With the players on a bye week, they are active on their twitter accounts. From traveling all the way to the West Coast to trips to the Golf Course the players are enjoying their four day vaca. Curious what they are up to during their free time.

The players seem to be using their break wisely. In case you missed the part about Marcedes Lewis, apparently he was rushing out of the facility earlier this week to go donate $20,000.

I hope everyone is enjoying their break & refreshed to get back in the game this coming week versus the Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
Sunday, October 16th @ Heinz Field

The Jaguars are on the road this week & in search of their first win since week 1 versus the Tennessee Titans. Currently (1-4), the Jaguars hope to improve their record before their bye week but have a tough 3 game stretch.

10 things every Jags fan should know leading up to Sunday’s match-up versus the Pittsburgh Steelers:

1.       Pittsburgh currently has the #2 ranked defense in the NFL (2^nd only to Cincinnati). The Steelers have only allowed their opponents 282.2 yards per game.

2.       Jacksonville’s defense ranks #11 on the list, allowing their opponents an average of 316.4 per game.

3.       The Steelers had a big victory over the Titans in Week 5, where Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of his 34 passes with 5 touchdowns & 1 interception.

4.       The Steelers defense will be missing a key component on Sunday as James Harrison is out due to the recent surgery on his orbital bone.

5.       Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall will return to his starting role on Sunday.

6.       Since rookie QB Blaine Gabbert took the starting role, he has played in 4 games with 3 starts. Gabbert has completed 48 of his 97 passes for 608 yards accompanied by 3 touchdowns & 2 interceptions. During the 3 games he started he has thrown a TD pass.

7.       Rashean Mathis has had 6 NFL career games versus the Steelers; during those games he has recorded 6 interceptions, two of those for a touchdown.

8.       Jacksonville’s updated injury report: Clint Session (Elbow) & CB Derek Cox (Groin) are doubtful; LT Eugene Monroe (Shoulder) is questionable.

9.       Jags fans will get what they asked for on Sunday… After a terrible performance all season the Jags released Matt Turk this week & signed Nick Harris to take his place. Will Harris be an improvement or yet another disappointment?

10.   Finally, the news we have all been waiting for… AARON KAMPMAN WILL PLAY ON SUNDAY! He is expected to take about 15-20 snaps versus the Steelers.

* * *

Did you know?

·         The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost all of their last four home games.

·         The Steelers have never beaten the Jaguars at Heinz field.

·         Jacksonville & Pittsburgh have met 20 times; the Jaguars currently lead the series (11-9).

·         During their last 5 meetings, the Jaguars have come out on top 4 times.

·         The Jaguars are the only team in NFL history to beat the Steelers at home twice in one season (2007)

·         Blaine Gabbert turns 22 on Saturday (Happy Birthday Blaine)… He is still in search of his first career victory. Maybe his birthday luck will roll over into Sunday? Do you think that’s what he will be thinking about when blowing out the candles on his birthday cake?

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.

What I learned about the Jaguars during preseason…

 After Thursday night’s loss to the Rams, the Jaguars preseason schedule finally came to an end. I’m not saying I was not excited about the return of football, but I’m ready for the regular season! During the past few weeks obtain plenty of new discoveries about my favorite NFL team. 

Marcedes Lewis is ready to set new career records.

After receiving the franchise tag & signing a brand new – $35 million – Five year deal with the Jaguars, the tight end from UCLA is prepared to earn every penny. He had a breakout season last year finishing with 58 catches for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lewis is going into his sixth season and appears to be in his prime. With limited action in the preseason Lewis is ready to show everyone what a summer of mixed martial arts training in Los Angeles has done for the 6-foot-6, 262-pound tight end.  

“I put more pressure on myself than anybody else could,” he said. “If I drop a ball, I put more pressure on me than you guys think I do. It means more to me than anybody outside could ever say to me. The pressure on me to succeed is much deeper than any voice can ever tell me that I’m doing something wrong.”

 If Cecil Shorts continues the play the way he is, he will take a starting position by mid season. 

The Mount Union Alum was drafted by the Jaguars as the 114th overall pick (4th round) in April. Against the Atlanta Falcons, Shorts notched five receptions for 52 yards playing against a majority of Atlanta’s first string defense. In Thursday’s game versus the Rams, Shorts contributed to Jacksonville tying up the game by catching a 17-yard TD pass from third string quarterback Luke McCown. The rookie wide receiver is still third on the depth chart but with the Jaguars struggling with this position since Jimmy Smith left, there is a good chance he can move up the ladder.

 The Jaguars defense better be worth every penny. 

During the four preseason games the Jaguars defense may not have received the media attention they had hoped for, but the entire defensive line has played with passion and managed to cause pressure on opposing quarterbacks and running backs. After last season’s defense rankings, head coach Jack Del Rio made it clear during training camp that he wants to put more pressure on the Jaguars defense creating turnovers. During the off season JDR & general manager Gene Smith made some crucial dramatic changes to the defense by signing linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session, safety Dawan Landry and cornerback Drew Coleman as free agents; in addition to the veterans safety Courtney Greene, cornerback Will Middleton, and defensive tackle Nate Collins and Leger Douzable. These players did not come with a cheap price tag however, seven of their defensive starters playing on contracts worth $206 million — Posluszny, Session, Landry, Smith, Aaron Kampman, Tyson Alualu and Rashean Mathis.

 Blaine Gabbert has potential but is not ready for the starting position; while David Garrard fails to perform like a starting QB.

 Blaine Gabbert as expected the enivitable debate continues about who should be the Jaguars starting QB. David Garrard remains the starting QB, even though fans speculate how long he can could on to the position. During preseason Gabbert’s inexperience showed but Garrard failed to prove he show keep the starting QB position.

 Maurice Jones Drew is flying under the radar.

 The first time the Jaguars star running back took the field was Thursday night versus the Rams. Since the lockout ended he has been practicing with the team but still recovering from a season ending knee injury in 2010. MJD is smart, and as a top running back in the NFL he just taking it easy so he can dominate the field this season. MJD & head coach Jack Del Rio both agree that it is more important for him to be healthy for the entire 2011-12 season than it is to play in the preseason. Last season MJD he averaged 4.4 yards with 5 touchdowns. 

Fred Taylor will always be a JAGUAR.

 Jacksonville signed veteran running back Fred Taylor to a one day contract so he could officially retire a Jaguar. Taylor was the Jaguars first round draft pick in 1998 that paid off for the Jaguars when he produced 286 receptions for 2,361 yards. During his eleven season career in Jacksonville he started in 136 of 140 games, in which he played against all 32 teams and recorded a 100-yard rushing game versus 24 different NFL teams. Taylor is the leading career rusher with career yards (11,271), single season- during 2003 (1,572) and single game – at Pittsburgh in 2000 (234). His franchise records consist of forty-eight 100 yard rushing games and 70 touchdowns. In 2009, he released by the Jaguars and spent his final two seasons with the New England Patriots. On Friday, the Jaguars celebrated the retirement of Fred Taylor to commemorate the running back that helped shape the Jags Nation.

 The Jags Nation is truly stronger than ever.

 I am sure you’ve all heard this before: “Oh the Jaguars still have fans?” Most irritating thing anyone can say to me. I believe the Jags Nation is as strong as it has ever been, and only growing stronger. With the help the Jacksonville community, efforts of Team TEAL & many other Jaguar fans the support for the team is more alive & glowing than ever. Not only have fans contributed extreme support for the team but the Jaguars have been more involved with the community than ever before. The Jaguars are still trying to avoid blackouts this season but with the efforts of the ticket office & marketing staff less than 9,000 tickets remain for week one. 

Preseason records are irrelevant. 

Over the last 3 seasons there have been a total of 24 division leaders at the end of the regular season; Of those 24 teams only 4 of them had a winning preseason record. Teams who perform well during the preseason tend to get the media hype but then under perform in the regular season. Since 2003, nine teams finished preseason 4-0; only four of them produced winning records. Last season Carolina, Cincinnati and the New York Giants were 4-0 during preseason but all these teams went on to finish 8-8. Since the preseason is a time for teams to prepare for the regular season so most starters play limited time. During this time teams are working out the depth charts to figure out the best plan for the upcoming season. The Jaguars starters saw limited playing time during the regular season which make them an underdog going into the regular season.

Tonight completes the Jaguars preseason schedule in DUVAL versus the St. Louis Rams. The Jaguars enter the game with a preseason record of (1-2); while the Rams have gone undefeated in the preseason after knocking off the Colts (33-10), Titans (17-16), and Chiefs (14-10). The only preseason win the Jaguars have thus far was versus the Atlanta (15-13), where they only allowed 264 total yards & one trip to the red zone for the Falcons offense. As I have been saying all along, it is only preseason & with most of the Jaguars starters seeing limited playing time, NFL fans everywhere seem to be underestimating Jacksonville’s potential for the regular season.

Star running back, Maurice Jones Drew will take the field for the first time tonight after nursing a knee injury from the end of last season. Also returning to the field is DE Aaron Kampman, but head coach Jack Del Rio has made it clear both players will see limited action.

The Jaguars & Rams have met three times before in preseason, with the Rams leading the series (2-1). The first time the two teams met was in 1996 where the Rams took the win; the last meeting was in 2009 where the Jags won at home in OT (23-20).

This meeting means a lot to the Rams wide receiver, Mike Sims-Walker who is returning to EverBank for the first time since he left the Jaguars in the offseason. Sims-Walker spent 4 seasons with the Jaguars after being a 3^rd round draft pick and went on to start 28 of 38 games.

“It’s definitely bittersweet, I still have that, I don’t call it a chip, I call it a crack. I have a crack on my shoulder. A chip is not big enough for what I got right now,” stated the Rams wide receiver.

He is not the only St. Louis player with ties to the Jaguars, center Drew Miller spent the 2008 season with the Jaguars. Current Jags defensive tackle Leger Douzable spent one season with the rams in 2009, where he played 12 games and record 16 tackles.

Even if the preseason record for the Jaguars doesn’t look promising, there have been a few players to shine this preseason. Kicker Josh Scobee is the leading scorer for the Jags with 24 points after making 7/8 FG. Wide receiver Cecil Shorts have proven to be an excellent addition to the punt return team. After five receptions for 52 yards versus the Falcons, he recorded a 15 yard punt return in Buffalo. Third round draft pick, Will Rackley is the only rookie in the starting lineup for the first three preseason games.

Tonight’s game is the first of two Thursday night games for the Jaguars this year. They will face the Falcons again for the primetime game in Atlanta on December 15^th. The Rams/Jags game will be televised tonight on CBS47.