(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Week's One through Five were tough for the Jacksonville Jaguars as seen in Part One of The 2009 Jacksonville Jaguar Game-by-Game Season Preview. So far the Jaguars have faced the 2008 Superbowl runner-up Arizona Cardinals, a formidable west coast NFC Seattle team on the rebound, as well as all of their AFC South divisional counterparts.
Before previewing the next five weeks, what did we learn during the first part of Jacksonville's schedule?
By this point, we should really see what kind of team the Jaguars will be in 2009. Two avenues we should really be able to focus on is the offensive line and the secondary.
The additions of Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton should be providing substantial holes for Maurice Jones-Drew to run through. If this is not happening, the Jaguars are most likely not on the positive side of .500 by this point.
The secondary has also been greatly tested thus far. Facing the passing attacks of Payton Manning, Kurt Warner, and Matt Hasslebeck in the first few weeks really allowed us to see what the secondary is made of.
We have also been able to see the Jaguar corners line up against wideouts such as Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, TJ Houshmanzadeh, and Andre Johnson. Has Rashean Mathis rebounded his play to reflect his 2006 Pro Bowl year?
How has rookie corner Derek Cox responded to the NFL coming from the small school of William and Mary? How has free agent acquisition Sean Considine responded to his new team? We will know the answers to these questions by this point.
Now onto Week Six:
Week Six: St. Louis Rams, Home
Week Six presents Jacksonville with their most winnable game on paper thus far. Coming off of a 2-14 year, the Rams made good moves in the offseason, but nothing that reflects a "win now" approach.
It seems the Rams are building for the future selecting OT Jason Smith with the No. 2 overall pick and following up by taking MLB James Laurinaitis at pick 35. As a matter of fact, three out of the first four picks were defensive players. For a team that struggled scoring points, the lack of play-makers was not addressed in this years draft.
This game also presents a great storyline featuring current Jaguar wide receiver Torry Holt. Holt spent the first 10 years of his expected Hall of Fame NFL career in St. Louis and will be facing-off against his former team for the first time.
Overall, stopping the Ram's will highly depend on the defensive line and their ability to slow down Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson. If Jacksonville can contain Jackson to 50 or 60 yards rushing, the Jags should walk away with a nice home win. Look for Torry Holt to have a big day against his former team.
Week Seven: Bye Week
There's no time to sit back and relax during the bye week for Jacksonville. The AFC South divisional title is on the line and the Jaguars will have to play the Tennessee Titans once again Week Eight.
We should have a solid idea of the team's structure and depth chart by the bye week. The Jaguars will be anxious to see how Torry Holt's knees are holding up and how the absence of Fred Taylor is effecting the running game.
If the Jaguars want to make it to the playoffs, it is imperative that they are playing .500 ball at this point.
Week Eight: Tennessee Titans, Away
By Week Eight last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a record of 3-4 and had already lost once to the undefeated Tennessee Titans. They played them once again in Week 11 and lost for a second consecutive time.
This year might provide a different scenario. It's highly unlikely that the Titans will once again be undefeated by this point and most Tennessee fans and beat writers aren't so sure that Kerry Collins will be the starting QB by Week Eight.
Collins did just enough last year to keep their team on the winning track. However, he never really showed that he still has staying power as a starting NFL quarterback. Now after signing an extension, I'm not convinced he will once again catch the fire in the bottle needed to keep his job.
Tennessee drafted Vince Young in 2006 to be the franchise quarterback for a reason, not to sit on a bench collecting millions.
Might we see Vince Young suiting up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week Eight? I think it's more likely then some may believe.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Jacksonville Jaguars articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete