Greetings!

I'm Chris, the humble Jaguars blogger from Big Cat Country, one of the SB Nation NFL Blogs.  I'm joining you today to open up a discussion about my desperate Jaguars as we look toward our meeting on Sunday.

So if you've got any questions, comments, concerns, or just want to talk a little smack, feel free to do so here, I'll respond to just about anything.

Did you know that the Vikings are the last team in the NFL to come to Jacksonville?  Since 1995, you've never travelled to J-ville. 

I look forward to your questions!

-Chris

Minnesota Vikings (5-5)	GAME #11	JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)
	VS.

There's still a game to play:

I realize that it's awfully hard to look at the next game against the Vikings.  I'm having a hard time with it myself, looking at Adrian Peterson and the Williams Duo just fails to get me worked up about the game.  The wind, as they say, is out of my sails.  Or, as my dad would say: "And then...depression set in".  The 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars will begin their offseasion a little earlier than we expected.  Nearly two months earlier, in fact.  But what we have to remember is that every second of tape the Jaguars have to examine their roster, the better they'll do at righting the ship.

Frankly, the players who give up and let it show on the field can assure themselves that they've played their last downs with the Jaguars.  The looming free-agents, Khalif Barnes, Reggie Williams, Mike Peterson, et al, will all need to show their suitors that they played right through the echo of the whistle of the last snap of the last game.  If anything, the Jaguars now have a wide open sandbox for testing and developing talent for next season.  There's a degree of pressure that is no longer with the team that just might prove useful in ending with a winning record.

And it all starts against the Vikings.  Our friends at the Daily Norseman have a lot to worry about internally about this week.  They've got several players under varying degrees of scrutiny by the league, whether it's Jared Allen and his love of late hits, or Pat and Kevin Williams looking at an imminent, albeit questionalble suspension for a prohibited substance in a weight-loss pill.

So there's that, it might be another game where the Jaguars have a chance to prove that they can beat teams that have significant absences on their defense. 

What are we looking for?

A win, plain and simple.  The Jaguars put up an win here and start the slow march toward a winning season.  We are at a point where nothing can be taken for granted.  There are no "easy wins" no "weak teams", as the Jaguars are completely unpredictable.  Nothing's more dangerous than unpredictablity. 

Just win baby, win.

We've still got a lot to talk about:

There will be a debate held here at Big Cat Country that will pit writer against writer, commenter against commenter.  It will divide us, it will frustrate us, and ultimately, it will be completey out of our hands.  We have to debate who will take the fall for this season, as someone at the highest level of this team, whether it be James Harris, Gene Smith, or Jack Del Rio will face some sort of consequence for the disappointment of this season.  It is my opinion, and I will flesh this out in more concrete terms later, that James Harris is finished as General Manager. 

What's on your mind on this slow Wednesday?

Benchmark Cleared: Jaguars get Seven Sacks

Observations of a Rout:

As we observed yesterday, the benchmark for a quality victory revolved around the systematic reduction of the Detroit Quarterback situation to rubble.  Were the Jaguars to slide out of the Motor City with Drew Stanton and Daunte Culpepper on their feet, the Jaguars would have failed, regardless of the final score.  Seven sacks were recorded, adding to the mere 11 notched all season.  Everyone got a piece of the action: Daryl Smith and Derrick Harvey had 1.5 each, Clint Ingram, Rob Meier,  Jimmy Kennedy and Derek Landri combined for four more.  Pressure was found everywhere, the long passes to Calvin Johnson were more the result of his remarkable ability to catch the uncatchable rather than any particular failure on the part of the Jaguars.

Speaking of Calvin Johnson, I was obsessed with the one-on-one battle between Johnson and Rashean Mathis.  I've been a little hard on Mathis so far this season, but considering the difficulty in covering Johnson, I thought he did a remarkably good job.  I have not yet watched the film to note the coverage, but when they were both making a play on the ball, Rashean seemed to get his hands up and break up the play.

As a unit, the defense played tight, hard and well-coached.  The few bright spots for the Lions offense were the result of broken plays and the outstanding young players in Johnson and University of Central Florida running back Kevin Smith.  Hang in there Detroit, you'll get back into it.  Just stockpile draft picks and stay away from free agents and it'll happen.

The Ground Game

It is tempting to look at what the Jaguars accomplished on the ground yesterday and think that the Jaguars of old are back.  Unfortunately, this was a tease.  We won't know if the move of Dennis Norman to left guard is a hit until it faces the Tennessee Titans.   Let's not forget, however, that Fred Taylor is now the 18th player in NFL History to rush for over 11,000 yards.  It was fitting to see Taylor cross the threshold to greatness while Maurice Jones-Drew hammered the Lions for three touchdowns.

Flashes of Life:

Would you believe that Jerry Porter AND Troy Williamson caught touchdown passes?  Would you call me a liar if I told you that ten Jaguars caught passes?  David Garrard was crisp and clean with his passes.  Jerry Porter caught two passes, both of which showed that he just might do what we paid him to do.  Even Williamson got a piece of the action, which delights me far more than it should.

The 51st Win:

Jack Del Rio, as we're told today by Vic Ketchman, is on the doorstep of his 51's win as head coach of the Jaguars.  After what it took to get to 50, imagining the Jaguars sending the Titans back to Nashville with their first loss seems to be a little on the limit of what I can imagine at this point.  Not to be a downer, but the Jaguars are going to need to prove that they can keep this up if they've got any shot against the Titans. 

We'll break this down a little more closely as the week goes on, but for now, remember that sometimes a scrappy team with nothing to lose (the Jaguars) can make a statement against an undefeated powerhouse who honestly needs to drop a game sometime between now and the playoffs.

Why not Jacksonville?

-Chris

Vic Ketchman just said something that I'm adopting as my benchmark for this game.  If the Jaguars cannot get pressure on the quarterback in this game, against this offensive line, against a 280 pound Daunte Culpepper, then it's time to blow it up and start all over.

Derrick Harvey needs to show something today.  I was thinking about the NFL draft and listening to Jaguars this Week and I learned that the "perfect day" for the Jaguars would have been drafting Jeff Otah for the offensive line or Lawrence Jackson at defensive end.  Both players have shown more than our current flock of picks, that's for sure.

Of course, I'm breaking my own rule about not judging a draft pick during the middle of their first season, but when you're already worried about the Jaguars letting the Lions escape with a win, you get a little bit cynical.

I've not plugged him nearly enough, but Sean over at Pride of Detroit writes one of the most fantastic sports blogs out there.  I'd strongly encourage you to pay him a visit!

As for me, I'll be watching along with nearly undivided attention.  Thank god this election is behind me.

-Chris

[Note by River City Rage, 11/06/08 4:39 PM EST ]From the department of credit where it's due: Michael Wright of the Florida Times Union broke the Peterson story.  Other folks aren't giving him credit for reporting it, but I certainly will.  Thanks Mike for the hard work!

What. Is. Happening. In. Jacksonville. Seriously. All I want to do is enjoy my post-election-victrory hangover and instead I'm getting bombarded with emails and phone calls about the meltodwn and destruction of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to mention the strange turn of Big Cat Country into a political blog.  Which will never, ever, ever happen again.

I don't even know where to begin.

1. The Locker Room Shuffle: Justin Durant and Daryl Smith got moved out of the "linebackers corner".    Unless George Wrightster is moving from tight end to linebacker, Jack Del Rio is breaking up the cliques in the locker room. Then again, Daryl Smith was moved between Matt Jones and Jerry Porter, who really inspired confidence in the seriousness of the team with their giggling and laughing during the post-game press conference. About damn time.  The play of our linebackers has been a disaster from day one. Especially Mike Peterson.

Speaking of...

2. Mike Peterson's dismissal: Long story short.  Mike Peterson celebrated a sack that a: was caused by the Quarterback tripping over his linemen and b: was actually credited to Derrick Harvey.  He's not been with the team, and frankly, should be cut.  Mike's been a distraction with his contract and will not be with the team next season.  I don't see a compelling reason to keep him on the roster if he's going to be a problem in the locker room.  Cut him and move on.

3. Injuries: John Henderson and Fred Taylor are more hurt than they've let on.  Henderson has an MCL issue, which might help explain some of the lousy push on the defensive line.

But let's be frank. This team is cascading toward irrelevance.  Jack Del Rio is secure for obvious contractual reasons, but James Harris and the rest of the front office should probably think about updating their resumes.  I'm not a "fire X" kind of fan, I know how unpredictable the NFL is and that calling for someones head won't help prepare the team for playing the Lions on Sunday.  That said, a team that was playoff bound during the preseason is now on the doorstep of making NFL history.  The Jagaurs could very well be the first team to lose back-to-back games against winless teams. 

There's a lot to muck through here.  None of it is good.  If you told me three months ago that by November 5th I'd be starting to think about blowing up this team and starting over, I'd laugh in your face.

The NFL.  Not. For. Long.

-Chris

Seriously.  Go Vote.  This site is proudly apolitical, but there's no reason why you shouldn't go out and vote today.  As I always say, vote early and vote often. 

If you don't know where to go vote, I'd encourage you to visit Vote 411.  They'll give you your polling location.  If you're worried about your vote counting, visit 866ourvote, they are a non-partisan group devoted to protecting voters from all the various impediments that can pop up on election day.

Since this is a Jaguars blog, there's probably a good amount of readers from Florida.  If you need help with voting, or just have a question, use this hotline: 1-866-308-6739

As for me, I waited 2.5 hours on Saturday to cast my ballot.

I'm looking forward to election day being over.  As some of you know, I'm working on a major congressional election (candidate and party will be kept private, both for the sake of my employment and to avoid bringing partisanship to the site) and will be starting my day in about 90 minutes.  I've spent over 90 hours a week since early August on this campaign and it's come at the expense of just about everything in my life, espeically this site.  With the election almost over, I look forward to focusing back on Big Cat Country and hopefully moving on a bit after what's been one of the most difficult (and satisfying) adventures of my (young) life.  It's been painful to miss Jaguars game while working, but what's been the worst is not being as active on BCC.

