More photos » by John Russell - AP

Jack... You have to hold this team together...

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Quote of the week:

"We can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now."
Bruce Coslet, on the Bengals' 1997 season

Thankfully, the Jaguars are not in the same position the 1997 Bengals were. This is a team that has the potential to overachieve this season, and I look for us to finish at least 8-8. Jack Del Rio has shown he's most effective when working with young men, and make no mistake, this is a young team. Jack Del Rio is directly tied to the defense's success, and he should be judged based on their progress through the season. If we defend the Patriots pass attack well in December, that will say a lot about where we are as a defense.

Three Coordinators + Three Years = Defensive Confusion

Jack Del Rio is directly responsible for the team's move to a 3-4 defensive scheme, and if it continues to fail so epically through the season, it falls on his shoulders. We have the personnel to stop the run. Two of our three defensive linemen are powerful against the rush, and three of our linebackers are literally tackling machines. Their issues in defense have come from being out of position, which is a result of learning a new scheme, and having their third defensive coordinator who is making major changes, in three years. This isn't entirely Jack's fault, as he's trying to replace an irreplaceable defensive coordinator, in Mike Smith.

The jury is still out on Mel Tucker, as he was brought here with the expectation he would coach up our talented, yet struggling secondary. So far, Reggie Nelson continues to be inconsistent, although the strides Derek Cox is making can't, and shouldn't be discounted. Derek Cox is going to be a long-term fixture at corner for the Jaguars. On the play he dropped the interception in the end-zone, he was extremely disciplined. Even though Vince Young is known as a short to intermediate passer, Derek didn't bite on the double move by Nate Washington, and as a result, he almost got an interception. He has already surpassed B-Dub in ability, and I have been pleasantly surprised by Derek's ball-skills and tackling. He seems to rarely miss a tackle when he gets his hands on the ball-carrier.

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In a press conference today, the group Touchdown Jacksonville announced plans to launch a grassroots effort to help the team with ticket sales. Touchdown Jacksonville was the group that originally launched Jacksonville's expansion bid, and more importantly, sold more than 10,000 club seats in 1993 to keep Jacksonville's hopes for a team alive.Carl Cannon and Tony Boselli are expected to be the major players in this movement.

No real specifics were given out as to what the group plans on doing, but it's still good to see. Expect to see more on this when some actual events are announced. I'll be waiting to see what kind of impact this has. Groups such as Our Team Our Town and True To The Teal have been doing an excellent job of raising awareness in the city. Hopefully with the Jaguars backing and Boselli as the face, Touchdown Jacksonville can work a second miracle.

1. Please give a quick history of The Jag Mag for our readers who are unfamiliar with your work.

The Jag Mag is in it's second year of existence.  The magazine was originally started as a bi-weekly publication during the 2008 season. The magazine focused primarily on Jaguars news along in addition to covering the NFL as well as Fantasy Football information.  At the completion of the 2008 season, the Jaguars named us the "Official Magazine" of the team at which point we became the first on only fan originated media outlet to b recognized as a apart of the organization. 

2. What is the state of the Jaguar's fan community?

We pride ourselves on being a magazine "For Fans by Fans!"  With that being said, the local media (specifically the newspaper and most local talk radio shows) have certainly played a huge part in the pessimistic attitude that has taken hold of this community.  In large part the loyal Jaguars fans knows that this franchise is moving in the right direction and that there are plenty of things to be excited about. We have a mobile quarterback, who, despite criticsm have shown that he is a winner.  We have one of the brightest stars in the league at RB (MOJO), a future Hall of Famer in Torry Holt, rising stars in WR Mike Walker and TE Marcedes Lewis and an exciting group of young players like MIke Thomas, Zach MIller, Derek Cox to name a few.  Hopefully, Jaguars fans are finally beginning to see this team for what it's worth. All in all, I'd say the Jaguars' fan community is one that is building momentum and is on the verge of becoming a united front that will support this team in good time and bad.

3. Why should BCC readers check you guys out?

BCC readersshould check out The Jag Mag for a variety of reasons, with the no. 1 reason being -inside information.  The Jag Mag has the inside access to the team that Jags fans want. We're at all the practices, team activities, games, etc. We're at the stadium everyday, in the locker room, talking to the guys (players), the coaches doing our best to make sure our readers are in tune with what is going on with our Big Cats. Lastly, we do our best to show Jaguars fans the personal side of the players, with a strong focus on the human interest stories involving our players. Every player in that locker room has a different story to tell on how, they became the men they are today and the journey they have taken on their way to becoming a player in the National Football League.

4.What should BCC readers expect now that The Jag Mag is on board?

