Jacksonville Ranks #19 in Charlie Bernstein’s PreSeason Rankings

// June 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // David Garrard, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

By Charlie Bernstein
Editor-in-Chief
Posted Jun 22, 2010

http://jac.scout.com/2/979493.html

When the NFL calender turns to the all-important month of June, it can only mean two things. NFL stars are looking for more money by sitting out “voluntary” OTA’s and we are doing our semi-meaningless power rankings. Last year at this time we had the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints at the number 12 position, which was a lot higher than most publications rated them.

1. New Orleans Saints- We have to put the champs on top until they’re defeated. For the record, we don’t believe they make it to the postseason this year.

2. Dallas Cowboys- Love the selection of Dez Bryant in the draft to give quarterback Tony Romo yet another weapon. There are obvious question marks on the offensive line and safety positions, but the Cowboys are as solid as anyone and could be the most talented team in the NFL.

3. Green Bay Packers- Aaron Rodgers is proving himself to be an elite quarterback, and Brian Bulaga should greatly help their porous offensive line. This is Year Two of Dom Capers 3-4 defense and they will be past the adjustment period.

4. Minnesota Vikings- If (when) Brett Favre returns, the Vikings will be just as loaded as the team that nearly went to the Super Bowl back in January.

5. Indianapolis Colts- They have Peyton Manning and you don’t. That proves to be absolute money in the regular season. The return of a healthy Bob Sanders makes the reigning AFC champs defense that much better.

6. San Diego Chargers- We’d love to put the Chargers higher, but with the uncertainty of Marcus McNeil and Vincent Jackson’s contract situations, San Diego will remain in the six-hole.

7. Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens had another stellar draft and their defense should return to the form that made them a legitimate title contender. Add in the fact that Joe Flacco is in his third season and Baltimore should have great balance on offense.

8. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan is entering his third year, and the team spent a large portion of their draft on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Smith finally has the weapons he needs to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

9. Houston Texans- Yes the Houston Texans. These guys are as talented as any team in the NFL and if they can keep Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Schaub healthy for 16 games, they will appear in the franchise’s first playoff game.

10. Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins have been in the process of building a contender ever since Bill Parcells arrived in 2007, and they now have the quarterback, offensive line, playmaking linebackers, and possibly the best wide receiver in the game.

11. New York Jets- The Jets have loaded up their defense with talented stars, and they get defensive tackle Kris Jenkins back from injury. Mark Sanchez has another weapon in Santonio Holmes and their offense should be more balanced in 2010.

12. New England Patriots- Not much separates the Patriots from the rest of the contenders in the AFC East. New York and Miami may have more talented rosters, but they don’t have Tom Brady. Brady will keep the Pats competitive.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers- The Steelers will have to navigate through a tough opening quarter of the season without Ben Roethlisberger, but they have a healthy Troy Polamalu back and he will make the difference once again on a stellar defense.

14. San Francisco 49ers- The Niners are very solid on defense, but Alex Smith is a huge question mark. Still, San Francisco plays in arguably the worst division in the NFL and they should be the best in the NFC West.

15. Cincinnati Bengals- Last year’s AFC North title wasn’t a fluke, but the Bengals were clearly fading down the stretch and it’s not likely that they can out-duel both the Steelers and Ravens two years in a row.

16. Washington Redskins- The Redskins overhauled the roster and coaching staff this offseason and it may lead to a wildcard berth. Donovan McNabb will be ultra-motivated and their defense should be solid, with or without Albert Haynesworth.

17. New York Giants- The Giants need to find a way to rebuild their defense and having a very aggravated Osi Umenyiora and a very raw Jason Pierre-Paul may not be the immediate answer. Eli Manning will have to win some shoot-outs.

18. Chicago Bears- Quarterback Jay Cutler has tons of ability, but his weapons are suspect and the offensive line will be even more of a question mark in Mike Martz’s system. The defense needs to experience a rebirth with pricey free agent acquisition Julius Peppers.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jaguars are a young team with the right attitude that’s improving. The defense should be considerably better, but their ceiling is very limited with quarterback David Garrard.

20. Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles are talented, but will be starting a virtual rookie in Kevin Kolb at quarterback. Kolb’s learning curve will keep the Eagles out of the playoffs in a very tough division.

