So glad that this guy is our #1...

The deal sending Tim Tebow to the Jets has been made Jaguars fans. Personally, I find this to be really good news after being scared into believing that Tebow would be a Jaguar. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Tebow the person and all of that, but he does not fit this team.

We all know how the Jaguars struggled in the passing game throughout much of last season. In an attempt to alleviate those problems the Jaguars have a completely rebuilt coaching staff that will be implementing a new, updated, pass-centric style of offense. Now in order to make that work, you need to either have or be grooming a quarterback that is going to throw the ball around consistently on a game to game basis.

Tebow is not that quarterback, not yet anyways. And that is beside the point. We drafted Blaine Gabbert (early in the first round) last year for the sole purpose of making this his team. What sense would it make to bring in another first round quarterback not even a year later?

Then factor in the mayhem that would ensue every time Gabbert had an incompletion or an interception. Remember what happened in Miami and Denver last season? Multiply that by 100 to get an idea of what would happen here.

Oh, and let’s not forget when Gabbert threw screen passes into the ground, on purpose, and some fans took that as him not being able to see the field, or not wanting to stay in the pocket and take a hit. News flash; if the quarterback holds on to the ball on the screen play that would more than likely result in a penalty because the linemen go to block downfield. That is illegal if the quarterback has not thrown the ball.

But we need not worry about that now. The Jaguars have their guy, and now Tebow gets to go to New York to battle Mark Sanchez for the starting job. In all honestly, I think he has a good chance to take over up there. But down here, not so much. He would have to beat out Chad Henne for second and then Blaine for first. I’m sorry but that wouldn’t happen.

But of course those Gator fans and whatnot would be screaming for him to play. Would the Jaguars use Tebow in another area of the game to appease that group of fans? Sure. Would it actually appease them? Not a chance.

Hey, maybe Shahid Khan wanted to show that we would at least attempt to get the guy. He’s a crafty businessman, so I’m under the impression that he knew what he was doing. That was still a pretty close call though, for my liking anyway.

But that is all behind us now. Time to go wait on this draft.

Go Jaguars!

The Jaguars fall to the New York Jets (32-3) in Week 2.

The Jaguars first road game of the season ended in a 32-3 loss for the team. Not only was the score devasting, the amount of turnovers Jacksonville’s offense  gave up was simply hard to watch. As I mentioned in yesterday’s game preview, if McCown wanted to keep Jaguars fans from chanting “GABBERT, GABBERT, GABBERT”… he was going to have to continue winning. Luckily for McCown he was in the Meadowlands on Sunday, or there would have been a distinct chant coming from the stands. McCown finished the game with a  1.8 passer rating that consisted of a safety, completing 6 of 19 passes for 59 yards.

“You’d like to not have a day like this, but they happen. I’m not the first guy that had a day like this. I probably won’t be the last. I’ve got to be better,” stated McCown during a post game interview.

Jack Del Rio waited until the 4th quarter to pull McCown & let the first round draft pick from Missouri have his regular season debut. Blaine Gabbert was only 7 yards short of McCown’s total yards for the game, he completed 5 of 6 passes for 52 yards. Keep in mind Gabbert entered the game with 13:55 left. Head coach Jack Del Rio was as usual unspecific about who will ne the starting QB next week when the Jaguars travel to face the Carolina Panthers. Gabbert told reporters after the game that QBs stick together & he supports the coaching decisions of the team.

“I wish Luke was 30 for 30 with 500 yards and a bunch of touchdowns and we would have won the game,” Gabbert said. “That didn’t happen today, but like I said, we need to learn from our mistakes and get better as a whole.”

The Jaguars seemed to have handed the game to the Jets with all their turnovers. Sanchez finished 17-for-24 for 182 yards with two interceptions & two touchdows. The Jets rushed 32 times for 101 yards. The Jaguars did get to face former QB Mark Brunnell on Sunday, after he replaced Mark Sanchez in the 4th quarter. Jets WR Santonio Holmes started the game with a TD on the opening drive, while Plaxico Burress was ineffective during the game with zero catches.

The Jets defense was more successful in shutting down the Jagaurs running back Maurice Jones Drew during week 2 than they have been in the past. MJD finished the game with 18 carries for 88 yards and added three receptions for 19 yards.

New York Jets

VS

Jacksonville Jaguars

In Week Two, the Jaguars go on the road for the first time this season when they travel to New York to face the Jets. Jacksonville has one goal in mind this week and that is to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2006. This task will not come as easy as the Jags would hope since the Jets dominated the Cowboys last Sunday night. However, the Jaguars have just the right tools to win this Sunday’s matchup. This will be the 9th meeting between the two teams with the Jaguars leading it 6-2. Jacksonville has won the last 3 game versus the Jets, with the last meeting in 2009 when the Jaguars came out of the MetLife stadium on top, 24-22.

Many NFL fans were expecting a rough week one performance from the Jags after Jack Del Rio & Gene Smith decided to let go of their starting QB, David Garrard & replace him with his backup Luke McCown. What people didn’t realize is McCown has waited 7 season for his chance to start & he wasn’t going to mess up the opportunity to keep the position. He lead the team to a week one win over the Titans, 16-14. McCown has one advantage in the first few games of this season, he has been in the NFL for 8 years but never started so teams don’t know what to expect out of him.  McCown finished week one 17 for 24 for a total of 175 yards & a passer rating of 91.5. During his 8 years in the NFL he has never faced the Jets but hopes to make a lasting impression this Sunday.

“I think he has a chance to be consisent for us,” stated Jack Del Rio during an interview this week. “The preparation he does & the decision making is pretty solid.”

The new QB was not the only roster move that proved to be successful in week one; Matt Roth, who is a backup for Aaron Kampman, sacked the Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck on the first play from scrimmage for a loss of 6 yards. Safety Dawan Landry recorded 7 tackles during week one; Dwight Lowery ended the game with an interception with only :23 left in the game. The Jaguars defense limited Chris Johnson to 24 rushing yards and the Titans offense only rushed for 43 total yards which is the least amount in the NFL during week one.

Maurice Jones Drew is more than ready for Sunday’s game. The Jets have been ineffective in stopping the star running back, during their first meeting in 2006 he scored 2 touchdowns. During his career he has faced the Jets twice, recording 37 carries for 182 yards & 3 touchdowns. MJD is not the only Jags player to put up impressive stats versus the Jets, Rashean Mathis has 2 interceptions in his 4 career games.

The Jags defense is currently  #2 ranked run defense in the league and hopes to shut down the Jets running backs, Shonn Greene and Ladainian Tomlinson, in this week’s game. One of the Jets star WRs, Santonio Holmes, may not play Sunday as he is listed questionable. Regardless the Jags expect to see Plaxico Burress on the field for the first time since he returned to the NFL. Last Sunday’s performance by Mark Sanchez was less than impressive but that doesn’t mean the Jags will underestimate his potential this week. He was tested for a concussion this week but has been cleared & will definitely be prepared for this week’s game.

The Jaguars WR, Jason Hill, was stirring things up this week when he was asked if he thought the Jets are overhyped. His response:

“It’s a game that we all play. He been playing the game, Revis, just as long as I’ve been playing. This is a game full of good players making plays. He just made a lot more plays on TV than we’ve made being here in Jacksonville. He’s a good player. We respect him. Hopefully he respects us because we’re going to bring it just like they’re going to bring it,” he stated during the interview. ”I think the whole New York is overhyped.”

He went on to explain his opinion that because New York teams get more coverage from large media outlets such as the New York Times, they are attracting the attention of more NFL fans. Of course, that is true but stating in an interview you think the Jets are overhyped will never go over well. Hopefully on Sunday the Jaguars can attract their own media attention with a big win over the Jets in New York.

The Jets & Jags will face off in MetLife Stadium Sunday at 1:00pm. It will be televised locally on CBS47.

Injuries:

Jaguars

• Derek Cox (Chest) – Questionable
• Aaron Kampman (Knee) – Questionable
• Marcedes Lewis (Calf) – Probable
• Jason Hill (Hip) – Questionable

• David Harris (toe) – Probable
• Santonio Holmes (knee and quad) – Questionable
• Eric  Smith (ankle) - Questionable
• Logan Payne – Out
• Kenrick Ellis – Game time

During their last 2 meetings, the Jets have been unsuccessful in stopping MJD. With a healthy MJD, Sunday should be no different.

This week the Jags prepare to travel to New York for Week 2 versus the Jets. After a successful victory in Week 1 versus their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars have a lot to prove this week. McCown impressed skeptical NFL fans last weekend, after the Jaguars cut Garrard 5 days prior to opening day. However, any NFL fan knows that one week you may be in with your fans & the next week you are the next Kyle Orton. If McCown wants to keep Jaguar fans from chanting “Blaine Gabbert” during the games he is just going to have to keep winning. It appears as though McCown is willing to do whatever it takes to step it up for the opportunity he has been given, which even includes mentoring Gabbert. During an interview this week he stated,

“Yeah, that’s out normal Tuesday routine. We try to get in here around 8:30 or 9:00 [am] and we’re here till 1:30 or 2:00 [pm]. That’s what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. I had to learn that my first couple of years in the league behind Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb and Brian Griese and these guys, and Blaine is learning the same things.”

McCown’s performance in Sunday’s game versus the Jets will be crucial, but he is not the only player that will impact the results. TE Marcedes Lewis left the game early last Sunday versus the Titans; it was first reported to be a cramp and was administered IV fluids. Later it was discovered he in fact has a strained muscle. He has missed practice on Wednesday & may not practice this evening.  Lewis will test out the calf on Friday, and plans to play as long as he is not in pain. He is aware his team needs the Pro Bowl TE and stated in an interview this week:

“When I’m at my best, I give our team a better shot at winning. That’s why it’s annoying and frustrating.”

Even if Marcedes cannot play on Sunday, there is a glimpse of hope that Zach Miller could finally return to the field. Miller has not been able to catch a break from injuries since he joined the Jaguars in 2009. However, when he is healthy he is compared to other top tier TE’s such as Dallas Clark.

“Hopefully, he’ll be ready Sunday, too – but hopefully, we can all be out there contributing. An eighty- or eighty-five percent Marcedes Lewis is better than no Marcedes Lewis, but you don’t want to set him back,” Miller said during an interview when asked about Lewis’ injury and his own availability on Sunday.

The Jaguars finally have a healthy Maurice Jones Drew on the field & head coach Jack Del Rio is determined to keep it that way. As Jaguar fans saw last week, while fantasy football owners cringed, JDR removed MJD from the game because he is on a play count. Jacksonville’s superstar running back, suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee all last season, has been put on a play count to reduce the risk of injury. Jones Drew was limited action during preseason & Sunday’s win versus the Titans was no different, he finished with 97 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries before JDR replaced him with his backup Deji Karim who ran for 33 yards on 14 carries. Needless to say, this did not please MJD the slightest bit. After taking some time to cool down & think about the situation logically he spoke about it during a conference call on Wednesday, stating:

“It actually feels like when I was eight years old or maybe when I was born, fresh out of the womb knee,” Jones-Drew said during a conference call yesterday. “When you’re in the middle of the game, tempers flare, emotions are flying. The coaches are doing what’s best for the team. I can’t argue with that at all.”

The Jaguars finish finally preparation for Sunday’s game versus the Jets tomorrow night. The status on Marcedes Lewis & Zach Miller should be determined by then. JDR does not plan to release MJD’s play count, but in the fact that in last two meetings the Jets were unsuccessful in stopping MJD could equal more playing time for the RB.  The Jags Nation will have to wait until Sunday to see how things play out & fantasy owners everywhere will just have to take the risk.

Follow me on Twitter @RoarBlackNTeal or on Facebook.

You can see it on your co-workers faces, maybe your neighbor is sporting some new attire, it’s consuming Sports Center, and you can just feel it in the air, the best time of the year has returned! If you are just as elated as I am that our favorite sport has returned to the regular season, you understand the joy it brings to my face everyday! It’s amazing how a sport can unite people the way it does.

My Monday was filled with conversations, ranging from my boss to the mailman, about the Jags impressive win on Sunday. While it was great to rejoice in the win, it was only week one. Moving forward to week 2 in which the Jaguars travel to New York to face the Jets, there is lots of activity in the Jaguars Nation. In case you didn’t catch it all here are some highlights: 

• McCown has been flying under the radar during his NFL career.  Will that benefit him during his time as the Jags QB? Read more here.
• OH NO! The last thing any Jags fan wants to hear is that 3 starters are already missing practice! Jack Del Rio was vague on the “injuries” & when the players would return. Read more about Lewis, Cox & Kampman’s return.
• The Jags aren’t the only team facing injuries early in the season. It has been reported that Jets QB Mark Sanchez may have suffered a concussion after Sunday’s game.
• On Sunday when you think you are experiencing deja vu.. Just remember you are not. The Jets plan to wear their throwback “Titans of New York” jerseys for Sundays game vs the Jaguars.
• It’s good to know that NFL players don’t let Fantasy Football affect their onfield performances. In MJD’s case, he is still apologizing to Fantasy owners. Find out why here. Don’t worry MJD I’m willing to let you make it up to us with a HUGE game & win this week!
• I’m less concerned with Lewis helping my fantasy football team & more concerned with his impact on the Jaguars… With that being said, what will Lewis do for Fantasy owners this year?

That is it for today’s News from the Jungle! Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RoarBlacknTeal or on Facebook!