Week 12 Review: Texans vs Jaguars – 20-13
This game was disappointing. The Jaguars had this one handed to them. Texans backup QB Matt Leinhart comes out of the game with a collarbone injury and the Jaguars still could not find the gusto on their own offense to get the job done. By all means, this game should have been won. WR Marcedes Lewis dropped a pass that was pretty much delivered to him on a breakfast tray in bed. Kicker Josh Scobee missed a field goal, wide right. I had to watch this game after it happened since it was not broadcasted here, but it did not lessen the yelling. QB Blaine Gabbert was sacked 6 times and was benched. The defensive line absolutely must step up the rest of the season for this rookie to be able to develop. Gabbert has a lot against him with the rush into starting position, and the DLine has to stop letting him down. Some positives were the progression of completed passes. Even QB Luke McCown looked decent when he had his shot. RB Maurice Jones-Drew ran like the elite RB he has always been, but can use some help from the likes of RB Deji Karim more often.
Statistics fall as – Passing: Gabbert 13-29-1-136, McCown 7-11-0-62. Receiving: Jones-Drew 4-67, Lewis 4-47, Dillard 3-30, Hill 3-12, Thomas 2-11, Karim 2-0, Shorts 1-25, Owens 1-6. Rushing: Jones-Drew 18-99, McCown 1-9, Gabbert 1-1.
I really don’t know what else to say about this game besides the common, “They have to play better.” I know Gabbert has “Better” in him. I know this entire team has “Better” in them. I love this team, win or lose, but the “Better” has to start now.
Teams New: Where to even begin?
Jack has finally hit the road. With the firing of head coach Jack Del Rio, a new era for the Jaguars has begun. This time, it is actually a new era. There is a lot of head coaching rumors swirling in the NFL cosmos. One of the biggest rumors is the pursuing of Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan as head coach. I won’t lie, I’d love to have my two favorite teams coached by the Ryan brothers, (Rex Ryan coaches the Jets), but I highly doubt Dallas will let the big man who turned around their defense leave after only one year. Besides, the Jaguars need to give their own guy a chance. Our defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has the remaining games to prove he has what it takes to be the big man. Seeing as our defense has done a great job this year, Tucker deserves our undivided attention during his audition. Even if we have to look outside the Jacksonville organization for a coach, finding the answers in the Jaguars family will be a great shot in the arm. Please, try to disregard the rumors of coaches turned broadcasters coming out of retirement as much as possible. Jack Del Rio was not the only coach fired. Wide receivers coach Johnny Cox was sent packing with quarterback coach Mike Sheppard moving to receiving coaching duties. Dirk Koetter was given the additional responsibility of taking on the quarterback coaching while remaining offensive coordinator. I would be doing die hard Jaguars fans a dishonor by saying I can’t believe they didn’t give Dirk Koetter the pink slip as well.
On top of all of these changes, the team itself was sold to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Current owner Wayne Weaver will no longer be owner with the arrival of the new year. A lot of buzz has been circulating about the possible moving of the team over this year, and the rumors soared with the selling to Khan. Reports from Jags camp itself has said Weaver sold to Khan because Khan wanted to keep the team in Jacksonville. The only thing I have to say about this is as long as the Jaguars are in Jacksonville, then they are in Jacksonville and that should be our only concern. New ownership brings a huge opportunity to revamp this organization around the young players on the team. Let’s wait until we see some actual decisions made by Shahid Khan before we start passing judgment and panicking.
As if this wasn’t enough, Rashean Mathis has been declared out for the remainder of the season. Our defense knows what’s at stake. They have the passion of Mathis throughout the entire ranks. Let’s not worry. According to ESPN, the Jaguars have the most extensive Injured Reserve list in the NFL with 19 players. This explains away some, but not all, of our troubles. Derek Cox, Clint Session, Courtney Greene, and Brian Robiskie have been placed on IR this past week. I was hoping to see some receiving skills showcased by Robiskie, but now this is out of the question. Jason Hill was also waived from the team. I am a little uncomfortable with this decision since we need all the receiving we can muster right now. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see our receiving core step up.
Week 13 Matchup: San Diego Chargers vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Another Monday night game! Considering our last performance at home on Monday night against the Ravens was great, the national stage should bring us another awesome showdown. I expected more from the San Diego Chargers this year, but they are only 4-7 and currently in a 6 game losing streak. Either QB Philip Rivers has his helmet on too tight, the receivers aren’t wearing the right cleats, or the defense lays down on the field but considering the Chargers were on the divisional clinching track last year, this year has been a sad display. The Jaguars must capitalize on the Chargers’ losing streak. While their offense struggles, our offense must watch out for CB Quentin Jammer, who does not curb his intensity no matter the score. Jaguars receivers must execute their routes and keep the ball away from Jammer’s reach. This means QB Blaine Gabbert must use this game to improve his accuracy against a formidable San Diego secondary. Jaguars defensive line must attack QB Philip Rivers at all times. With Rivers throwing 19 interceptions this season, a few sacks will complement the picks in our own secondary. As always, running MJD will be key. The Chargers losing streak has been partly due to their offensive line being unable to close up the running lanes. MJD needs to turn on the high beams and create another career game. This game will also be time for the remaining receivers to shine. I am excited to see WR Cecil Shorts finally get a chance to eat up yardage. WR Chastin West has also been handed the chance to help find a way to convert more often on third down. Look out for WR Marcedes Lewis to make up for his touchdown drop with a look in the endzone. Be sure to wear your gear to EverBank on Monday!
What to look for on Monday night against the Chargers:
- Better morale.
- Completions, completions, completions.
- A more determined Blaine Gabbert.
- A dueling defensive secondary extravaganza.
- Maurice Jones-Drew getting some more passes on top of running.
Lauren Mack: Co-founder of The Well Written Woman is an aspiring writer, blogger, and overall enthusiast of brainstorms. She is currently attending Flagler College as an English major with no intentions to teach. Lauren spends a lot of time reading novels and hoping she can one day finish her own. She often wonders how they made blue cheese so delicious. Really, she is just imposing her elitist attitude on everyone. You can find her pennings at her blog and follow her on Twitter.
