Andrew Son Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 20 minutes ago, SwagJag said: Hello all! As you could have guessed, I am a Jags fan. Wanted to pop by your forum to discuss the upcoming game and make myself available for any questions you might have about the Jags our our fine city some of you will be visiting soon. I have read every page of this thread and wanted to respond directly to some of the things stated. For this reason, this will be a long post. I solemnly swear that I am not a troll. First off.. CONGRATULATIONS! From one long suffering fan base to another, I can see how genuinely excited you guys are to be in the playoffs again. Fans here have had very little to cheer or for some time. We drafted a punter one pick before Russell Wilson and went from a 2 win season under Mike Mularkey to a dark age under Gus Bradley who was the losingest coach to ever lead a team to 50 or more games in NFL history. I think we can all appreciate this moment for a few days longer. I will start with the big one. Yes. Jaguars fans feel very fortunate to have drawn the Bills. We wanted no part of Philip Rivers who has owned the Jaguars for years before we eked out a 3 point home win this season. Similarly, we did not want to see a Ravens team we embarrassed in London who seems to have matured as the season wore on. That said, I would not say any true Jags fan feels overconfident about any game we play. The truth is, we never know which team is going to show up. The one that plays to it's ability or the one that finds ways to lose games they should win (like forgetting to touch a running back who fell to the turf and got up to run for a 75 yard TD). Jags fans perceive the Bills as the least terrifying opponent we could have played. I get the sense you guys feel the same about us. Truthfully, we may both be right. But aside from some of the homers, I cannot see how any true Jags fan can be too high this week seeing as we have stunk out loud for 2 weeks in a row. Someone stated we are bad at home. The truth is, we have won 5 in a row at EverBank field and despite the legion of Bills fans we know will be in attendance, the stadium has been rocking and will be very loud every time the Bills are on offense. Our fans are not terrible as someone stated. We have been beat down for years, but there is a real energy in this city for this team that has been missing for a long time. I don't think the city was this electric even the last time we were in the playoffs. Truthfully, I expect between 7000-9000 Bills fans to be on hand. A testament to a fanbase that has been loyal through lots of adversity. There are always some chuckleheads who will try to ruin it for everyone, but the truth is that our fans are by and large very nice and accommodating to visiting fans. Sure there is expected to be banter back and forth, but typically we treat all people well and those coming shouldn't expect open hostility. I heard a couple of jabs at Nathaniel Hackett as our OC. The truth is, he has been a godsend. Blake Bortles has been one of the most inaccurate downfield passers before this season (not that he is lighting it up now). Hackett did a masterful job of designing plays which play to Blake's strengths and has scrapped plays which he knows push Blake's limitations to the brink. I think teams have started to figure out his schemes as late, but before Hackett, we rarely saw the crossing patterns and wheel routes which have given Blake a comfort zone. You never know which Blake is gonna show up, so you cannot just look at the last two games when analyzing him. If that Blake shows up Sunday, you have my best wishes when you go to Foxboro. I have heard stopping Fournette is the big priority. Makes sense, but he has been hot and cold lately too. Our O-line is not great at making holes. Amazed Fournette got 1000 yards behind it. But we have won every game he didn't play. I think our gameplan vs. Tennessee was a bit vanilla by design as we wanted to hold some things back for the playoffs. But we will stay committed to the run. I am still baffled we keep going to the well with TJ Yeldon as a change of pace guy as he just isn't a threat to score. Good in pass protection or as a safety valve. Not much else. Ivory has been a healthy scratch and is also hit or miss. He has a knack for fumbling which limits his touches. The guy I have been frustrated we are not using is return man Corey Grant. Speed kills and he is small enough to hide behind the line and turn the