Noticed Paul Kuharsky posted an article on his ESPN Blog - the Texas appear to have bowed out of the Nnamdi race, but still received a nice parting gift - Johnathan Joseph.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/25667/joseph-a-giant-upgrade-for-texans

Joseph isn't Nnamdi, but he is a damned good corner whose talents were wasting away in Cincinnati.  ESPN rated him the #2 free agent corner;

Age: 27
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 190

Joseph is a good combination of size, strength and athleticism for a perimeter defender. He is explosive, quick and sharp out of his breaks. Joseph gets off the ground well and has very good overall speed. He reads plays well in zone and can stay on his opponent's hip in man coverage. He is a solid run-support player and a reliable tackler in the open field. Joseph has had some durability concerns throughout his career, but when healthy, he's an excellent cornerback.

The Jags and the Texans are using their cap space to upgrade their defense.  The Colts and Titans have done little (outside of the Titans signing Matt Hasselbeck) - the gap between the Colts appears to be closing for both teams.

The Texans still need to add a true defensive tackle and work on their ends - without a solid d-line those linebackers will take a lot of unneeded shots, and DeMeco Ryans is still coming off his the blown ACL.  They also need to work on the secondary (though Daniel Manning, S, was a nice addition).  I'm not sure if moving Glover Quinn to FS is the answer, but the addition of Joseph will let them mask some of their deficiencies.  

This is based on the magical $120,000,000.00 figure being thrown around.  Also, base figures courtesy of ESPN.

Note - teams can also "borrow" $3 million from next years cap to build in some wiggle room.  I've also read that this cap may start as a "soft" cap, and teams like Dallas, Oakland, etc... may not be penalized for being over the cap.  If that's the case will teams be punished for being under the cap floor?

We hear so much about the rules favoring the offense (specifically when it comes to passing the ball).  Think back 10 years ago, and if you're like me, you remember the stud runningbacks, the power of the game, and still feel angry at Bill Polian for the pro-pass offensive rule changes to favor the Colts.

However, has the league gone pass happy?  Has the league lost it's balance it still maintained only 10 years ago?  I thought it had, so I started comparing the last 10 years of passing vs rushing stats.  And you know what?  I was wrong.

Not the passing explosion I'd expected.  On average teams are only attempting 1 pass more per game than they did 10 years ago.  The rushing numbers are almost identical.

So why do some (including myself at times) bemoan the death of the running game?  Maybe it's runningback by committee?  Maybe these committees are eating into the main back's carries?

I was surprised by the number of backs in the "300 carry club" from 2010.  I didn't think it would only be 3 less than 2001.  The numbers have fallen off since 2001, but since rushing totals (league wide) are the same.  Perhaps this is why we think of the running game falling on hard times.

My last thought was "perhaps the good teams are pass happy".  Maybe since we see and hear more about the pass happy teams we have pass happiness burned into our psyche.

Here are only the playoff teams from 2001 and 2010.  Not a huge change - though yardage is up.  However, rushing is just about the same.

So tell me in the comments.  Why do you think most people have the notion the numbers in the running game has gone down?

Also, feel free to answer my poll.  When a quarterback passes 40 times a game what percentage of games will he win?  I was shocked by the answer.

Life and work have gotten in between me and my posts.  Not like they're knockouts or anything, but I like to put my thoughts out there to see if I'm truly delusional or if there are some others out there that think like I do.  So....

1.       Quarterbacks
Andy Dalton, TCU, will be the Jaguars 1st Round Pick.  Christian Ponder, FSU, will be the Jaguars 2nd round pick.  Gene likes to double up, so why not again this year?

In all seriousness though, I used to shake my head at the notion you need to grab a QB in Round 1.  But after looking through the last 10 years worth of QBs drafted I may be completely wrong.

Round 7 (24) - Only Matt Cassel and Ryan Fitzpatrick catch my eye.  42% never take a snap.  Only 4 guys (16%) are still around.

Round 6 (29) - Tom Brady, Marc Bulger, Bruce Gradkowski, Derek Anderson.  38% never take a snap.  Only 6 guys (21%) are still around.

Round 5 (23) -- **Crickets chirp in my ear**  Troy Smith, Josh Johnson (only if I'm playing Madden), and Dennis Dixon.  39% never take a snap.  Only 5 guys (20%) are still around, and none appear to be starter worthy.

Round 4 (13) - David Garrard, Kyle Orton.  23% never take a snap.  46% are still in the league.

Round 3 (14) - Matt Schaub, Colt McCoy.  Maybe Charlie Whitehurst, but I doubt it.  14% never take a snap.  42% are still in the league

Round 2 (12) - Drew Brees, Chad Henne.  Maybe Jimmy Clausen (since he's so young).  Everyone has taken a snap.  62% are still in the league

Round 1 (28) - Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Josh Freeman, Eli Manning, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford.  Everyone has taken snaps in a game.  79% are still in the league.  BONUS STAT: Those 10 Guys I named (plus Tebow) are still with their original team (39%).  50% are with other teams.  11% are still with their team, but those 3 guys may not be much longer (Palmer, Vince Young, Alex Smith)

There's so much more invested in the 1st Round that these guys get more opportunities.  Because of the investment guys in the 1st Round get more attention from the coaches.  They screw up and still are with the team the next week.  Matt Mauck (7th round) throws 1 interception and is out of the league.

