Source: jaguars.com

Sorry this is getting out a little later in the week…it was a heart-wrenching loss and it has taken me until now to find answers. Not really, because my eyes knew the answers all along. But after a bit of investigative research, I’ve found  some telling insight into just what went wrong. I’ve also found a lot that went right and some exciting developments that the Jaguars’ can build upon (along with the three victories in our last four games and a manageable schedule moving forward). Point #1 is a doozy, so make the jump to continue reading…

• 1. So what did your eyes see? It all makes sense once you burn the stat sheet. On the first drive of the game, I saw a Giants’ running game that was tunneling holes through the Jaguars front-seven like the Vietcong. I saw Brandon Jacobs, running hard behind his pads, not being touched for the first five yards and then blowing up whoever tried to tackle him for a few extra. I saw Ahmad Bradshaw take a swing pass to the outside and burn our linebackers for 10 yards and a first down. I saw Eli Manning doing exactly what Colt McCoy wasn’t capable of – hitting receivers perfectly in the “honey hole” of our Cover 2 defense (see diagram below: the yellow circles to the left and right are the honey holes), just over top of our corners and with perfect timing, making it impossible for our fledgling safeties to make a play in time (he hit this pass several times and that was the same throw Mario Manningham ultimately burned us for a touchdown on).  And though there were some fantastic stops by the Jaguars’ defense as the game progressed, that first drive defined much of the game, as the Giants’ ran hard and hit the passes they needed to when they needed to. Late in the game, I saw the Jaguars’ send seven blitzers on what ended up being the deciding play of the game and right after I saw seven blitzers come up short, I saw Green Courtney Greene (who I do like and hope can continue to develop in our defensive) one-on-one with a massive tight end, Kevin Boss, who broke the tackle with relative ease and ran unimpeded the remaining 20 yards to the end zone. In the first half, I saw a Jaguars’ offensive line that absolutely mauled the Giants’ defenders and made huge holes for Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings, who ran their hearts out. I saw David Garrard executing a superbly called gameplan by Dirk Koetter that protected the quarterback with short dropbacks and passes that right at the sticks or designed to get good yards after the catch. In the second half, I saw a Giants’ defensive line that came alive, no longer relenting to the Jacksonville maulers and coming after the quarterback with a tenacity not seen in the first half. I saw David Garrard throw an interception on his first pass of the second half and take some hard hits after the throw in the following series and after that I saw David looking extremely tentative when he was taking anything more than a three step drop. I saw the Jags get caught in some 3rd-and-longs that they didn’t face in the first half and get absolutely demolished by the pass rush. And then I saw a scoreboard that said 24-20, Giants.

Source: footballtimes.org

• 2. Digging deeper: exploring the Jaguars’ play-calling and 3rd down situations. Many fans complained that we abandoned the run in the second half, so let’s look into it…In the first half, the Jaguars’ called 17 running plays, 16 passing plays, and David Garrard scrambled twice. Five of those passes and two of the scrambles came inside of the two-minute warning. In the second half (and up until the final drive, which was 9 straight pass plays), the Jaguars called 12 passes, 11 runs, and Garrard scrambled 3 times. Seems pretty balanced to me. If you take issue with the play-calling, you might be able to make an argument for handling the final drive different, but Koetter was calling a damn good game up until that point. It gets more interesting when you look at the Jags’ 3rd down situations. There was only one 3rd-and-long (8 yards or more to go) in the first half; six 3rd-and-longs in the second half. A little research seems to tell a more complete story of the Jaguars’ 3rd down successes and failures and might explain why we lost the game in the second half. The Jaguars were 5 for 6 on 3rd down in the first half BUT the only 3rd-and-long situation (8 yards or longer to go), the Jags did not convert (this was the “surrender” run near the goal line, following a 3rd-and-7 where Manuwai falsely started, and resulted in a field goal). In the 2nd half, the Jags were 7 for 11 on 3rd down, converting all but one of their 3rd-and-short or 3rd- and-medium (less than situations. The Jags had six 3rd-and-longs in the second half; they converted a 3rd-and-9, were awarded a first down after defensive holding on a 3rd-and-10, and failed on 3rd-and 8, 20, 18, and 25. What does this tell us? The Giants’ pass rushers are who we thought they were. David Garrard was hit 11 times for four sacks and three stripped balls and ended his last drive with a lost fumble and a sprained wrist. When they knew we were passing, they got to us and in a big way and if you can’t pass effectively in the modern game, you’ll end up bleeding away a perfectly good lead when the other team does pass the ball well, does rush the passer well, and does find ways to win in crunchtime.

• 3. The Jaguars can be proud for much of their performance and there are some indicators that this team is sharply on the rise. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but our 2006 2nd round draft pick, Maurice Jones-Drew, aka: Mighty Mouse, aka: the Human Pinball, aka: Pocket Hercules, is BLOWING UP RIGHT NOW! This man is the hottest running back in the NFL with four back-to-back 100 yard games. Everyone got on Mojo’s back last year about fading down the stretch, well not this year. It may be a passing league, but as long as those giant little legs are churning under #32, he will be the soul of this offense. The run blocking has been stellar, which has much to do with the resurgence of Vinny Manuwai. I watched the game on NFL Replay and this guy was throwing Giants’ lineman to the ground the whole game – his new nickname should be IHOP the way he was dishin’ out pancakes. And that was a huge reason for the Jags’ success on 3rd down, they converted every 3rd-and-short in the game and most of the time by running the ball – that is possibly the biggest development in our offense and is a huge sign of our progress. The Jags also showed their maturity by not only avoiding being flustered by the big stage, but executing their gameplan with calm perfection in the entire first half. Playing in New York, New York against one of the league’s premier franchises is a big deal to a guy in his first, second, even fifth year guys and despite the shortcomings in the second half, the Giants are responsible for beating the Jags – not the distractions of the venue. We may get to the playoffs, we may not, we may win a playoff game, we pay not, but we won’t lose because the stage was too big.

• 4. Sorry fans, can’t blame the coaching on this one. Dirk Koetter had the gameplan dialed in perfectly on this one. The Jaguars let negative plays on 1st and 2nd down and untimely penalties put us in some touch situations in the second half and this is where the Giants’ defense finally slowed us down. Many fans are faulting Del Rio for the 2nd half collapse of his team and admittedly, this team has been a 35 minute team for the last few games (the first half and the last 5 minutes), but this week was only a 30 minute team. However, this is the trademark of our youth rather than our coach. These guys are just now learning how to play together and win together. They’re learning who they are and what the NFL is all about. Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton haven’t even turned 25 and are already turning into one of the most dynamic tandems in the league. That Mike Thomas guy is pretty good. Eugene Monroe has shut down some of the best pass rushers in the NFL when he’s on the field. I’d say they’re learning faster than we ever could have hoped for…

• 5. The Jaguars still managed to get back to work on Monday relatively unscathed. The Colts not only lost Sunday, keeping the Jaguars effectively on top of the AFC South, but they did it on the national stage and everyone now knows that the Colts (and Peyton Manning) are not who they used to be. Their aura, their mystique, have faded like a 4th quarter Manning pass and you better believe teams will be coming at them for the rest of the season without fear. Honestly, the Giants game, though emotional, was the one we could most afford to lose – it was a non-conference game and had little implication as far as tiebreakers.The AFC South is wide open and the Jags control their destiny – win our two home games against the Raiders and the Redskins (not a cakewalk, but certainly manageable), take down either the Texans or the Titans on their turf, and beat Indy in the Lucas Oil Dome and you can punch our ticket to the playoffs.

- Andrew Hofheimer

Black and Teal | A Jacksonville Jaguars Blog

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• 1.) David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew almost lost the game for us by accounting for six turnovers, but like leaders do, they put that behind them and won the game in crunch time. It’s hard to make light of six turnovers, but the box score does not tell the full story, as two of Garrard’s three picks were catchable balls that the intended receiver deflected into the waiting hands of the defense. There aren’t many days where your defense will only allow 3 points off of six turnovers, but Garrard and Jones-Drew have to get credit for stepping up big when time was tight. Mojo converted runs from 3rd-and-3 and a 4th-and-1 in enemy territory on the Jags’ “do or die” drive late in the fourth quarter. After driving to the 5 yard line and being sacked on first down and a Tiquan Underwood drop on second down, David connected on a gorgeous 14 yard strike to Marcedes Lewis to tie the game at 17. The defense surrendered a field goal on the Browns’ ensuing drive and with three minutes left, the Jags took the field down by three points on their own 13 yard line following a muffed kick return. David threw a quick first down to Kassim Osgood, then connected with MJD on a short screen that was taken merely inches from the goal line and punched in two plays later.

