SB Nation User Blog: River City Rage

Jacksonville Jaguars defeat Kansas City Chiefs: Too Close for Comfort

River City Rage — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:24:05 -0000

The above picture is an actual image of a Jacksonville Jaguar, in this case defensive end Julius Williams, actually sacking an opposing quarterback. Let that sit for a second.

Ok, the Jaguars beat the Kansas City Chiefs 24-21 in what was the windiest game I've seen in awhile. The Jaguars won, of course, but it came just a little too close at the end. There's something about teams from Missouri and giving me a little bit of a heart attack at the end. That the game came down to the Jaguars needing to stop an onside kick attempt was a little unnerving.

But a win is a win is a win, the Jaguars are sitting at 4-4 and are back on track. David Garrard looked sharp, though Kansas City had him on his back too much for comfort. Mike Sims-Walker had a great day, his 61 yard touchdown against "hole in zone" was huge, though we owe the Kansas City defense for that one.

I'm not going to be upset though, I'm just happy that we beat a team that we're supposed to beat and that we're officially in the muddled middle of average NFL teams. Considering all the things we need, being merely average is a good building point for next season.

Here's to a win!

GO JAGS!

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Final Game Preview

River City Rage — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:27:38 -0000

Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)

Week #9

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)

VS.

Date:	November 8th, 2009	Location:	Jacksonville,FL
Time:	1:00 PM EST	Stadium:	"The Jack"
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Jaguars -6.5
Radio:	WOKV	Over/Under:	42.5
Weather:	High 70's, slight chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Arrowhead Pride	Coverage Map	Click Here

Good Decisions: Rashean Mathis and Eugene Monroe to start!

After last week's debacle of Reggie Nelson at Cornerback and Tra Thomas getting the go-ahead at the last minute to start in place of Monroe at Left Tackle, the Jaguars return to a much better lineup. Rashean Mathis, as we've discovered, is the best player on the Jaguars defense. Losing him for any amount of time creates a chain reaction of awfulness that results in Brian Russell taking the field and embarrassing himself.

Eugene Monroe is looking like the best of the first round left tackles, why he was not on the field against the Titans is a mind blowing and awful decision that disrupted the most important element of the Jaguars offense. Why a player would practice with the first team offense for two weeks and then be benched is a stunningly stupid decision. Offensive lines require unity and chemistry, rotating the unit abruptly leads to very, very bad things.

Interesting statistic that I did not know about:

David Garrard is second in the league in rushing yards behind Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers. David has 162 yards on 29 carries for a 5.58 yards per carry average. I would like to see David's legs brought into the gameplan a little bit, particularly in short yardage situations.

Things that I would like to see:

1. A Jaguars defense that doesn't make me cringe. I've heard the word "swarming", "hard-hitting", and "tackling" attached to what the Jaguars did in practice this week. I'm glad to see that basic defensive procedures are introduced in week 9. In all seriousness, if the Jaguars can put together some sort of pass-rush or pressure, they can win this game. If not, you should start Matt Cassel in your fantasy football leagues, as he's bound for a big day.

2. Run the ball, then when you want to mix it up, run the ball again. You know the card that coaches hold (not Del Rio, but the coordinators) with all the plays and the game plan on it? The Jaguars should be really simple, on one side it should list all the running plays, on the other side, it should say "turn card over". I don't care if it's 3rd and 72, Maurice Jones-Drew can get the yards.

3. Rebound. This is a rebound game for the Jaguars, there's no reason why they should lose this game, it's completely winnable, it would put the team at 4-4, and they can start looking at the final stretch of the season with some serious hope for next season. Wayne Weaver needs to realize that the closer the Jaguars get to 8-8 the more likely it is that they are out of the top ten draft picks and the less next offseason will cost him.

What are the Kansas City fans saying?

They didn't mean it, but Arrowhead Pride has a particularly amusing title to their post about the Jaguars pass-rushing woes. Let's just say that they accidentally imply that the Jaguars lack a particular sort of testicular fortitude. Also, I'd have to check it, but I'm almost positive that in the last 4 years of this site, that's the first time that I've used the word "testicular".

Who wins and why?

The Jaguars are going to win a nail-biter, 20-17 on the leg of Josh Scobee. Harvey and Groves will combine for 2 sacks. Seriously, I think it'll happen.

