SB Nation User Blog: River City Rage

Why I love the Jaguars...

River City Rage — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:46:07 -0000

Why I love the Jaguars...

These Jaguars, they might be frustrating, but they sure know how to make me smile. Ryan Robinson let's us know that this team is putting some serious off-the-field hours to be a part of the Jacksonville Community.

Red Bryant

River City Rage — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:11:02 -0000

Hi ya'll,

I was going through some old posts I wrote at Big Cat Country during the draft season and stumbled upon an article I wrote about Red Bryant. I was wondering how he was doing for you guys? I was pretty high on him (as you can see here http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2008/4/13/182256/881 ), but I always like to compare my armchair scouting to reality.

Thanks for the help.

-Chris

Jacksonville Jaguars fall to San Francisco 49ers' 20-3: Taking a big swallow of perspective

River City Rage — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:10:29 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

Browse more photos »

The somewhat surging Jacksonville Jaguars made a long trip west to face the San Francisco 49'ers and left with yet another humiliating defeat on the west coast. This time, the Jaguars could not blame off-the-field distractions, as it was the abject failure of executing basic football principals, not late night encounters that would doom the team. Josh Scobee, the ever-reliable kicker, would miss two field goals, including the shortest miss of the 2009 Season. More on Scobee later. Maurice Jones-Drew would reach 1,000 yards for the season, but until the 4th quarter was largely bottled up.

The most pressing issue facing the Jaguars after this loss is their sudden inability to score inside the red zone. The Jaguars would get an solid start to a drive, move down the field and leave with no points on the board. It seemed like every time the Jaguars got anything moving, a mistake, drop, or fumble would end the drive and continue the beat down.

Alex Smith, as is par for the course for the Jaguars, looked like a first overall draft pick, not a player struggling to keep his job. The pass rush was a problem, the 49'ers attacked the Jaguars linebackers all day, and the team looked like the one that barely beat the Rams, not one that is in the hunt for a wild card spot.

In a lot of ways, I think, this is an appropriate place for the Jaguars to be. We're just not there yet, we don't have the talent on the field and what we do have needs another offseason to develop. Eugene Monroe had a very rough go of it today, with the offensive line allowing a beat-down on David. Of course, David didn't help himself with how long he held the ball (not to mention the one time he DID throw the ball away, he through to an empty spot on the field), but that's a whole different discussion.

No, no, this is a team that's put together some wins, is still somewhat "in the hunt" for the Wild-Card (everyone root against the Steelers tonight), and could still mount a surprise or two going into December. It's obvious, however, that the Jaguars will have to beat the Colts or Patriots to get to the post-season, and that may be a tall order to a roster that's struggled against the Rams and 49'ers.

But that's OK, that's my point here. It's still a fun, albeit frustrating team to watch. Did you see those quick tosses to Mike Thomas? That's going to be a hoot next season. Jones-Drew proved that he's a full-time back, but wait till Jennings is up to speed as a spell back. There's a whole hell of a lot to be excited about with this roster, but don't think for a second that they can sit back and wait for next year to turn things up a notch.

Jonathan's Rapid Reaction Commentary:

Jonathan and I were writing this at the same time, so we don't bury each-other with front-page posts, so I'm going to give Jonathan the floor for a bit.

The thing that sticks out to me the most about this game is the Jaguars continued poor redzone play. While everyone said their performance wasn't that bad when I compared it to other teams, they still had far more negative red zone possessions than any of the other AFC playoff contenders. Today was the culmination of that. 4 possessions. 3 points.

David Garrard now leads the league with seven lost fumbles. He got away with one last week vs Buffalo but wasn't so lucky this week. I'm now of the opinion the Jags need to strongly look at taking a QB in the first round, so long as it isn't Tebow.

Granted, whoever lines up under center is going to have a helluva time getting the ball off. The Jaguars offensive line might as well of stayed home in Jacksonville. The unit gave up 6 sacks and could've given up as many as 10 if not for some last second plays by Garrard.

Why oh why was Clint Ingram assigned to cover Vernon Davis on that 4th down play?

I honestly think Scobee's 21 yard miss will be his last as a Jaguar. If there isn't a headline on Monday saying Scobee was released I'll be shocked. I gave him a pass initially because most of his misses were from 50+, but now it's obviously part of a larger trend.

RCR's final thought:

If there was ever a game that we can win, it's taking on the emotionally devastated Texans at JMS on Sunday. At 6-5, losing to an NFC team in a week where Miami and Houston lose to division teams is good for Jacksonville. The Texans are on an emotional low right now, Jacksonville can do its business and go back to living week by week, just the way we like it.

Just don't lose perspective. We all get suckered in, teased by the tempation of playoffs. Gene has had one offseason at he helm, let's let him have another go at it before we get too spoiled.

-C

Look on the Bright Side: Maurice Jones-Drew has his first 1,000 Yard Season

River City Rage — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:33:48 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

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With a strong set of carries in the 4th quarter, Maurice Jones-Drew has crossed over 1,000 yards. Anyone who thought he couldn't handle being a full-time running back, you can pick up your crow at JMS on Monday.

Clearly there's more to discuss about the game in progress, but I wanted BCC to Congratulate MJD for what's become an outstanding season for him.

Though, what makes Jones-Drew so great is that he'd trade any individual milestone for a team win.

/Back to chewing my fingernails and watching the game.

AFC SOUTH STANDINGS/PLAYOFF PICTURE: Check out the Wild-Card!

River City Rage — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:05:56 -0000

From NFL.com...

AFC SOUTH
1. Colts 10-0
2. Jags 6-4
3. Texans 5-5
4. Titans 4-6

AFC Playoffs
1. Colts 10-0
2. Bengals 7-3 (.471 SOV)
3. Chargers 7-3 (.457 SOV)
4. Patriots 7-3 (.371 SOV)
5. Jaguars 6-4 (5-2 Conf)
6. Steelers 6-4 (4-3 Conf, HTH over DEN)

7. Broncos 6-4
8. Ravens 5-5 (5-4 Conf)
9. Texans 5-5 (4-4 Conf, .300 SOV)
10. Dolphins 5-5 (3-3 Conf, .243 SOV)

Thanks to the Tennessee Titans defeating the Houston Texans, the Jaguars now lead the wild-card chase in the AFC.

Wow.

Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4th Quarter Open Thread

River City Rage — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:29:36 -0000

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

4th Quarter Open Thread!

Can the Jaguars come back?

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets: Final Game Preview

River City Rage — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:21:40 -0000

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

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.