SB Nation User Blog: silencecs

Rusty 904 puts to paper very eloquently what many of us are feeling after Sunday's loss

silencecs — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:02:55 -0000

Say goodbye to a division title! What a terrible evening it has been.

by rusty904 on Oct 5, 2008 9:28 PM PDT

Couldn't even stand up and win at home against a depleted team in prime time even when we get 129 yards of help from the officials. The game would have been a blowout if it weren't for some questionable calls in our favor and that gift of a pick six. Jones drew and Taylor combine for 15 YARDs meanwhile a "depleted" backfield runs all over us for 129 yards. This is totally unacceptable, the defense can no longer wait to the second half to play and I don't care what string you are, can the secondary PLEASE cover someone (I'm lookin' at you Brian Williams and William James)? Can the O-Line maybe block for just a play or two I mean come on, the Steelers back-up d-linemen can't be that good can they? In no aspect of the game did the Jags come out on top, the Steelers out rushed us, out passed us, ruled the time of possesion, got more first downs, and obviously outscored us. Beating the Steelers was one of the only things this team could ever do consistently, but now all we seem to do consistently is show a glimmer of hope and lose. There was once a time that when I saw someone proudly wearing Steelers gear, I got a small sense of pride. I didn't even need to say anything the feeling alone was enough. Without a superbowl victory, or even an AFC South title, owning the Steelers was the one thing that every Jaguars fan could take pride in. Well, after tonight, it won't be that way again for quite some time. This was supposed to be a statement game, the game that turned or season around. The Steelers had a short practice week, a depleted secondary, a banged up quarterback and a road-trip to a team they hadn't beaten in their last 4 matchups. I guess the conditions were just too good. Leave it to the Jags to come up short when all the odds are on their side.

Sorry for all that negativity, but I live on a hall full of Steelers fans who each proceeded to rub their victory in my face and will undoubtably continue to do so for the rest of the year, so needless to say, I'm a bit pissed off.

Negatives, well my entire rant above and...

1. We lost, At home, In prime time, to the Steelers

2. Our secondary (excepting the pick Ben so generously gave us) was completely shredded during the first half. They weren't playing smart, or with too much intensity.

3. Not much out of the linebackers, I was expecting better play especially with the return of Justin Durrant.

4. This is the big one, NO RUN GAME. Where the hell is it? We are opening the field by passing well, we were playing against some back ups on the defense, yet nothing, no holes, no big plays, nothing. Two hard working backs like Jones-Drew and Taylor don't deserve blocking like this.

5. Stupid penalties, though the Steelers got called for a lot more of them, getting called for stuff like taunting is inexcuseable. You're a professional athlete ACT PROFESSIONAL.

6. Another no show for big money reciever Jerry Porter. Was he even playing for most of the game? And on that note, Where were Northcutt and Williamson, and what happened to Reggie Williams? Suddenly we have become a team of only two recievers.

7. The defense got run over by backup running backs. What happened to us? Is it Greg Williams? Or is it our players' lack of effort laying down and giving up leads in the 4th? "The defense is adjusting to a new coordinator" excuse just isn't cutting it for me any more. It's been five weeks something needs to be fixed NOW!

I miss Mike Smith.

And the Positives...

1. Mike Walker played a great game aside from a couple of key drops at key points that would have been tough catches anyway.

2. No turnovers, though we came close on that fumble.

3. Podlesh's punts looked very good. (He's had plenty of practice I guess)

4. We actually put some pressure on somebody, Imagine that? Maybe if we could do that consistently and make a tackle we might have something that could pass for a defense.

5. Pass protection was decent, though slightly inconsistent. They picked up blitzes well but got beat a few times when Pitt. played base.

7. Garrard didn't throw a pick and had an average game overall especially considering that the offense was completely 1 dimensional.