Consider this your pre-game open thread.

Jacksonville Jaguars "Safey" Brian Russell shows his NFL Credentials

River City Rage — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:23:48 -0000

HT to Field Gulls, the SB Nation blog for the Seattle Seahawks.

Jacksonville Jaguars defeat St. Louis Rams 23-20 in dramatic overtime finish!

River City Rage — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:18:41 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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In what was an exhausting and dramatic game between the 0-5 St. Louis Rams and the 2-3 Jacksonville Jaguars, the home team pulled out a victory with a 36 yard overtime field goal by Josh Scobee. The Jaguars seemed to have the game under control after a Jones-Drew touchdown, but a short pass by David Garrard was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Leonard Little.

The Jaguars had nearly 500 yards of offense, with Jones-Drew, Torry Holt and Mike Sims-Walker each having over 100 yards receiving or rushing. Mike Thomas made some big plays, and with the exception of the final Rams drive, the defense did a great job, particularly on pass defense. We can debate on Monday what went wrong on the final drive, but you can't argue with a win going into the bye week.

Player of the Game: Maurice Jones-Drew. He asked for the ball, he demanded that the Jaguars return to a run-first idenity, and when the game was on the line, he put on a show. Three rushing touchdowns, 133 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, all rounding out a dominating performance. Sure, he lost a fumble in the red zone, but he more than made up for it.

When you run your mouth, you have to back it up. MJD backed it up.

More to come, time to enjoy the post-game show. Or if you're me, you're going to work.

St. Louis Rams v. Jacksonville Jaguars: Open Thread Part Two

River City Rage — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:04:28 -0000

St.Louis Rams (0-5)

Week #6

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3)

VS.

Date:	October 18th, 2009	Location:	Jacksonville,FL
Time:	1:00 PM EST	Stadium:	"The Jack"
TV:	FOX	Favorite:	Jacksonville -9.5
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	42
Weather:	High 60's, slightly windy	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Turf Show Times	Coverage Map	Click Here

The Rams lead the Jaguars 7-6, with some major injury issues effecting the Rams pass-catchers. Follow the action in the comments.

Leading by Example: Jack Del Rio versus Seattle Seahawks Punter Jon Ryan

River City Rage — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:24:23 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

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I mentioned this on the BCC Radio Show last night, but Jack Del Rio decided to "fire up the troops" by cursing at Seattle's punter Jon Ryan.

Read for yourself:

"It was just kind of crazy, man. Jon Ryan was out there punting, and I guess he may have been in Jacksonville's area. And he (Del Rio) just grabbed the ball and threw it and was like, 'Get the [expletive] on your side of the field.' "

Now, this didn't make for a grudge match or anything like that. Houshmandzadeh was clear about that.

"I think he was just trying to get his guys pumped up. It didn't work," Houshmandzadeh said. "I like Jack Del Rio, though. He's a former player. I like him as a coach. Those are the type of guys that wish they were still playing and wish his guys had the intensity that he played with. He was just trying to get them fired up. It's not a big deal. I thought it was kind of funny, disrespectful, but a lot of coaches do a lot of different things to get their guys pumped up. "

Really? Acosting the Punter is considered "getting their guys pumped up?" It sounds like the actions of a desperate bully. Not to mention that this sort of behavior looks really insecure after a 41-0 beatdown. Seattle didn't really need much in the way of punting anyhow, if Jack had wanted to make a statement, how about going and punching Matt Hasselbeck in the ribs, that might have at least done something. (Please note, I'm not actually advocating punching any injured player).

Your thoughts?

NFL Network's RedZone: Looking backwards and going forward

River City Rage — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:03:06 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

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This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel, a new NFL Network channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone.

Looking Backward:

Ok, we're back to reality in Jacksonville. After beating the Texans and stunning the Titans, the Jaguars revealed a little more of their true colors in a 41-0 beat down by the Seattle Seahawks. The team faced adversity, losing Mike Sims-Walker due to a "rules violation" and the distraction of whatever the heck Quentin Groves was doing on the road on the way to the game. In both cases, the players apologized to the team, the Weavers, and the fans for their behavior. Unfortunately for both, there's not much for us to highlight in the red zone.

