Photo: Kansas City Chiefs center Andy Alleman, right, blocks Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson during the third quarter, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville won 24-21. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)
And off in the distance, a glimmer of light. At the halfway point of the season, the Jaguars improved their record to 4-4 against the visiting, one-win Kansas City Chiefs; refusing to quiet whisperings of a playoff berth.
A playoff berth? From a team that experienced a 50% roster turnover in the off-season, and that I said was rebuilding? Yes, it’s possible. As of now, aside from the division leaders, only 3 teams in the AFC have a better record than the Jaguars, and two teams share their record. One of which being their next opponent: The New York Jets.
Although we’re only in Week 9 next Sunday’s game at the Meadowlands could have serious playoff implications. Following the Jets, Jacksonville’s next two opponents are both 3-5, so next Sunday’s game could provide the impetus for the Jaguars to “get hot” in the latter half of the season.
That all sounds nice of course, but if the Jaguars are to make a legitimate post-season run, they’ll have to greatly improve on defense, where they are currently ranked 23rd in the league. Fortunately, they were able to make large strides in the right direction on Sunday, against a bottom-feeding Chiefs offense.
Photo: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, right, avoids a sack from Jacksonville Jaguars’ Bryan Smith, left, in fourth-quarter action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)
I think it’s clear that a major contributing factor to the improvement was Jack Del Rio’s decision to abandon the 3-4 defense they had been playing in weeks prior, and recommit to the 4-3 that has been the staple of Jaguars defense for the past decade.
After allowing the Tennessee Titans to rush for over 300 yards the week before, the Jaguars were able to hold the Chiefs rushing “attack”, that was without running back Larry Johnson, to a paltry 60 yards. With four down linemen, including Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves as defensive ends, the Jaguars had the “bulk” at the point of attack that they were flat-out missing while playing the 3-4.
The switch in scheme, combined with a renewed commitment to fundamentals (i.e. tackling), produced 3 sacks of quarterback Matt Cassel; as opposed to the exasperating FIVE sacks accrued in weeks 1 through 7.
Photo: Jacksonville wide receiver Jarett Dillard (87) makes a catch over Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher, left, in first quarter game action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)
After last Sunday, I think we can all agree that the 3-4 experiment is over, and Jack Del Rio all but said so himself. It was fun to think a team could switch base defenses just like that and not skip a beat, but I think most people knew that the Jaguars don’t have the kind of personnel required to make that scheme work.
Especially when the reason for the switch was losing players, like Reggie Hayward (DE) and Rob Meier (DT/DE), to begin with. Plus, JDR’s always been a 4-3 guy, and everyone’s always saying that a team should embody the personality of its head coach.
I don’t know about you, but to me the 4-3 just looks better. There’s something unsettling to me about seeing only 3 guys against 5 guys. But, whatever. As long as they’re stopping the run and sacking the quarterback, who cares what scheme they’re playing, right? Hell, line up in punt return formation if it means Mark Sanchez and Thomas Jones are on their backs all day.
And that’s where the true test for this seemingly reinvigorated defense lies. The Jets are currently ranked number one in the league in rushing, and Jones is the NFL’s 8th ranked running back. “Run the ball/Stop the run” will be absolutely critical in this game if the Jaguars hope to make it out of New Jersey above .500.
Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, right, catches a fourth-quarter pass from quarterback David Garrard, left, during an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville won 24-21.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)
If the defense cannot stop the run as it did against the Chiefs, the Jaguars could fall behind early yet again and be forced to throw the ball more than they’d like against the league’s number 2 ranked pass defense. The Jaguars will have to continue to give the ball to their Pro Bowl (Vote Now!) running back Maurice Jones-Drew 25-30 times and get another mistake-free game out of quarterback David Garrard to continue their hunt for a playoff berth.
Playoffs? We’ll see…
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Joey Marchy
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varick
