Jaguars: Now Is the Time for the Team to Panic with Rivals on the Horizon

The star running back says the players are at fault, not the coach. The rookie quarterback and veteran center are pointing fingers at themselves for a botched play.

The special teams didn’t do the team any favors and the coach tells the media in his post-game press conference he is tired of losing. And the leash given to the coach and coaching staff is becoming shorter, almost to the point that it has become a dog collar.

Welcome to life with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After a 30-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the team is still left soul searching in an open sea of conflict that began in the offseason and has continued to plague the team like a terminal illness.

Yes, it has gotten that bad.

And, with the schedule in front of this team over the next month, it only figures to get worse unless there are drastic changes. The loss Sunday did more to make a statement about what needs to be changed rather than the progress ahead. Rookie Blaine Gabbert threw for 221 yards, hit Jason Hill on a 74-yard touchdown and the running game did its part with Maurice Jones-Drew doing most of the damage on the ground.

The defense held Cedric Benson in check and limited Andy Dalton to less than 200 yards passing. They pressured the rookie passer and stopped the run and even put the team in position to score in the red zone. But mistakes in the offense and stalled drives erased what could have been a 21-13 lead at the half instead of the 13-13 tie.

Head Coach Jack Del Rio must have walked into the locker room after the game and wonder what he needed to do to get a victory in a game the team should have won and more importantly, needed to win. Momentum is crucial at a time like this, the only problem is the momentum is in reverse and the only way to stop it is to hit the imaginary wall and start over.

Del Rio’s comments and expression said it all in a story the Florida Times-Union:

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"The first two times we're down there in the red zone, knocking on the door, I see us making those plays in practice. How does the game feel when you have 21 points instead of 13? I'm seeing those things and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Holy cow, you gotta be [expletive] me -- it's unbelievable."

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With teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston and San Diego on the schedule, does this mean the team could only have one win before it gets to the bye week? The outlook looks bleak. And if this does happen, does Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver do what he has been so reluctant to do for two years now and make a change at the head of the coaching staff?

There are plenty of good coaches out there including Herman Edwards, Jon Gruden and of course, Bill Cowher. None of those possibilities look plausible right now. And the team and the fan base are stuck with what this team has now.

The team spent a lot of money to revamp a defense that is pretty good this season but it did not shore up its receivers. Instead, giving contract extensions to players like Mike Thomas and Montell Owens still did not solve problems of needing another receiver and more weapons.

And again, the fan base, already thin from veiled promises, is tired of waiting. The time is now to show that this team is real and can win. More loses mean that this team will be talked about as a possible fit for Los Angeles, the team will face more scrutiny and there will be more questions left unanswered.

And in a time like this, when a head coach said he is tired of losing and seems like he already has one foot out the door, it would appear by the tone in his voice or expression on his face, he already knows this as well.

So what is there to fight for?