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Who is this man, and what's he done with Clint Ingram?!?

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Clint "Country" Ingram, the Jaguars' LB known for devastating hits, had this to say about the team's defense.

"We need to match them, it's obvious."

No, Clint, what's obvious is that you need to match them. 

Attention to the linebacker formerly known as Clint Ingram: You should be a well-oiled, hard-firing piston for the defense. Instead, you've been a rusty cog that has hardly lived up to expectations. I don't blame you for playing poorly in that infernal 3-4 scheme, you clearly aren't built for that kind of game-plan. However, last Sunday's game against the Jets was inexcusable. Let's review a few plays that led to the Jets continuing their second drive (After the int).

Few plays into the drive, 1st and 10 on Jacksonville's 25 yard-line. Clint is lined up on the line of scrimmage, the Jets in an I formation. Knighton and Henderson are both easily blocked, Pot Roast is spun around, but Clint is left un accounted for off the edge. He misses the tackle.

Next play, 2nd and 5 Jacksonville's 20 yard-line. Jag's in zone, throw to the Slot in the flat at the 19, Clint comes running into the view of the camera and... stops?!? Seriously, he stops in his tracks and waits for the ball-carrier to come to him, allowing the first down. That's entirely on you Clint, and there is no excuse (part of the reason Mr. Allen took your place for a while starting the next drive). 

Poor play in the 4-3 defensive scheme is not what we expect from you. You've been part of the reason our run defense has been successful, and you were fair against the pass coming out of college. Neither has been the case this season, and the latter hasen't been the case since your second-year. Either your speed has altogether faltered, or you're over-thinking plays. I'm hoping it's just because you have been forced to learn so many defensive alignments and responsibilities as the Jaguars continue their yearly defensive coordinator carousal. 

I know you realize you played far and away your worst game of the season Sunday, and it was only compounded by the fact that it was predominantly in the 4-3 defensive front, which suits your style and build. The hesitation has got to stop. You can have only one mind-set... No, not win... Never win... Only kill. That's it. Kill.

Stay quiet, or call out your own abhorrent play.

Since you did neither, We're calling you out, you impostor. Whatever you've done with Clint Ingram, we want him back playing LB this week in Duval. We've got a game Sunday, just in case it wasn't on your calendar.

Sincerely,

The 46,000 Fans Attending Sunday's Game.

More photos » by Stephen Morton - AP

GET 'EM!!!

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In case you missed it, here's the first-half breakdown of the defense, play-by-play.

So far the Jaguars defense has been dominant, allowing only 30 yards rushing by KC's backs. The also held KC on third downs, forcing 3 three-and-outs in the first-half. Today, we'll take a look at the second-half and see if the Jaguars were able to continue to impose their will on KC's offense.

KC's first possession of 3rd quarter - Big kick by Scobee, great hangtime and coverage by the special teams. KC is stopped short of the 20 yard-line.

1st down - KC in offset I-formation, RB goes in motion. Line includes Harvey, Groves, Hen, and Pot Roast to start the half. At the hike, Durant and Smith both blitz, Durant from the middle, and Smith from Groves' side. Harvey drops off the line into zone coverage. It appears the Jaguars are utilizing some of the schemes from a 3-4, but operating them out of a 4-3, and to a great deal of success thus far (albeit against weaker competition). Smith gets a big time sack, loss of 4 on the play. 

2nd down and 14 - KC in the offset I-formation again, a single TE and two WR's. Reggie Nelson comes up into the box prior to the snap, creating an 8-man front. Reggie's responsibility is the TE, I'm ok with that. The pass to the FB behind the line of scrimmage, tackle made by Daryl Smith immediately. Our LB's are playing well. Loss of three on the play. 

3rd down 17 - KC is in the shotgun formation, single-back set. Great protection for Cassel, but he still threw it early for only a short gain. He gave up on that play because he was scared of getting hit. That pass was thrown knowing it wouldn't convert. Cassel is intimidated. Tackle made again by... guess... Daryl Smith. Wow, that series was completely his.

Three-and-out number four of the ball game. They came out with intensity.

KC's Second possession of the half. 

1st down at their own 20 yard-line. 

Bryan Smith is in for Groves, Stanley is in for Knighton. Harvey and Hen remain in the game. KC in the offset I-formation, I really love their commitment to old school football, it's a shame their offensive line is so lackluster. Play-action is called, Harvey beats his man, and Cassel throws a hurried screen to the HB that obviously didn't have time to fully develop due to the pressure. Stanley was utterly fooled by the screen though, and had he been in position, he would've made the easy tackle, however, he showed great hustle to try to get back into position to make the tackle, although he was unable to do so. Clint Ingram comes up, but slips and misses the tackle. Bryan Smith got absolutely owned on the play, and was a total non-factor, being knocked significantly off the line of scrimmage. Harvey makes a great hussle play and comes from behind the RB to assist on the tackle after providing pressure to Cassel. Gain of 8 yards. 

2nd down and two. KC in the pro-set (2 RB lined up parallel in the backfield), 1 TE and 2 WR's. Derek Cox is up on the LOS, and looks ready to blitz. AMAZING play design by KC, props on this one. At the snap, the QB fakes the hand off to the RB on his right side, and the left RB acts as if he'll be the lead blocker, he then circles around on what can only be described as a mini-reverse. Ingram and Cox both blitz to Bryan Smith's side of the LOS and Harvey drops into zone coverage again. Great design that nets 7 yards, Daryl pushes the RB out of bounds. 1st down KC. 

1st Down - KC in the shotgun, single back, 2 TE set. All front seven Jaguars are up close to the LOS. Blitz coming, Daryl Smith is up in Cassel's grill again, forcing the QB to scramble. Hen barely misses another sack, and Cassel throws the ball away, although the Jags catch a break and offensive pass-interference is called on Bowe. 

1st and 20 - KC is in the pro-set, staggered to the weak-side of their line. Short three-step-drop by Cassel. Montavius Stanley recognizes the quick drop and gets his hands up, swatting the pass at the LOS. Stanley is very much impressing me this game, and I would have to say, he's showing that he belongs on the field. He plays with a great motor, which is saying a lot for a man his size. Great find Gene.

2nd and 20 - KC in the shotgun, single back, 1 TE and 3 WR set. Daryl Smith blitzes again, and comes free, forcing the quick pass, there is pressure all over the place today. The RB safety valve who Cassel dumps the ball to is immediately swallowed up by Gerald Alexander, no gain on the play.

3rd and 20 - KC in shotgun, single back, 4 WR set. Hen and Bryan run a stunt, to no avail. Harvey bull-rushes his man back five yards, but the ball is already coming out of Cassel's hand. Daryl Smith blitzes again, this time from Harvey's side, and the two of them look real good rushing alongside one another. Pass complete over the middle, Reggie Nelson whiffs on a tackle, and badly. Had it been third-and-10, he would've just allowed a third down conversion. Now this is the Reggie I've come to expect, soft and confused. I love the guy, got his autograph and everything, but man is he inconsistent. Reggie slams his hands together after the play, clearly upset with himself. Reggie, A whole sack of sorry  won't buy one single punt. The Jags hold again.

KC third possession of the half

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More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

The look on the face of Kansas City's Center says it all... The Jaguars defensive line dominated.

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Rather than just give my overall observations of the defense's play, I figured I would try something new, and go series by series on defense and give my evaluations in real-time (or real Tivo-time). This requires me watching each play numerous times, and as a result is very time-consuming, so unless the response is overwhelmingly positive, this may be the last time I do it in this style. Let me know what you think of the format in the comments, and recommend it if you like it.... Here we go...

KC first possession - Bad Podlesh punt, Chiefs take over on own 43 yard line.

Lots of movement defensively before the snap. Harvey and Groves are our every down DE's.

Cox is a tackling machine, and rarely seems to miss anything he gets his hands on.

KC is clearly targeting Groves side. Groves should've been in position to stop the short flare pass to the RB, but was out of position.

Derrick Harvey is blowing the RT off the line and is a force in the run game.

KC runs toward Groves, and he was easily pushed aside. He's not an every down DE.

KC runs a toss to Groves side, and he whiffed on the tackle in the backfield.

KC gets a field goal

Second KC possession

Incomplete pass on first down thanks to pressure by Groves. He's clearly a DPR trying to play every down.

Short slant pass, incomplete again. Harvey almost got to the QB despite the quick pass.

Henderson and Knighton are the reason KC has yet to even attempt to run up the middle. They are absolutely mauling KC's guards and Center, it's not even fair. Keep in mind, KC led the league up to this point in runs up the gut, so the fact they're shying away from it is very telling.

3rd and 10, the Jaguars return to the 3-4 defense with Groves roaming and blitzing from the LDE with his hand off the ground. Knighton drops into zone coverage, Daryl Smith blitzes and almost get to Cassel who rushes the pass, but completes it. It's clear they want to feature Daryl Smith in a pass rushing role, but I don't like switching back and forth. 5 yard gain, Reggie Nelson makes what appears to be a tackle, and by himself no less!

Jaguars did well to hold to three-and-out. Our defensive line is dominating at this point up the middle, and Harvey is owning his man, he really is playing very well, and when Del Rio said he's a force in the run, he wasn't kidding. Since blowing up the RT early on when they ran to his side, they have run exclusively to the left. Still no runs up the middle either.

KC third possession

1st down, lined up in the 4-3, very little movement before the snap. Offensive man in motion, but the defense makes no adjustment, the Jags are apparently in zone coverage. Right at the snap, Daryl and Gerald both release and hit the line's right side. KC had called a run left, to Harvey's side. Nothing doing, as Harvey easily stood his man up and assisted on the tackle . Bryan Smith (#53) was in for Groves, and boy is he fast. He was unblocked due to the overload blitz with Daryl and Gerald, and actually caught the back from behind when he hit the Jags' stout line. Our run defense is substantially better in the 4-3, and Harvey, Knighton, and Henderson are going to prove tough for any team to run against.

2nd and 8 KC is in the shotgun. KC runs a WR bubble screen. Knighton recognizes the linemen's attempt to disguise the screen immediately, and even though the play didn't go towards him, the fact he recognized it so quickly is encouraging. Bryan Smith is still in for Groves, and could have made a play had he been in better position. Clint Ingram easily shed the block of the other WR and made the tackle. 

3rd and three, KC in the Shotgun. Ellison, Knighton, Harvey, and B.Smith are on the line. Run to the HB from the shotgun up the middle. barely two yards gained, and the Jaguars were clearly playing pass. Our run defense looks stout. 

Three-and-out again. Nice work Team

KC's fourth possession ball on their 30 yard line. Single back set. Groves back in for B. Smith, they appear to be rotating them each series, we'll see who wins what is evidently a position battle. Ingram and Smith blitzed on that play, it was well picked up by KC, but the wide open TE dropped the pass on the drag pattern. Cox would've blown him up had he caught it though. 

2nd and 10. Julius Williams is in for Harvey. KC runs at Williams side, he is blown back in a one-on-one battle. Daryl Smith was on that side as well, and was easily blocked.

3rd and 6, KC in the shotgun. John Henderson and Montavius Stanley run a stunt and Henderson should've had a sack. It was vintage Hen, as he totally tossed the offensive lineman aside and dove at Cassel's feet. Julius Williams stayed in for Harvey on that play, and brought some pressure. He is possibly our fastest DE, at least from watching today's film.

Three-and-out again. Nice work Team

Torry Holt fumbles. 