• 2.) The Jaguars’ growth along the offensive and defensive lines since last year’s match against Cleveland was striking. Despite the Browns’ acclaimed personnel on both lines, Jacksonville was visibly dominant in the trenches – paving the way for Jones-Drew to run all over, keeping Garrard decently protected, shutting down one of the most physical rushing attacks in the league, and posting a total of six sacks. Last year, it was the complete opposite – the Jags had no sacks and despite a complete inept passing attack, the Browns still managed over 200 yards rushing. Gene Smith and Jack Del Rio made a promise that days like that would be behind us. They are.

• 3.) The defense matched up against the Browns’ strengths and weaknesses perfectly – well, almost. Colt McCoy simply does not have an NFL arm. The Jags’ vulnerable spots (in cornerback and safety play) were unable to be exploited because McCoy was physically unable to hit us where it would hurt – outside the numbers and over the top. Knighton and Alualu had possibly their best day together as pros and took away the middle from Peyton Hillis all day, not allowing him a single rush over 6 yards. However, our linebackers did not have their best outing, which showed on big gains on QB runs and short passes to Hillis. Derek Cox missed the tackle on Hillis’ 47 yard gain, but Justin Durant was in coverage and though they played well much of the day, the linebackers were out of position, missing tackles, and getting blocked out of the play more than they should have been.

• 4.) They got it done when they had to, but the Offense hit a lull in the second half, much as it did last week. Against Houston, it was more of a bout of ineffectiveness and this week, it was more like actively trying to give the game away. But for two games in a row, the Jaguars’ have taken a lead into halftime and come out flat, scoring now points both weeks while surrendering double digits to both the Texans and the Browns. Obviously, the Jaguars need to make a concerted effort this week to keep the pedal down in the second half and come out of the locker rooms ready to hit the Giants’ in the mouth.

• 5. Two miraculous endings aside, the Jaguars are getting big breaks in the start of the second half of the season. Maybe this really is a team of destiny, like that ‘96 squad that did so much more than anyone thought they could. But the Jaguars have gotten two big home wins and the turmoil within the division is making a division title seem like a real possibility. Houston is coming apart at the seams, finding ways to lose in the last minute, as they always seem to do under Gary Kubiak. The Vince Young fiasco in Tennessee closely resembles the plot of a Jersey Shore episode and it appears that the wary Jeff Fisher has given up on the volatile favorite son of owner Bud Adams once and for all. Young was placed on IR today and will likely never play another game for Tennessee (and may never be let back into their facilities). The fledgling rookie out of Florida Atlantic, Rusty Smith, will start for the Titans this week and with Kerry Collins injured, will likely stumble through a few games until Collins is healthy or Tennessee relieves him with a free agent signing. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Chokeartists, errr…Colts…are finding their own ways to lose games and can’t seem to keep any of Pickoff Manning’s, sorry…Peyton Manning’s…supporting cast healthy. There is a lot of football left to play and the Jaguars’ are not without their own injuries and struggles, but hey, it looks like we’ll have some exciting games to look forward to while we enjoy the Holiday Season.

Hope all of our readers out there have a very Happy Thanksgiving and hold on to your scarves, because who knows what this young bunch of rag-tags (of the highest character, of course) have in store for us.

- Andrew Hofheimer

Black and Teal | A Jacksonville Jaguars Blog

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• 1.) It will not be written that Maurice Jones-Drew faded in the second half of 2010. Legs churning beneath him like Road Runner and plowing through defenders like Mighty Mouse, there was nothing cartoonish about the workman-like performance of 100 yards and two touchdowns. On Sunday, his legs look fresher than they’ve looked all year. This season may rest on David Garrard’s shoulders, but Mojo is still the heart of the offense, despite a quieter year than we’ve come to expect from him, on and off the field. After putting up a day like that, it makes you wonder where all those rumors about a secretly torn meniscus (torn hibiscus?) were coming from during the first few weeks.

• 2.) This game perfectly illustrated the fine line between genius and notoriety. How many times have we heard Jack Del Rio say it? When you win, you’re a genius and when you lose, you’re a dog. But the Jaguars found a way to win this week, so it’s all good. Going for it on 4th down in the 4th quarter from our own 43 yard line? GENIUS. Playing for the field goal instead of a touchdown in the late 4th quarter (even though Scobee missed)? GENIUS. Deji Karim returning a kickoff that almost went over his head and then almost fumbling the ball away with less than 5 minutes to play? GENIUS. Letting Garrard heave the Hail Mary instead of playing for overtime? GENIUS. I hate to think what fans would be saying about Scobee, Garrard, Deji, and JDR if we had lost that game, but it goes to show how the outcome of every game is the result of lots of controversial decisions that are forgotten in the joy of a win and dwelled upon in the wake of a loss. Sure doesn’t hurt to have Lady Luck on our side, though.

• 3.) Could it be, that at age 32, David Garrard is finally maturing into a consistent, starting-caliber NFL quarterback? After wresting the starting job from the previously bulletproof Byron Leftwich,  a guy drafted to be a career backup was given the keys to the offense after riding the bench and doing relief duty for the previous five seasons.  Despite his impressive 2007 season, David has been coddled by the coaches and playcalling most of his career. Some of that is due to limitations the coaching staff perceived in his game. Some of that is due to the limitations in his supporting cast of pass catchers and pass protectors.  But he has always been treated like a backup and never like a star. Jack Del Rio’s comments about David not being an elite quarterback and the following challenges presented by owner Wayne Weaver were well documented this summer. David was asked to step up and he responded by spending more time in the film room, more time with his receivers, and inventing creative ways to better himself and his teammates. A few games into the 2010, it became clear that there was “Good David” and “Bad David”. Part of me wonders if the time off David took during his concussion inspired him to look in the mirror and ask himself which David he wanted to be. He saw that he could do it – be a commanding field general, a laser-sharp passer, an electrifying playmaker. I believe the bad games we’ve seen this year are the last remnants of the old David. I believe that finally, in his ninth NFL season, David Garrard believes that he has all of the talent and all of the supporting cast to a top 10 quarterback. And his coaches are starting to believe it, too.

• 4.) Before Kampman’s injury, the defense would rally around him. Now, they must rally in spite of him. The defense played extremely well in the first half against Houston, but I can’t lie to you, not a single player stood out. And when it hit the fan in the second half, players were looking around like Kampman might suddenly come running on the field to their rescue. New leaders must emerge and I’m not talking about the Ray Lewis, pre-gaming dancing, on-field screaming, type. I’m talking about players like Aaron who play at their full capacity and to the highest intensity whether the team is up by four touchdowns or down by four touchdowns. Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton must maintain their high level of play and anchor this defense from the outside-in. Daryl Smith has to regain his form and again become a player that young guys can rally around. I see something special in Courtney Greene – he tackles well and tackles hard and is making the most of his opportunity and he could become a leader in the secondary.

• 5.) If the Jaguars’ are not built to play tough by this point, the remaining schedule will eat them alive. There are no scenic overlooks left for the Jags to to pull over and enjoy the view. Up next is a Browns’ team that has knocked off the Saints, the Patriots, and took the Jets’ down to the wire in overtime last week.  The week after that we play the Giants, a premier NFC team who can rush the passer, run the ball, and throw it deep, all with great efficiency. After that,  we have all three of our division rivals on the road, a Raiders’ team that’s running the ball better than anyone right now, and the Redskins, who despite some disappointment, still have McNabb under center, who has been as successful during the regular season as any other player for the last 10 years. If there are any holes in the Jaguars’ resolve, it will be tested and exploited. But if we have matured and can play tough down the stretch and find a way into the playoffs, this team will be battle-tested and can hopefully do something…miraculous.

Black and Teal | A Jacksonville Jaguars Blog

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