With the Jag Mag and BCC joining forces readers can expect to get the same in depth coverage they've grown accustomed to on top of the inside information the Jag Mag will add.  Now BCC readers will have the most up to date information on the Jaguars, great fantasy football info and advice and receive great deals exclusive to Jag Mag/BCC readers. From gift cards to local restaurants freer sports apparell, signed player memorabilia mercahndise, invivttions to exclusive fan events...and most imprtantly a GREAT MAGAZINE FOCUSES ON THE JAGUARS!

For more info, check them out at their website TheJagMag.com or on Facebook

-Jonathan Loesche

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

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In what was an exhausting and dramatic game between the 0-5 St. Louis Rams and the 2-3 Jacksonville Jaguars, the home team pulled out a victory with a 36 yard overtime field goal by Josh Scobee.  The Jaguars seemed to have the game under control after a Jones-Drew touchdown, but a short pass by David Garrard was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Leonard Little.

The Jaguars had nearly 500 yards of offense, with Jones-Drew, Torry Holt and Mike Sims-Walker each having over 100 yards receiving or rushing.  Mike Thomas made some big plays, and with the exception of the final Rams drive, the defense did a great job, particularly on pass defense.  We can debate on Monday what went wrong on the final drive, but you can't argue with a win going into the bye week.

Player of the Game: Maurice Jones-Drew.  He asked for the ball, he demanded that the Jaguars return to a run-first idenity, and when the game was on the line, he put on a show.  Three rushing touchdowns, 133 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, all rounding out a dominating performance.  Sure, he lost a fumble in the red zone, but he more than made up for it.

When you run your mouth, you have to back it up.  MJD backed it up.

More to come, time to enjoy the post-game show.  Or if you're me, you're going to work.

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

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I mentioned this on the BCC Radio Show last night, but Jack Del Rio decided to "fire up the troops" by cursing at Seattle's punter Jon Ryan.

Read for yourself:

"It was just kind of crazy, man. Jon Ryan was out there punting, and I guess he may have been in Jacksonville's area. And he (Del Rio) just grabbed the ball and threw it and was like, 'Get the [expletive] on your side of the field.' "

Now, this didn't make for a grudge match or anything like that. Houshmandzadeh was clear about that.

"I think he was just trying to get his guys pumped up. It didn't work," Houshmandzadeh said. "I like Jack Del Rio, though. He's a former player. I like him as a coach. Those are the type of guys that wish they were still playing and wish his guys had the intensity that he played with. He was just trying to get them fired up. It's not a big deal. I thought it was kind of funny, disrespectful, but a lot of coaches do a lot of different things to get their guys pumped up. "

Really?  Acosting the Punter is considered "getting their guys pumped up?"  It sounds like the actions of a desperate bully.  Not to mention that this sort of behavior looks really insecure after a 41-0 beatdown.  Seattle didn't really need much in the way of punting anyhow, if Jack had wanted to make a statement, how about going and punching Matt Hasselbeck in the ribs, that might have at least done something.  (Please note, I'm not actually advocating punching any injured player).

Your thoughts?

Good news, Big Cat Country is going to be launching a weekly internet radio show, creatively named Big Cat Country Radio. The first official broadcast will be Wednesday, October 21st at 11pm EST. The program will be 1 hour long and is still something of a work in progress, though our obvious goal is to make it another weekly fixture for all Jaguar fans.

However, even better, BCC will be having a Special half hour test run tonight at 11pm Eastern. Chris, Collin, and I will be hosting. Even better, the show will be a call in show, meaning you get to speak to all of us live on the air if you wish! *crickets*

So, how do you get to listen. Head on over to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BigCatCountry and make sure to be there at 11. Then you just click on the link that says BigCatCountry Radio test and you'll be able to listen live. Also, we'll have a chat room open, so make sure to register with Blog Talk Radio if you want to be a part of that.

Some other FAQ answers

1. We will be archiving each episode and they will be available to export onto your computer, iPod, mp3 player, and anything else free.

2. We're working on the start time. When BTR makes their next set of dates available we will try to get the start time a little earlier. The hopeful start time will be 10pm Eastern.

3. No, you don't have to register to just listen.

-Jonathan Loesche

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

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This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel, a new NFL Network channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone.

Looking Backward:

Ok, we're back to reality in Jacksonville.  After beating the Texans and stunning the Titans, the Jaguars revealed a little more of their true colors in a 41-0 beat down by the Seattle Seahawks.  The team faced adversity, losing Mike Sims-Walker due to a "rules violation" and the distraction of whatever the heck Quentin Groves was doing on the road on the way to the game.  In both cases, the players apologized to the team, the Weavers, and the fans for their behavior.  Unfortunately for both, there's not much for us to highlight in the red zone.

