Jacksonville @ Tennessee Live Blog

Jaguars at Titans Preview

You gotta love starting off your season by battling it out with your number one rival. The Titans are the only team that defeated Jaguars the year they made their true Superbowl run. The Jaguars lost to them twice in the regular season and then lost again in the AFC Championship game. The Titans went on to lose the Super Bowl by one yard. This season gave cause for Jeff Fisher to boil the blood of many when he said “playing at Jacksonville is like playing at home.” Screw you, buddy. 

Last year we started off the season with a  game against them. The weather was nasty humid in Jacksonville and the Jaguars just hadn’t got into the swing of the game yet. How could they? They just booted Byron Leftwich in favor of David Garrard. The defence didn’t look ready, either. The Titans ran down our throats and defeated the Jaguars 13-10. It gave cause for the media to talk about the Jaguars’ conditioning. Well, Jack Del Rio hopes that won’t be a problem this year. He kept his starters in games much longer this time around. 

The Jaguars took vengeance against the Titans when they went to play them at home last year. Not only did the Jaguars defeat them, Fred Taylor got his 10,000th yard that game. Can they defeat them at home this year to start the season off on the right foot?

The Jaguars are playing with raised expectations after last year success but in order to meet those expectations they are going to have to battle it out with divisional foes. We face all three of them within the first four weeks. The Jaguars must start off strong in order to contend with the rest of the AFC South since it is an extremely competitive division. The Titans are the first ones. They must win this game. 

Vic’s Ten Things

I love me some Vic Ketchum. You can read the rest of this article here. Hey, Danny boy. He’s got the Cowboys beating the Chargers in the Super Bowl. 

Here are 10 things the Jaguars have to do to beat the Titans in Sunday’s season-opener.

1. Stop the run—The Titans want to run the ball; must run the ball. Stop the Titans’ running game and you stop the Titans.

2. Achieve balance—The Jaguars have the quarterback now to keep the eighth man out of the box, and that should allow the Jaguars’ running game to be even more effective.

3. Make him be a passer—No scramble yards; Vince Young must be kept in the pocket and forced to make plays with his arm.

4. Win special teams—Jeff Fisher likes to spring a special teams surprise and he’s had an entire summer to prepare one. The Jaguars had a whole summer, too.

5. Focus—Distractions must be eliminated. This is the regular season. This is a division game in a season in which the expectation is for the Jaguars to win a division title. Embrace the importance of this game.

6. Be firm on the left side—Left tackle Khalif Barnes and left guard Vince Manuwai must hold their own against Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth.

7. Show your worth—A lot of money has been invested in the Jaguars’ receiving corps. It’s time for it to pay dividends.

8. Quiet the crowd—A whole offseason of energy will be released across the country this weekend, which will make it very difficult for visiting teams. What do you do to defeat it? Control the ball and win time of possession. Long, sustained drives by the opposition are demoralizing for the home folks.

9. Make the heat your ally—That’s what the Titans did in Jacksonville last year and it was embarrassing for the Jaguars.

10. Win the turnover battle—Ok, let’s get this out of the way right now. Winning the turnover battle is always number one, but I don’t want to write that week after week after week, so let’s acknowledge right now the importance of winning the turnover battle and I won’t bore you with that coachspeak any more this season.

Injury Report

Jaguars: C Brad Meester (left, biceps), WR Jerry Porter (hamstring), and DT Derek Landri (quadriceps) are out. CB Scott Starks (pectoral) is questionable. TE Greg Estandia (knee), G Maurice Williams (knee) and WR Reggie Williams (hamstring) are probable.

Titans: DT Jason Jones (elbow) and RB Quinton Ganther (hamstring) are questionable. QB Vince Young (hamstring) is probable

Not on the injury report is Richard Collier who, after being shot in a Jacksonville neighborhood, is still recovering in a local hospital. He is still in intensive care but is recovering slowly. 

Fun Facts

The Jaguars have the best record on opening day in the NFL at 9-4. Obviously the data is skewed because of how long the Jaguars have been the league but hey, I’ll take it.

The Prediction

I am hoping for a defensive bloodbath. Vince Young is just not very good at that whole “throwing touchdowns and not interceptions” thing. Also, our run defense looked good in every game this preseason except the Dolphins game (the game where EVERYONE looked bad). Reggie Nelson is going to at least get one pick. However, the offensive might take a while to warm up, leading people to ask if David Garrard has faded back into mediocrity. The Jaguars are going to pull of a win after banding together like a team in support of Collier. 

 

Week 1 preview: Titans vs. Jaguars

Only one match-up during the first week of the 2008 season features two teams that made the playoffs last year. Add in that it is also a huge inter-divisional affair between two similar teams, and you’ve got all the makings of a huge week one match-up that will play out tomorrow at LP field in Nashville, TN. After an up and down pre-season in which we saw some of the strengths of the Titans on display (the running game and defensive line) as well as some of it’s weaknesses (the play of the quarterback and wide receivers), there are still plenty of things left to be decided for this team. Things better come around quickly, because like it or not, the season starts tomorrow.

Titans rushing offense vs. the Jags defense:

The running game has been the Titans bread and butter for as long as the team has existed. Jeff Fisher football means controlling the clock by pounding the rock and there is no reason to believe that won’t be the case yet again this season. Fielding one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, a solid one-two punch in LenDale White and Chris Johnson and a QB that can make game-changing plays with his feet, the Titans will attempt to open up running lanes all afternoon. The Jags lost a lot of personnel on defense this off-season, most notably defensive tackle Marcus Stroud who left for Buffalo. They quickly moved to re-tool on defense by drafting defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. The Jags still have a great front line though with Paul Spicer and the talented, but oft-injured Reggie Hayward on the ends and Big John Henderson eating up the middle. If the Titans hope to win this game, they will have to win this battle.

Edge: Titans

Titans passing offense vs. the Jags defense:

Consistency. Vince Young will have to be consistent in passing the football if the Titans plan on winning. He wasn’t so much this pre-season, but both Fisher and Heimerdinger will swear up and down that Vince is ready to take this offense to the next level. Alge Crumpler and Bo Scaife will have to be his safety valve five to ten yards downfield, as will Justin Gage. There should be some areas of the field that Vince and Co. should try and exploit, the question being whether or not they’ll be successful.

Edge: Jaguars

Jaguars rushing offense vs. the Titans defense:

The Jags are much like the Titans in their dedication to that smash-mouth style of football. They too will attempt to control the clock, using their tandem of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to move the ball downfield. The Titans will attempt to keep the Jags running backs in the middle of the field so that MJD can’t get outside and bust off a big run. They will try and pressure Garrard into making bad throws that turn into turnovers. In the end, the Titans big playmakers (KVB, Haynesworth, Bulluck, Finnegan) will win out and contain the Jags running game.

Edge: Titans

Jags passing offense vs. the Titans defense:

Much of the Jags success last year can also be attributed to their quarterback, David Garrard, who passed for 18 TD’s while only turning the ball over five times. He was the epitome of a “game manager” on the field and was a large part of why they were so dangerous last year. The Jags also lack a clear top wideout, so I doubt we’ll see a whole lot of airing it out in this contest. Following years of fielding a sub-par secondary, the Titans have that swagger back there once again. Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin and Chris Hope will cause nightmares for the Jacksonville wide receivers all day, but will also be there to stop the run if either Taylor or MJD get past the first or second level.

Edge: Titans

Special Teams:

The Titans have still have All-Pro kicker Rob Bironas, but he has been out of commission nursing a sore hammy since the second day of training camp. Off-season addition Chris Carr will handle kick and punt returns and rookie RB (sensation) Chris Johnson will also return kickoffs. Punter Craig Hentrich is one of the best. The Jags on the other hand have MJD returning punts and kicks. Nuff’ said.

Edge: Jaguars, but not by much.

Intangibles: Tennessee is opening the season at home, hoping to prove that last year’s playoff appearance was no fluke, and that Vince Young is ready to take the team to the next level in this new offense. With heightened expectations among the Titan’s faithful, don’t be surprised if LP Field starts to regain its reputation as one of the loudest, toughest places to play in the league.

Jacksonville is a preseason favorite of many to win the division, and a divisional win on the road to start the season would be huge. Throw in the tragic injury to Richard Collier as some extra motivation, and the Jags should come out ready to play this game.

Edge: Even

This is going to be a classic AFC South showdown. The game will be won on the ground, so don’t expect a shootout, but both teams should be able to move the ball well enough to get some scores, even if most of them are FGs. The game should be very close to the end, but Tennessee’s superior defense, and Bironas’ ability in the clutch could be the deciding factors in the last five minutes.

Prediction: Titans 16-13

Marcellus Wiley Shines Light On Collier Shooting After Talking To Kenny Pettway

Marcus Wiley, former member of the Jaguars, shined some light on Richard Collier’s shooting after talking to Kenny Pettway. Wiley was so kind as to put it into words in this blog entry. 

After talking to KP,  who in his own words said, “We didn’t do anything, weren’t trying to do anything, just sitting in the car…they ran up on us and just start shooting…they didn’t try to rob us or anything.”  

Lucky to be alive, living in a state of shock and thankful for his next breath of life, I hung up the phone after assuring him that I would give him a call when his emotions stabilized and he was rested.  Understandably so, he had not been to sleep since the incident occurred. 

Don’t just read my excerpt. It is a great read.

Key facts:

There was no attempt robbery. 
It was a “they”.

I feel for Pettway. I can’t imagine how he must feel. It was just fortunate that he was there because if he hadn’t been there would be no telling what would have happened. 

The last update I heard was the Collier was still in critical but stable condition. 

A Look At The Opponent: Bears Offense

Over the next few days leading up to the big game, I will look a little into the opposing team and see what the fans think about their players.  I’m starting with the Chicago Bears offense, which has hit a major rough patch recently.

Quarterbacks

Roster
Kyle Orton
Rex Grossman
Caleb Hanie

My Take: This is one of the weakest positions out of any team in the league.  Kyle Orton has apparently been redeemed somehow for his pathetic rookie season.  Orton started 15 games in his first season, and he was terrible.  The team was great, but he was holding them back.  He had a 59.7 QB rating, 9 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a 51.6% completion percentage.  Even his starts last year weren’t impressive.  He only had a 73.9 QB rating.  However, I have heard positive things about him, which surprises me.  I would have thought Bears fans might not be so optimistic, but a lot of the talk has come from the ESPN “experts”, who would like nothing more than to see the Colts go down early.

Rex Grossman could have been the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, because he was clearly trying to lose the game.  There is no other explanation to why he played so poorly.  I would have liked to see him start.  I’m sure that he sees Kelvin Hayden and Bob Sanders in his nightmares.

I know nothing about Caleb Hanie.  I don’t even know where he went to school until I checked Wikipedia (it’s Colorado State).  However, the Bears bloggers have been drooling over them, but I think anyone would look good after having Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, and Kyle Orton be the starting QBs for the past couple of years.  Here is what Bear Goggle says about Hanie.

Hanie finishes the preseason completing 29 of 49 passes for 321 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Those may not be remarkable numbers but it doesn’t speak to his ability to evade the pass rush and work effectively in the pocket. He is the complete opposite of Rex Grossman in every way. He looks calm and cool on the pocket, slips away from defenders, and finds the short pass instead of throwing long bombs into coverage.

I have to remember that Hanie was starting against other third string defenders and it isn’t a true test of his ability. However, having good mechanics makes it irrelevant if it’s the third team or the first team offense. A quarterback that can actually function as a quarterback and control the pocket is a good person to have on this team.

It sounds like he is a good all-around QB.  I’m glad he isn’t starting.

Running Backs

Roster
Matt Forte
Adrian Peterson
Kevin Jones
Garrett Wolfe
Jason McKie (Fullback)

My take: This year, the Bears don’t have great running backs.  In a few years, they will be great.  Matt Forte was a player that the Colts were hoping to get in the NFL Draft.  We are content with Mike Hart, but Forte is a very good back.  However, he is too young to be the starter right now.  In a few years, he could be a Pro Bowler.  Right now, I’m not worried.