21. Tennessee Titans- If the Titans can solve the contract issue with 2,000 yard running back Chris Johnson, they can compete with most teams offensively. The defense doesn’t appear to have enough playmakers to hang in a pass-happy AFC.

22. Oakland Raiders- The Raiders seem to be loaded on defense and the acquisition of quarterback Jason Campbell should give the team a presence in the huddle, something they haven’t had since Rich Gannon commanded the ship. Still, history tells us not to get too excited about the most dysfunctional franchise in football over the last decade.

23. Denver Broncos- Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels jettisoned wide receiver Brandon Marshall and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, two of the main reasons why Denver won eight games a year ago. Denver has holes all over the field and not even the great Tim Tebow will help that.

24. Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals experienced a nightmarish offseason as they lost quarterback Kurt Warner, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Antrel Rolle. It’s impossible to justify the Cards winning their third consecutive NFC West title without all of those key components.

25. Seattle Seahawks- New head coach Pete Carroll has flipped the roster and although their draft was good, it’s tough to believe that rookies will fix their offensive line and defensive problems immediately.

26. Detroit Lions- The Lions appear to be heading in the right direction under head coach Jim Schwartz, who has infused an attitude of toughness and confidence in his young team. Still, they are just two years removed from the worst season in NFL history and you don’t rebuild that bad of a roster immediately.

27. Cleveland Browns- If Jake Delhomme is the temporary answer, then I’m not sure what the question is. Cleveland will have problems moving the ball offensively, but their defense should be improved, especially in the secondary.

28. Buffalo Bills- The Bills are transitioning to a 3-4 defense, and although they have the anchor in rookie Torell Troup, players like Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams will have to adjust to playing new positions. Buffalo will go as far as their quarterback takes them, and a competition between Trent Edwards, Brian Brohm and Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t going to excite many in upstate New York.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs are piecing together what appears to be a solid nucleus of young players, but there are simply too many question marks all over the field to imagine them winning even seven games. Josh Freeman must progress considerably to keep the Bucs out of last place in the NFC South.

30. Carolina Panthers- The Panthers are a team with a lame-duck head coach in John Fox and no proven answer at quarterback. Sure, they can run the football, but for Carolina to experience any kind of success, the quarterbacks will have to beat the cover-one consistently.

31. Kansas City Chiefs- Charlie Weiss should get the most out of Matt Cassel, but we don’t believe that will be much considering the lack of weapons around him. The Chiefs are too young on defense and have a real lack of depth at most positions.

32. St. Louis Rams- The Rams will find a win or two on their schedule this season, but don’t ask me where. St. Louis has lost 34 of their last 36 games and their roster doesn’t appear to be considerably better right now than it was even a year ago when they went 1-15.

How the National Media Views the Jacksonville Jaguars

// June 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // Aaron Kampman, Coaching Staff, David Garrard, Maurice Jones Drew, Mike Sims-Walker, NFL Draft, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?, Rashean Mathis, Thanks Wayne Weaver, jack del rio

Why Your Team Won’t Win the Super Bowl: Jacksonville Jaguars Edition.
Nick Signorelli by
Nick Signorelli
Senior Writer Written on June 13, 2010
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/405022-why-your-team-wont-win-the-super-bowl?search_query=jaguars%20why

No, I am not picking on just the Jacksonville Jaguars! This is a series that I am doing for all 32 of the NFL teams, Why Your Team Won’t Win The Super Bowl.

To me, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the strangest teams to figure out. During the NFL’s last expansion, instead of putting a team in the second largest market in America, LA, the powers that be decided to put the franchise in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Jaguars have had numerous problems selling out home games, and have had many games blacked out,for lack of ticket sales.

They have even had games where they would section off parts of the stadium so that people would not see the empty seats.

In my opinion, forget about all the talk about the Rams or the Vikings moving to Los Angeles when their leases are up at their current buildings. In my opinion, it is going to be the Jaguars.

This is not to disrespect the fans of Jacksonville in any way. I actually feel sorry for any city that loses their team. But I honestly believe from the top down the Jaguars are looking to make a change.

For starters this offseason we had the verbal spatting between head coach Jack Del Rio and owner Wayne Weaver over Del Rio’s interest in coaching the USC Trojans when Pete Carroll left to coach the Seahawks.

Del Rio is a former player and coach at USC, and I would be willing to bet the mortgage that the powers that be at USC would have taken Del Rio over Lane Kiffin in a second.

