Jags Lose on Eventful Opening Weekend

On a day when Brett Farve looked damn good in a Jets' uniform, Tom Brady may have torn his ACL, a Kyle Orton-led Chicago Bears team crushed the Colts, Kurt Warner led the Cardinals to a win, Donovon McNabb threw for 361 yards in an easy Eagles' win, and the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills looked dominant, the Jacksonville Jaguar's preseason sluggishness was confirmed in a troubling 17-10 loss to its division rival and nemesis-in-the-making, Tennessee Titans. It was the second straight season Tennessee handed Jacksonville a season-opening loss. The effort came after former Broncos all-pro Tight End Shannon Sharp predicted the Jags would win the Super Bowl this year. Though an opening loss is no reason to panic, much work is left to be done and gaps left to be filled. 

Ahh, it is football season, indeed, even though baseball is still in full swing and my Cubs still sit on top of the National League Central. I am a man with divided loyalties. Not to mention college football with East Carolina's out-of-nowhere start and my Notre Dame Fighting Irish sneaking by a measly San Diego State team at home with next week's Michigan match-up approaching. But I digress; back to the NFL and the Jags. 

For a team whose offense looked dominant last year, they were anything but today as David Garrard threw almost as many interceptions today as he did all of last season. The question remains: Will he be a one-hit wonder?

The story, of course, is always larger than one player, though. My first lingering question is: are the Jags' receivers good enough? Do they scare anybody? RB Fred Taylor was no better than Garrard, finishing with eighteen yards on nine carries for a whopping two-yards-a-carry average. Maurice Jones-Drew (RB) was no better. Perhaps most troubling was the offensive line, which in addition to their part in the lowly running game, also allowed seven sacks. Though it could quickly become an excuse, one has to wonder how much backup OL Richard Collier's shooting and current condition had to do with the poor effort. 

On a good note, the defense was quite good, holding Titans QB Vince Young largely in check. Rookie DE Derrick Harvey picked off a pass for the first time in his career, and the special teams almost came up with a crucial onside kick, which could have changed the outcome of the game had it not been for a penalty on the play. 

On the Titans, rookie running back continues to impress with his speed.  

Assuming no hurricanes get in the way, the Jags will be back in action next weekend at home against a Bills' team that looks much-improved and then travel to Indianapolis the following week to play the always-tough Colts. Things aren't getting any easier...