Adrian Peterson is the mediocre one, not the Pro Bowl one in Minnesota.  The Bears could use someone like the good Peterson.  This Peterson only averaged 3.4 yards per carry last season, and the Bears suffered with him in the game.

Kevin Jones had a great rookie year in Detroit, gaining over 1,000 rushing yards.  After that, he went on a downward spiral.  He had a career low 581 yards last season and only had a 3.8 ypc average.

Garrett Wolfe was amazing at Northern Illnois, but you can’t expect him to turn out to be great in the pros.  Some small running backs end up being successful like Maurice Jones-Drew, but Wolfe is 5-7, 186 pounds.

Wide Receivers

Roster
Marty Booker
Devin Hester
Brandon Lloyd
Mark Bradley
Earl Bennett
Rashied Davis

My Take: These wide receivers are terrible.  None of them are starting material.  A very optimistic Bears fan, MuleTrain, on Windy City Gridiron tried to make this a good thing by saying it will make a good rotation.  I disagree, as fresh legs do not equal good hands, which the Bears lack.

We have a wr by committee thing going on, and most of these guys can run.  Booker cannot obviously.  By rotating guys in and out, we won’t see tired legs so much.  Randy Moss dogs it, so don’t think other wr’s out there don’t dog it when their decoy fly pattern is called.  We have 5 #3 receivers, so any dogging will lead one to the bench I imagine.

I don’t agree with MuleTrain on Randy Moss.  Moss played tough with the Patriots, even in the fourth quarter when they were up by 30.  Earl Bennett should be a good receiver, but Hester drops too many big passes, and Lloyd, Booker, and Bradley all have been mediocre the past few years.

Tight Ends

Roster
Desmond Clark
Zach Martin
Kellen Davis

My Take: I might want to call this MuleTrain’s take because he said it the best.  He’s definitely an optimist, but I can agree with him here.

Our strength on offense is obviously our tight ends.  We have 3 capable of making plays.  Tight ends need some room in the middle of the field to be really effective.  In order to achieve this, I’m thinking we are going to see a steady stream of wr’s going deep. 

Also, the cover 2 scheme is quite popular throughout the league.  When a receiver goes deep a safety will be vacated from covering the deep middle, thus creating some space for the TE.  Most teams don’t have an Urlacher that can effectively and consistently cover the deep middle.   For other defensive schemes, teams are still loathe to give up big plays.   Any wr going deep will probably encounter safety help, thus creating room as well.

He is right about the Cover 2 when the opposing team has a weak middle linebacker.  The 3-4 is especially weak against tight ends. The only problem is, we have a Brian Urlacher in pass coverage.  His name is Gary Brackett.  Even though he is short and resembles a fire-hydrant, he is one of the best middle linebackers, if not THE best linebacker, in pass coverage.  Zach Martin, Desmond Clark, and Kellen Davis all will be big contributors for the Bears, but it should be more effective against teams like Dallas and not Indianapolis.

Offensive Line

Roster

OT Chris Williams
OT John Tait
OT Kirk Barton
OT John St. Clair
OG Roberto Garza
OG Dan Buenning
OG Josh Beekman
OG Terrence Metcalf
C Olin Kreutz

The Bears have a troubled offensive tackle position.  Chris Williams has had surgery and will miss the game.  John Tait is getting older every minute, and he will have trouble stopping someone like Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, or Marcus Howard, who are much younger and quicker.  John St. Clair and Kirk Barton aren’t anything special either.  The Colts have the definite advantage in the pass rush for this game.

The interior line is a completely different story.  Center Olin Kreutz and right guard Roberto Garza are both Pro Bowl caliber linemen.  As long as the Spanish Madden Curse doesn’t affect Garza, the defensive tackles should have a tough time this game.  Left guard is less secure.  Terrence Metcalf has been the starter, but he is easily the weakest link on the interior line.