Fifth KC possession at Jaguars 20. Groves is in again, and Harvey has returned. Knighton and Henderson are the DTs. KC is in the offset I-formation. KC runs towards Quentin's side, and he is easily pushed aside. KC is exposing a weakness here that is concerning... Only one DE capable of stopping the run. Gerald Alexander can hit, and made the tackle, while ringing his own bell.

1st and goal from the nine. KC runs a screen pass that fools everyone but Knighton and Durant, who both combine to make the stop. I am very impressed with Knighton and his grasp of the mental aspects of the game. That's a Temple education for you, though. 

2nd and goal from the five. Single-back set. Cassel throws a rope which Reggie Nelson promptly rips out. Is this the same player we saw a week ago?!?

3rd and goal, KC in the shotgun from our 4. That should tell you how badly our line is owning theirs. KC runs out of the shotgun formation, and let me tell you, Terrence Knighton just absolutely wrecked KC's center and made the tackle. Groves was easily pushed aside. Although the ball wasn't run his way, I saw Gerald Alexander blitz to Groves side. It is so very clear that the Jaguars are having to compensate for Groves inability to hold up in the run game. A better team will exploit us, and every blitz can't come from Groves' side, it just won't work. That being said, the Jaguars held again and stopped KC from finding the endzone. 

KC's sixth possession 

Quick sideline pattern, but Mathis makes the tackle in bounds. 

2nd and 3 - Harvey drops into Zone coverage, and sniffs out the screen, he's held by the offensive lineman, but no flag, and Harvey still makes it to the tackle after a gain of 6. 

1st down and 10. KC in shotgun. B. Smith is easily blocked to the inside, Harvey is ridden down outside in what could be considered a hold, although it wasn't blatent. Cassel had a man, but overthrew him.

2nd and 10. KC in the shotgun. Harvey drives his man into Cassel, forcing him to roll-out. Cassel finds a man on the sideline who scampers up to the Jaguars 38 yard-line. It was encouraging to see Harvey overpower his man so forcefully. A solid bull-rush is a necessary component to any successful DE's repertoire. 

1st and 10. KC in the shotgun. Jacksonville in the 3-4 defense. Harvey just pancaked the RT and cut inside the RB to force the early and errent throw. Derrick Harvey is looking like Reggie Hayward. He's absolutely owning on almost every play, bring pressure against the pass, and blowing up run plays. Using both speed and power, he's been stellar, and the eyes don't lie. Iwuh was in as the fourth LB in the 3-4 front. 

2nd and 10. KC in the shotgun. Jaguars in the 3-4 with Groves and Harvey as the DE's. Harvey is double-teamed and Cassel rolls out and throws incomplete. Not much beef on the line of scrimmage there. 

KC misses the FG, end of the half.

Notes: Where is Derek Landri?!? I haven't seen him in for one play this entire half. Derrick Harvey is clearly better with his hand on the ground in both the run and the pass. Terrence Knighton looks like a younger John Henderson, and plays with exceptional balence and intensity. Gerald Alexander is playing the SS position well, and Reggie Nelson looks like a different player. Can he continue to play this well each week? 

If you like this format, please let me know and comment, because this is substantially more time consuming, and unless there is an extremely positive response, I doubt I'll do this again. Let me know your thoughts.

-Collin Streetman

More photos » by Stephen Morton - AP

about 1 month ago: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Rashad Jennings, right, stiff-arms Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Brown for a touchdown in first-quarter action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

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For the first time since week one, the Jacksonville Jaguars played like, well, the Jacksonville Jaguars. We returned to our roots in a vicious beating of the Kansas City Chiefs that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated. Sunday, we saw what we can be, and it's a whole lot better than we thought up to this point. Today, I'll go over the offense's return to form, and tomorrow, expect my analysis of the defense's return to their roots. Let's look at why the Jaguars' offense succeeded on Sunday.

Run, and Do So Up the Middle.