Del Rio has been the Jaguars second coach, only to Tom Coughlin, since the inception of the Jaguars in 1995.

He has made some curious decisions, such as allowing Byron Leftwich to walk out the door and to hand the reigns of the franchise to David Garrard.

Garrard is a decent player, but has yet to prove that he is any where near good enough to lead the Jaguars into the future successfully. And Jacksonville has done nothing to bring in competition for him, or address the situation in the draft.

The defensive line has struggled, even though Aaron Kampman was brought in to help the younger players.

Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker are two potential superstars, but without a quality offensive line or quarterback, neither one’s skills will reach full potential as long as they are in Jacksonville.

Though there are some bright spots for the Jaguars, there are just too many holes for this team to make a serious run at the Lombardi this year.

My prediction: 5-11, last place in the AFC South.

Wouldn’t we all Jack.

// January 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Gameday Highlights, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?, Uncategorized

While the Browns ended their season on a high, they extinguished Jacksonville’s razor-thin AFC playoff hopes. The Jaguars (7-9) had to win and needed four other teams to lose just to qualify. They’ll have the months ahead to ponder what went wrong.

Playing on a slippery, snow-covered field, the Florida visitors were mostly out of their element and lost their fourth in a row. Coach Jack Del Rio had his team poised for a playoff appearance, and although he has come under fire for the Jags’ slump, he is expected back.

“I’m not pleased with not finishing with an opportunity to make the playoffs,” Del Rio said. “In the end, we came up short so I am disappointed. I would like to find a way to get in there [postseason.]“

Wouldn’t we all Jack, wouldn’t we all.

5 weeks ago when we were handed gifts of AFC losses both above and below the Jaguars in the playoff picture, it was pretty simple. Beat Miami and Cleveland, take our lumps versus the Colts and Patriots and we’d probably be traveling to Cincinnati for wild card weekend.

All that had to be done was beat Miami and Cleveland, but yesterday’s game was the perfect setting to send the Jags on their way to a long, cold, slippery, introspective offseason.  Though there wasn’t much to play for yesterday, and Cleveland has found a running game since then, the short comings of this team are quite obvious.

The way things worked out we probably helped our draft status as both the Jets and Ravens won, but being so close to a Playoff berth stings worse than a beer bottle to the head.

Jacksonville Still in Control of Playoff Run… huh?

// December 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

Despite their loss to the Dolphins, the Jaguars still remain in control of the final AFC playoff spot.

Here’s why they lead the pack of four 7-6 teams (Jags, Ravens, Dolphins and Jets) as spelled out by ESPN’s Stats & Information:

Division ties are broken first. Because the Dolphins swept the Jets, the New York is automatically last of the four.

Neither the Jaguars, Ravens nor Dolphins swept each other or got swept by each other in head-to-head matchups.

The Jaguars have the best conference record at 6-3, the Ravens are next at 6-4 and the Dolphins follow at 5-4.

So currently the breakdown of 7-6 teams is:
6. Jaguars
7. Ravens
8. Dolphins
9. Jets

Jacksonville.com: Jaguars Notebook

// December 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Gameday Highlights, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

The Jaguars, noted as a running team, are no longer dominating games with the run.

Maurice Jones-Drew was held to 59 yards in 18 carries in a 14-10 loss to Miami on Sunday.

It’s the fourth consecutive game in which Jones-Drew was held under 100 yards rushing.

Jones-Drew had runs of 13 and 12 yards, but on his other 16 carries, he managed only 34 yards.

Jones-Drew said he’s not getting frustrated at the lack of production in the run game.

“No, not at all,” he said. “We still have to run the ball well. It is a little more frustrating, though, not scoring more points.”

The tone was set on the Jaguars’ first drive when they ran Jones-Drew on their first two offensive plays and gained only 3 yards. Jones-Drew wound up carrying only seven times for 16 yards in the first half.

In the final minutes, he got the call on third-and-4 at the Miami 47, and slipped after gaining a yard.

“I’ve made the same cut before. I slipped and the defender that was trying to tackle slipped,” Jones-Drew said. “It was pretty messy. But you have to be able to adjust to your surroundings.”

On fourth down, David Garrard was stopped on a quarterback draw, ending the Jaguars’ hopes.

Wet grass not big deal
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio would not blame the condition of the field for playing a role in the loss and for Jones-Drew’s slip.