Well, I'm glad I got all that out, we need to get over the loss and improve every single aspect of our football team, go to Denver, and get a DECISIVE VICTORY, not a win in the last seconds by a field goal, not an overtime squeaker, we need a rout. I'm talking 200 plus yds rushing, passing sucessfully to all of our receivers and total defensive dominance. No problem right? This team, especially the o-line and the defense needs to make a statement. In my opinion, that, and only that can salvage our season from going down the drain. Anything less and we might as well pack it in start over-hyping our team for next year, and pray that the franchise stays in Jacksonville. Once again I apologize for all the negative vibes, but I haven't been more disappointed by a game in recent memory. With all that being said, I have not totally lost all hope, we can still make this into a respectable season but it ain't gonna be easy. If we quit on this franchise and don't support this team it will be gone before we know it. A bad team is a lot better than no team at all.

Congrats Steelers, (especially Big Ben) for a VERY well played game that should not have been nearly as close as it was. You certainly wanted it and deserved it more than we did. Please go win your division so we can have a tiny glimmer of hope for a wildcard spot.

[Editor's Note: Thanks for putting this out there for us Rusty. What do the rest of you think. Is this a make or break week again already!? Where was Jerry Porter? Can this team handle Mile High stadium and it's naturally thin atmosphere? Will you still support the team if it becomes clear we aren't playoff contenders? How do you think the Jacksonville community will react to having such high expectations tarnished, can we expect black-outs? Comment on how to handle this unexpectedly poor start to our season and thanks again to Rusty904 for putting up this fan-post!]

-Collin

Friday's Final Injury Report

silencecs — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:00:26 -0000

We have the final injury report and it doesn't look to good for the Jaguars' secondary. Nelson and Florence are both out for the game, and although some had hoped Meester might be well enough to play, he isn't, and will miss again this week. I'd imagine almost everyone on the Steeler injury report will play except for those listed as "out" and maybe Frazier and Bailey (although I'd expect them to play). Players listed as "OUT" are not permitted to play. Doubtful indicates a 25% chance of playing, Questionable indicates a 50% chance to play, and probable means it is a virtual certainty the individual will see the field.

Ben Roethlisberger WILL start. He may not finish the game, but he'll start for his team. It would be really interesting to see Byron play against us though, I was always a fan of his, but he obviously couldn't cut it in Jacksonville for whatever reason(s).

How worried are you guys about Will James seeing significant playing time? It sure would be nice to have Scott Starks right about now, huh?

GO JAGS!

-Collin

Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars
PIT
Nick Eason	DE	Groin	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Casey Hampton	DT	Groin	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Brett Keisel	DE	Calf	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Willie Parker	RB	Knee	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Carey Davis	RB	Ankle	Did Not Participate In Practice	Doubtful
Patrick Bailey	LB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
Andre Frazier	LB	Concussion	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Right Shoulder	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Keyaron Fox	LB	Back	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
James Harrison	LB	Quadricep	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Santonio Holmes	WR	Neck	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Troy Polamalu	S	Quadricep	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
JAX
Drayton Florence	CB	Groin	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Reggie Nelson	S	Knee	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Brad Meester	C	Biceps	Limited Participation in Practice	Out
Chris Naeole	G	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Out
Justin Durant	LB	Groin	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Reggie Hayward	DE	Hamstring	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Tony McDaniel	DT	Biceps	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Rashean Mathis	CB	Shin	Limited Participation in Practice	Probable

Jaguar Playoff Berth: Ideal Scenario 2 and the Wednesday Injury Report

silencecs — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:03:30 -0000

Our first installment of "Ideal Scenario" games didn't go as we'd have liked, so we'll hope for better luck this week.

WRAP-UP OF LAST WEEK'S KEY AFC MATCH-UPS

1. Chiefs slaughtered the Broncos... Not Ideal

2. Jets demoralized Cardinals... Not Ideal

3. Titans won...NEVER IDEAL

4. Chargers beat Oakland after the Raiders completed their textbook 4th quarter meltdown. Not Ideal

5. Buffalo Won... IDEAL!!! That was the single bright spot of this week's scenario because we need them to win their division so we are not in competition with them for a wild-card birth as they own the tie-breaker against us.

6. Baltimore Lost to the Steelers... Not Ideal, but Pittsburgh is in disarray after that win. They are battered and their O-line just lost the equivalent of our Vince Manuwai in Kendall Simmons. He was their right guard and was stout against the pass rush and could over power all but the best. They are hurting badly.