So far, the Colts defense clearly has the advantage on the Bears offense.  The QBs are awful.  The running backs are too young.  The wide receivers are all #3s, the tight ends will struggle against Gary Brackett, and the tackles will get burned by Freeney, Mathis, and Howard all game long.

I’m predicting that Kyle Orton will throw 2 interceptions.  Antoine Bethea and Gary Brackett will both pick off Orton.  Marcus Howard will get 1.5 sacks, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will get one sack, and Curtis Johnson will get the half sack.  The backups will be in during the fourth quarter, and the Bears should score 10 points in it.  The Colts will be up by three or four scores, so it won’t affect the game.

The Practice Sqaud Is Complete and Ferrell Is Nowhere In Sight

The practice squad is full now, but Colin Ferrell is not one of the two players who were just signed.  Neither was Kyle Shotwell.  The Colts missed out on two very good prospects.  Safety Brandon Foster and offensive tackle Dane Uperesa are the final two to make the practice squad.  To recap, this is what the squad looks like:

QB Josh Betts
RB Chad Simpson
WR Sam Giguere
OT Michael Toudouze
OT Dane Uperesa
OG Tala Esera
S Brandon Foster
S Jamie Silva

Missing out on Colin Ferrell is huge.  We all know that the Colts have questionable depth at defensive tackle, and they let a player with a great future slip through their fingers.  I am upset about that.  Linebacker Kyle Shotwell is a player that I thought should make the practice squad, but I am not too upset.  Word is he has signed with the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.

I have no idea who Dane Uperesa is, so I went to Wikipedia, the omniscient source of knowledge.  Uperesa went to Hawaii and started every game in his junior and senior year.  Last year, he signed a free agent contract with the Bengals after he went undrafted.  I don’t see why we kept 3 offensive linemen and no defensive linemen or linebackers.

Does Paul Kuharsky read this blog?

Of course he doesn’t, but he did write a nice piece about Titans’ cornerback Cortland Finnegan for ESPN this afternoon. If you read our Team Preview for Yardbarker, you’ll know that we picked Finnegan as our “Breakout Player” for this season. And after another solid off-season, all signs point to him making the leap from 7th round draft pick obscurity to shut down NFL corner. With Finnegan and Michael Griffin anchoring the secondary, Keith Bulluck holding it down in the middle and Big Al and KVB terrorizing the line, the defense should yet again be the strength of the team. I just wonder if any of them could play receiver…

LINKS:

Titans’ top rookie is ready to dish it out

Iron man Bulluck keeps plugging away

Roydell Williams may pursue injury grievance against Titans

NFL Insiders: NFL News and Notes

6 Players Now Signed To The Practice Squad

We already knew that QB Josh Betts and WR Sam Giguere were on the practice squad, but now we know 4 others, and one will most definitely please Colts fans.

S Jamie Silva, RB Chad Simpson, OT Michael Toudouze, and OG Tala Esera were all signed to the practice squad.  Jamie Silva looked like a potential starter this preseason, so it is vital that we retained him.  He originally made the 53 man roster but was later cut to make room for Daniel Muir and Buster Davis.  Simpson is not a surprise as he is the only running back who was on the 80 man roster that was practice squad eligible.  Toudouze and Esera both can become players who can make the 53 man roster in the future.

I would assume that a defensive lineman and a linebacker will take up the last two spots, so DT Colin Ferrell and LB Kyle Shotwell may be the most likely players.  Ferrell should have made the roster, so we need to keep him as he could become a star in the future.  Shotwell was the best linebacker to not make the roster, and he is practice squad eligible.  He’s a fairly safe bet to make the practice squad.

Jaguars Richard Collier Shot, Faces Life Threatening Injuries

From here:

Jefferson said Collier and former Jaguar Kenneth Pettway had been out clubbing in the San Marco area when they met two women. The two men followed the women to Riverside near St. Vincent’s Medical Center, police said, with the plan to drop the females’ vehicle off and continue socializing in one vehicle.

While waiting outside the Riverside apartment, Jefferson said, someone walked up to the Cadillac Escalade and fired off a number of shots striking Collier, who was behind the wheel. Pettway was not injured in the attack.

The local TV news is talking about it right now. They apparently ran a story last night about how Collier was always the biggest guy on his team: “He made a joke that even when he was on his peewee team he was 5′10”.”

I am leaving for school til nine tonight so check Jacksonville.com for updates.

Here are hopes for a speedy recovery.

A Look Back on Jaguars.com Layouts — Boring… But… Interesting

As a blogger, I appreciate a well designed website. Even though it is 2008, a lot of site owners just don’t get good website design. That is why it is so refreshing to see a professional, well thought out design. Especially when it is done by your local sport team!

Here is a look at Jaguar layouts throughout the years, thanks in part to The Wayback Machine.

November 7, 1996

This is the first record of the Jaguars.com website. Honestly, I was nine when this thing came about. I am not entirely convinced my parents even had the internet at this point. The site obviously doesn’t even take up the screen and the layout leaves something to be desired. However, it was still better than 99.9% websites out there.

March 9, 2000

Well, they are taking up more of the page now with the classic salute to frames on the right side of the screen. Unfortunately, the Wayback Machine didn’t archive the images however it does bring a nostalgic tear to my eye seeing some old school names on the Jaguar website.

January 19, 2001

Oh yes, yes yes! Pictures! Mark Brunnel saying he wants to stay in Jacksonville (as a side note, he was seen playing quarterback for the Saints this preseason)! You can see the evolution of the website. Or, for you Jacksonvillians, the intelligent design of the website.

They keep with that design for a while before spicing it up with some new names!

February 3, 2003

Take note of the {brackets around the name} at the top of the window. If I remember correctly, that was the trend then. However, my memory is not one to be trusted because in 2003 I was more concerned with that cutie theater boy in my bio class than web trends. Also note that is announcing Quinn Gray getting signed. I’m still rooting for you, Gray.

January 2, 2005

Again, the site isn’t taking up the whole screen. I think this points more toward the 800×600 resolution of the past than anything. As you can tell, more and more features are developing as the website comes into its own. In case you were wondering, the “No bikinis in Jacksonville” story was not archived. However, this is what Vic Ketchum said about David Carr:

Joe from Waterloo, NE: Do the Texans just match-up against us better, or does David Carr see something we don’t because he is 4-1 against the Jaguars in his career?
Vic: Let’s examine that 4-1. David Carr’s first win against the Jaguars was in 2002 and it was the result of a special teams trick play by the Texans. His next win came last season in Houston and it was the result of a fumble by Byron Leftwich, who was making his first-ever start, as the Jaguars were trying to kill the clock and protect a lead. Carr’s two wins this season, however, were clearly the result of his performance. I was very impressed by Carr this season. Texans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer has Carr on the move in and out of the pocket and I think that has clearly helped him overcome a low release point that I thought could jeopardize his career. Carr has developed this season into one of the game’s bright-young quarterbacks and he will be a tough foe for the Jaguars in the seasons ahead. I don’t know about matching-up well. He’s just good.

Poor David Carr.

January 1, 2006

Look at the resolutions on those photos! Makes me cringe. Even my high school newspaper had better quality photos. I am glad I cannot read Vic’s in-game blog from that day. I am pretty certain it is the day of the playoff game we did not deserve to be in. The Patriots trounced us. Again. Again, take note of the added features. The website has become very loud.

February 6, 2007

And then, as it starts to get loud, it becomes suddenly simplistic. Unfortunately, what ever feature they had going did not translate into the Wayback Machine. It flipped between the major stories every few seconds or so. It looked pretty sleak.

There was another design after this that was changed today. Again, the Wayback Machine didn’t archive it well. In fact, all the images are broken and the layout is completely gone. How sad.

As you can see, the website has changed drastically over the years. It has grown up with the team. It only makes sense that a team that grew up with the internet would have one of the better NFL sites. The team started with a web design team. They have always been there and have developed well over time.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at these other NFL team sites. I mean. Seriously. Can we say barf?

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