“It’s not as good as we’re accustomed to here. Our field is normally one of the better fields out there. This time of year, you’re going to have some footing issues. You’re going to have some fields that get a little chewed up and get soft. I don’t think that was a factor in this game. Both teams played on the same track,” he said.

Fourth-down gambles
Del Rio went for it twice on fourth down in the final quarter on the same drive and made it once.

The first was a 4th-and-1 at the Jacksonville 35 with about 10 minutes left.

Jones-Drew gained 13 yards on a toss sweep to keep the drive alive and four plays later, they faced a 4th-and-3 at the Miami 46.

This time, Garrard’s pass to Mike Sims-Walker was knocked down by free
safety Yeremiah Bell.

Bell said the Jaguars only had 10 players on the field so he didn’t have a player to cover and was able to freelance and make the play.

The Dolphins took over on their 45, but Derrick Cox intercepted a Chad Henne pass on the next play.

Del Rio had no second thoughts about the gambles.

“I’m going to play aggressively to win the games. I want to give the players a chance. I want to give them every opportunity. I want them to feel my confidence that I have in them. We made it work on the [first] one. We didn’t on the other. I have nothing but good feelings about having done that and those guys understanding I’m looking to go win and play aggressively,” Del Rio said.

Jones-Drew returns punts
The Jaguars put Jones-Drew back on punt returns twice in the last quarter.

He had 19 yards in returns.

“We wanted to give him a shot to make a play there,” Del Rio said. We didn’t quite get it blocked the way we liked to give him a shot to hit it. He’s a special player. We wanted to get him a shot.”

Largest crowd of the year
The Jaguars sold 60,457 tickets and had 57,444 in the stands. Both were the largest figures of the season although they were helped by a large contingent of Miami fans.

The Jaguars are likely to exceed both marks Thursday night because they are expected to lift the TV blackout for the first time this year for the Colts’ game. A civic group has led a drive to sell all the non-premium seats although there will still be premium seats available.

Etc.
Sims-Walker was listed as doubtful on the injury report with a calf injury, but started the game. A league spokesman said the Jaguars will be asked for an explanation of why he was listed as doubtful if he could play. The Jaguars threw six passes at Sims-Walker and he caught one. … LB Clint Ingram (shoulder) and FB Greg Jones (ankle) left the game with injuries.

vito.stellino@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4279

A gloomy day in Jacksonville: Dolphins Notebook

// December 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Gameday Highlights, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

This is the time of the year where you take wins any way you can get them. While it wasn’t pretty at all and sure was stressful at times, the Dolphins went up to Jacksonville and knocked off a Jaguars team that had just one home loss all season heading into Sunday, improving to 6-0 in December under head coach Tony Sparano.

In doing so, the Dolphins did what they were looking to do – make next week’s game in Tennessee against the Titans yet another important must-win game as they look to work their way into the playoffs. As for the playoff picture itself, there’s some info about that below. But enjoy the fact that as Dolphin fans, we have yet another meaningful December football game to look forward to. After starting 0-3, that’s all us fans can ask for.

Just keep winning. Pretty or ugly. Big win or nail-biter. Doesn’t matter to me. Just keep winning.

It’s all about the defense
Earlier this week, we talked about how important it would be to contain Maurice Jones-Drew. He’s the most explosive player on that Jacksonville offense and the Dolphins were struggling against the run over the past few weeks. Heading into the game, the Dolphins were allowing an average of 127 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry over their last five. But on Sunday, we saw this Miami defense make a stand. Actually, we saw them make multiple stands, holding Jones-Drew to just 59 yards rushing (3.3 ypc) in the process.

Perhaps the most impressive stat on Sunday, though, was how the Dolphins held the Jaguars to just 4/17 on third or fourth down. That’s ridiculous, really. And it’s just proof of how dominant this defense was and of why this game really shouldn’t have been as close as it was.

Quite frankly, we saw this Dolphin defense dominate on Sunday. It’s that simple. The Jaguars had just 217 yards of offense. Of that total, 63 yards came on one play. On that play, Sean Smith did a poor job of biting on the double move. But it’s important to note that Gibril Wilson was really the guy who blew the coverage. He was supposed to have inside contain in that bracket coverage. But he also “took the cheese” of the Torry Holt double move, allowing Holt to make the big play. Of course, the defense rebounded by holding Jacksonville to a field goal on that drive.

