Jack Del Rio's quote Monday sums up the Jaguars this season better than I ever could. This team has and will test all of our commitments to this team. All I've preached for week upon week is to look at the positives. Yes, that's important, but it's not enough. There's positives in every game, but the wins are another story. You can't judge this team by wins and losses, but you sure can get pretty ticked off with those results. What is this team lacking? They're in every game (I hardly count the Jets game) and sure do the dirty work. But they don't put up point and they don't win. Clutch? Hardly. 12 men on the field. 10 men on a 4th down and short. Missed play call. Wrong personnel. How many problems can happen that these players can't control?
I'm tired of losing. I don't want to be the joke of the NFL (I'm still thankful we're not the Dolphins) and teams come in and aren't scared. Who's the leader of this team? Where's the motivation coming from? I don't see it.
There was balance on offense Sunday, but no execution. Same stories all year. No separation by receivers, drops by receivers, a woeful red zone offense, Turk putting our defense up against the wall, communication breakdowns, and just not enough talent some times. This Turk blunder speaks for itself. How dare you signal to the fans after you botch a punt. That's on you, not us watching you lose your job. No defense deserves to try to stop a team from taking the lead from their opponent's 25 off a punt. So what do we do now?
1. The 4-1-6 was working. People also will notice this as the 3 safety set. Posluzny was the one linebacker, and Dawan Landry was in the box in a would-be linebacker position, with Lowery and Prosinski as the traditional safeties. It was effective, to a degree. It was mostly used in passing situations and when it did, it minimized the amount of mismatches the Jaguars usually give up (running backs and tight ends) although theoretically Posluzny should be subbed for Smith, it worked, to a degree.2. What's up with the running game? Jonens-Drew had a great first half rushing, but had only 2 runs greater than 3 yards (6,8) in the second half. The first half those holes seem to be larger and better, though traditionally, the second half is when holes get wider, not the other way around.
3. Red Zone woes. This team couldn't score a touchdown if their life depended on it. I'm not being too critical. Touchdowns are so hard to come by with this team. They've only been to the red zone 7 times all year, and have only scored 2 touchdowns. You can't throw 3 times inside the 10 either. All season, inside the opponent's 10 yard line, Jones-Drew has 6 carries for 3 yards. Come on, man.
4. Yardage-wise the defense is great. 3rd downs? Not so much. They rank in the bottom of the league in 3rd down defense and even that lies. This defense can't get a team off the field. Even if they do their work on the early downs, this team will still give up a first down on a 3rd and long and it is just demoralizing for a defense. Our offense may be lacking, but our defense has to get off the field.
5. Been preaching this all year: Jeremy Mincey is the best pass rusher on this team. Not just the best pass rusher, but he has the best hands. And no, I'm not talking about catching balls. He knows how to use his hands to get free and make a move to the quarterback. Even on run plays he has a knack for finding the ball carrier and laying some wood on him. It's great to see a guy work hard to get reps and makes the most of his opportunity.]