pff rates best performance by each position. in this installment, they rate Uche's week 10 game against the colts as the third best performance in 2011 by a right guard
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/05/12/2011s-best-performances-guards/

what's with that comment, though? if were that easy to have a great game against the colts, wouldn't they logically be the opponent for all five top rated performances?

interesting to note elsewhere that both of Lewis' top ten blocking games were against the colts, too.

You're on the clock. It's the third round, 70th pick. Who's your guy?

Give me a name. I don't want "Anyone but a punter," "An offensive lineman," "We need more depth," or any other generic response that provides no info or establishes no accountability. Who is the player you would have selected instead of Anger?

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http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/35122/mario-williams-brings-fiance-to-buffalo

"... he’s not flying her up to show her a place he doesn’t want to play or live."


the future ms. williams needs to see photos Buffalo vs. Jacksonville to help her make up her mind

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if you haven't had the opportunity to listen to Peter King's webcast with Shad Khan http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/podcasts/peter_king/listenlive.player.html?file=http://ht.cdn.turner.com/si/peter_king/audio/2011/12/20/122011.king_khan_mcginn.mp3 do yourself a BIG favor and do so. The next guy who writes or talks about the "LA Jags" will have about as much credibility as Harold Camping.

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So let’s just end that discussion right now.

Here’s a look at the coaches who’ve gone to the Super Bowl since 1991. I won’t go back any further than that for reasons that are inherently obvious to even the most casual observer.

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Our good friend Paul Kuharsky (http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth) thought since there are now three HC positions available, he'd check how desirable the one the Jags have could be. Turns out the answer is, "Least."

And while additional vacancies may well take place before the start of the 2012 season, we can rest assured the Jags will maintain their firm grasp on the bottom rung of the supposed ladder to success.

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What do you have to consider?

This is his first year as a true defensive coordinator. There has been an impressive improvement in the play of the defense this year. There are a lot of differences between this year and previous years.

The improvement on the defensive side of the ball has been nothing short of remarkable. Mel said he was going to make it simpler and faster. Gene said he would bring in players who would be good fits with the Jags. The results are hard to argue.

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Blaine Gabbert is listed 8th below, but McNabb's not playing any more, so he doesn't count.

For all the criticism Gabbert gets for throwing the ball too high or too low or too often or too infrequently or too far behind or too far out in front of the receiver or to the wrong receiver or without following through or without the requisite courage or with the wrong haircut or off the wrong foot or ... whatever the criticism, the one fault for which Gabbert cannot be blamed is that he is careless with the football. 

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I think I know what you're thinking, but here's why.

Steelers first drive: 87 yards, 10 plays, 5:57, 7-0 (followed by Jags 3 and out)

Steelers second drive: 72 yards, 8 plays, 4:15, 14-0 (followed by Jags 3 and out)

Steelers third drive, 12:23 left in the second quarter, first play from Steelers' 28: 68 yard run to Jags 4 (That's right, this is the play of the year.)

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I wrote that during Monday night's blog. Here's why.

At the 12:08 mark of the fourth quarter, the Ravens had a 2nd and 19 from their own 41. They had a tight end and two wide-outs to the left and one split wide to the right. Ray Rice was lined up over left tackle. Mincey chucks and covers the tight end. Roth, Knighton and Alualu rush. Daryl Smith comes right away on the blitz. Six blocking, four rushing. LT and LG double Alualu. C and RG double Knighton. Roth 1-on-1 with RT. Smith shoots the gap between RG and RT with Rice coming up to block. At 12:07 Smith and Rice meet. At 12:06 Rice is on the ground and Smith has two hands on Flacco. Then Flacco's on the ground, too. 3rd and 31.

"... he just ran right over Ray Rice." -- Jon Gruden

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I don’t know what Paul Kuharsky has against Rashean Mathis, but to me, it’s becoming tiresome. 

Oct 16: What I didn’t like: Rashean Mathis wound up in a lot of tough situations and didn’t fare well. The cornerback got beat by Mike Wallace on a well-placed touchdown pass. 

Oct 17: Rashean Mathis rounded us up after the loss in Pittsburgh and talked about how we are on the cusp. It was a good gesture and a good theme, but when it’s delivered by a guy who was flailing around when the defense was having a hard time against the Steelers, ...