Cleveland beat Cincy... A tree just fell in the forest, but no one was around...

THIS WEEK'S KEY AFC MATCH-UPS

Titans at Ravens : We want a Titan loss, as if that wasn't obvious already.

Chiefs at Panthers : In AFC vs NFC match-ups, always root for the NFC unless it's a team we want to win their division.

Colts at Texans : Put a stake in 'em Houston, the dynasty that never was, is no more... ponder that

Chargers at Dolphins : We want a San-Diego loss. They need to fall behind before they get healthy, they could be a direct competitor for a wild-card spot, unless they overtake the Broncos; a possibility if the Broncos lose this week and lose to us the following week.

Bills at Cardinals : The Bills at 5-0?!? That would be best because we don't want to compete for a wild-card with them without the tiebreaker.

Bucs at Broncos : If the Broncos lose this week and we beat them then that's ok because we'll own the tie breaker against them in a bid for a wild-card spot. If they lose this week and then beat us, that's really bad; we'd lose the tie-breaker and most likely be in direct competition with them for a wild-card spot. If they win and San Diego loses, that's IDEAL for our playoff scenario.

Patriots at 49ers : Root for the NFC, we want Beel Beelichick's team to fall far, far behind.

WEDNESDAY INJURY UPDATE:

Below is the Wednesday injury report, don't be too frightened... Unless you're a Steeler fan, in which case you should be afraid... be very afraid.

A slug-fest on Monday night that one could only describe as grueling, took place between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Two Pittsburgh players are done for the year now, their 1st round pick Mendenhall, and their stalwart RG Kendall Simmons. Simmons is a bigger loss; he is too good to be replaced, thus a drop-off in run and pass blocking is inevitable for the Steeler offensive line. Hopefully we'll blitz a little less.

Defensively, Pittsburgh is without their star nose tackle, Casey Hampton. One of their starting defensive ends, Keisel, is also out of the game due to an injured calf. These two men are fixtures against the run and without them, the Steelers will likely HAVE to commit 8 or 9 to stopping the run. That means Troy Polamalu (related to Jaguars RB coach Kennedy Pola) will be on the line of scrimmage, and not back intercepting passes!

Harvey and Groves will have to show us something this week. Hayward should likely play, but if he's hampered, he'll likely see limited action. Hopefully we'll see Justin Durant make his triumphant return, along with Reggie Nelson. I haven't heard about Florence's injury, if anyone knows anything... let us know.

-Collin

Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status
VS
PIT
Patrick Bailey	LB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Carey Davis	RB	Ankle	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Nick Eason	DE	Groin	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Keyaron Fox	LB	Back	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Andre Frazier	LB	Concussion	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
James Harrison	LB	Quadricep	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Troy Polamalu	S	Quadricep	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Right Shoulder	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Marvel Smith	T	Not Injury Related	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Hines Ward	WR	Not Injury Related	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Santonio Holmes	WR	Neck	Limited Participation in Practice	--
Casey Hampton	DT	Groin	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	--
Brett Keisel	DE	Calf	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	--
Willie Parker	RB	Knee	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	--
JAX
Drayton Florence	CB	Groin	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Reggie Nelson	S	Knee	Did Not Participate In Practice	--
Justin Durant	LB	Groin	Full Participation in Practice	--
Tony McDaniel	DT	Biceps	Full Participation in Practice	--
Reggie Hayward	DE	Hamstring	Limited Participation in Practice	--
Rashean Mathis	CB	Shin	Limited Participation in Practice	--
Brad Meester	C	Biceps	Limited Participation in Practice	--
Chris Naeole	G	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	--

Week Four Looking Back: David Garrard earns his check and Josh Scobee is a Vampire...

silencecs — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:00:41 -0000

Wow... An exciting game indeed Jag fans. We needed this one, and we got it. We also learned some valuable things, one of them being the fact that our kicker is an undead vampire. We've all had our suspicions for years that he might be, everyone was just waiting for him to come out of the closet (so to speak). Well, it looks like this is his year because he's blown the closet door off it's hinges.