Vince Manuwai showed he's almost fully recovered from his season-ending injury last year, and that he's still a great run-blocker. At the age of 30, he still has a few solid years in the tank. Uche Nwaneri played one of his most physical games of the season, and the way he pushed the pile at the goal-line was textbook Jaguar football. Brad Meester played like a man possessed in the run game. Despite being 33, the savvy veteran showed he can still bring it. Our interior line is clearly better at run-blocking than they are at protecting David.

Rookie Tackles Showing Improvement

The first and second-round picks in this year's draft are both starting for the team, and both continue to improve each week. I don't want to hear anyone say that they're not doing great, because clearly they are. Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton are outperforming both Andre Smith, and Jason Smith, and continue to improve each week. We almost never see a holding penalty, unless it is to keep Garrard from getting sacked. Last year, it was surprising if our tackles weren't penalized for holding at least twice a week. Andy Heck is one of the better assistant coaches this team has, and under his tutelage, I expect both to be excelling by week 14.

WR's Emerging

Mike Sims-Walker has shown he's a legit number one receiver, and when the team runs to set up the pass, he makes things look easy. That being said, I was more impressed with out rookie WR play. We haven't ever seen such an instant impact from late round picks. Mike Thomas is a madman when returning kicks, and Spoony has likely lost his job, even when he returns healthy. Jarrett Dillard showed the hands he displayed in college, when he literaly snatched a crucial 3rd down rocket, courtesy of Garrard. The future is going to be sooner than we expect if these players continue to progress.

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4-3 defense is owning it... LB's are on fire. MJD is a beast. Return of the I-Formation and Greg Jones shows why he's the best in the league at FB... MSW is the real deal, and when healthy is showing he is an elite WR.... Um... Thank you Shack for providing the top FB, RB, and one of the best emerging WR's in the league...Manuwai is playing well too. Runs up the middle are devastating the defense. He's owning the NT and allowing Meester to get free to the LB's... discuss, These are MY OBSERVATIONS.... What are your's?

-Collin

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Jack... You have to hold this team together...

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Quote of the week:

"We can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now."
Bruce Coslet, on the Bengals' 1997 season

Thankfully, the Jaguars are not in the same position the 1997 Bengals were. This is a team that has the potential to overachieve this season, and I look for us to finish at least 8-8. Jack Del Rio has shown he's most effective when working with young men, and make no mistake, this is a young team. Jack Del Rio is directly tied to the defense's success, and he should be judged based on their progress through the season. If we defend the Patriots pass attack well in December, that will say a lot about where we are as a defense.

Three Coordinators + Three Years = Defensive Confusion

Jack Del Rio is directly responsible for the team's move to a 3-4 defensive scheme, and if it continues to fail so epically through the season, it falls on his shoulders. We have the personnel to stop the run. Two of our three defensive linemen are powerful against the rush, and three of our linebackers are literally tackling machines. Their issues in defense have come from being out of position, which is a result of learning a new scheme, and having their third defensive coordinator who is making major changes, in three years. This isn't entirely Jack's fault, as he's trying to replace an irreplaceable defensive coordinator, in Mike Smith.

The jury is still out on Mel Tucker, as he was brought here with the expectation he would coach up our talented, yet struggling secondary. So far, Reggie Nelson continues to be inconsistent, although the strides Derek Cox is making can't, and shouldn't be discounted. Derek Cox is going to be a long-term fixture at corner for the Jaguars. On the play he dropped the interception in the end-zone, he was extremely disciplined. Even though Vince Young is known as a short to intermediate passer, Derek didn't bite on the double move by Nate Washington, and as a result, he almost got an interception. He has already surpassed B-Dub in ability, and I have been pleasantly surprised by Derek's ball-skills and tackling. He seems to rarely miss a tackle when he gets his hands on the ball-carrier.

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Tennessee Titans (0-6)	Week #8	Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
	VS.

Here's the open thread for the second-half... enjoy! Go Jags!

Tennessee Titans (0-6)	Week #8	Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
	VS.

Here's the open thread for the first half... enjoy! Go Jags!