Good Decisions: Rashean Mathis and Eugene Monroe to start!

After last week's debacle of Reggie Nelson at Cornerback and Tra Thomas getting the go-ahead at the last minute to start in place of Monroe at Left Tackle, the Jaguars return to a much better lineup.  Rashean Mathis, as we've discovered, is the best player on the Jaguars defense.  Losing him for any amount of time creates a chain reaction of awfulness that results in Brian Russell taking the field and embarrassing himself.

Eugene Monroe is looking like the best of the first round left tackles, why he was not on the field against the Titans is a mind blowing and awful decision that disrupted the most important element of the Jaguars offense.  Why a player would practice with the first team offense for two weeks and then be benched is a stunningly stupid decision.  Offensive lines require unity and chemistry, rotating the unit abruptly leads to very, very bad things.

Interesting statistic that I did not know about:

David Garrard is second in the league in rushing yards behind Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers.  David has 162 yards on 29 carries for a 5.58 yards per carry average.  I would like to see David's legs brought into the gameplan a little bit, particularly in short yardage situations.

Things that I would like to see:

1. A Jaguars defense that doesn't make me cringe.  I've heard the word "swarming", "hard-hitting", and "tackling" attached to what the Jaguars did in practice this week.  I'm glad to see that basic defensive procedures are introduced in week 9.  In all seriousness, if the Jaguars can put together some sort of pass-rush or pressure, they can win this game.  If not, you should start Matt Cassel in your fantasy football leagues, as he's bound for a big day.

2. Run the ball, then when you want to mix it up, run the ball again.  You know the card that coaches hold (not Del Rio, but the coordinators) with all the plays and the game plan on it?  The Jaguars should be really simple, on one side it should list all the running plays, on the other side, it should say "turn card over".  I don't care if it's 3rd and 72, Maurice Jones-Drew can get the yards.

3.  Rebound.  This is a rebound game for the Jaguars, there's no reason why they should lose this game, it's completely winnable, it would put the team at 4-4, and they can start looking at the final stretch of the season with some serious hope for next season.  Wayne Weaver needs to realize that the closer the Jaguars get to 8-8 the more likely it is that they are out of the top ten draft picks and the less next offseason will cost him. 

What are the Kansas City fans saying?

They didn't mean it, but Arrowhead Pride has a particularly amusing title to their post about the Jaguars pass-rushing woes.  Let's just say that they accidentally imply that the Jaguars lack a particular sort of testicular fortitude.  Also, I'd have to check it, but I'm almost positive that in the last 4 years of this site, that's the first time that I've used the word "testicular".

Who wins and why?

The Jaguars are going to win a nail-biter, 20-17 on the leg of Josh Scobee.  Harvey and Groves will combine for 2 sacks.  Seriously, I think it'll happen.

Consider this your pre-game open thread.