He's a recluse and leaves his sideline-coffin only to suck the life, nay, the very soul out of opposing teams. He's like a vengeful spirit of sorts, powered by the the disbelief of Duval County that stemmed from an 0-2 start, and has poured out his wrath over Indy and Houston... Will Pittsburgh be next?

Twice already this season he's shown us that he's an ice cold killer. Something he wasn't even close to being during his rookie year. NFLN did a "Hard Knocks" Training camp show focused on the Jaguars a number of years ago and a particular scene sticks out in my mind. The Vets all wanted the new rookie kicker to sing "Stand By Me" during lunch. Scobee was too scared to do it, and I remember thinking the he doesn't have the resolve to become a big time kicker. Times have changed now and he's transformed from the nervous rookie he was all those years ago, into an emotionless, dark, foreboding figure. Now, the mere utterance of his name elicits fear among his foes... Scobee... Watch out for him lurking along the sidelines this week, he loves night games... ;)

Moving On...

Matt Schaub looked like a superstar (as all Texan QB's do against Jacksonville). Why this happens, I don't know. Overall line play was average on the defensive line, which has got to improve. Everyone has been paid, and we need some production. We are bringing way too many corner blitzes in my opinion. I saw a play last week where we brought both cornerbacks on blitzes, and still didn't get to Schaub. I'm all for aggression, but that's borderline carelessness.

The real problem though, is our linebacker corp. They all seem to be struggling to grasp the system, although Darryl Smith and Clint Ingram are clearly outplaying Mike Peterson. Mike P is still the vocal leader of the defense, but he needs to bring his play in line with his leadership role. I think that Drayton Florence is finally starting to play well consistently, and I thought he had a nice game last week. I will say that Will James is not cutting it. Clive Owens (Texan TE) torched him last game. I say put B. Williams at nickel and let Sensabaugh stay at SS all the time. I think it is tough right now with all the injuries, we need Nelson back and Mathis to play at 100%.

Offensively, Matt Jones completed his transition from bust-to-Wilford this week. He has become a sure handed and solid route runner, just like Ernest was during his tenure. He's blocking, using his body to shield defenders from the ball, securing the ball well (no fumbles), making sharp cuts, and has even improved his hand usage and quickness. I can't say enough about how well he's getting off the line at the snap. He's using his size and his hands to keep from being re-routed on press coverage's, a major reason we've seen him covered soft so often. He's finally figured out how to use his size to beat press coverage, that is a major plus in any receiver's repertoire.

David Garrard is playing like David Garrard again. He is showing you why he's the highest paid player on the team. Precise passing, solid running, no mistakes. The Offensive line is finally showing some real cohesion. Give alot of credit to Andy Heck (click for bio). He's got our replacement players filling in well and seems to have coached up a nice young guard in Uche Nwari. Uche is playing at a very high level and once the line has it's fearless leader back, Dennis Norman will fill out the other guard position and this unit will again be a strength.

Joey "Delicious" Decamilis (click for bio) should get a game ball for how well the entire Special Teams unit played. Great kick coverage, above average returns, a game changing fake punt touchdown, and give him credit for the development of Adam Podlesh in only his second season. "Delicious" has got his unit flying to the ball every down they compete, and his ability to out-scheme opposing coaches has proven to be invaluable (onside kick, fake-punt). Talk about a coaching gem!

Enjoy .500 Jaguar Fans, we've earned it... We've got a tough one coming this week though, a huge game for both teams...

-Collin

A Jaguar Playoff Birth... Ideal Scenario

silencecs — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:43:31 -0000

Since our beloved Jags have given themselves a chance to make a playoff run this season, I thought I’d give you guys a hand with the best case scenario for the Jags to make the playoffs each week. Our chances at a wildcard spot are likely unless we suffer a complete collapse, or Kerry Collins goes down. The Titans are beastly this season, and I for one am completely shocked. I never thought they’d stand a chance with VY, however, without him they seem to be legitimate contenders.

