*** Tampa Bay @ Jacksonville Game Thread *** (1 Viewer)

[duaneok66]

I wish they drilled Matt Jones harder on that TD catch. There is no rhyme or reason that Del Rio has to have his first team in there against the 2nd team defense. He is trying to show up the BUCS that is all; and put some false confidence in his first unit.

agreed . . . this is one instance where people will talk up Matt Jones; that is , people that didnt watch the game . . .

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

I wish they drilled Matt Jones harder on that TD catch. There is no rhyme or reason that Del Rio has to have his first team in there against the 2nd team defense. He is trying to show up the BUCS that is all; and put some false confidence in his first unit.

Ummm no. His first team O was looking shaky so he kept them in because they needed the work.

 

[JaxBill]

I wish they drilled Matt Jones harder on that TD catch. There is no rhyme or reason that Del Rio has to have his first team in there against the 2nd team defense. He is trying to show up the BUCS that is all; and put some false confidence in his first unit.

No, that's not it at all. The local public is very much split with Leftwich vs. Garrard. JDR's trying to back his guy to great lengths. I agree that he shouldn't have kept the 1's in there. But propping up Byron and putting a happy face on this mess is mucj more important than showing up the Bucs.

 

[homebrumiester]

Excuse me but I think that if you play a game you should try to win it no?

 

[MBH_14]

I wish they drilled Matt Jones harder on that TD catch. There is no rhyme or reason that Del Rio has to have his first team in there against the 2nd team defense. He is trying to show up the BUCS that is all; and put some false confidence in his first unit.

Ummm no. His first team O was looking shaky so he kept them in because they needed the work.

I highly doubt they are trying to show TB up.

 

[genieofperu]

You don't get work by walking all over the 2nd team defense. Put Garrard in and let him show you how he can move the ball with the 1st team. Del Rio is trying to avoid controversy. The best team in Florida is in TAMPA and we all know that.

 

[glen5839]

You don't get work by walking all over the 2nd team defense. Put Garrard in and let him show you how he can move the ball with the 1st team. Del Rio is trying to avoid controversy. The best team in Florida is in TAMPA and we all know that.

It's still reps at game speed.

 

[genieofperu]

I think Garrard is the real deal from his days as a Pirate at East Carolina; I think if he was given a chance to work with the first team Del Rio would really have a QB Controversy on his hands so he is trying to avoid it at all costs.

 

[homebrumiester]

You don't get work by walking all over the 2nd team defense. Put Garrard in and let him show you how he can move the ball with the 1st team. Del Rio is trying to avoid controversy. The 3rd best team in Florida is in TAMPA and we all know that.

Fixed

 

[genieofperu]

What are the ODDS that Jacksonville starts the season 1 - 3. There first four games are Dallas, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Washington. I can see them only beating Washington. That's as tough a four games to start a season your going to get in my opinion; who upset the schedule maker.

 

[JaxBill]

I think Garrard is the real deal from his days as a Pirate at East Carolina; I think if he was given a chance to work with the first team Del Rio would really have a QB Controversy on his hands so he is trying to avoid it at all costs.

You mean like last week?

JAGUARS PRESEASON: Controversy averted

Leftwich is set at QB, so let's look at spots really up for grabs

By MICHAEL C. WRIGHT, The Times-Union

Byron Leftwich sprayed footballs all over the field Saturday night against the Carolina Panthers, dousing the flames of a perceived quarterback controversy sparked by coach Jack Del Rio's decision to grant backup David Garrard more time with the starters.

Past history indicates that controversy wasn't Del Rio's intent. Yet what's said and what's done are sometimes different.

"We talk about having a competitive atmosphere and letting guys compete for spots," Del Rio said. "Then we back it up by being true to that."

So Del Rio's decision to play Garrard and Quinn Gray with the starters isn't necessarily an indication of lost faith in Leftwich, considering that the coach maintained all along that the fourth-year pro is the Jaguars' starter. But depending on what happened Saturday, Del Rio could have opened a Pandora's box in an attempt to further evaluate Garrard and Gray while stoking Leftwich's competitive fire.

However, Garrard shut the box with a two-interception, three-fumble performance.

"It has been a long time since I had a performance like this," Garrard said. "It's a humbling experience. You can go from throwing two touchdowns and being the player of the game and all the accolades to two interceptions that really put you in your place."

Despite being sacked twice, Leftwich looked sharp while completing 4-of-4 throws for 54 yards and a 118.8 passer rating. And Gray nearly rallied the Jaguars from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter and finished with 82 passing yards, including a 10-yard touchdown toss to Greg Estandia with 10:16 left to play.

"We work together all the time to try to make each other the best we can possibly be," Leftwich said.

Such reaction to competition is what Del Rio wants. And that's what camp and the preseason is all about for the Jaguars, who open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Since the quarterback job appears to be a non-issue for the time being, let's look at some other competitions brewing as the Jaguars prepare to cut down their roster to 75 by Tuesday, Aug. 29.