Still, QB is over drafted by everyone but the Jags it seems.  A great thing about the owners opting out of the CBA is there will be a rookie cap.  Screw up on that 1st Round Quarterback?  That's ok, it won't cost you $35 million plus any longer.

2.       Lock Out
It's hard to take a side when the millionaires are fighting the billionaires.  However, it pisses me off to think that the players can dictate to the league how much they're paid.  Both sides are playing the victim, but it's only we fans that will pay the price.  I almost went to the Jags' game in Dallas last year, but by the time I paid for my plane ticket (Didn't have time to drive the 5 hours to Dallas since I was working late that Saturday night), 2 game tickets, souvenirs and food I was l looking at around $600.  Too expensive for my poor a**.  I think the players and owners are going to regret this for the next couple of years.  But by then we'll have all forgotten about this and they'll be making double digit billions by no time.

3.       NFL Network Random Complaint
I was so excited to get NFL Network this year.  But dear Lord they play nothing but the same re-runs over, and over, and over, and over...The NFL is fighting tooth and nail to get big bucks from the cable operators.  Could they at least have some more original programming?  Or play more game re-runs at least?

Want to beat the Jags? Run it.

I was playing around with stats while avoiding work, and I saw something startling; the Jaguars rush defense was really, really bad.  I scratched my head and thought, this can’t be.  They were good in the beginning of the year, bad at the end, but they weren’t that bad, were they?

Stat 1: Yards per Rush: Jacksonville, Denver, Green Bay (shock), and Tampa Bay finished tied for 28st by allowing 4.7 yards per carry.  Only Buffalo was worse at 4.8 yards per carry. 

Stat 2: Rushing TDs allowed: The Jags finished 30th by allowing 19 rushing touchdowns.  Only Carolina (20) and Denver (26) were worse.

Stat 3: The Jags allowed 98 1st Downs by Rushing.  They tied for 19th with Oakland and Detroit.

Stat 4: The Jags tied for 31st with Houston for fumbles recovered.  They both recovered 5 fumbles.

Even more startling:
Rushing Yards Per Attempt in Jacksonville Win: 3.97 yards/attempt
Rushing Yards Per Attempt in Jacksonville Loss: 5.14 yards/attempt

100 yard games in Jacksonville Win: 2/8 (25%)
100 yard games in Jacksonville Loss: 7/8 (87.5%)

Rushing Yards allowed in Jacksonville Win: 85.75 Yards/Game
Rushing Yards allowed in Jacksonville Loss: 157.38 Yards/Game

Passing Yards allowed in Jacksonville Win: 289.25 Yards/Game
Passing Yards allowed in Jacksonville Loss: 234.88 Yards/Game

I know we’ve been focused on the pass defense, but the rush defense isn’t much better.  Perhaps it was lack of depth, injuries, youth, etc…  But if you can run on the Jags then you have a really good shot at a win.

Scapegoat - Noun

1. a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.
2. a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Lev. 16:8,10,26.

This is America.  When something goes wrong there is someone to blame.  So, just to stir things up and sit back and laugh, who is to blame for the Jags failure to make the playoffs?

When judging pass defense, most of us just look at passing yards allowed or sacks.  I thought, why not rank all of those things and do some stupid number tricks to see a little more of the overall picture.

I present to you my Pass Defense Ratings:

The Method: Oakland only faced 470 pass attempts this season.  However, Pittsburgh faced 593 pass attempts.  To compare apples to apples I did the following:
1.    Sacks/Attempt
2.    Passes Defensed/Attempt
3.    Interceptions/Attempt
4.    TD Allowed/Attempt
5.    Completion Percentage

Sacks Per Attempt:  Oakland shocked me and won the "Sacks/Attempt" Category.  They got to the QB 10% of the time.  Baltimore finished last getting to the quarterback only 4.53% of the time.  The Jags finished 28th (5.14%).

Passes Defensed Per Attempt: Not as good as a pick, but if the defender bats the ball away it’s a positive outcome for the defense.  Philadelphia knocked the ball away 16.79% of the time.  Jacksonville finished dead last at 9.49%.

Interceptions Per Attempt: The best outcome you can hope for from a defender in pass defense.  Green Bay finished 1st, intercepting the ball 4.55% of the time.  New Orleans finished last at 2.63%.  Jacksonville put up their best finish at 20th (2.57%).

Touchdown Allowed Per Attempt: The worst outcome in pass defense.  Chicago finishes first, only allowing a TD 2.41% of the time.  Oakland, who led in Sacks/Attempt, finishes dead last after allowing TD Passes 6.17%.  Jacksonville finished 27th, allowing a TD Pass 5.53% of the time.

Completion Percentage:  Completing a pass isn’t the worst thing in the world, but I thought it would be good to weight this as well.  The Jets finished first by only allowing a 50.66% completion rate.  Indianapolis finished last by allowing 66.54% completion percentage.  Jacksonville didn’t fare much better at 29th (65.02%).

Overall: I took the average of the rankings to get a final score.  Ties were broken by TD/Att Rank since a TD is the worst thing that can happen to a pass defense.

The Flaws: There are a few flaws in this simple method. My main issue is weighting.  An interception should outweigh a pass defensed.  A TD allowed should outweigh a sack.  I just don’t know how much to weigh these things.

Final Verdict: Jacksonville’s entire pass defense is atrocious, finishing 31st.  They improved from 2009 at getting to the quarterback, but are still only getting there approximately 1 out of 20 pass attempts.  Not good at all.  Oakland is getting there 1 out of 10 times.

Weeb Ewbank was a foreign name to me.  But in checking profootball references coaching records, it stuck out that the man had coached 20 years, and had an all time record of .502 (130-129-7).  “What did that man do that was so special to allow him to hang around as a head coach for 20 years with a worse winning percentage than Jack Del Rio?”

Ewbank was only the coach of the Baltimore Colts (NFL Champions in 1958 and 1959).  In 1958 he was the winning coach of the “Greatest Game Ever Played”.  However, in 1962 Colt’s owner Carroll Rosenbloom fired him for the Colts’ slipping performance.

In 1963 Ewbank was hired by the Jets.  Ewbank went on to win Super Bowl III over his former team, the Baltimore Colts.

In 20 years Ewbank only coached in 5 playoff games.  He went 4-1 in the playoffs, winning 2 NFL Championships, the AFL Championship, and the Super Bowl.  Imagine that for a moment.  4 Playoffs in 20 years?  Today that would be unthinkable.

Yet Ewbank is in the Hall of Fame, and remembered as one of the best coaches of the era.

Also, and we Jacksonville fans might want to remember this, he had Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath.  Maybe it is players not plays?

What if Ewbank had been fired in today's impatient sports world?  Would the "Greatest Game Ever Played" have been played?  Would Joe Namath have been able to guarantee a victory over the Colts?  Perhaps we need to take a step back, breathe, and see what the roster and the future holds in store for next year.

This post isn't for or against firing anyone.  This is merely pointing out something some of us had said, but I don't think we'd ever looked at.

Tom Coughlin was coach of the Jaguars for 8 seasons.  In those 8 seasons his regular season record was 68-60 (0.531).  Jack Del Rio has been coach of the Jaguars for 7 15/16 seasons.  His regular season record is 65-62 (0.512).

Tom Coughlin 9+ Win Seasons: 4
Jack Del Rio 9+ Win Seasons: 3 (Possibly 4 if the Jags win Sunday)

On paper they’re success has been pretty similar during the regular season.  However, Tom had success in the playoffs, but Jack hasn’t.

Players, Not Plays

I love profootballreference.  Using their player “Career Approximate Value”, they attempt to place values on every players season (a grade) since 1950.

Using their grading system, I’ve taken the Jags top 25 players in the last 16 years.  I firmly suspected that Coughlin would have a huge advantage when it came to not only the quality of players, but also the number that “served” under him versus Del Rio.  I was right in a way and wrong.

Jaguars Top 25 Players (per profootballreference)
1.    Jimmy Smith (1995-2005) – Coughlin had him for 8 seasons, Del Rio for 3
2.    Fred Taylor (1998-2008) – Coughlin had him for 5 seasons, Del Rio for 6.
3.    Mark Brunell (1995-2003) – Coughlin had him for 8 seasons, Del Rio had him for 3 games before he was traded.
4.    John Henderson (2002-2009) – Coughlin had him for 1 season, Del Rio for 7.
5.    Tony Boselli (1995-2001) – Coughlin had him for 7 seasons.
6.    Keenan McCardell (1996-2001) – Coughlin had him 6 seasons.
7.    Brad Meester (2000-2010) – Coughlin had him 3 seasons, Del Rio 8 seasons
8.    Rashean Mathis (2003-2010) – Del Rio 8 seasons
9.    Marcus Stroud (2001-2007) – Coughlin 2 seasons, Del Rio 7 seasons
10.    David Garrard (2002-2010) – Coughlin 1 season, Del Rio 8
11.    Tony Brackens (1996-2003) – Coughlin 7 seasons, Del Rio 1 season
12.    Donovan Darius (1998-2006) – Coughlin 5 seasons, Del Rio 4
13.    Kevin Hardy (1996-2001) – Coughlin 6 seasons
14.    Maurice Williams (2001-2009) – Coughlin 2 seasons, Del Rio 7
15.    Maurice Jones-Drew (2006-2010) – Del Rio 4 seasons
16.    Daryl Smith (2004-2010) – Del Rio 7 seasons
17.    Mike Peterson (2003-2008) – Del Rio 6 seasons
18.    Paul Spicer (2001-2008) – Coughlin 2 years, Del Rio 6 years
19.    Vince Manuwai (2003-2009) – Del Rio 8 seasons
20.    Kyle Brady (1999-2006) – Coughlin 4 seasons, Del Rio 4
21.    Leon Searcy (1996-1999) – Coughlin 4 years
22.    Chris Naeole (2002-2007) – Coughlin 1 year, Del Rio 5 years
23.    Rob Meier (2000-2008) – Coughlin 3 years, Del Rio 6
24.    Khalif Barnes (2005-2008) – Del Rio 4 years
25.    Aaron Beasley (1996-2001) – Coughlin 6 seasons

In the top 10 Coughlin has an advantage.  He had Boselli, Brunell, and Jimmy Smith for practically his whole stay in Jacksonville.  He had Fred for 5 years (even though he was injured quite a bit early).  Del Rio benefitted from Taylor more than Coughlin did, and Coughlin didn’t have much time with Henderson.

Notice one thing though: All of those players in the Jags top 5 were acquired before Del Rio became head coach.  In the top 10 only Rashean Mathis was acquired during Del Rio’s reign.  The rest are Coughlin players.

Overall, Coughlin acquired 19 of the Jaguars top 25 players in the past 16 seasons.  He and Jack have both had 8 seasons under their belt.  Del Rio wasn’t getting a solid, consistent infusion of youth until the past 2 seasons.  That being said, Coughlin had the top 25 a combined 81 seasons.  Del Rio had them 109 seasons.

This post isn’t about developing talent, coaching schemes, or coaching decisions.  It’s merely an observation, in a different way, about how hard the Jags talent situation had gotten.

PS – These rankings I took straight from profootballreference.  I think they’re a good snapshot, but of course everything is debatable.

David Garrard: Not quite top 10 Quarterback of the Decade

Of the 142 quarterbacks drafted since 2000, David Garrard is:
11th in Games Played (86)
9th in Passing Yards (16,003)
10th in Completions (1,406)
10th in Attempts (2,281)
13th in Completion Percentage (61.64%)
13th in Yards per Pass Attempt (out of QBs with at least 1 season of starting experience): 7.016 Yards/Att
11th in Touchdown Passes (89)
14th in Interceptions (54)
2nd in Rushing Yards (1,746)
2nd in Rushing Touchdowns (17)
10th in Career Approximate Value (52)*
13th in Career Approximate Value per Season (5.778)

Perhaps we’re forgetting what we knew about David Garrard heading into the season: he is inconsistent.  One week he’ll surprise us and play at a near All-Pro level, and the next he’ll blow it with a stupid sack.  He’s a mid-tier QB, a “game manager”.  If I told you to spend a 4th round pick on a quarterback that would be between the 10th-15th best quarterback of a decade, would you do it?  I would.

What I wouldn’t do, however, is give up on drafting quarterbacks for 7 years.  There have been plenty of flameouts.  42 of the 143 drafted quarterbacks didn’t even complete a pass in the regular season, and many of those guys are OOF (Out of Football).  But you have to keep swinging on Quarterbacks.

Some may think I’m trying to be a Garrard apologist, but I’m not apologizing for his up and down play.  I merely stating that maybe we just remember who David Garrard is.  A guy that week in week out will either win you a game or lose it for you.  That’s why the running game is so important for the Jags.  David, at his best, operates with minimal touches.  Unfortunately he didn’t have that luxury this past week.

Personal Rant: Game Manager
I hate the term game manager.  No, I don’t think it’s demeaning to players.  It’s just the definition of the word “manager” is, to me, contradictory to the term thrown on limited, middle of the road quarterbacks.


Peyton Manning is a game manager.  He directs the offense and distributes (delegates?) the ball like very few players in history.  I think there needs to be either a redefining of the term “Game Manager” or additional descriptive words.

Perhaps:
Game General – Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees
Game Colonel -  Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers
Game Manager – David Garrard, Matt Schaub
Game Assistant Manager – Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick
Game Associate – Mark Sanchez, Derek Anderson
Game Unemployment – Daunte Culpepper
Game Social Security Recipient – *fingers crossed* 2011 Brett Favre

Quarterback play has never been better?
This year 22 of the leagues 32 primary starters have a QB rating over 80 (68%).  In 1990 only 10 of 28 had a QB rating over 80 (35%).

Is it that quarterback play is that much better, or it’s never been easier to be a quarterback?  Your wide receivers are no longer mugged at the line of scrimmage, defenders are flagged for breathing on your receivers, and if your name is Manning or Brady the defender trying to sack you is flagged for looking at you the wrong way.  Either way, I think the NFL would be wise to pump the breaks on the pass happiness of the league, but fans like big plays.  Or do they (see Pittsburgh v Baltimore).

Perhaps it's fanning the flames, but I personally believe that Brad Wells is an embarrassment to SBN.  I doubt my post will stay there, so here we go.

As blogs become more prevalent of course the national media (whether it's sports, politics, etc...) will lash out and say "it's not real journalism".  After stumbling across SBN I begged to differ.

But then I came across a certain blog editor that makes me wonder if the media might not have a point.  If I were to see a Paul Kuharsky blog containing some of the content BigBlueShoe has spouted off I would simply stop reading the site.  BigBlueShoe is a joke to the other AFC South SBN Nation sites.  Whether it's pointing out the error of his ways or flat out insulting him it normally results in a ban.  Yet BBS feels it is his right, as a site admin, to run around insulting others then banning them at will.

BBS, you have some talent.  Yet as long as you act as though SBN is your private fiefdom, acting not only unprofessional but petulant, blogs will not be taken serious.  SBN is a wonderful site, yet many of your articles are filled with amateur garbage you would only hear in a sports bar after one too many.  Perhaps that may be ok with most of you, and perhaps you too, Brad, but I thought blogs where were the common man could come, with intelligent well thought out ideas, and debate them.  Yet apparently it's Brad way or BAN.  Brad, how many passionate, intelligent Colts' fans have you driven away with your Napoleon syndrome?

A Note On Commenting At Stampede Blue

Just a little FYI to readers out there: It's generally not a good idea to piss off the site admins when you are commenting on an article. We kind of have the power to shut you up and erase your comments, especially if they have insults in them directed at the writers or other commenters.

In general, if you don't like an article, stop reading it and go do something else. If you disagree with parts of an article, offer a reasonable counter.

If you are here to trash talk, sorry but take that someplace else. We editors really don't want to read your smack talk.