The Jags gained 68 yards on that drive. They also gained 62 yards on their third possession of the game – which ended on a MJD touchdown run. But on Jacksonville’s 10 other possessions, the Jaguars gained just 87 yards of offense and averaged just 2.4 yards per play. Those 10 possessions include the Jaguars going “3 and out” on 6 of their first 8 possessions. That, my friends, is domination.

The defense also put together their second consecutive scoreless fourth quarter. In doing so, the Dolphins limited Jacksonville’s offense to just 57 yards of offense on four fourth quarter possessions. That’s how you win football games even when your offense sputters in the second half. Kudos to every single player on that defense (except for maybe Gibril Wilson) for an outstanding performance.

The “Henne to Camarillo” connection
All season long, I’ve been waiting (and hoping) to see the Greg Camarillo we saw last season before he went down with his knee injury. On Sunday, I saw that Camarillo. It was a terrific sight to see.

Camarillo picked on this Jaguar secondary all game long, catching all seven passes that were thrown his way for 110 yards. This was Camarillo’s best game since the game against Denver last season. And now after just catching three passes from week 10 against Tampa through week 12’s loss to Buffalo, it seems as though Chad Henne is finally getting more comfortable with Camarillo – who has 11 catches for 171 yards over his last two.

Speaking of Henne, he’s progressing pretty nicely, huh? No Dolphins quarterback has ever completed more consecutive passes in a game than Henne did on Sunday when he connected on 17 straight pass attempts – tying a team record set by Chad Pennington last season. But CP did it over the span of two games. And five of those 17 completions went to none other than the aforementioned Camarillo.

Yes, I know Henne also threw what could have been a costly fourth quarter interception. But again – I’m not too worried about it. I’ve seen enough from Henne to know that he’ll learn from that mistake and he’ll get better. The kid’s gotten better every week. His accuracy is getting more consistent as the weeks go by. He looks more and more in command of this offense every time he steps on the field. And really, that interception was just a poor read – something he’ll fix when he sees the film. But all in all, I continue to be impressed week in and week out with Henne – who is now 7-3 as a starting quarterback.

AFC Playoff Picture
For the Dolphins, it’s pretty simple. First of all, they have to win their last three games. If they slip up, then it’ll be very hard to squeak into the playoffs.

But the Dolphins can’t get into the playoffs by just winning their last three. They need some help. In a nut shell, the Dolphins need either a Patriots loss OR a Ravens loss. If the Dolphins win out and NE was to lose once, the Fins would be division champs. If the Dolphins win out AND the Pats win out, then the Dolphins would need the Ravens to lose one game. If that was to happen, the Dolphins make it in as a wildcard.

So that’s the situation. Three Dolphins wins AND either a Patriots loss OR a Ravens loss and the Fins are in the post-season.

QUICK HITS
More random quick thoughts on Sunday’s win:

Interesting stat courtesy of Ethan Skolnick. The Dolphins faced 15 offensive 3rd downs. But their average distance “to go” on 3rd down was just 4.4 yards. And on 10 of those 3rd downs, the Dolphins needed just 3 yards or less. That’s how you keep the chains moving. You put yourself in manageable 3rd downs by gaining positive yardage on first and second downs.
Ricky Williams went over 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in five games. But that doesn’t overshadow his three fumbles. Luckily only one resulted in a turnover. But that one turnover cost the Dolphins at least a field goal attempt. This is nothing new with Ricky, though. Williams has fumbled 45 times on 2,422 career touches – or one fumble every 53.8 touches.
Speaking of mistakes, this game should not have been this close. But the Dolphins left so many points on the field. I think back to the terrible play call to hand the ball to Davone Bess on an end-around on first down from Jacksonville’s 33 yard line. Terrible call there when Chad Henne was slicing up that Jaguar secondary and Bess isn’t the guy who can turn the corner. Bess ends up fumbling and that stalls a drive that could have resulted in at least three points. On their next possession, a sack and a missed 38 yard field goal from Dan Carpenter (it was bound to happen eventually) squandered away another potential scoring drive. And then Ricky’s fumble inside Jacksonville’s 30 squandered another scoring opportunity. And that’s why the Dolphins can out gain a team by 137 yards and win by just four.
Randy Starks is having just one hell of a season. On Sunday, Starks continued his Pro-Bowl caliber season by making a number of key plays – non bigger than his tackle for a loss on David Garrard on 4th down with under 90 seconds to play. It wasn’t a sack (technically) because it was a called QB draw. Regardless, Starks just shoved his blocker back and gave Garrard nowhere to run. He’s the defensive MVP of this team right now. Who would have thought back in camp that we’d be saying that?
Cameron Wake has got to play more. All he does is get to the quarterback. And now he has a bullrush to go along with his speed rush. For the second consecutive week, Wake made the game-clinching play – this time sacking Garrard on the game’s final play. It’s getting to the point where he needs as many snaps as possible on gameday. It’s that simple.
Vontae Davis played very well today – after sitting out the opening drive, that is. It was called a “coach’s decision” to start Jason Allen over Davis. But Davis was back out there following Jacksonville’s first “3 and out” of the game. Vontae said after the game, “It was just one series. I’m not in the doghouse. It’s all part of learning.” Most likely, Vontae was late for something and this was his punishment. No big deal. What was a big deal was Vontae’s play – doing an excellent job all game on Mike Sims-Walker, though Sims-Walker was slowed with a calf injury. Still, Vontae has the skills and swagger to be an elite corner eventually.

I’ve come to realize that Yeremiah Bell is every bit as good as he was last season. He could be a very, very good strong safety if only he had a capable free safety playing next to him. Gibril Wilson is obviously not that. Bell just seems to make big pass deflections in big spots and remains stout against the run.
Great job by the offensive line on Sunday. They protected Henne well all game long and gave Ricky room to run. Lousaka Polite was also excellent once again. He converted on 3rd and fourth downs when asked and continued his excellent lead blocking.

One down, Three to go. Jaguars playoff chances improving.

// December 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Commentary, Game Preview, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d814df9f8/Browns-13-Steelers-6

OHHH Steeler fan, I hope you are enjoying the ‘hell’ you have unleashed here in December. It’s one thing to miss the playoffs, but to lose to the Brady Quinn and the Browns is just plain sad. I am personally crossing the Steelers off as contenders for sure. Now if you and your Terrible Towels can knock off the Ravens, the Jags will be in good shape.

Here is a Preview of the New York versus Tampa game. The Jets are our biggest threat in my opinion…

NFL Preview – N.Y. Jets (6-6) at Tampa Bay (1-11)

By Lyle Fitzsimmons, Sports Network

The Sports Network

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/1375597.html

Jaguars AFC Playoff Picture

// December 9th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Game Preview, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

I am not a mathematician but here is a quick breakdown of the Jaguars playoffs.

Here are is the breakdown of the four 6-6 Teams in the AFC in order.

Baltimore
N.Y. Jets
Miami
Pittsburgh

While the Jags still have to play the Peyton Manning and the Colts as well as New England here is the good news.

The Jags have a head to head with Miami this week. Miami also has to play @Tennessee, Houston, Pittsburgh. that should take either the Steelers or Miami out of the picture.

The Jets have Tampa and Atlanta, but then have Indianapolis and Cincinnati who may be resting starters. I think the Jets have the easiest road in.

The Ravens have Detroit and Chicago next, but finish @Pittsburgh and @Oakland who are a new team with Gradkowski at the helm.

Of Pittsburgh’s teams left, they are @Cleveland, but finish with playoff contenders Green Bay, Baltimore, and Miami. Stick a fork in the Steelers. A red hot, sharp, pitchfork befitting of the devil himself Hines Ward.

Essentially, Miami, Baltimore, and the Steelers will all be beating each other up with only the Jets seem to have a shot.

The Jags at minimum have to go 2-2 in the final game, so this makes Sunday’s homestand against Miami a playoff game. Be Teal and get down to JMS! See you there.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/standings/playoffrace/seeds

Jacksonville News from the AFC South Blog on ESPN

// December 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // ESPN, Game Preview, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?, Tickets

Jacksonville Jaguars

From the politician stepping out of his realm department: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has told the Jaguars he thinks they should draft Tim Tebow.

The next two likely determine the Jaguars’ playoff fate, says Vito Stellino.

“There’s absolutely no excuse for there not to be a huge walk-up crowd for this game because this is practically a do-or-die playoff scenario. For the Jaguars, it’s just about a play-in or play-out game for the postseason.” Gene Frenette’s column.

The Jaguars are 9,000 tickets away from a sellout and no blackout for the Miami game, says Michael C. Wright.