If the Titans win the division, which seems like a real possibility right now, we will be again playing for a Wild Card spot. So, I’ll base each week’s best case scenario on us battling for a Wild Card until we overtake the division.

Ideally, we want clear cut winners of each division and clear cut losers, no hard fought battles for any AFC division title (besides the AFC South). Because that’s the case, I’ll outline each team we want to dominate their division. You should root for these teams each week if you’re so inclined.

AFC North – Baltimore Ravens: This whole division is upside down, and we get to play every team in it… Starting with the Steelers in 2 weeks. Root for the Ravens each week to take a commanding lead.

AFC East – Buffalo Bills: They own the tiebreaker against us and we don’t want a Wild Card battle to come down between us and them… We need them to handily win their division.

AFC West – Broncos: I really don’t have any confidence in this team’s ability, but I love their coach. Shanahan has got these guys playing well and Cutler seems to be a long-term answer, although he’s no Elway. Ideally they continue to dominate their division, which is weak besides San Diego. Thankfully we don’t play San Diego this year, however, I really can’t see this division NOT being competitive. Ideally, though the Broncos run away with the title. However, we play them later in the season, so if we beat them it’ll be ok if they don’t claim the title as long as our record is as good as or better than theirs.

AFC South – Jaguars…

This week’s key match-ups based on this scenario:

Denver @ Kansas City – Root for Denver to move to 4-0 and thereby take a commanding lead in the division.
Arizona @ NY Jets – Always root for the NFC when they play an AFC team as a rule of thumb. In this case, root for them as long as it isn’t a team we want to win their division.
Minnesota @ Tennessee – The Titans MUST be stopped… Hopefully Jared Allen gives Kerry Collins constant harassment. We want VY back at the helm!
San Diego @ Oakland – Root for the Raiders to pull out a victory… they’ll collapse soon enough… it’s inevitable.
Buffalo @ St. Louis – The Bills need to handily win their division
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh – We want the Ravens to do what the Eagles did to the Steelers last week… Soften them up a bit for us… who am I kidding, we want the Ravens to flat out pummel them!
Cleveland VS. Cincy – Both teams are horrible and neither has a real chance at success this year, root for whomever you please, or better yet, don't even watch this train wreck!

-Collin

The current division standings are below...

East Division		W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	DIV	CONF	Strk	Last5
	Bills	3	0		1.00	78	49	2-0	1-0	0-0	2-0	W3	3-0
	Patriots	2	1		.667	49	58	1-1	1-0	1-1	2-1	L1	2-1
	Jets	1	2		.333	59	81	0-1	1-1	1-1	1-2	L2	1-2
	Dolphins	1	2		.333	62	64	0-1	1-1	1-1	1-1	W1	1-2

West Division		W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	DIV	CONF	Strk	Last5
	Broncos	3	0		1.00	114	84	2-0	1-0	2-0	2-0	W3	3-0
	Raiders	1	2		.333	60	73	0-1	1-1	1-1	1-2	L1	1-2
	Chargers	1	2		.333	110	94	1-1	0-1	0-1	1-1	W1	1-2
	Chiefs	0	3		.000	32	78	0-1	0-2	0-1	0-2	L3	0-3

North Division		W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	DIV	CONF	Strk	Last5
	Ravens	2	0		1.00	45	20	2-0	0-0	2-0	2-0	W2	2-0
	Steelers	2	1		.667	54	38	1-0	1-1	1-0	2-0	L1	2-1
	Bengals	0	3		.000	40	67	0-1	0-2	0-1	0-2	L3	0-3
	Browns	0	3		.000	26	66	0-2	0-1	0-2	0-2	L3	0-3

South Division		W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	DIV	CONF	Strk	Last5
	Titans	3	0		1.00	72	29	2-0	1-0	2-0	3-0	W3	3-0
	Jaguars	1	2		.333	49	58	0-1	1-1	1-1	1-2	W1	1-2
	Colts	1	2		.333	52	67	0-2	1-0	0-1	0-1	L1	1-2
	Texans	0	2		.000	29	69	0-0	0-2	0-1	0-2	L2	0-2