Thank you. Go Colts.

UPDATE: I have not been banned from StampedeBlue.  However, the ban hammer was waived in my face.

"Your FanPost was completely unnecessary and also insulting.  It has been deleted, and you have been given this warning.  If you write something like this again, you will be banned."

Jags - you're making my patience speeches pretty hard these days.

"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas." Shirley Chisholm

What to say about the Chiefs debacle?  Embarrassing?  Infuriating?  I’ll go with disappointing (I left Thomas Jones on the bench for my ‘Vick’s Garrard Dogs’ PPR Fantasy Team, and will probably fall to 3-4 like the Jags).

We’ll hear plenty of "Fire Del Rio", "Get rid of Garrard" (I know he didn’t play, but Jacksonville.com’s users have serious beef with that guy)…I even heard some "Fire Gene Smith".  What should we, as fans, be doing?  It’s infuriating to watch the team you love embarrassed.  Jack Del Rio, I believe, is getting political.  I believe he’s about to put that Political Science degree to good use.  All good politician’s know how to use the art of "double speak", and Del Rio’s double speak was in full force in the post game interview.  Below are a few quotes from that performance. 

Continue reading this post »

BOOOOOO!!!!  The “Boo” birds are out in force today after that horrific outing last night, the “fire Del Rio/Garrard/Wayne Weaver” crowd is back in full force.  So, what would happen if Wayne Weaver fires Jack Del Rio mid-season?  Please, if you want Jack gone now, give your reasoning in the comments section.

Who fires their coach mid-season?
The Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Oakland Raiders.  Did firing their head coaches mid-season help their teams in the long run?  It didn’t help Oakland or Buffalo, but Mike Singletary came in and did an admirable job finishing the season 5-4.  But could that record be a bit misleading?

Mike Nolan started the year 2-5.  One of those 2 wins was against the all time historically bad Detroit Lions (0-16).  His other win was against the lowly Seattle Seahawks (4-12).  His other opponents were:
Arizona (9-7)
New Orleans (8-8)
New England (11-5)
Philadelphia (9-6)
New York Giants (12-4)

Not exactly the world’s easiest schedule (well, besides Detroit)…Still he lost those games by an average 12 points per game.

Singletary, on the other hand, only faced 4 opponents with a .500 or better record.  Singletary’s losses were by an average of 7 points.  Singletary’s wins came against:
St Louis (twice) (2-14)
Buffalo (7-9)
New York Jets (9-7)
Washington (8-8)

You can say San Francisco bucked the trend; their interim head coach ended up with a winning record (5-4), and they even kept Singletary on as head coach and have made some progress (until this season).  Now Singletary is the man in the hotseat.

Were the 49ers right to fire Mike Nolan mid-season?

Rather than ranting about the coach, the quarterback, the secondary, the owner, how about we stop trying to replace our self worth with the Jaguars?  To steal from Vic why can’t we just support the Jaguars, watch the game without anger, and enjoy our Jags win or lose?

The sky is falling; the sky is falling.  The Jag Nation is entering the panic week 2.  After an elating win over the Broncos the bottom has fallen out.  Mike Vick, while a bit erratic, put up big numbers and the offense entered week 2 of their meltdown.  What’s to be done now?

The most prevalent answers are to fire the coaching staff, bench Garrard for a quarterback yet to be on the roster (I’ve read Trent Edwards frequently), etc…  I hate to be a downer, but to repeat our friend Vic “help is not on the way”.

The coaching staff is bearing the brunt of the Jag Nation anger.  On just about every fansite I’ve visited this morning I’ve seen the “Fire Del Rio” movement growing in strength and volume.

Cold Truth 1: Firing Del Rio won’t help the Jags woes.
Love him, hate him, or a general “meh” feeling, Jack Del Rio is the coach of the 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars.  Firing him will not bring a sense of order the Jags organization.  Instead, the grease fire would turn into the Great Chicago Fire.  Firing coaches midseason does not jump start teams.  Think the Jags looked inept the past 2 weeks.  Try taking Del Rio out of the picture, inserting an interim head coach, and watch the chaos grow. 

Assuming Wayne Weaver axes Del Rio, who would step up to take the head coaching spot?  Dirk Koetter or Mel Tucker would really be the only real answer.  The Jags can’t raid another NFL teams coaching staff midseason.  They could try to raid a college coach, but imagine the media backlash and potential lawsuits.  Not only that, but imagine when Gene Smith tried calling colleges for information on a player.  Can anyone say “cold shoulder/misinformation”?

Cold Truth 2: We underestimated the lack of talent in the secondary
I was one of those that ignored ProFootballFocus’ score of Derek Cox (just about dead last).  “He’s a rookie with no safety help and no pass rush.”  Perhaps we fans placed him on a pedestal he just wasn’t ready to climb.  He was the most targeted cornerback last year, and this year he has lost his “swagger”.  Will he recover?  I hope so.  But I don’t know if he’ll be the pro-bowl caliber guy many of us were expecting him to turn into.  I think he may become a solid corner, but I think he’ll always need safety help throughout his career.

Safety has turned into…I don’t know the words to describe the safety position.  It really surprised me that Gene Smith cut Gerald Alexander.  I thought long term he would be a better answer than Sean Considine at Free Safety.  Even if Alexander turned into an above average safety this defense would have huge problems on the back end.  They struggle against big receivers, small quick receivers, tight ends…  I read (perhaps here at BigCatCountry or from Vic) that the Jags only have 2 guys in the secondary they drafted (Cox and Mathis).  The rest are cast offs from other teams.

