Texans-Jaguars Postmortem

by FSBlueApocalypse on Sep 28, 2008 4:36 PM EDT Comment 33 comments

The Jaguars follow up a big win in Indy with their first win at home this season. A thrilling 30-27 overtime win over the Houston Texans gave us both reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic about the season.

1. David Garrard refuses to lose. His scrambles on 3rd and 4th down lead this team to the win. He is the Offensive MVP and the reason we are 2-2 and not 0-4.

2. The defense is a shell of their former selves. For those counting at home, this defense has now been handed 4 4th quarter leads, and have promptly let the opposing team score on the ensuing possession. Whether its the scheme, the players, or what something needs to change.

3. Josh Scobee is money.

4. Where were you, Jerry Porter?

5. Matt Jones is playing the best I've seen him in a Jaguars uniform.

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Congrats

That was a hell of a game, and I think either team could have won it. You guys had the rub of the green today, but I don’t expect it to be so easy on Monday night in Houston.

by tehGrindCrusher on Sep 28, 2008 4:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Easy...

You call that easy? You guys played great. There’s a bright future coming down the way for ya’ll. With Indy on the decline, maybe it’s sooner rather than later.

Here’s to a great game though!

-C

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

by River City Rage on Sep 28, 2008 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heh

Fair point. I think if I was a neutral observer, I’d consider this one of the better NFL game this season. Thanks for the kind words.

Gotta give Garrard credit, he was very good down the stretch. I’ll bet he’s hitting up the ibuprofen right about now, though.

by tehGrindCrusher on Sep 28, 2008 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also the cheer for Matt Jones

at the stadium before the game started was very noticable. Matt was given a warm welcome and he responded during the game. Is there a love affair starting?

by Tkopa on Sep 29, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's the scheme

I agree wholeheartedly with all 5 of your points, FSBlue. Matt Jones especially has been impressive…I really hope we don’t lose him after his court date in October!

As far as the defense goes, I’d argue that the problem is that we’re still adjusting to the new scheme. With the talent we have on the defensive side of the ball, there is NO REASON we should be playing at this level, especially blowing 4 leads late in the game.

Hats off to the Texans for playing a great game, as they always seem to against us

by JAXDynasty on Sep 28, 2008 5:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I have a few more points

1. Mike Walker showed up today.

2. David Garrard shut the critics up.

3. We can win without the run working.

4. I hope Porter is just rusty.

5. The pass rush was respectable.

by JagSoldier on Sep 28, 2008 6:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

the good the bad and the ugly

Agreement

David is a beast game ball to him and Scobee

Mike Walker is going to be our #1 someday
Matt Jones is silencing critics pray for the best with him with his date with the judge
our offense showed up

the bad

Mercedes Lewis dropping those 4 balls

Our d needs to come back to earth

by crazyjesus on Sep 28, 2008 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice win for you guys

Man, what a letdown for us to come SO close… but our defense is garbage. It just is.

Also, nice to see Cokeface getting his life together – our secondary can make anyone look like Jerry Rice, sadly. You’re welcome, MJ, you’re welcome.

by HoustonDiehards on Sep 28, 2008 6:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Other Obervations

Mercedes Lewis hit in the hands 4 times and didn’t hold on once.

Man to man coverage is not comfortable for this team. They were raised in Tampa Two and this experiment isn’t working well right now.

Less pressure on the quarterback this year than last year. We were not awful at sacks last year, just mediocre. Now were are awful.

I still can’t tell the character of this team. Did they play two tough teams tough to start the season? Are they just facing teams fighting hard? Are they getting better? I can’t find this years Jaguars.

by Tkopa on Sep 28, 2008 7:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

hopefully

no nelson and no mathis had something to do with the D’s problems.

by abeaugh on Sep 28, 2008 7:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I AGREE

not to mention no Justin Durant. He’s a great player to this point. We need him in there. Ingram is good, but Durant is just that one notch better. Great game though, very fun to watch, at least when the offense was on the field.

by jagsfanbrunell on Sep 29, 2008 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Was it just me...or

Was it me or was Houston victimizing Sensabaugh?

by FL_Native on Sep 29, 2008 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They were

sorta. He was playing free saftey so he was going to be around a lot of those deep passes regardless if they were trying to pick on him. He looked green, which I think people forget he is. Reggie Nelson has more starts than he does at this point and Sensy is doing a last min position change.

by Ewdtrey on Sep 30, 2008 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

By most accounts they are our two best DBs, so I would hope so. As for Porter, I’m not so concerned considering how much time he’s missed. I’m glad they’re slowly working him in.

by reems28 on Sep 28, 2008 8:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

tkopa you're an idiot

I completely disagree with you. We are getting MUCH more pressure on the qb this year. Even if it’s not showing up in the stats, our dlinemen are getting into the backfield more frequently. We should be able to come around with the D.

Oh, and Garrard is probably the most clutch ATHLETE i have ever seen. 3&10 and 4&8 runs?!?! Youre kidding me. I love this manchild!

by harveyismyboy on Sep 28, 2008 9:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey.

Don’t resort to name calling. Ever. Completely disagreeing is OK, but defend yourself with statements, not insults.

-Chris

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

by River City Rage on Sep 28, 2008 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry for using facts

Last year the Jags ranked somewhere around 14th overall in sacks. This year almost last.

Last year the passing yards per game given up by the defense ranking was somewhere around 17th, middle of the NFL. This year, again almost last.

Although I appreciate wins however they come, it was very lucky to have Montell Owens catch a major deflection and then draw a flag to keep the game alive in Indy. It was also very fortunate to have David run 9 yrds on fourth down to keep the game alive. Last year, by middle third quarter teams were getting desperate against us, this year, we feel the desperation.

In the last two games we saw all run, no pass and then almost all pass little run yards. We saw a defense fold up twice. I think it is fair to say the character of this team is still a mystery at least to me.

by Tkopa on Sep 29, 2008 6:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

For the record...

Tkopa is not an idiot. He’s almost always right on. Especially with his points here. “Getting close” in pass rush isn’t worth a moustache hair if Andre Johson catches the ball 35 yards downfield. And, the Jaguars are not the same dominant team that tickled our nuts last year. To secure both of our wins this season, we’ve relied on a bit of luck and some seriously close calls.

This NFL thing ain’t easy. We’re 2-and-2 and the Steelers are coming to town. As much as I respect Big Ben, I hope he leaves the Jack bruised and battered. Go Jags!

Unfortunately, the truth only comes out game-by-game.

by arthardie on Sep 29, 2008 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Be Careful

That kind of logical thinking might get you labelled an idiot.

P.S. I’m not sure I am almost always, kind of more like “on a good day, sometimes”

by Tkopa on Sep 29, 2008 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry 'myboy'

I saw a lot of ‘standing around’ on the D-line latein the second half.

Harvey seems to have one pass rush move… the outside speed rush…

Houston has given up 8 sacks in the first three weeks…. 0 in week four. How can you say that we got more pressure this year when the defense gets torched for
307 yards passing against Houston ==> 0 sacks
216 yards passing against Indy ==> 1 sack
239 yards passing against Buffalo ==> 3 sacks
175 yards passing against Tenn ==> 1 sack

You must be watching a different game than I did because Schaub looked like a stud because he had all day to throw the ball.

by FL_Native on Sep 29, 2008 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Our D

Tkopa, if you look at the opponents Offensive backfield after a throw, our boys are forcing the QB to throw early. This has caused alot of really poor throws in the past three weeks. That pressure is getting there, the QB’s are just getting rid of it to their TE’s. You do see them on their backs often though. With Big Ben and the Pitts problems on their o-line next week, I’d expect to see more sacks.

Speaking of TE’s, can we get a TE that can catch? Looking at the last 3 weeks, opposing Te’s have had big games on us. Where’s our dump off valve? Matt Jones will do for now, but Lewis needs some glue-mitts!

With Mathis and Nelson out today, thankfully only with bruises, we must once again make excuses for the D. If everyone can get healthy at once, we’ll finally have a better picture of what’s going on. But when will that be?… time will tell.

by Pyrofish on Sep 28, 2008 10:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Rush

Well, just watched the video of JDR postgame and he agrees that our rush was really nowhere to be found today. I haven’t re-watched the game to see, but I’ll take his word for it. I thought we got to Manning and VY alot. I also thought Hou was supposed to have a sieve for an O-line. The mystery continues…

by Pyrofish on Sep 28, 2008 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

QB ratings tell a different story

Matt Schwaub up up a 120 QB rating. Trent Edwards put up a 120 QB rating. This doesn’t indicate QB’s in trouble and running for their lives. Again, sorry for using facts to shape my opinion.

by Tkopa on Sep 29, 2008 6:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tkopa...