Oct 18: ... and was in defense on a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace ...

“was in defense on a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace”? So was Terrence Knighton.

I would think Paul would take 10 seconds to look at the tape of the play he’s highlighted three times before he starts bashing a guy. (It starts at 13:48 of the second quarter, Paul.)

Here’s what I see. Mathis is at corner on the 27 yard line at the snap. At 13:46 he squares up, backpedals to his left and Wallace cuts down the middle off the screen. At 13:44 Roethlisberger passes the ball down the middle to Wallace who comes onscreen at 13:43 splitting Lowery and Landry at the 5 yard line with Mathis barely visible at the bottom of the screen on the 18 yard line.

So, yes. Mathis “was in defense on a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace.”

I expected better.

is there a bigger douche bag, literally or figuratively, on nfl network than warren sapp?

his astute analysis of today's game: "there's only one quarterback they love in duval county and that's tim tebow." I'm surprised the didn't mention LA. that years-old news is about as current, and accurate. nice research there, big guy.

sap -- it really was fun watching you play your last nfl game in Jacksonville... all dozen plays before you got yourself tossed. douche.

Our friends at profootballfocus have done the math and presented the results (http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/09/30/signature-stats-snapshot-pass-blocking-efficiency/), and it appears there is some reason for optimism in the the Jaguars' ability to protect the quarterback.

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"It's not something anyone could've anticipated. It's something that just happens," apparently said Chargers coach Norv Turner about the player who has missed more games than he's played and appeared in 11 games since 2007.

Reports state Sanders injured his knee in the second game of the season against New England.

I don't know the circumstances surrounding Sanders' visit to the Jaguars, but it appears by choice or by chance the Jaguars are fortunate to have signed Dawan Landry instead.

Our friends at ProFootballFocus.com rate QBs on ratio of TDs to completions, and DG fares, well, fairly well.

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Most Jaguars fans, I think, have a pretty good opinion of Daryl Smith: productive on the field, seemingly humble, good instincts, appears to be a well-respected teammate. A good player, but one who may not be quite as good as we want him to be. We think he passes the eye test, but it's in a rather unspectacular fashion. He goes from inside linebacker to outside back to inside, or was it the other way around?
His name rarely comes up in conversations about the league's best linebackers. Here's a link to an article that may help Jags fans refine their opinion about Daryl.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2011/daryl-smiths-year-defeats

Jump below for some additional articles about Jaguars players.

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Will some MD please prescride a safe amount of one for Jeffri Chadiha's delusions, STAT?

In his article titled "Best and worst draft marriages," http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=6460607  Chadiha writes,

"So here are the five best marriages coming out of this year's draft, along with five more that don't look so promising:"

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How did I not see this http://www.stampedeblue.com/2011/1/21/1948331/vic-ketchman-insufferable-jaguars-homer-leaves-franchise-to-work-for until today?
I'd read a lot about how big an idiot stampedebleu is, but never had the interest to confirm that widespread opinion.
Until now.

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Why is there a new rule for overtime in the post-season?

I think it's because the NFL has tilted the field so much in recent years in favor of the offense, that they had to give some kind of hope to the team that doesn't get the kickoff... "If we can hold them to only a field goal, we might have a chance."

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I was wondering how we'd do if we'd canned JDR and replaced him with a current or former NFL head coach. I found a pretty neat little reference site that supplied some interesting info -- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/ 

Coaches are ranked by winning percentage. Don't know if they'll show when I post this, but the active coaches are in bold. I italicized head coaches who went on to coach other teams.

Successful double-dippers: Dungy, Belichick, Holmgren (maybe), Coughlin, Gruden (with a BIG assist from his predecessor), Vermeil. There are many more unsuccessful returnees.

Alfie wrote in an earlier article: "Many want to fire Del Rio. Many want to cut David Garrard right now."
Which do I agree with and why? Why is one different from another?

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My girlfriend's brother asked me about the Jags. He wanted to know, if I were a betting man, would I take the Jags and 6.5 points or would I bet them 2:1 to win straight up.

I'm not a betting man.