Cold Truth 3: The “Box” Isn’t Fixed, Yet
Aaron Kampman is the Jags MVP of 2010 hands down so far.  Terrance Knighton and Tyson Alualu have looked good in spurts.  What’s happened to Left Defensive End?  I have yet to hear a peep out of Derrick Harvey.  He’s been credited, per NFL.com, with 3 tackles and 1 Pass Defensed. 

Darryl Smith is a truly great linebacker.  But Kirk Morrison has been average (5 tackles/game), and Justin Durant isn’t breaking out as anticipated.  There is little depth besides Russell Allen.  The Linebacker position isn’t as threadbare as the secondary, but if neglected a couple more years it will be.

Cold Truth 4: David Garrard or ????
This has been my argument for a while now.  David Garrard has been average.  He’ll give you some good games and some bad games.  The past 2 weeks have been almost impossible to watch without the lights on.  I cringe every time he drops back.  But here’s the million dollar question I have yet to have anyone answer me.  If not Garrard then who should the Jags roll with as the starter?  Any quarterback not on the roster yet will take several weeks to learn the playbook.  Todd Bouman?  Do we think he’d be any better?  Brett Ratliff?  He hasn’t made it off the practice squad, yet.  He has yet to appear in an NFL game after 2 seasons PLUS he’s still learning the playbook.

Perhaps it’s appropriate Jack’s fate be tied to David’s.  I think both will be gone after this season.  It makes me a bit sad as I really like David’s skill set (ok arm strength, decent accuracy, strong runner).  Not only that David seems to be a good guy. 

Cold Truth 5: The Jaguars next win will be…
I knew week 1 would be a must win.  I thought the Jags would go 1-3 start the year.  The next “winnable” game is at Buffalo.  However, don’t sleep on the Bills.  They’ve given the Jags trouble before, and perhaps they’re not as inept roster-wise as I thought.

Games most likely to win
At Buffalo
At Kansas City
Cleveland
Oakland
Washington

Assuming the Jags win those games we’re looking at least at 6-10.  However, I really wonder how they’ll match up.  I hate to be Suzie Kick-in-the-Nuts, but victory in those games if anything but assured.  How will the manic Jag Nation respond if this team slips to 5-11 or worse?

Cold Truth 6: The Jag Nations best chance at peace with itself is…
Patience.  This is hard for a lot of us these days.  I have high speed internet, but I find it’s not fast enough these days.  I can order pizza online without having to pick up a phone, but why the hell does it take 30 minutes to get to my house?  I really don’t want to save up $60 for a PS3 game, so I think I’ll put it on my credit card.

We are a nation of impatience.  We want results instantly.  If something doesn’t work let’s fire the person in charge and get someone else in there.  If player A isn’t getting the job done let’s trade for player B.

Sorry, Jags’ Nation.  There is not going to be a quick fix for the 2010 season.  It may be rough to watch.  However, this is the chance to prove to the nation that the Jags are going to stay in Jacksonville.  The Jaguars future is at the breaking point.  If the Jags avoid blackouts this year, with inconsistent play, the future gets much brighter.  Do not let yourself get caught up in mob mentality.  Stop, take a deep breath, and think of the future.  “If you take care of the future it will take care of you.”

The Good
Running Game
The running game appears to be back.  The offensive line actually opens up holes this year.  In Madden '10 I literally gave up on being run first and ran a spread.  I actually traded away MJD for a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounders because I only ran the ball 10-15 times a game (in Franchise Mode).

Receiver AI
I can't tell you the number of times I had receivers jack up catches because they stepped out of bounds.  They had no sense of the sideline, 1st down marker, etc...  This year it seems a lot of those problems have gone away.

The Undecided
I'm not sure how I feel about the sprint button being removed.  I still find myself holding down R2 (PS3) on kick returns, kick coverage, etc... 

Punt returns seem to be easier this year.  Kick Returns overall seem a little more difficult, but not bad at all.

Game Flow
EA has been bragging about this feature.  It essentially allows the teams' offensive coordinators (ie computer) call plays for you.  Play selection is decided on situation (down and distance, score, etc...).  I used it on 3 plays, and then went back to the traditional play selection.  Maybe if I customize the plays to be more run heavy I'll like it more, but when I'm up 17-3 against Denver I want to run the ball down their throat, not be cutesy and throw a screen.

The Bad

Strategy Pad:
Want your slot guy to run an out instead of a curl?  Get ready for a few delay of game penalties.  Madden 11 features the strategy pad.  Before the snap use the directional pad to set all the great things that used to be done pretty simply last year.  I'm sure I'll get used to it, but if I want my secondary to back off coverage I don't like the idea of having to hit Up, Up, Up, or if I want tight coverage Up, Up, Down...

The Bubbly Interface
It seems like they tried to make everything (in regards to the menus) "pretty".  I'd prefer quicker, more responsive menus (especially going through rosters).

Franchise Mode
It appears very little has changed in franchise mode on the "next gen" platforms.  In other words there is a lot to be desired.  Madden on PS2 had great franchise features (ability to set stadium prices, revenue streams,etc...).  Madden on PS3 is missing out on a lot the PS2 franchise had to offer.  I've read that next year Franchise Mode will receive a major overhaul, but that's what EA said last year...

Overall
Overall, though I've only played a couple of games, there's not a lot overall that's changed.  The thing I'm most thrilled about it the running game.  I can't reiterate that enough.  I'm an old school guy that likes to run 40 times a game and pass 15-20 times a game.  In Madden 10 I threw 30+ times a game.

Overall it's an improvement over last year's game, and I'll give it an 4/5.

Misc...
I've played Week 1 (versus Denver), and the Jags stadium is EMPTY.  Very few people in the stands; I'm hoping that the place will be packed later on in my first season.

The Jaguars roster overall is pretty weak, but young.  Tyson has 'A' potential along with Briton and Monroe from last year.  Dillard has been downgraded to a 'C' potential.  Vinny Manuwai is riding the pine, and has been downgraded to 'C' potential...I wonder if he's done (Vic has made some comments that make me worry).

"Jacksonville should draft talent from local schools and the SEC REGARDLESS of talent"...

I'm paraphrasing, but upon hearing that opinion expressed from a caller on the June 2nd Jaguars This Week show, I decided some folks need a "come to Jesus moment" concerning professional football talent.  Since Tyson Alualu has been drafted there is an outspoken Jaguars (err...JagGator) fan contingent that believes the Jaguars should be the SEC/UF All Star squad.

What conferences, since 2000, have pumped out the best talent? SEC, PAC 10, BIG 12, BIG 10??? If you would, answer the poll question, and this week I'll post what I find.

The "New" NFL
When I wrote an article supposing a majority switch to the spread offense in the NFL I didn’t realize its evolution would occur so quickly.  It’s appalling to me that the NFL is thinking about banning a 3 and 4 point stance.  If I were a GM and it happened I’d decide to run the ball even more: imagine d-linemen in a 2 point stance trying to stop the run.  The defenses would have to pull a Green Bay/Pittsburgh "stand around" defense just to try to confuse blocking assignments.

Dallas Clark
That guy is money.  The guy is definitely the Colts non-QB MVP – he’s money on 3rd down.  For the "New" NFL I propose getting a linebacker/safety hybrid – some sort of physically freakish athlete, and all he does is shadow Dallas Clark/other physically gifted TEs the entire game.  Lord knows the Jags had problems with opponents’ tight ends the past 3 years, particularly Dallas Clark.

Live by the draft
Or die by it.  Looking back at the guys the Jags have passed over since 2003 kills me.  Often guys were drafted immediately after the Jags selection that became instant successes.  Debate over which guys you would rather had.  I would have preferred Jordan Gross, Jonathan Vilma, Aaron Rodgers, Nick Mangold, and Jon Beason (but then again you can find linebackers later in the draft, but can you imagine Darryl Smith, Jonathan Vilma, Jon Beason lined up together).

2003 – Byron Leftwich, QB – 7th Overall
8: Jordan Gross, OT, Carolina
9: Kevin Williams, DT, Minnesota
10: Terrell Suggs, DE/LB, Baltimore
11: Marcus Trufant, CB, Seattle

2004 – Reggie Williams, WR – 9th Overall
10: Dunta Robinson, CB, Houston
11: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh
12: Jonathan Vilma, LB, New York Jets
13: Lee Evans, WR, Buffalo
14: Tommie Harris, DT, Chicago

2005 – Matt Jones, WR – 21st Overall
22: Mark Clayton, WR, Baltimore
24: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay
25: Jason Campbell, QB, Washington
26: Chris Spencer, C, Seattle
27: Roddy White, WR, Atlanta

2006 – Marcedes Lewis, TE – 28th Overall
29: Nick Mangold, C, New York Jets
30: Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis

2007 – Reggie Nelson, FS – 21st Overall
22: Brady Quinn, QB, Cleveland
23: Dwayne Bowe, WR, Kansas City
24: Brandon Meriweather, S, New England
25: Jon Beason, LB, Carolina

Free Agency
There’s nothing free about it.  Look back at some of the big Free Agent acquisitions the past few years, and most of the big ones blow up in the teams faces.  Expecting a savior they find themselves wasting craploads of cash.  I was going to write a big story on it, but between work and a 7 month old I haven’t found the time.  Here’s the summary of 2008 "Free" Agency:

Of the "Bigger Names" I examined (35 players - I would have done more, but had problems with time and data) that only 42% were still with their signing team in 2009.  Just between Boss Bailey, Donte Stallworth (Patriots), Jerry Porter, Ernest Wilford, Travis LaBoy, Drayton Florence, and Gibril Wilson there were 39 years and $192.5 million in contracts. 

Really just 3 "big names" worked out for their teams: Michael Turner, Asante Samuel, and Justin Smiley (though he’s had injury problems).  Those 3 guys were signed to a collective 17 years $115.5 million.
I’d rather get young "no name" or moderately priced veteran than an guy in his prime and ready for a big payday.

Jerry Jones is back up to his old tricks.  After putting my 3-month old down after her 1 AM feeding I flipped on HBO.  Joe Buck Live (very boring show) had Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban on as guests.  And Jerry couldn’t resist preaching his newest cause: blowing up the NFL’s revenue sharing plan.