must have been at the Texans game. I can’t complain too much about this game, because it was one of the most fun games to watch at “The Jack.” I will point out, however, that even from the cheap seats in sec. 410 that there was obviously a pass rush problem. Well, let’s say to have a pass rush problem you first must have a pass rush. The Jaguars didn’t so I guess there was no problem, it just wasn’t there at all. Like I said, it sure looked like they were trying everything to push and get there, they just couldn’t for whatever reason. Can’t find many faults in a great win like that one, but, yeah, your right, there was no success in the pass rush on Sunday, and it was obvious. I think with time we’ll get there. The effort is there and, contrary to recent popular oppionion, I actually thought the Defensive play calling wasn’t that bad. The “D” just has to keep pushing and practicing. They’ll get there. Our best pass rush specialist are both rookies (one with no pre-season) and they need time to find there place in this newly introduced scheme. It’ll happen, have faith. Sorry for the long winded comments. Just thought Tkopa was right on with his statements about the “D” front and I wanted to put my 2 cents in.

by jagsfanbrunell on Sep 29, 2008 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you

I cheered and celebrated the victories. I am hoping we are climbing a learning curve and all things will get better soon. I see the defense “almost” there a few times and that there are split seconds between sacks and throws. But honestly, what I see and what the statistics say and what our record shows is that no one is feeling much pressure from our defense.

Thank you again for the support.

by Tkopa on Sep 29, 2008 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tkopa

Support? I was just saying you were right because you were. I still don’t like you, though, you ARE an idiot! Aren’t we all!!! LOL. Just kidding man. You really were spot on. Go Jags!

by jagsfanbrunell on Sep 29, 2008 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

D

The D has definatley taken a turn for the wose. Tkopa is dead on. High QB ratings, 80% pass completion rates, and most alarming, giving up long scoring drives in EVERY GAME at the most critical of times. This D is mediocre at best. They are not getting QB pressure.

Ask yourself this – was there ANY doubt yesterday, that if Houston had won the coin flip, they would win the game???

Offense – finally, some light bulbs went off as they realized they’re going to have to pass in order to open up the run. Don’t give me Indy here please. Indy has a very undersized D line, and they have massive injury issues as well. Indy was the exception, not the rule. Houston totally stuffed our run as has everyone else. EVERYONE will stack the box against us. It started with Pitt in the playoff game, and in the copycat NFL – everyone has used it since.

And why is everyone shocked at Porter? He has NEVER proven to be a number 1 receiver. He had a couple of good seasons playing opposite Randy Moss. To be fair to Porter, he is comig back from surgery and I truely doubt he’s 100% and has lots of rust to boot.

Still, nice win. Puts us at .500 which is about right for this team this year (9-7).

by OGN on Sep 29, 2008 7:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's not forget...

the 2 teams we’ve lost to this season are both 4-0 right now. And we played them both tough with an o-line that was being pieced together. It seems to be coming around a little and should be greatly improved once Meester comes back.

Hopefully we can at least split the next 2 and the D will come together in time for the 3 game stretch after the bye CLE, @CIN, @DET which should ALL be wins.

by pksiv on Sep 29, 2008 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Greg Jones

Now that the O-Line is coming together, we need to get Greg Jones the ball more often. Did you see how many guys he knocked over to get us into field goal range in overtime? If we can get him the ball early, I think it will confuse the opposing D, and really give our running game some holes.

Tony Ducks.

by Tony Ducks on Sep 29, 2008 7:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Greg Jones is a MONSTER

There is no question about GJ. He’s a great player and will run people over like Alstott or Jerome Bettis. I am a huge fan of MJD and especially FT, but I agree, got to give a few carries to Greg “the bone crusher” Jones for a little change of pace. Want to beat the $#@@!#$ out of a defensive front, hand the ball to Jones.

by jagsfanbrunell on Sep 29, 2008 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The flat pass to Jones in the last drive…

Would you want to be the corner that has to stop him coming out into the flat???

Not Me!

by FL_Native on Sep 29, 2008 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Half Time Adjustments... 'bout time

I was glad to see that the Jags came out throwing in the 3rd quarter…

The lesson finally sinks in …. if you can’t run because there’s 9 men in the box and your O-Line is a patchwork… start slinging the ball around the field.

Even dinkin’ and dunkin’ the ball, the run started to open up in the later portions of the 2nd half because David started scorching them.

We are going to have to pass to open up the run. If David can keep up his efficiency and get the ball in the endzone, the Jags will win some critical games.

by FL_Native on Sep 29, 2008 2:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs