My fellow Jaguar fans, it’s been a long & rough season, huh? I know, I feel your pain! Starting with the end of the NFL lockout to now, we have seen our fair share of heartbreak. It all started with the cutting of David Garrard and has continued with the firing of Jack Del Rio. As Jaguar fans we really have seen it all this season.

And here we sit in Week 14 with our 3-9 record. While most NFL fans would be ashamed of their team, it seems the Jaguars Nation is not. I mean after all this record is clearly a true representation of the season.  

The 2011 season was not all bad, even though it’s hard to see now.

After the 2010 season, Jaguars fans made it clear that they wanted Jack Del Rio to go. However, Wayne Weaver gave him what I will label a “redemption” season. After the second week it was clear that this “redemption” season wasn’t going to pan out the way JDR had intended. Unfortunately, by the time Weaver decided that he had made the wrong decision it was too late.

With the announcement of Jack Del Rio being dismissed, came the news that the Jaguars would have a new owner soon. Changes always leave fans to speculation and this change was no different. From the rumors of the team moving to LA to the ignorant racial comments made about the team’s new owner; it is clear that this situation will not be going over without a small scandal.

Shahid Khan will replace Wayne Weaver starting in January, but true Jaguar fans are already excited about their new leader. During the Jaguars primetime MNF, fans could be spotted sporting their “Khan Stache” on national TV. This was just the Jags Nations way of showing their support & excitement for the new owner to take over.

Rocking the stache at the MNF game with my brother, Mason.

Now I don’t want it to sound like Jaguar fans aren’t appreciative of everything the Weaver’s have done for Jacksonville. However, it is obvious that something in Jacksonville needs to change & this is a great opportunity.

During this season we have had the opportunity to watch our rookie quarterback learn & mature into what we can only hope will be a star NFL QB. I mean I know it’s been hard to watch him coward away from the tackle, miss wide open targets & constantly be ranked the 33^rd quarterback in the NFL, but at least he has this season under his belt. While his future is still unclear, it seems reasonable that he would stay in Jacksonville & if that is the case then I guess he can only go up from here. I mean I guess he could try to be the 34^th passer in the NFL.

You have to admit, no matter what your feelings towards Blaine are, that it is not entire his fault. This season was no different from the past few seasons. After all the QB still has no one to throw it to. Marcedes Lewis had the best season of his career in 2010, to turn around in 2011 & be completely useless. Mike Thomas is still the best option for a WR but is still not of the caliber he could be. Jarrett Dillard has shined during the season & is moving his way up the depth chart. Jason Hill made headlines this year, but not in the way he had hoped. After bad mouthing the New York Jets leading up to their game in week 2, he did nothing to impress this season & was then let go.

At the end of the day every Jaguar fan needs to sit down & thank God that we still have a healthy Maurice Jones Drew. Seriously, do it right now. Without this guy… whoa… I’m not sure I even want to venture down that road. Just think for a quick second how this season would’ve played out if MJD wasn’t on the field, I’ll give you a minute………….. Long enough… Kinda of scary, huh?

Now we all know how the Colts feel without Peyton. Speaking of which, thank God for the Colts bottoming out this year or the Jags really could be the worst team in the NFL.

You’ve heard it before & you’ll hear it again. This was just another rebuilding year in the Jaguars record books.

Can it even go down from here? Let’s just hope not.

Assuming the Jaguars don’t pull a miracle together & win a few games towards the end of the season, it’s looking like they could have a top 5 pick.

Perfect. Just what we need. Now let’s just hope that we don’t blow it!

I know it has been a long & tough season but don’t give up yet! The next few games are looking winnable! Starting with Sunday when the Jaguars will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In week 7 the Jaguars will prepare for their first MNF game of the season when they host the Baltimore Ravens at EverBank. Here are today’s top news stories from Jacksonville:

 - Today Rashean Mathis was just doing his part in the community by visiting an elementary school when he was questioned about his head coach’s future. Read more about the inquisitive first grader.

 - News first broke yesterday that Mike Sims Walker will be returning to Jacksonville. No official word on his contract details but according to Tania Ganguli he will be back in Duval.

 - In case you missed this headline yesterday, David Garrard’s agent compared him to Peyton Manning & referred to the Jaguars as a “sorry organization”.

 - “Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio was right about DE John Chick” – Wait a second… This headline is actually giving Jack Del Rio some credit! Read more about where JDR might have gone right this season.

 - The Jaguars are looking to snap two losing streaks on Monday Night; they are on a four game losing streak for the season, as well as a 7 game losing streak during primetime matchups. More about the unfortunate Jaguars primetime history.

 - The Ravens defeated fellow a AFC South team in Week 6 with a 29-14 victory over the Houston Texans. Read more about how they fared.

 - The rivalry between the Jaguars & Ravens goes way back to the days of the AFC Central. Here’s more on the Jaguars – Ravens matchups.

 - The Ravens ditch their playbooks for iPads? Read more here.

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Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for more news from the Jags Nation.  

Any NFL coach knows that if their team loses 32-3 in Week 2, they are going to feel the heat. Jack Del Rio is no different, but he isn’t just feeling the heat… I’m pretty sure he is touching the flame! JDR made a bold coaching move on Sunday when he opted to leave in Luke McCown after he had a safety & 4 interceptions before pulling him out with 13:55 left in the 4^th quarter. The head coach started out the regular season with a daring roster change & he has not instilled very much confidence in his coaching abilities since cutting starting QB David Garrard.

Let me start off by mentioning that I’m not here to bash JDR. In my eyes he has done a lot for Jacksonville. With that being said, this is football… and in the NFL winning is what really matters. JDR is aware this is his last season in Jacksonville if they do not make the playoffs this year, yet it seems as though he is throwing in the towel. Granted, we are only preparing for week 3; so he does have a chance to turn things around, but Sunday should have made it perfectly clear he won’t be doing that with Luke McCown as his starter.

This edition of Twitter Tuesday will highlight the intense discussion of JDR’s future from my fellow Jags fans.

Jaguars – 16

Titans – 14

Week One. The weekend NFL fans across the nation have been waiting for. For some, today was a joyous day; For others it was a reminder of the hardships that come with football season. The Jags Nation is in celebration after the Jaguars dominated their division rivals the Tennessee Titans 16-14.

Before kickoff the Jaguars had an emotional 9-11 tribute, which consisted of fullback Brock Bolen and cornerback Will Middleton leading the team out of the tunnel while carrying American flags. Both players have military ties, Middleton’s brother is in the Navy, and Bolen’s father earned three Purple Hearts. There was also a moment of silence & a flyover by the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard, at EverBank field in remembrance of the victims and heroes of 9/11.

The lead for the Jaguars started early in the first quarter after the Jags defense forced Matt Hasselbeck to three-and-out. With 6:49 left in the first, Maurice Jones Drew proved once again he is a top tier RB with a 21 yard run to the end zone.

“They came out of the box with the crowd and the enthusiasm and they got points on the board and we didn’t,” the Titans head coach Mike Munchak stated in a post game interview. “We were flat early and there’s no reason for that. We had a good week of practice, we were ready to play, all those things. But the bottom line is it equates to that first quarter.

Not only did the Jags play like they came to win, they managed to shut down the Titans star running back Chris Johnson. Johnson recently joined the team after a holdout for a new contract that lasted most of the preseason. The Titans RB seemed irrelevant during the game as he ran nine times for 24 yards and caught six passes for 25 yards.

At halftime the Jaguars were shutting out the Titans 10-0. The Titans attempted to come back towards the end of the 3rd quarter but were not successful in taking the lead. Titans WR Kenny Britt caught an 80 yard pass from Hasselbeck for a touchdown, with 2:18 left in the 3rd making the score 13-7. On the Titans next possession Dwight Lowery intercepted Hasselbeck’s deep pass.

“The smarter play probably would have been to hit Chris and see what he could do and hopefully spike it and give our field goal team a chance,” Hasselbeck said post-game. “I’m sure the coaches will come up with some positives, but right now it’s hard not to focus on the negatives.”

There were few negatives for the Jaguars during their opening game. However, TE Marcedes Lewis did have to leave the game & missed the entire second half after needing an IV due to cramping. MJD was also absent during the second half after being replaced by Deji Karim. Needless to say MJD, who finished the game 24 times for 97 yards and had a 21-yard touchdown on the Jags opening drive, was less than excited about the coaches decision.

After the game he stated, “I didn’t know it was going to happen, they made their decision.”

There was intense speculation around the NFL on the abilities of Luke McCown, after being named the starting QB when the Jags decided to release David Garrard five days ago. McCown proved he is ready to step up to the opportunity & lead the Jaguars after finishing today’s game 17 of 24 for 175 yards, with only one turnover after fumbling away a snap.

The Titans acquired veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck during the off season who completed 21 of 34 passes for 263 yards during his debut with Tennessee.  He did little to impress until the end of the 4th quarter when he was attacked by Leger Douzable from behind, yet he somehow managed to get rid of the ball and lobbed a pass to Britt near the sideline, where he ran for 80 yards. The Titans managed to score a touchdown after a 2 yard run from Britt but it was not enough to take the lead away from the Jaguars. Jacksonville took a one in the win column today with the final score of 16-14.

Jacksonville Jaguars

VS

Tennessee Titans

 September 11^th, 2011 @ 1pm

The Jaguars open the regular season hosting their division rivals Tennessee Titans at EverBank stadium with tomorrow’s kickoff starting at 1:00pm. NFL fans across the nation are waiting to see how the Jags perform after cutting their starting quarterback, David Garrard, 5 days before opening day. Replacing him will be Luke McCown, who is backed up by the Jags first round draft pick, Blaine Gabbert.

The Jaguars finished preseason (1-3) with their only win versus the Atlanta Falcons. Jack Del Rio is ready to start the regular season with his fresh, healthy team. During preseason he limited the starters playing time to allow some players time to officially recover from injuries & to expand with the depth of the team. The only player to not play at all during the four preseason games was Eben Britton, due to a back injury, but he is ready for week one.

The Titans have finally reached an agreement with RB Chris Johnson, who missed part of preseason due to the negotiations. Matt Hasselbeck joined the Titans during the off-season to fill the quarterback position. The Titans will be coached by former offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who has taken over for the departed Jeff Fisher.

Currently, the Jags rank 2^nd in the NFL for their kickoff weekend record (10-6), behind the Denver Broncos. Usually Duval is plagued with extremely high temperatures during week one, however this year the temperature should be more appealing since it will be in the mid 80s. This will be the 33^rd meeting between the Titans & Jaguars with the Titans leading the series (18-14), the first 4 wins are from the Houston franchise. Jacksonville managed to lift the blackout for week one in a last minute push during the requested extension. You can watch the game locally on CBS 47 or tune into WOKV AM & FM (690, 106.5).