corner on stretch plays. He has come up big time and again, yet we barely use him. As for Dareus, I would not expect him to have a ton of playing time as he was filling in for Abry Jones who is expected to be back at full strength. Dareus will be in the reserve role he has been since coming here. Calling our defense overrated is just silly though. Yes the 49ers lit us up, but that was an anomaly. Shanahan schemed a great plan and Jimmy G had a quick release which burned us early. They keyed on Poz a bit who is a solid run stuffer, but a liability in coverage. Truth is we have been awful on west coast trips since forever. We have not won on the west coast since 2005 and came out predictably sluggish. We had a number of uncharacteristic mental gaffes throughout the game and still almost came back to win. We will not blitz much and will beg you to throw. Our defense is good enough to win games on their own when they are on point. But if we fall behind by 2 scores, we are in bad shape. With a lead, this defense will ruin your day. The one thing that scares me is Tyrod's mobilty. QBs that can break contain have had success against this defense. We are much better with true pocket QBs. I'm not sure where that folding table thing came from, but it sounds like a joke. I will gladly provide my ID to anyone who needs a folding table and is carded. Saw a number of you are going to Wing It on Saturday before the game. I am positive it won't be as good as what you are accustomed to. Not the best restaurant in town. Jax is weird and the biggest city in the country in terms of square mileage. So everything is spread out. For those coming to town, we have a lot of good local breweries and restaurants. Intuition Ale Works is right across from the stadium and a solid choice, but I would also recommend Kickbacks Gastropub for beer lovers. You can reserve parking online at Tailgater's Parking lot which regularly draws opposing fans. If you are staying at hotels near downtown, you can catch a water taxi for $5 each way instead of paying for parking if that works better for you. Wishing you guys best of luck. Hoping for a good, clean, injury-free game. I am not sure either of us are super confident that we are Super Bowl bound, so I hope we can all enjoy the ride. Happy to answer any questions you may have. Welcome, and thanks for posting
26CornerBlitz Posted January 3, 2018 Author Posted January 3, 2018 8 reasons why the Bills can defeat the Jaguars By Ryan Talbot | Contributing writer Jaguars enter playoffs with little momentum Blake Bortles Tyrod Taylor's athleticism Bills secondary vs. Jaguars receivers Revenge factor Jaguars run defense Bills can play loose Similar team playoff experience
SwagJag Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 1 minute ago, SWATeam said: Welcome, and thanks for posting Thanks for having me. Truth is, I don't think either of us sees too much of each other's team and I have been trying to scout you guys as best I can. Plus I know Jax is a tough city to grasp for out of towners and wanted to offer up nuggets where I can for a better visit to those swinging through. The downtown is actually one of the worst places you could go for a good time. But it is close to the stadium, so a lot of people end up there. Tip number 1: don't go to The Landing. It's depressing and terrible. 1
No Cease Fires Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 Still love Dareus. His reaction to Kyle's TD was the best. Great post, SwagJag. Congrats on making the playoffs! Hoping it's a clean, competitive game.
Woodman19 Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 1 hour ago, SWATeam said: Welcome, and thanks for posting Truth is, I agree with you
NickelCity Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) Man I just can't stand Nate Hackett. Seeing his name just gets me riled all over again. Edited January 3, 2018 by NickelCity
BringBackFergy Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 2 hours ago, 26CornerBlitz said: It was a pretty innocuous statement of fact. Given your previously expressed negative sentiment, you should just man up and say you have lingering resentment against the guy. Yep
billsintaiwan Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 4 hours ago, ColdFront_USAF said: Unless you live where I do, and games are at 0300 on a work morning. I was really hoping for one of those Saturday night gigs Japan? I am 2 a.m. in Taiwan. The five a.m. game on New Year's Eve was brutal, but I made it.