Previewing the Dolphins game with five questions with Derek Cox, from Wright.

The Dolphins are the team to beat in the wild-card race, says Vic Ketchman.

Jacksonville keeps pace a top wild card Picture. No fumbles either.

// December 7th, 2009 // No Comments » // AFC South, Gameday Highlights, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?

Jags Battled Houston Until the Texans Were Red

Richard Miller, The Jacksonville Observer – Dec 7th, 2009
The Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) defeated AFC South rival Houston, 23-18, at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Sunday. The Jaguars swept the season series with the Texans (5-7). The last time Jacksonville won both games against Houston was the 2005 regular season.

The Jaguars started hot by getting off to a 17-0 lead into the second quarter. At halftime, Jacksonville led 20-7. The Houston Texans outscored the Jaguars, 11-3, in the second half.
Both teams matched up almost evenly in every offensive category. Jacksonville did win the turnover battle, 3 to 1. And, the Jaguars’ defense held the Texans to 68 rushing yards.
Jacksonville is home this Sunday, December 13, at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Jaguars play the Miami Dolphins.
During the preseason, on August 17, Jacksonville lost to Miami by a score of 12-9. Sunday’s kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Now, on to the Awards…

Best Play of the Game: In the fourth quarter, safety Gerald Alexander intercepted a Chris Brown pass at the Jaguars’ 2-yard-line. If Houston had scored, it would have been 23-18 with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Brown has essentially gift-wrapped two wins for Jacksonville this season. He fumbled near the goal line during the Week 3 matchup. The interception kept the Texans out of the end zone on a key drive.

Best Director (goes to Jaguar coach or coordinator): Mel Tucker, Defensive Coordinator – With the effective 4-3, the Jaguars’ defense held Houston to 68 yards on the ground. Three interceptions and two sacks helped rattle the duo of Matt Schaub and Rex Grossman. Also, Jacksonville’s defense hit the quarterback on six separate occasions. In addition to impressive line play, the secondary knocked away nine passes. The defense is gaining confidence weekly.

Best Jaguar in a Leading Role: David Garrard, starting quarterback – Garrard continued throwing sharp passes on Sunday. He hit nine different receivers for 238 yards through the air and two touchdowns. However, Garrard took a beating from the Houston defense – four sacks, nine quarterback hits and a safety. He was hit everywhere from his ribs to his knees. Tomorrow morning will be rough for the Jaguars’ quarterback. The key is for Garrard to get protection – when he does, he can be very good. It was the 17th career game with multiple touchdown passes for Garrard.

Best Jaguar in a Supporting Role: Maurice Jones-Drew, starting running back – He had nothing close to a 150-yard game and three touchdowns. However, Jones-Drew’s gutsy running in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for Jacksonville. He converted three first downs on the final drive – allowing Garrard to take three kneels once the game reached the two-minute warning. Houston keyed in on Jones-Drew, who ran the ball 24 times for 76 yards, with its linebackers. Every yard was hard-earned by Jones-Drew. His powerful running will be essential in the playoffs. With a second-quarter six-yard catch, Jones-Drew increased his streak to 47 consecutive games with a reception.

Mediocre Jaguars: The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line – There was no individual Jaguar who stood out as having a bad game. But, the offensive line could have performed much better. With two rookie tackles, I think the line has played above average. A miss-handled snap between center Brad Meester and David Garrard led to a safety on the next play. It’s obvious that Garrard needs better protection. Like guard Uche Nwaneri told me after the game, the offensive line has goals that it has yet to reach, and it’s heading upward. The linemen understand Garrard cannot take crushing blows each week.
Best Texan in a Leading Role: Matt Schaub, starting quarterback – The Houston Texans need Schaub. He is the team’s heartbeat. After going down on the Texans’ first offensive play, Schaub went to the locker room with a left shoulder injury. Former Chicago Bear Rex Grossman took Schaub’s place for 1½ quarters. Grossman was an abysmal 3/9 for 33 yards with an interception and a 5.6 quarterback rating. Fortunately, for Houston, Schaub returned before the half and led his team on a 10-play, 82-yard drive, which resulted in a Chris Brown touchdown run. Throughout the second half, Schaub utilized Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, David Anderson and Ryan Moats. Schaub is a special talent.

Best Texan in a Supporting Role: Andre Johnson, starting wide receiver – I still consider Johnson the best wide receiver in the league. Sadly, he has never appeared in the playoffs. On Sunday, Johnson had seven receptions for a respectable 99 yards with one touchdown grab. The seventh-year wide receiver broke the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the fourth time in his career. Johnson’s 53-yard fourth-quarter catch was reminiscent of Terrell Owens’ 98-yard touchdown two weeks ago against Jacksonville. What I like the most about Johnson is his lack of ego. But, his ego could emerge if the Texans don’t make the playoffs this season.

Best Sound Editing: “Yeah, we have a little half-back pass that we have been working on for a while. We had what we wanted, but it didn’t work out. That’s a tough spot to put Chris in so it just ends up being a bad call by me – just a poor call.” – Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak on the Chris Brown interception. Brown fumbled near the goal line with little time remaining when these two teams met in Week 3.

Best Animated Short (goes to the player with the most passion on the field): Derek Cox, starting rookie cornerback – Through 12 games, Cox resembles nothing like a rookie. The William & Mary product tied his season-high with two passes defended. The 23-year-old Cox also contributed six tackles. He primarily kept stud wide receiver Andre Johnson in check. Johnson caught only seven balls even though he was targeted 17 times. Those numbers are a tad deceiving considering Schaub threw the ball out of bounds numerous times in the vicinity of Johnson. But, I can tell you Johnson will remember the name Derek Cox.

Tweet of the Week (Twitter post): “We need to do better if we want to get in this thing!!! LET’S STEP IT UP THIS WEEK!” – rookie left tackle Eugene Monroe on Tuesday, December 1. Monroe is obviously referring to the NFL playoffs.

Jaguar inactives:
Safety Sean Considine (concussion)
Offensive guard Kynan Forney
Cornerback Rashean Mathis (groin)
Offensive lineman Paul McQuistan
Defensive tackle Greg Peterson
Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood
Defensive end Julius Williams
Cornerback Brian Witherspoon

Other Jaguar notes:
Tyron Brackenridge started in place of the injured Rashean Mathis. Mathis missed his third consecutive game with a groin injury. Brackenridge recorded six total tackles and was credited with a pass defense.

Second-year defensive end Quentin Groves started instead of Julius Williams, who was inactive Sunday. Groves was electric on the playing field as he was in on three tackles and hit Schaub once.

Rookie tight end Zach Miller caught three balls for 74 yards. He tied his season-high for receptions and shattered his previous best for receiving yards by 60.

Miller’s 62-yard reception in the second quarter led to an Ernest Wilford touchdown. Miller was also horse-collar tackled on the play – adding another 15 yards.

Along with tight end Ernest Wilford’s four-yard touchdown, he had one more catch for seven yards. It was the first touchdown of the year for Wilford.

Mike Sims-Walker only had one catch for 12 yards. He was thrown to eight times, the most for any Jaguar receiver. It was the worst showing for Sims-Walker at home this season.

Wide receiver Nate Hughes caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from David Garrard in the second quarter. The score put Jacksonville in the lead, 10-0. It was Hughes’ first career touchdown catch.

Rookie Mike Thomas touched the ball five times for 25 yards. His end-arounds were kept in check by Houston. In the third quarter, Thomas muffed a Matt Turk punt. The Texans recovered at the Jaguars’ 16. Five plays later, Houston scored on a Kris Brown 32-yard field goal.

With the three interceptions on Sunday, Jacksonville now has 12 on the season. Mathis still leads the team with three.
Tight end Marcedes Lewis had one reception that went for 47 yards in the first quarter. For his career, he has 13 career receptions of 25 or more ards. It is the most by a tight end in Jaguars’ franchise history.

Defensive tackle John Henderson left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder strain. Even though Henderson had no tackles or pressures, his mere presence bolstered the Jacksonville defense.
Linebacker Justin Durant and defensive end Derrick Harvey recorded sacks against the Texans. This season, Jacksonville has 12 sacks.

Kicker Josh Scobee was 3/3 (51, 46 and 24) on field goals. He redeemed himself after a poor outing last week against San Francisco (1/3). The 51-yarder was booted into a stiff northeast wind. And, on the ensuing kickoff, Scobee nailed the ball for a touchback. He has his confidence back.

The tickets distributed for the game totaled 42,079.
The turnstile count at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was 36,794.

http://www.jaxobserver.com/2009/12/07/jaguars-battled-houston-until-the-texans-were-red/