Greetings!

I am Chris, the humbled and depressed blogger for the Jacksonville Jaguars at Big Cat Country.  My lame-duck Jaguars are heading to your neck of the woods for a game this week, and I thought I'd open up a forum for any Jaguars related questions you might have.

One piece of "news", our best cornerback Rashean Mathis is out for this week and will probably be IR'ed.  This means you'll probably have a chance to throw at Will James, whi is awful.

Anyhow, I'll answer anything and everything!

-Chris

Perspectives on a Lost Season:

This season, without a doubt, is the strangest one I've ever followed.  2000 was a surprise, sure, and the years of salary cap hell were difficult, but nothing compares to how this season has played out.  From picking up Jerry Porter and Drayton Florence in free agency to the absolute shock on draft day, the moment the season "started", things have gone drastically different than expected. (My friends at Stampede Blue and Mile High Report can attest to the draft shock, I nearly missed the Jaguars move-up do to an unfortunate bathroom break).

Nothing that happened at the combine, the draft, training camp or preseason could compare to the tragic events of September 2nd.  Up-and-coming left tackle Richard Collier was shot 14 times, just as the season began it's downward spiral against the Tennessee Titans.

Richard Collier spoke to the Orlando Sentinel recently in his first interview with the media since the incident.  While we're all spun out over the absolute meltdown the Jaguars gave us on Monday Night Football, Richard's words offer a bit of perspective, something that I certainly appreciate as I begin to break down some tape from the game.

Words to Live By:

"Everything happens for a reason," Collier said. "I don't know my purpose in life yet, but I just know that this didn't happen for no reason."

I'm awed by his wisdom.  Some people shut down after tragedy, some give up, others find inspiration and continue to grow.  Richard, clearly, chose the latter.  Richard is also passing along his approach to life to his nephews:

 "All three of them took it hard," Collier said about telling his nephews about his condition. "Early on I talked to [the youngest nephew, Jaylon,] I was like,  'Be strong, I’m not at home right now so everybody needs to be on the money. A tight ship should be ran while I’m gone.' That’s how I run my house with them. Make sure they have no trouble in school, everybody’s grades are good. ... Growing up, other than my dad, I just never had an athlete to show me. My dad, he played ball, but my dad was a hard worker. There were times when he couldn’t come to a game or show me a move. I’m not even talking about just sports. I look at them as closer to my nephews. I love them so much, I just want to see them succeed in life as young men."

I'm stunned by the emotional maturity and perspective.  We're talking about someone who had his life completely turned upside down.  Football, you'd imagine, is an afterthought to Richard right now.  You'd be wrong.

"It used to be hard for me to watch the Jags," Collier said. "I remember sitting here in the hospital and just crying. Being around those guys, you have a bond with them. Without it you're like man, it's gone."

The first Jaguars game he watched this season was Jacksonville's win over Indianapolis on Sept. 21. He planned to watch his team "beat up on Houston" Monday night. He still considers that his team.

Jack Del Rio brings him lunch, Clint Ingram and Tutan Reyes visit regularly, and I imagine that the front office will do the right thing and pay him for this season despite the "off the field" nature of his situation.  He's an inspiring young man, someone who should be remembered for his relentless pursuit of his dream.  Richard wasn't a big school prospect, he played at Valdosta State and was an undrafted free agent, that he was in a battle with Khalif Barnes to start at the most premium position in football is remarkable, though not nearly as much as his recovery from the shooting.

I'm going to be back in a few hours with more serious look at the 2008 Jaguars.  Just do me a favor, as we struggle to deal with a season gone horribly awry, let's keep a little bit of perspective.  When we're cheering for the team to win on Sunday, no matter how bad it looks on the field, cheer for Big Rich too.

-Chris

Houston Texans (4-7)	GAME #12	Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)
	VS.

Open Thread:

Houston Texans (4-7)	GAME #12	Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)
	VS.

Keep On Fighting:

The 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars are finished for the season. This Monday night game is all about the 2009 squad and the players that will join the reinvention of the franchise. Any player worth keeping will recognize the importance of building as much positive tape as possible, especially considering the heat that will be on this team to quickly build off the remains of this season. Jack Del Rio will be squarely on the "hot seat" in 09, he's got no reason to keep anyone who will keep him from keeping Wayne Weaver happy.

That said, this is still a divisional game, one where Houston would love to embarrass the Jaguars in front of the world and seize the AFC South "Third Place" title. It's "Battle Red Day", which means the Texans will be all Jacked up and ready to play.  There's simply too much pride and ego at stake on Monday Night for the Jaguars to do anything other than come out fighting.

Injuries and Etc.

No major injuries on the Jaguars to report.  David Garrard is probable with a back injury.  That injury might have something to do with how often David is hit and ends the play on the ground, something that the Houston Texans can't get away with.  Rashean Mathis and Dennis Northcut are probable as well, with Troy Williamson the only questionable injury.

Houston's injury mystery is over Quarterback Matt Schaub who could return to the field after missing most of the season. 

One Matchup to Watch:

DE Derrick Harvey versus LT Duane Brown: Can Derrick Harvey beat a rookie?  A rookie that was probably drafted a round too high?  If he can't get some pressure against Brown, then there's probably something wrong with Harvey.   It's just that simple.

I'll be back later today.  I've been traveling all week and have to go catch a flight as I write this. 

-Chris

Minnesota Vikings (5-5)	GAME #11	JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)
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Keep Talking:

Minnesota Vikings (5-5)	GAME #11	JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)
	VS.

Inactives and Injuries:

The Jaguars go into this game in good health with no real surprises on the injury report:

William James, Omare Lowe, Chauncey Washington, Thomas Williams, Drew Miller, Milford Brown, Jimmy Kennedy and Troy Williamson.

Matt Jones will be back, so David Garrard will be comfortable with his 7-yard-slant safety blanket.

So you're saying there's a chance?

Yes, if the Jaguars win this game there is still a bizarre mathmatical chance that they stay alive in the playoff hunt.  So win the game.  All you'll have to do is run the ball on one of the best defensive lines in football and stop the run against the best running back in the NFL. 

How hard could it be?

This will be a game where it's very clear early on if the Jaguars are playing to win the game or if they're going through the motions and looking toward next season.  Lazy tackling, dropped balls, allowing yards after the catch, these are the things that indicate giving up.  You'll notice me get very upset in the live blog when I start to see people turning off the lights before the end of December.

Leadership:

When this game is over, I'd like to see the emergance of the "next leader" of the Jaguars.  Mike Peterson is leaving, so who's going to step up and be the vocal and emotional leader on the defense?  Is it someone like Daryl Smith in the middle?  Is it the impact and violence of a Clint Ingram tackle that gets the defense going?  Someone needs to rally this team and make a statement, this has to happen today.

On offense, we know who our leaders are.  David Garrard guides the ship, but it's Maurice Jones-Drew who keeps the heart beating.

On Troy Williamson:

Word of advice: Don't offer to fight your former coach during a game where you won't even be playing. 

We'll be live blogging the game, so if you're not AT the game, feel free to join us here!

-Chris

Greetings!

I'm Chris, the humble Jaguars blogger from Big Cat Country, one of the SB Nation NFL Blogs.  I'm joining you today to open up a discussion about my desperate Jaguars as we look toward our meeting on Sunday.

So if you've got any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to talk a little smack, feel free to do so here, I'll respond to just about anything.

Did you know that the Vikings are the last team in the NFL to come to Jacksonville?  Since 1995, you've never travelled to J-ville. 

I look forward to your questions!

-Chris

Minnesota Vikings (5-5)	GAME #11	JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)
	VS.

There's still a game to play:

I realize that it's awfully hard to look at the next game against the Vikings.  I'm having a hard time with it myself, looking at Adrian Peterson and the Williams Duo just fails to get me worked up about the game.  The wind, as they say, is out of my sails.  Or, as my dad would say: "And then...depression set in".  The 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars will begin their offseasion a little earlier than we expected.  Nearly two months earlier, in fact.  But what we have to remember is that every second of tape the Jaguars have to examine their roster, the better they'll do at righting the ship.

Frankly, the players who give up and let it show on the field can assure themselves that they've played their last downs with the Jaguars.  The looming free-agents, Khalif Barnes, Reggie Williams, Mike Peterson, et al, will all need to show their suitors that they played right through the echo of the whistle of the last snap of the last game.  If anything, the Jaguars now have a wide open sandbox for testing and developing talent for next season.  There's a degree of pressure that is no longer with the team that just might prove useful in ending with a winning record.