 

[Jiggyonthehut]

What are the ODDS that Jacksonville starts the season 1 - 3. There first four games are Dallas, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Washington. I can see them only beating Washington. That's as tough a four games to start a season your going to get in my opinion; who upset the schedule maker.

Its a brutal schedule, but nobody's expecting a 12-4 season this year. Predictions here:

Sep 10 Dallas W

Sep 18 Pittsburgh L

Sep 24 @Indianapolis L

Oct 1 @Washington W

Oct 8 N.Y. Jets W

Week 6 BYE

Oct 22 @Houston W

Oct 29 @Philadelphia W

Nov 5 Tennessee W

Nov 12 Houston W

Nov 20 N.Y. Giants L

Nov 26 @Buffalo W

Dec 3 @Miami L

Dec 10 Indianapolis L

Dec 17 @Tennessee W

Dec 24 New England L

Dec 31 @Kansas City W

I see an 8-8 season at the bare minimum IMHO. This shows them going 10-6 and with a few games as pushes in my mind, anything from 9-7 to 11-5 seem wholly appopriate.

 

[Kleck.]

Drew runs with a lot more power than people want to give him credit for.

He can be starting RB in this league.

 

[KiddLattimer]

Drew runs with a lot more power than people want to give him credit for.He can be starting RB in this league.

I was just thinking that

 

[[scooter]]

Saw a graphic on the screen that said Fred Taylor has the 5th most rushing yards among active players. Couldn't believe that stat.

1. C-Mart (about to retire)

2. Dillon

3. James

4. Barber

5. Taylor

6. Dunn

7. Holmes

8. S. Davis

Funny thing is, he's actually younger than everyone on this list except James. Go figure.

 

[Dazz]

I'm pretty sure it's been Del Rio's plan since early this week to play the starters into the third quarter, so the insinuation that this was to either bolster Byrons confidence or embarrass the Bucs is more than a little off.

The only thing I noticed during the game was both offenses getting absolutely manhandled up front, even with the Jags missing Stroud. Both lines need a lot of work right now and it’s fairly evident. When Byron and Sims had time to throw they both looked great, but whether or not they’ll actually get that during the season has yet to be seen. I’m still big on the Jags right now but the offensive line really looks lacking.

 

[mario8723]

No, Del Rio had his first-team offensive unit on the field because they looked horrible in the first half and had yet to score any points. He did the smart thing by having them end their collective night on a good note.

You say false confidence, I say progress.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!The announcers don't even know it was a conversion!!

Great play. They still don't know what happened

Neither do those of us reading this.

 

[SSOG]

Mike Peterson = Most Underrated defender in NFL (Full disclosure, I am a Jags fan)

I'll agree. Ray Lewis and Zach Thomas get all the pub, but Al Wilson and Mike Peterson are the best MLBs in the AFC.(Full disclosure: I am a Broncos and Gators fan)

Jags Oline has looked terrible the whole preseason . . .

Meester, and Mo Williams especially.

And they have to be good, with Lefty at QB.

The good news is that if they screw up and get Leftwich's leg broken, he'll still be able to start.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

Predictions here:

Sep 10 Dallas W

Sep 18 Pittsburgh L

Sep 24 @Indianapolis L

Oct 1 @Washington W

Oct 8 N.Y. Jets W

Week 6 BYE

Oct 22 @Houston W

Oct 29 @Philadelphia W

Nov 5 Tennessee W

Nov 12 Houston W

Nov 20 N.Y. Giants L

Nov 26 @Buffalo W

Dec 3 @Miami L

Dec 10 Indianapolis L

Dec 17 @Tennessee W

Dec 24 New England L

Dec 31 @Kansas City W

I see an 8-8 season at the bare minimum IMHO. This shows them going 10-6 and with a few games as pushes in my mind, anything from 9-7 to 11-5 seem wholly appopriate.

I see them losing to Dallas, Philly and KC, finishing 7-9 plus or minus 2.

 

[HULLOBUDMAN]

What are the ODDS that Jacksonville starts the season 1 - 3. There first four games are Dallas, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Washington. I can see them only beating Washington. That's as tough a four games to start a season your going to get in my opinion; who upset the schedule maker.

Its a brutal schedule, but nobody's expecting a 12-4 season this year. Predictions here:

Sep 10 Dallas W

Sep 18 Pittsburgh L

Sep 24 @Indianapolis L

Oct 1 @Washington W

Oct 8 N.Y. Jets W

Week 6 BYE

Oct 22 @Houston W

Oct 29 @Philadelphia W

Nov 5 Tennessee W

Nov 12 Houston W

Nov 20 N.Y. Giants L

Nov 26 @Buffalo W

Dec 3 @Miami L

Dec 10 Indianapolis L

Dec 17 @Tennessee W

Dec 24 New England L

Dec 31 @Kansas City W

I see an 8-8 season at the bare minimum IMHO. This shows them going 10-6 and with a few games as pushes in my mind, anything from 9-7 to 11-5 seem wholly appopriate.

6-2 on the road for the season? They may go 8-8 but I can't see 6-2 on the road against those road teams. I don't think KC has lost a game in Arrowhead in December in a while.