Big Cat Country: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
New Blog: The Boxing Bulletin for Boxing Fans!

Jacksonville Jaguars fall to Baltimore Ravens: Post-Game Thoughts

Atomic_20explosion_20-_204_medium

This is the way the season ends
This is the way the season ends
This is the way the season ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.


'The Hollow Men', T.S. Eliot ( h.t. NewJagsCity)

With that performance to tide us over until next Sepetmber, the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars sulk off the field for the last time.  Never again will we see Reggie Williams drop a critical pass in the end zone or  Gerald Sensabaugh tackling in the secondary.  We saw Khalif Barnes and Company complete the season with David Garrard as the most hit quarterback in the NFL.  Amazingly, the most hit quarterback in the NFL also had the most Wide Receiver Drops in the NFL.  Ask Vic today said it best:

Vic: Can’t block and can’t catch is a bad combination.

The Ravens were playing for the playoffs while the Jaguars were playing for a sense of pride as they headed into the long dark offseason.  Fans discovered which is more motivating as the team laid an egg of a performance.  Other than a suprise 23-yard touchdown by Alvin Pearman and a nice 78 yard rushing performance by Maurice Jones-Drew, there's little to be proud of by their performance in Baltimore. 

Did the Jaguars Quit?:

Mike Peterson says no:

“This summed it up. That’s been the story. The good thing about it, though, the guys in this locker room – I know you all wrote us off early with everything that had happened – but these guys never quit. You can say whatever you want to say about us, but you never saw anybody in this locker room quit. We fought until the end. A lot of those games we lost, we lost at the end of the game – a play here, or a play there. So with that being said, the year didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, but you learn a lot about the guys. I think the coaching staff learned a lot about a lot of guys, and they learned a lot about the coaches, also.”

As does Maurice Jones-Drew:

“It’s been frustrating at times, but this isn’t my first losing season. In college, I was in two [losing seasons] and here, it is my first one. You just learn so much about the guys you play with, and I think the guys fought hard and a lot of people thought we were going to quit. We just kept fighting hard. Sometimes, the ball doesn’t bounce your way. We just have to get better and remember this and look back at it and see what we did here and know we have to fix it.”

What's Next:

The major organizational change for the Jaguars is already behind us with the resignation of James "Shack" Harris. Jack Del Rio, no matter what you hear, is 100% secure.  We will see the departure of Gregg Williams to (financially) greener pastures, as he's a free agent and I believe that his salary subsidy by the Washington Redskins is completed.  I've a sneaking suspicion that there will not be much attention paid to the Jaguars assistant coaches during the offseason for promotions from other teams, a disappointing 5 and 11 record will do that to your career options.  What ever happens, I hope that Joe DeCamillis stays with the team.  Despite the drop in special teams performance (12 men on the field, come on), he's one of the best special teams guys in the NFL.

There are a few people I'd like to see considered for defensive coordinator positions from outside the Jaguars.

In no particular order:

1. Sean McDermott: Former Defensive Back and Linebacker coach and current Secondary Coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.  Scott's overseen some of the best secondaries in the NFL, including his 2004-2006 years as secondary/safties coach where Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis went to the Pro Bowl.  McDermott's spent nearly 10 years under Jim Johnson in his "attack style" 4-3 defense. 

2. Chuck Cecil: Defensive Backs coach, Tennessee Titans.  Cecil's a hard hitting no-nonsense secondary coach that knows how to utilize players according to their ability, not according to "his scheme".  He also does not accept poor tackling and lazy hitting, which is exactly what the Jaguars defense needs after a year of arm swats and weak wrap-ups.

3. Mike Waufle: Defensive Line Coach, New York Giants. Look at the Giants defensive line over the last several seasons, especially in how they've adjusted to rookies, retirements, and injuries.  Waufle is no waffle on defense.

Final Thoughts:

I'm glad it's over.  Now it's onto the re-tooling of the Jaguars for the future. Big Cat Country will be with it every step of the way.  So stick around!

-Chris

 

0 recs  |  Comment 10 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Joe had better get a contract extension this offseason...

He’s definitely one of the tops in the game, regardless of a few poor performances. If we don’t resign him, someone else will and they will be getting an amazing coach, that’s the bottom line.

-Collin

by silencecs on Dec 29, 2008 3:47 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Check his resume

Joe D is THE Special Teams coach. There is none better.

Big Cat Country!:: The Official Home of the Unofficial Blog of the Jacksonville Jaguars!

by Tkopa on Dec 29, 2008 7:33 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

you may want to check out

the special teams coach in Atlanta. He is on the verge of setting an NFL record for least return yards in a season.

by Jaghomer on Dec 30, 2008 7:37 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I also like

who ever is resposible for the Redskins D. For a while there they had no DE’s that were any good and yet they didn’t give up many points and the DB’s did a decent job of defending the pass when there was no rush, and there were injuries in the secondary and they had rookies to deal with too. Their worst defensive statistic was 8th in the league, against the run. And they had to deal with offenses like the Eagles and the Cowboys twice.

by Ewdtrey on Dec 29, 2008 5:43 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Here is the question

and it is an honest one, not leaning one way or another.

Would you work for Jack Del Rio?

This is the big question right now. If he goes College for his DC, then no one in the NFL will work for him.

Big Cat Country!:: The Official Home of the Unofficial Blog of the Jacksonville Jaguars!

by Tkopa on Dec 29, 2008 7:36 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

He went college for his OC

I’m not fully understanding the impact of reaching into the college ranks for a coach on how a head coach is viewed. Could you elaborate por favor?

by SoCalStites on Dec 29, 2008 7:48 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Del Rio should go...

JDR should not be allowed to remain with the Jaguars. As the head coach, he has ultimate responsibility for the performance of his team. We do not play with emotion. We do not execute. We are a fundamentally BAD football team. If he stays, he has to clean house and demand a higher standard. And he must take Harris’s departure as the opportunity to have more say in personnel decisions.
On another note, some ESPN analysts feel Andre Smith’s suspension will drop his draft value. Let’s hope so—if we could steal him later in the 1st round, it could be huge. Have a great off season.

by JAGS1995 on Dec 30, 2008 12:28 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Del Rio should not go

And I do hope Andre Smith ends up slipping to us. That would be marvelous.

by MoveThoseChains on Dec 30, 2008 2:13 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Hell and Yes.

Big Cat Country!:: The Official Home of the Unofficial Blog of the Jacksonville Jaguars!

by River City Rage on Dec 30, 2008 9:40 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Big Cat Country:: Jacksonville Jaguars news, commentary, speculation and fun, all from a fan's perspective
Start posting about the Jaguars »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Jacksonville-bulls_small
Is A Wild Card Enough?
Nyc_montage_8_small
Over from Gang Green Nation to answer Jets questions

Recent FanPosts

Small
Who are we going to root for this week??
Bw_walking_on_beach_small
Jaguars Friday Night
All-star_weekend_2_small
Fitzpatrick, Fitz against Jags D
Img_0162_small
Titans owner flips the bird
Art-disguise_small
Buzzing to Go Nuts in the Jack this Sunday! Are you with me?
Small
The Jags and the Playoffs
Pict0319_small
John Butchko from Gang Green Nation had some words
Kép_008_small
Explanation of my bold prediction
Pict0319_small
We win in an unbelievable game! Post your thoughts!

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

Latest NFL Headlines from SB Nation

Mobile Live
Are the Bengals Super Bowl Contenders?
Mobile Live
Expectations Downgraded to "Nothing" for Browns' Offense Against Lions
Mobile Live
Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Chiefs

Founder

Delriosad_small River City Rage

Editor-in-Chief

Picture_007_edited_small silencecs

Associate Editor

Pict0319_small Tkopa

South_park_avatar_small FSBlueApocalypse

Jaguar_growl_small JvilleJag2