And it all starts against the Vikings.  Our friends at the Daily Norseman have a lot to worry about internally about this week.  They've got several players under varying degrees of scrutiny by the league, whether it's Jared Allen and his love of late hits, or Pat and Kevin Williams looking at an imminent, albeit questionalble suspension for a prohibited substance in a weight-loss pill.

So there's that, it might be another game where the Jaguars have a chance to prove that they can beat teams that have significant absences on their defense. 

What are we looking for?

A win, plain and simple.  The Jaguars put up an win here and start the slow march toward a winning season.  We are at a point where nothing can be taken for granted.  There are no "easy wins" no "weak teams", as the Jaguars are completely unpredictable.  Nothing's more dangerous than unpredictablity. 

Just win baby, win.

We've still got a lot to talk about:

There will be a debate held here at Big Cat Country that will pit writer against writer, commenter against commenter.  It will divide us, it will frustrate us, and ultimately, it will be completey out of our hands.  We have to debate who will take the fall for this season, as someone at the highest level of this team, whether it be James Harris, Gene Smith, or Jack Del Rio will face some sort of consequence for the disappointment of this season.  It is my opinion, and I will flesh this out in more concrete terms later, that James Harris is finished as General Manager. 

What's on your mind on this slow Wednesday?

Benchmark Cleared: Jaguars get Seven Sacks

Observations of a Rout:

As we observed yesterday, the benchmark for a quality victory revolved around the systematic reduction of the Detroit Quarterback situation to rubble.  Were the Jaguars to slide out of the Motor City with Drew Stanton and Daunte Culpepper on their feet, the Jaguars would have failed, regardless of the final score.  Seven sacks were recorded, adding to the mere 11 notched all season.  Everyone got a piece of the action: Daryl Smith and Derrick Harvey had 1.5 each, Clint Ingram, Rob Meier,  Jimmy Kennedy and Derek Landri combined for four more.  Pressure was found everywhere, the long passes to Calvin Johnson were more the result of his remarkable ability to catch the uncatchable rather than any particular failure on the part of the Jaguars.

Speaking of Calvin Johnson, I was obsessed with the one-on-one battle between Johnson and Rashean Mathis.  I've been a little hard on Mathis so far this season, but considering the difficulty in covering Johnson, I thought he did a remarkably good job.  I have not yet watched the film to note the coverage, but when they were both making a play on the ball, Rashean seemed to get his hands up and break up the play.

As a unit, the defense played tight, hard and well-coached.  The few bright spots for the Lions offense were the result of broken plays and the outstanding young players in Johnson and University of Central Florida running back Kevin Smith.  Hang in there Detroit, you'll get back into it.  Just stockpile draft picks and stay away from free agents and it'll happen.

The Ground Game

It is tempting to look at what the Jaguars accomplished on the ground yesterday and think that the Jaguars of old are back.  Unfortunately, this was a tease.  We won't know if the move of Dennis Norman to left guard is a hit until it faces the Tennessee Titans.   Let's not forget, however, that Fred Taylor is now the 18th player in NFL History to rush for over 11,000 yards.  It was fitting to see Taylor cross the threshold to greatness while Maurice Jones-Drew hammered the Lions for three touchdowns.

Flashes of Life:

Would you believe that Jerry Porter AND Troy Williamson caught touchdown passes?  Would you call me a liar if I told you that ten Jaguars caught passes?  David Garrard was crisp and clean with his passes.  Jerry Porter caught two passes, both of which showed that he just might do what we paid him to do.  Even Williamson got a piece of the action, which delights me far more than it should.

The 51st Win:

Jack Del Rio, as we're told today by Vic Ketchman, is on the doorstep of his 51's win as head coach of the Jaguars.  After what it took to get to 50, imagining the Jaguars sending the Titans back to Nashville with their first loss seems to be a little on the limit of what I can imagine at this point.  Not to be a downer, but the Jaguars are going to need to prove that they can keep this up if they've got any shot against the Titans. 

We'll break this down a little more closely as the week goes on, but for now, remember that sometimes a scrappy team with nothing to lose (the Jaguars) can make a statement against an undefeated powerhouse who honestly needs to drop a game sometime between now and the playoffs.

Why not Jacksonville?

-Chris