Now, as I’ve mentioned several times, I’m a conservative states’ rights kind of guy.  When I hear revenue sharing my mind starts racing.  Screw Jerry Jones. Revenue sharing is what has elevated the NFL to more money and more success than some countries.  Wait, isn’t revenue sharing just another way to say redistribution of wealth?  Well, if a person makes their money they should keep a majority of it.  If a team’s not making enough money maybe they deserve to fail.  But that would mean that my Jaguars would definitely fail…  I break into a cold sweat and spend the rest of the night questioning everything I stand for in this life.

Jerry’s goal in all of this is just that; play on the heart strings of people (“Well, if he made the money he shouldn’t have to give it to the incompetent Mike Brown and the Bengals.”)  I did a few Google searches with the goal of finding out what revenue is shared, and why Jerry has such a problem with it.

Revenue Sharing: Fairness or Socialism in Sheep’s Clothing?
The big 3 of sharing is TV Contracts, gate sales, and general merchandise sales. 

TV Contracts (and other “generic” sponsorships): Dallas, Green Bay, Jacksonville, et al… receive the same check from the TV contracts.  Seems appropriate as the NFL ensures that all teams have their games televised despite popularity (or lack thereof).  As a conservative I find no fault in this.  Every team is 1/32nd of the NFL and deserves equal share of general contracts, whether it is Gatorade or a National TV contract from CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN.

So what’s Jerry’s beef with that?  The fact that Jerry went behind the NFL’s back and made deals with non-NFL sponsors Nike, Pepsi, AmEx, and Dr Pepper.  The NFL, in retaliation, sued Jones.  Jones countersued, and in the end they “settling”, though Jones was allowed to keep his stadium’s sponsors.  My view as a conservative is that is fine: sell your stadium’s soul, if you wish, and have the urinals sponsored by “Bearnie Madoff Ponzi Schemes: Make Money the Easy Way”.

Gate Sales:  Jacksonville’s ticket sale issues run even deeper than what some think.  You see, the Jaguars do not keep their gate receipts, only 60%.  The other 40% goes into a generic pot that is split between the teams (some Jag fans have cried “Why doesn’t Mr. Weaver just ‘buy’ up the seats so we can see the game on TV?  That is why.  Not only would the Jaguars be out that lost revenue, but they would also have to shell out an additional 40% to the league). 

Jerry’s beef: I’ve invested almost $1 billion of my money plus another $900 million in tax payer money in my state of the art monument to myself, and I have to share 40% of my gate revenue with the Jaguars, Bengals, and Vikings?  So what if I have to play those teams every 4 years, it’s my money and I should keep it.  Maybe Mr. Jones has a point, I thought originally.  However, as Lee Corso would say, NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.  Dallas’ stadium drives up league revenue and consequently drives up player costs (they get 60% gross of the NFL’s profits).  Jerry, if you drive up mandatory player costs, and there’s still a minimum salary cap, then you sir need to pony up the cash.  Maybe I’d be more sympathetic if there was no minimum cap, but as long as the cap is in place, and teams are required to spend a certain amount then sharing 40% of the gate revenue is needed.

Merchandise: If you go out to NFL.com and buy a MJD jersey, guess what?  That money isn’t going directly to the Jaguars.  It goes to the league, and it divides the proceeds among the 32 teams.

Jerry’s beef: I see girls in Dallas running around in those pink Romo jerseys yet Jacksonville is making bank off of that.  BULLSHIT!  Not only did I have to put up with his f$*#()$# Jessica Simpson induced breakdown in December, but I’m not profiting as much as I should.  Maybe Jerry has a point.  But once again, the players get 60% of the gross revenue, and as long as its mandated that teams must spend a certain amount then it’s fair.

So what is Jerry's vision then: It's every man for himself.  If a team wants to compete they'd better build themselves a new, $2 billion stadium to drive up revenue.  Charge fans $30 for the right to stand around and watch the game from a foyer.  Charge fans $1500 for the right to buy season tickets in the nosebleed sections.

Kids, dangerous days are ahead for the NFL.

-Further Affiant Sayeth Naught-

Harperslaw

On offense, I fear I've been closed minded...

I suppose, being a conservative guy, that this has carried over to my football ideology.  Run the ball, convert 3rd down, throw the ball effectively, win 17-13 and everyone is happy.  I like big, physical wide receivers, a running back committee consisting of a balanced “every down” guy, a scat back that with good hands, and a physical pounder to get the tough yards.  I like massive, physical offensive linemen that will, in the 4th quarter, physically dominate a tired, demoralized defense.

However, after watching the first 2 weeks of this season I don’t know if my “dream team”, in today’s game, is really possible.  Oh sure, the Ravens and the Vikings have made it work for them.  In fact, up until last year it had worked in Jacksonville.  But I fear that these teams are on the verge of being antiquated in today’s basketball on grass.  Don’t get me wrong; these teams, like past-Jacksonville teams, will be the teams everyone hates to play.  They’re hard hitting, physical teams, but in the end they’ll fall short of the ultimate goal of the Super Bowl.

Jerry Jones slithered in to an interview the opening night of his monstrosity of a stadium.  NBC asked Jerry about the collective bargaining agreement and revenue sharing.  Jerry never came out and said it, but he intimated his super stadium was the future; teams will either have to drive up revenues to “survive” or perish.  They asked Jones about football in danger of becoming baseball (i.e. high revenues succeed where low revenues fail), and Jones simply stated the owners should be concerned with maximizing revenues for themselves and players, and the players would then only have to worry about playing. 

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