Update [2007-11-28 17:6:10 by River City Rage]:: Reader abeaugh updates this: "I know a lot of people can't stand Zimmerman, but I love the guys writing. I think he's the best sports writer out there now. In any case, he has the Jags at 5. I love his quote: "David Garrard is the underground, superstar NFL quarterback, with no, repeat no, interceptions in 209 throws." Gotta love that."
I agree, Dr. Z actually watches film, which makes him way better than everyone else!
It's amazing how quickly time passes in the NFL. Here we are, almost through the 13th week and it still feels like yesterday that we were contemplating Byron Leftwich being released and now we're staring down the Colt's with one of the best passers in the NFL, David Garrard, driving our offense. It's insane when you think about it.
Now we're in the part of the season where getting hot is everything. Momentum, solid wins, energy, getting healthy, all lead to the playoffs.
One factor that has nothing to do with the Playoffs is the ever present idea of "Power Rankings", where we rank the unrankable. But, at the same time, it's a good measure of how the Jaguars are perceived, and that perception could prove useful as we enter December and the thick of the playoff hunt.
Let's take a look, shall we?
Starting at home with Jaguars.com editor Vic Ketchman:
Fair enough, 5 sounds about right, actually. We'll see a lot of that number as we go through this...
How about ESPN, the Worldwide Leader:
Hungry, like the wolf. Or the Jaguar. Whatever.
Your friend and mine, Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline:
Visions, confusion about tiebreakers, all that sort of good stuff.
Cold Hard Football Facts Now, these guys seem to know what they're talking about. They don't play too much fancy with bright stars and fancy lights, but instead take a more serious approach. So I appreciate their reasoning more than others. :
* Record vs. Quality Teams: 3-2, -0.4 PPG
* Last week: Jags were whistled for only a single penalty in a 36-14 win over the visiting Bills.
* Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Jaguars are second in the NFL with 42 runs of 10 yards or better, 19 by Fred Taylor and 16 by Maurice Jones-Drew.
* Next: at Indianapolis. With a win, Jags enter the final quarter of the season in a dead heat with the Colts for the AFC South division title.
Now, to be a little more serious, we could take a look at what Football Outsiders has to say about where Jacksonville ranks.
They rank the Jaguars 8th overall, with the offense at 9, defense at 18, and the Special Teams at nine. Of course, their system actually uses MATH, so it's probably more accurate than all this other nonsense.
Ok, so there you go. I'll be back in the morning with the start of our Colts Preview!
-Chris