We also learned something about Dirk Koetter's offense, that it's far less effective without a solid slot receiver to open the box for the running game. Houston and Tennessee showed us that Wide Receiver Mike Thomas is a game changer, not so much when he catches the ball, but when teams are forced to account for his motion. This end-around or reverse option forces a linebacker to respect the threat, putting one less player in between Maurice Jones-Drew and the end zone. Putting Mike Thomas on the outside, opposite of Torry Holt, took away that threat.

Surprisingly, Tight End Hybrid Zach Miller didn't receive much in the way of action. I envision him developing into a Dallas Clark sort of player for the Jaguars, perfect for the slot in the same way that Mike Thomas plays, though it's yet to be seen what happens on the field.

Looking Forward:

The Jaguars now look toward a home game against the struggling St. Louis Rams (Limbaugh's?). After the Tennessee game, we saw the Seahawks and Rams as a pair of easy wins, pushing the Jaguars to a 4-2 record at the bye week. Now we see a Rams team that probably smells blood in the water going against a Jaguars team that looked overwhelmed and underprepared. That said, I can't imagine a situation where the coaches could sit in that film room and watch the debacle and not dedicate every waking moment to salvaging a win out of the situation. If there was any week where the Jaguars could show some sign of a pass-rush, this would be the week as their offensive line is sub-par and Mark Bulger is coming back. Bulger, despite being my back-to-back fantasy football championship quarterback a few years ago, is a quarterback that can be pressured into making mistakes (and often out of the game).

Stat of the Week: The New York Jets, with Blitz Happy Rex Ryan, had four team sacks going into the Monday Night Game. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a total of four teams sacks with a much more passive approach. Why is it that the Jets pressure the QB and the Jaguars tackle air?

Final Thought: My thoughts on Jack Del Rio are well known. This is a big week for him. There's no excuse for the Jaguars to fall to the Rams at home. Falling to weaker teams is a common trend in the Del Rio era, he needs to break character and deliver a win. It's as simple as that. Should Del Rio lose, the drumbeat will start to get awfully loud.

Early Games Open Thread

River City Rage — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:25:51 -0000

Is there anything worse than a 4:00 game? I can't handle the anticipation. What games are you watching during the early slate? Who's having a great day for Fantasy Football? Which team is going to melt-down before week 8? (Buffalo, Dallas are my bets)

-Chris

Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Nate Hughes is released, Troy Williamson out for season.

River City Rage — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:26:36 -0000

From Pro Football Talk: A League Source tells PFT that the Jacksonville Jaguars have released Nate Hughes, who dropped two consecutive touchdown passes in yesterdays game against the Cardinals.

Wide Receiver Troy Williamson is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

In theory, this means that Mike Thomas and Jarrett Dillard will get a chance to play against the Texans on Sunday.

Jacksonville Jaguars fall to Arizona Cardinals 31-17, Jaguars fall to 0-2

River City Rage — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:07:26 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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They came out ugly, offered us a moment of hope, and then broke our heart again as the Jacksonville Jaguars fell to the Arizona Cardinals 31-17. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner set an NFL record 92% completion percentage, the Jaguars pass rush could not stop the offense, and Mike Sims-Walker emerged as a real honest-to-goodness wide receiver.

This was a game where the Jaguars made countless mental mistakes, penalties and poor decisions, and generally speaking looked awful. The Offensive Line could NOT protect David Garrard, the only time that David got anything done was when the Cardinals fell into their prevent defense at the end of the game. I'm not going to bang the Fire Del Rio drum just yet, but there were some discipline issues, particularly when emotions were high, that were problematic. Early play was sloppy, there was no rhythm, and after Scobee's field goal was blocked and returned for a touchdown, the mental focus was lost for some time.

This was a game where we were teased, there were moments where you thought that the Jaguars were just starting to get something done, but dropped passes and a late interception ended the game. Interestingly, the Cardinals targeted the Jaguars linebackers more than anything else with screens and short passes. Linebacker is an area of strength for this team, at least in theory, so it'll be interesting to see what the tape tells us about the group.

Player of the Game: Mike Sims-Walker: 106 yards, 1 TD, 1 tackle. Mike Walker is a real wide receiver now. He's a bright star to admire looking forward. He's a young leader on the roster and someone to look forward to each week.

More analysis to come.