Big thanks to Collin and FSBlue for helping keep the site chugging when I've been slammed with campaigning. Big thanks as well to all the readers and fanposters who've I put on the front page. Jagz08 and Tkopa get a major shout out for their well written and well thought-out posts.  I've been so proud to see this site take care of itself with my absence, quite a rewarding feeling to know that we've grown so much that BCC has its own institutional momentum.  It's hard to write for the site when I'm stuck between working on an article or stockpiling sleep, but it's just about over.  Tonight, things come to a conclusion, one that I'm cautiously optimistic about, but one that's been the result of hours of hard work.  If you've ever volunteered with a campaign, you'll know the feeling.

Just in case anyone is curious, my day tomorrow includes organizing nearly a hundred volunteers to cover everything from polling locations, phone banks, canvassing, and election protection.  It starts at 4:30 and won't end until we know that the ballots are counted and the vote is concluded sometime in the late evening.  In fact, by the time I get to the "watch party" at the end of the night, the results will be long known and the speeches given.  But such is the life of a campaign worker.  What matters is that I've helped countess people to utilize their right to vote and hopefully made a difference.  I want to win, no dobut, but the relationshps I've made with my volunteers, the friends I've made on staff, and the fact that I've pushed myself farther than I ever thought will stay with me no matter how the results turn out.

Frankly, I'm ready for this to be over, but the next 18 hours will be the most intense I've ever had. 

It's a strange contrast with my thoughts about the state of the Jaguars.  As we got closer and closer to election day and the excitement built, Sunday were the hardest day because the Jaguars, the thing that I use to escape from politics, were struggling so much. 

Anyhow, it's a weird thing to ask, but when you're watching election results, no matter who you're supporting, take a moment to think about the countless hours of hard work that staffers on every side of the aisle are putting in to make this happen.  TV ads and Cable News get so much attention, but elections are won and lost on the backs of over caffinated and underslept staffers and the critical volunteers who believe so strongly in something that they give up their time for weeks and weeks to make something happen.  I've had volunteers this cycle who have come in two times a week since early August, just on the hope that they could make a difference.  There's a grandmother who thought that our staff was eating poorly (Publx Fried Chicken, Pizza, and Red Bull) that she started bringing in fresh baked muffins and healthy dinners. 

Politics is dirty and nasty on the outside, but the true motor of a campaign comes from people wanting to make a difference.  Sure, the outcomes can be frustrating and disappinting, but what makes it all tick is a desire to do something positive and change for the better.  Republican or Democrat, we can all get behind that.  I've made lifelong friends and met more interesting people in a little part of Central Florida in the last 100 days than I ever thought possible. I've been fed, housed, and even clothed by near strangers all because we had the same goal.  It's simply remarkable the goodness that comes out of something so ugly.

This is starting to turn into something very different than when I started, but since I can't really sleep, this will have to do. 

What you see on the outside of campaigns is largely theater.  The pundits, surrogates, talking heads and talk radio hosts are  only the surface level of what really happens.  These are also aimed at people who typically already have their minds made up.  What really swings an election one way or the other is the direct contact between volunteers and voters.  While ads and what not might shore up the base, there's simply nothing more effective (both in cost and in results) than neighbors talking to neighbors.  It's not how many yard signs (and don't get me started about yard signs) you put up, it's not how many times you mail out attack pieces and "go negative", it's all about having a conversation.  The power of personal politics is far greater than that of any TV spot, that's for sure.

So, in conclusion, wish me luck today.  It's going to be a long day.  Hopefully I'll get to celebrate (and sleep in for three days) when it's all said and done.  Remember that no matter who wins, on November 5th, we are all still Americans.  And for the love of god, don't skip the downballot races.  Nothing makes me more upset than people who are only voting for the Presidential Race and then stopping.  All poltiics is local, and it's the Member of Congress, the City Council, the State Senator, the State Represntative, and even the Soil and Water commissioner who makes the decisions that effect everyone on a daily basis.  You can't complain if you don't vote.

Good night, and Good Luck.

-Christopher

Here we are, a few hours away from facing the winless Bengals.  I'm dangerously close to election day, and will be working hard through the game, so I'll be relying on you all to keep me updated. 

The Jaguars have to win this game and leave with confidence if we expect to make a playoff push.  There's no question about it.  Especially the running game.

Please visit Cincy Jungle for all your Bengals information!

-Chris

Yeah, I'm working again.  Only two more Sundays till I'm through this election, so you'll have your full-time Jaguars Blogger back again.  Anyhow, this is our Open Thread for the Browns-Jaguars game. 

If you're looking for the best Browns coverage around, please check out Dawgs by Nature, hosted by Chris (not me).

I'm looking forward to this game.  I smell an offensive jaggurnaught coming out of the woodworks.  Pun intended.

-Chris