, be the guy that says ‘this is what I want,' and we'll say, ‘Okay, we are going to go here, we're going to do that and this.' Now we are where we need to be in the communication area and I think we are getting there, I just think he needed permission to say, ‘That's okay for me to say, this is what I want, this is what I need.' The answer is absolutely yes. We need to know exactly what it is and he's doing that."

On that ‘jerk' quality in most quarterbacks:

"For lack of a another word, yes, I would say that, but there are some that I know that are, I would say are very clear and concise about what it is that they want and the great thing about Alex is I think he's such a bright guy that he can do a number of things and I think he's still finding out some of those things that he likes better than others because he hasn't played as long. To me, I think it's a tremendous advantage for him and us going forward, so he's not set in his ways and so I think that's a good thing."

On whether it's hard for the quarterback not to be the natural leader of the team given he is the only one talking in the huddle:

"The way that Alex Smith is thinking right now and all that I've seen, I think Alex Smith understands that at some point in time it has to be about his point of view, but from a team aspect."

On what kind of a challenge the Jaguars defense present for their offense on Sunday:

"I guess for me, when I look at their defense, you look at those big guys up front and they come off the ball, they do a good job and are big physical guys. Their DBs look like they are communicating well on the backend, I just think that we have to go out and just do what we do. I don't think that we have to try and think up anything else, just go out and execute the offense and hopefully, we can put it together early, hopefully we can execute early and find our niche, find our balance and just kind of move forward with that."

On whether he would like to see his cornerbacks play more aggressively this week:

"We have to. Last week, for whatever reason, there were times when we were way too far off and gave them a lot more cushion than we had talked about during the week. So, yes, definitely get up there and challenge them a lot more than we did last week."

Week 12 Game Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Francisco 49ers

Jonathan Loesche — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:29:05 -0000

San Francisco 49ers (4-6)	Week #12	Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)
	VS.

Date:	November 29nd, 2009	Location:	San Francisco, CA
Time:	4:15 PM EST	Stadium:	Candlestick Park
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	49ers -3
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	40.5
Weather:	Sunny, mid 50's	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Niners Nation	Coverage Map	Click Here

Well, this is it guys. Tim Tebow's final home game. Standing in his way is a dilapidated Seminole team that is a shell of the 90's powerhouse. Oh wait, there's another football game this weekend involving a team from Northeast Florida? Could've fooled me.

The Jaguars make their second trip out west this season to take on a fast sinking 49ers team. After starting the year 3-1, Mike Singletary's bunch has lost five of their last six. In addition, they can thank Jay Cutler for their 10-6 win over Chicago a few weeks ago.

The similiarities between Singletary and Jack Del Rio are striking on the surface. Both are ex-Pro Bowl linebackers who worked their way up the ranks before becoming head coaches. Both want their teams to run the ball, stop the run, and punch the other team in the mouth. And both have issues with getting the most out of their teams on a consistent basis.

Will the Jaguars get to 7-4 or will they have another bad west coast trip?

Jaguars Offense vs 49ers Defense

The 49ers rank 30th in the NFL against the pass, giving up 256 yards a game. Despite signing Nate Clements to the richest defensive contract in NFL history, the 49ers only have six interceptions this year off QBs not named Jay Cutler. The 49ers also rank 22nd in the NFL in sacks. Perhaps the most chilling stat for the 49ers is that their pass defense has gotten worse over that six game span. The team has given up 286 yards a game, including four 300 yard games.

Needless to say, statistically this should prove to be a good day for David Garrard and the Jaguars WR corp. Mike Sims-Walker has been favoring a hamstring injury, but practiced all week. However, I sat here last week and said Maurice Jones-Drew would get 200 yards and 4 TDs against the Bills run defense.

Where the 49ers defense excels is against the run. Led by All-World MLB Patrick Willis, the 49ers are 6th in the NFL against the run. In addition, they are tied for second for the lowest per carry average, 3.4 yards.

The offensive line will need to play much better than the siv they were against the Bills. The rock solid line that rose to the occassion against the Jets needs to make another appearence if the Jaguars want to win.

Maurice Jones-Drew needs just 74 yards to hit 1,000 and 2 touchdowns to set the franchise record for rushing TDs. I say he breaks 1,000 and ties the franchise record this week, before breaking it next week vs Houston.

Jaguars Defense vs 49ers Offense

The Alex Smith experiment returns for an encore performance against the Jaguars. Since replacing Shaun Hill in Week 7 of the regular season, Smith has put up respectable numbers in 2009. Smith boasts a 81.5 QB rating this year, a far cry from his career average of 66.5.

The 49ers passing offense flows through All-Pro Tight End Vernon Davis. Davis is easily the team's leading receiver with 51 receptions, 601 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The Jaguars have never done well against receiving tight ends (see Clark, Dallas) so it will be a challenge to keep Davis contained.

The most talked about player in the 1st round this fear was WR Michal Crabtree. Since Crabtree finally signed with the team he has put up ok numbers, but nothing mind blowing. All I can say is that I'm much happier seeing him on the opposing sideline this week.

Since the Jaguars have returned to the 4-3 defense, the returns have been excellent. Discouting the big play to Terrell Owens, the Jaguars limited the Bills to just 250 yards of offense last week. Derrick Harvey's continued growth is promising, though more sacks would certainly be welcomed.

Once again the Jaguars will be without Rashean Mathis. Tyron Brackenridge did a good job vs Owens despite what the numbers say, and if nothing else, at least we won't see Reggie Nelson at corner again.

Player On The Hot Seat

David Garrard, QB

The 49ers will likely sellout to stop Jones-Drew and that means David will need to be on his game on Sunday. Expect to see the Jaguars throw early and often to take advantage of the bad pass defense.

Prediction

Jaguars 24

49ers 13

-Jonathan Loesche