Last week's win--won again late by Josh Scobee's leg--created more questions than answers for the Jacksonville Jaguars but increased the win total, which is, last I checked, still the main criteria for getting into the playoffs. Though the Texans reputation doesn't exactly instill fear into their opponents, they had won three of the last four games against the Jags.

In their 30-27 overtime victory, the Jags were successful in doing something no other team had done this season: make Houston Texans' QB Matt Schaub look good. All day long. He was 29 for 40 for 307 yards and 3 TDs. The Jax defense continues to give up touchdowns without getting pressure on opposite quarterbacks. 

The good news, besides Scobee's accuracy, was the offense. Garrard had another solid outing, going 23 for 236 yards and also ran for 41 times, including several clutch first down runs late in the game. At times, it seemed like he was solely willing his team to win. WR Matt Jones has strung together a few good games in a row, added five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. His efforts have been welcomed with open arms on a team that desperately longs for a go-to receiver. The usually-conservative Coach Jack Del Rio also contributed to the effort with an early fake punt call that resulted in a 41-yard touchdown for fullback Montel Owens. 

Continue reading "Jags Win over Texans Answers No Questions"

I was raised in Northern Indiana, about the same distance in between Detroit's Lions, Chicago's Bears, and Indianapolis's Colts. My mom hailed from Pittsburgh and my Dad from Wisconsin in Packer Country, and my older brother was born in Denver and became a Bronco fan. (My little brother somehow became a Miami Dolphin fan, but no one's quite sure how that happened.)  So anyway, somehow my own loyalty ended up with Chicago--perhaps, if measured by mileage, Soldier Field is the closest from Culver, Indiana--though I flirted with the Indy bandwagon while I went to college about forty minutes northeast of the RCA Dome. And now, I live in Jacksonville.   I say that not to say that my loyalties are confused--they aren't really--but to say that I've been exposed to NFL fans of all different varieties. One of the few disappointing aspects of Jacksonville is that they don't really support their football team all that well, even though their first decade plus has been pretty impressive.   Steelers fans, on the other hand, know a thing or two about being fans. Again and again, Pittsburgh fans are at the top of the discussion about which professional franchise has the most intensely loyal fans. This past Sunday night, they showed why in Jacksonville.  

Continue reading "Jags' Clock Ticking after Learning a Thing or Two from Steelers' Fans"

I don't know whether it's Jacksonville's disappointing start or the thick of a school year underway, but it's been a while since I've written.

After a brutal six-game stretch that included the Colts, Broncos, Titans, Steelers, and a first-place Bills team, the Jaguars actually sit in decent shape with their next three games consisting of 2-4 Cleveland, 0-7 Cincinnati, and 0-6 Detroit (not a bad time for a bye week and the soft part of the schedule, eh?) before hosting a rematch with Division leader, the Tennessee Titans, which already sounds like the type of game that could change a season if everything goes well. 

Coming off what was probably the Jags' best win of the season (24-17 over a sliding Broncos team), the Jags passing game remains quite solid, despite their lack of a big-play threat at receiver. The running game has been spotty, but steadily improving. With RBs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew splitting time flanking QB David Garrard, one has to think the offensive line is as much responsible with the way the running game goes as the running backs are. If no other question has been answered, it does seem that Garrard is a mainstay as a quality starting QB in the league. The defense seems to be a "bend-but-not-break" type unit, often giving up touchdowns that look easy early in a game, but somehow coming up with enough key stops to make the game winnable in the end. Kicker Josh Scobee is as good as it gets in the NFL it seems, and the rest of the special teams have been adequate. 

Continue reading "A Little More Sunshine in Jacksonville"