But if I were, I'd take the 2:1 straight up. The Jags' losses have been so lopsided, I don't think points will matter. On the other hand, I think it's as least as likely they'll beat the Cowboys as it is they'll stay close in a loss.

I think it's going to be a wide open affair, with lots of scoring. There's potential for some impressive special teams plays on both sides. And two not-highly-regarded passers will have opportunities to look pretty good. The Dallas receivers are pretty certainly looking forward to running patterns against the Jags' secondary. I'm pretty sure the Jags' feel similar about playing against the Cowboys' coverage.

I think the Jags have the advantage running the ball. But we also have a new LT, so there's a lot unknown there.

I also think the only groups looking more forward to the game than the receivers are the defensive lines. They have to be envisioning a clear path to the QB and some big hits. Pass blocking may be the key to this game.

I usually don't do a lot of statistics stuff. Like Vic, I'm more of a "I know what I see" type guy. But I didn't know what I was seeing so far this year with Maurice Jones-Drew. So I did a little research, and it leads me to believe we don't need teal-colored glasses.

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I know the Jags' passing game has been the subject of much commentary on its inability to get going so far this season. Bad pass protection, QB indecisiveness, good opposing corners, playing from behind: there are any number of reasons to point to that can be used to justify why we just haven't started clicking yet in the passing game.

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by Earth to geosynchronous-orbiting satellite

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/14825/perceived-very-best-vs-jags

It’s understandable. He has a lot of information to glean through. He (I’m guessing) doesn’t listen to Gene or Jack or Terry or any of the other voices on Jaguars’ radio shows.

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R-E-E-A-L-L-L bad, if you pay any attention to the “experts,” including, sadly, one ESPN writer I enjoy reading and respect. (I’m looking at you, Kuharsky.)

All I ever hear and read about Scobee is “strong leg, touchbacks, not accurate, especially over 40.”

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quick, everyone!!

sign up for espn insider to read this obviously Pulitzer Prize-winning article.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp10/insider/columns/story?columnist=joyner_kc&id=5416878&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl%2ftrainingcamp10%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3djoyner_kc%26id%3d5416878

I didn't. but that's just me.

maybe there's merit. maybe MJD really is in decline after the best year of his four-year career. maybe he won't catch or run or block anymore. maybe he'll just become a team cancer.

nah.

(Spoiler alert: He contradicts himself in the second paragraph.)

Basically, his argument is this:

1) bench Garrard,

2) Garrard might be the best QB the Jags have,

3) the Jags should have just gotten a better QB somewhere, you know, one of those starting-caliber NFL quarterbacks wandering around.

The Garrard mention is attached below if you feel like wasting your time reading it. (I think I did a nice public service reading it for everyone and explaining what a bunch of nonsense it is.)

Florio's probably one of those experts who said the Jags should have just traded out of #10, gotten a bunch of extra draft picks, and still taken Alualu late second round where he thinks he should have been drafted.

David Garrard, Jaguars

The coach doesn't really believe in him. The owner doesn't really believe in him. So why in the heck is Garrard the Jaguars' starting quarterback?

Of course, Garrard might be better than Luke McCown. But even if Garrard remains at the top of the depth chart, he should be on a short leash for 2010.

In turn, the Jaguars should have found a better option in the offseason. They clearly don't love the guy. It makes no sense to keep him around.

Read more: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2010-07-21/five-quarterbacks-who-should-be-benched#ixzz0uQgciZow

Every year we see articles written about which teams have the hardest schedules for the upcoming season.

I always thought it was a bunch of baloney malarkey hooey wrong.

Last year’s cellar-dwellers take division titles. Super Bowl runners-up don’t make the playoffs. Players retire, get traded, get injured.

To me, the whole premise seemed to be based on the false logic that “Boy, those teams were good last year, so when we play them this year, we better watch out.”

The only thing you have to watch out for is being fooled into thinking last year really matters.

I’ve listed below the rankings of what experts pretended each team’s 2009 strength of schedule would be and what it actually turned out to be. You’ll notice the experts were right three out of 32 times. They guessed right the Dolphins would have the toughest schedule, the Vikings would have the second easiest, and the Texans would be right around the middle. They missed on the 29 others, sometimes by a wide margin (the average was 9.4 places, about a third of the league).

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