We also learned something about Dirk Koetter's offense, that it's far less effective without a solid slot receiver to open the box for the running game.  Houston and Tennessee showed us that Wide Receiver Mike Thomas is a game changer, not so much when he catches the ball, but when teams are forced to account for his motion.  This end-around or reverse option forces a linebacker to respect the threat, putting one less player in between Maurice Jones-Drew and the end zone.  Putting Mike Thomas on the outside, opposite of Torry Holt, took away that threat. 

Surprisingly, Tight End Hybrid Zach Miller didn't receive much in the way of action.  I envision him developing into a Dallas Clark sort of player for the Jaguars, perfect for the slot in the same way that Mike Thomas plays, though it's yet to be seen what happens on the field.

Looking Forward:

The Jaguars now look toward a home game against the struggling St. Louis Rams (Limbaugh's?).  After the Tennessee game, we saw the Seahawks and Rams as a pair of easy wins, pushing the Jaguars to a 4-2 record at the bye week.  Now we see a Rams team that probably smells blood in the water going against a Jaguars team that looked overwhelmed and underprepared.  That said, I can't imagine a situation where the coaches could sit in that film room and watch the debacle and not dedicate every waking moment to salvaging a win out of the situation.   If there was any week where the Jaguars could show some sign of a pass-rush, this would be the week as their offensive line is sub-par and Mark Bulger is coming back.  Bulger, despite being my back-to-back fantasy football championship quarterback a few years ago, is a quarterback that can be pressured into making mistakes (and often out of the game).

Stat of the Week: The New York Jets, with Blitz Happy Rex Ryan, had four team sacks going into the Monday Night Game.  The Jacksonville Jaguars have a total of four teams sacks with a much more passive approach.  Why is it that the Jets pressure the QB and the Jaguars tackle air?

Final Thought: My thoughts on Jack Del Rio are well known.  This is a big week for him.  There's no excuse for the Jaguars to fall to the Rams at home.  Falling to weaker teams is a common trend in the Del Rio era, he needs to break character and deliver a win.  It's as simple as that.  Should Del Rio lose, the drumbeat will start to get awfully loud.

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Bryan Smith, Julius Williams, Montavious Stanley, and Gerald Alexander. "Maybe we're not as good as we thought..."

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Well, the Jaguars lost horribly yesterday to the Seahawks. I really don't know what to say about the utter failure of the lines to make an impact at all. Those calling Derrick Harvey a bust can no longer be legitimately retorted. Unless he begins a drastic change and starts showing improvement, which isn't likely, then he'll finish this season with a similar number of sacks to last year (3.5). It's becoming apparent that the Jaguars lost their best defensive lineman when Heyward went down. Harvey was up against a man promoted from the practice squad, and got little to no pressure against a pass-first team. Inexcusable. That's all, just totally inexcusable. Not everyone played horribly, but the lack of pressure was the main issue here, as coverage wasn't horrible besides a few blown assignments. When you have that kind of time, you will complete throws, that's a fact. An NFL QB is not going to throw many picks or poor passes unless they are under pressure.

David looked bad, but in my opinion, the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the offensive line. Tra Thomas started the game, which many fans have been clamoring for. Well, you got what you wanted, an old, slow, veteran stop-gap who was beaten badly early. He was replaced by Monroe, whom the Seahawks immediately targeted. Monroe responded by playing as he has all season... inconsistent. That's the issue, the QB's blindside was routinely attacked in successful ways early on. Once the Seahawks had a comfortable lead, we saw less blitzing, but still pressure routinely got to Garrard... inexcusable. 

The Jaguars' running attack apparently didn't make the plane ride to Seattle, because there was virtually no interior movement from the guys we count on to push the pile, as Jones-Drew's only decent play was a run outside the tackle. This isn't Jaguar football. Andy Heck and Ted (drop-dead) Monachino, have some serious work to do this week to bounce back against the winless Rams. Sigh.

Props to Jack Del Rio for sitting MSW, that's what you do when someone breaks team rules, you dock them a paycheck and don't let them play. Suspended for one game. Done, and message sent. This is a rebuilding year, and the team obviously thought they were better than they really are, which isn't all that unexpected given they're so young, and were coming off a big win. Don't call for JDR's head over that, it happens. Now, If you see it happen again this year after a big win, then I might stand beside you wondering why Del Rio didn't rectify this problem. Young teams act young. Del Rio will have them grown up real quick though. 

At least we play the Rams next...

-Collin Streetman