MVN: Most Valuable Network

The sad saga that has become known as the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars added a new chapter as the team went into Chicago hopeful of stopping the bleeding only to leave the windy city with another loss on their record. 

It has almost become a foregone conclusion that if it's Sunday, the Jaguars will find a way to lose.

We hear it all about how they are practicing well and how the team is not quitting, but the effort and determination has set into motion a collapse of epic proportions for a team once touted as a title contender.

The Jaguars have no answers to the slide.

Jack Del Rio maintains his mantra of getting back to work and playing for pride.  That seems to be working out really well for the team.  Obviously, pride is not a problem for this group of Jaguars. 

There are certainly a few exceptions. 

Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor are still playing like they care.  Both running backs continue to run hard despite the fact that in most cases, they are fighting defenders for the hand-off as the offensive line demonstrates their mastery of the back pedal. 

Marcedes Lewis appears to be playing his heart out.  He has quickly become one of the best blocking tight ends in the league.  He has suffered some questionable drops, but he is one of the few players on the roster right now who at least LOOKS like he is trying out there. 

Even when David Garrard has time to set up in the pocket and pick his targets, his lack of confidence thanks to the lack of protection he has gotten from his offensive line leaves him feeling vulnerable, and the once efficient signal caller has reverted to his 2006 version, making bad decisions and forcing passes where they do not need to be thrown.  It was crystal clear with his first pass from scrimmage yesterday when Garrard planted, scanned, then launched a pass that was promptly intercepted and returned to the kill zone by Chicago. 

Garrard is hardly to blame for all of the woes that the team has suffered this year.  But, his progression has come to a screeching halt since inking the contract that gave him $18 million guaranteed in the bank, and a deal that could earn him upward of $60 million. 

This is a team that is seriously lacking talent.

The receivers, who had been expected to take a step to the next level this year, have been mediocre.  Has anyone on this roster heard of yards after the catch?  Other than a running back, the receivers on this roster have developed what can only be considered to be an aversion to contact after the catch.  They do not get any sort of separation, and when they do get a catch, their proclivity to hit the deck is becoming legendary. 

If you need 6 yards to get a first down, you can expect your receivers to run a 4 yard route, and immediately drop like wet bags of cement on first contact.  The Jaguars wide receiving corps is probably the worst in the National Football League. 

Jerry Porter has been a non-factor after signing a big free agent contract during the off season.  He has dealt with significant injury that required surgical intervention, so expectations were tempered to begin with.  He is not 100% right now, but some of the issues that he has had since returning to the lineup have had nothing at all to do with his hamstring, and everything to do with a lack of concentration.  I do not claim to be a medical expert, but hamstring injuries do not normally impact the hands.

Matt Jones has been the most productive receiver this year, but is that really saying much?  He has become a solid possession receiver, and there is nothing wrong with that.  But, this is not what he was touted to be for this team when he was drafted.  He has certainly improved his play this year, but to the extent that he is starting to live up to his draft status?  Not quite.

Reggie Williams is coming off of a franchise record ten touchdowns in 2007.  He has been almost invisible this year.  Odds are good that he will become the second first round draft pick in the Del Rio era to wind up playing in a different uniform next season.  The team cannot justify spending any money on a new contract for a guy who has been underachieving for 5 years now. 

There have been reports surfacing lately indicating that Mike Walker's photograph has been discovered on local milk cartons.  The receiver that once gave the faithful some hope of a long-term solution at wide receiver has been missing in action for most of the season, including a healthy scratch in Chicago.

The defense continues to leak like a termite riddled wooden boat.

The secondary, now struggling from the loss of Rashean Mathis, has continued to show that they are more than capable of making even the weakest quarterbacks in the league look like world beaters.  If there are any quarterbacks circling the drain out there that are in a contract year, the best way to get healthy and fleece their team for a few extra dollars, pray that the team from Jacksonville is on your schedule.  They will do their best to assure that you look like the next Peyton Manning. 

If you are a running back looking to pad your yards per carry average, run it right at the middle of the Jaguars defensive line.  You will not get much resistance.  In fact, you might find encouragement from the terrors in teal as they create the lanes for you. 

John Henderson has lost his game since seeing his line mate, Marcus Stroud sent packing.  Perhaps he needs to reinstitute his pregame ritual that included a good slap in the face.  If the Jaguars want to help their bottom line, sell the game day slap to the highest bidder on a weekly basis.  It is not like people are going to be intimidated by Henderson, or anyone else on the toothless Jaguars defense. 

The end of the season cannot come quickly enough for the 2008 Jaguars.  That is clear from the way they are closing things out between the lines.  Change is coming.  How significant that change is will directly impact how quickly this franchise rises from the ashes and returns to mediocrity under Jack Del Rio.