eball Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, SwagJag said: Hello all! As you could have guessed, I am a Jags fan. Wanted to pop by your forum to discuss the upcoming game and make myself available for any questions you might have about the Jags our our fine city some of you will be visiting soon. I have read every page of this thread and wanted to respond directly to some of the things stated. For this reason, this will be a long post. I solemnly swear that I am not a troll. [snip] Wishing you guys best of luck. Hoping for a good, clean, injury-free game. I am not sure either of us are super confident that we are Super Bowl bound, so I hope we can all enjoy the ride. Happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for stopping by, and classy post. There's no question I typically disrespect Jacksonville as a pro football town but when the playoffs roll around every city tends to get fired up. I'm sure the crowd will be "lit." The Bills are simply a working-class team this season. Don't let the point differential fool you...they had a run of three crappy games in the middle of the season that skewed the number. It sounds silly to even say this, but their two 20-pt losses to the Pats were "much closer than the score indicates" -- lol. But seriously, they tend to keep games close and I'd expect the same on Sunday unless something crazy happens. They held opponents to 20 or less in 11 of 16 games, and they beat two playoff teams (Atlanta and KC) on the road. The strength of the Bills' defense is the secondary. Jacksonville would be well served to pound the rock relentlessly until Buffalo shows they can stop it. Hackett would be a fool to feature Bortles on Sunday. I'm very concerned about the Bills' ability to score against the Jags, particularly since I don't expect Shady to play (and if he does, he'll be far less than 100%). Yes, I see that mobile QBs have given Jax fits, and that may be the Bills' best hope -- let Tyrod run around and try to take advantage of some broken plays downfield. Tyrod is VERY careful with the ball and won't force things against that talented Jags secondary. The Bills' special teams have been pretty good all season, aside from onside kick recovery -- but if we have to worry about that Sunday I won't be unhappy. I expect this to be a relatively low scoring, field position game...unless there's a crazy run of turnovers or something like that. Your comment of "enjoying the ride" is definitely where I'm at. I'm throwing a party Sunday at my house and win or lose, I'm thrilled this monkey is off our backs. Edited January 3, 2018 by eball 1
ColdFront_USAF Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 3 hours ago, billsintaiwan said: Japan? I am 2 a.m. in Taiwan. The five a.m. game on New Year's Eve was brutal, but I made it. Yup. Regular season games were at 2 am, then 3 once daylight savings hit in the north east. Been a fun season waking up and then working all day Monday, but this season was damned worth it. Proud to say I watched every game. 1
SwagJag Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) Jacksonville has been a punchline for so long and is regularly disrespected as a pro football town. Interesting to get that take from Bills fans as Buffalo gets a lot of the same negative jabs from my perspective. The difference is the Bills have been a franchise much longer. Jags fans have kind of gotten used to being overlooked or panned by lesser members of the national media as it is low hanging fruit. Lord knows the Cowboys could be a 4 win team and they will still get wall to wall coverage (God I hate the Cowboys -- almost as much as you guys). The truth is Jax has had two professional teams before the Jags were born and has long been a hotbed for college football fans. We are very knowledgeable and passionate. We just haven't had much to cheer for lately. The Jags have not been stellar against the run, and have taken advantage of games where they can play with a lead and teams abandon it. That is when we wreak havoc. I would say sticking to a game plan where we believe you guys will continue to run will be critical for you to win. Especially if you used Tyrod on read option plays. Myles Jack and Telvin Smith are very fast LBs. Poz, not so much. Teams that can effectively set up play action have seen success. Especially if you have an athletic fullback or H-back that can slip out on quick screens. I understand the shade for Hackett, but I swear, he has been the best OC we have had in years. Our WR corps has been decimated. We lost our best WR for the year in Allen Robinson on the first drive of the first game. Marqise Lee has been injured on and off all year and has a tendency for drops. Allen Hurns is a solid route runner and may be the toughest guy on the team with all he has played through, but it is obvious he has not been at 100%. We have been getting it done lately with rookies, two of them undrafted. Dede Westbrook can take the top off the defense (but had a drop that cost us the win against Tennessee). Keelan Cole came from out of nowhere (raise your hand if you knew Kentucky Wesleyan was even a school) and has been phenomenal. Jaydon Mickens was a mid season find who took over punt return duties (and won the AFC ST player of the week twice) and was thrust into the offense due to injuries. Marcedes Lewis is a great blocking TE, but does not have blazing speed or the most reliable hands. For Hackett to make a top 10 offense with these parts and Blake flippin' Bortles as the QB, I have to tip my hat to him. As someone who has watched this team for a long time, it is clearly the plays he is putting in the game plan to cater to the players we have that have been the difference. Keenan McCardell has also put his fingerprints on the WRs as their position coach. Special teams has been a strength of ours as well. We have had multiple successful fake punts which have swung the momentum for us in wins. Our team mantra this season has been "Win Today" and we have not been afraid to roll the dice with fakes, even pinned back deep in our own territory. Edited January 3, 2018 by SwagJag 1
Stank_Nasty Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) Did I hear correctly they hadn’t even taken the tarps off the upper deck until recently? I feel like this may be why bills fan don’t respect it as a football town. If the bills were in the hunt for a division title 10 or 11 games in you wouldn’t even be able to find a ticket. As for the game I think each fan base is saying the same thing about the other team. Lol.... whomever has to drop back and pass more is probably gonna lose this game. And I feel like the fact that the jags had the easiest schedule in the nfl has been glosses over quite a bit. That’s a real thing. They are rightly favored but other than the titans this is next best chance the bills have. Edited January 3, 2018 by Stank_Nasty
Captain Murica Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 1 minute ago, Stank_Nasty said: Did I hear correctly they hadn’t even taken the tarps off the upper deck until recently? I feel like this may by why ya as bills fan don’t respect it as a football town. If the bills were in the hunt for a division title 10 or 11 games in you wouldn’t even be able to find a ticket. We had 50,000 show up during a blizzard And that was for the colts..
26CornerBlitz Posted January 3, 2018 Author Posted January 3, 2018 BILLS TODAY: TAKEAWAYS HAVE TURNED UP IN FOURTH QUARTER Here's the Bills news of note. COFFEE WITH THE COACH (2:16) Bills' Insider Chris Brown and Head Coach Sean McDermott talk about making the transition from 'playoff caliber' to 'championship caliber,' the message as the team heads in to the playoffs and a brief look at the Jaguars.
SwagJag Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said: Did I hear correctly they hadn’t even taken the tarps off the upper deck until recently? I feel like this may by why ya as bills fan don’t respect it as a football town. If the bills were in the hunt for a division title 10 or 11 games in you wouldn’t even be able to find a ticket. As for the game I think each fan base is saying the same thing about the other team. Lol.... whomever has to drop back and pass more is probably gonna lose this game. The tarp thing kinda took a life of its own. The truth is, when Khan took over, he got rid of most of the tarps. There are only two nosebleed sections that had them left. As I heard it, they needed permission from the league to remove them which caused the delay. Once they did, those seats were gobbled up in a few minutes. The tarps are an easy target for haters, but the truth is, even with them we have a larger capacity than a lot of other stadiums, like Soldier Field for example. EverBank Field is built on the shell of the old Gator Bowl which was pretty big. When the blackout rules were in effect (and the team was pathetic), it became an issue for local fans as many games were blacked out locally (which may have been a blessing in disguise). The tarps were a means to keep games on tv. Much respect to Bills fans who get out there and brave the elements. Loved seeing highlights from the Colts game this year. For those coming to town, our stadium straight up kicks "butt". The world's largest scoreboards, longer than the field and six stories tall flanked at both end zones and all the bells and whistles. If you grabbed a nosebleed seat, you can always go to the party deck above the north end zone (where the pools are) as all the talent is not on the field, if you catch my drift. The Bud Zone above the south end zone also gets packed, but can be loud and a bit rowdy at times. Ushers are not militant, so if you see an open seat in the lower bowl, you may be able to slide in. A lot of fans roam the stadium throughout the game as there are plenty of cool spots to hit. That is why sometimes it looks like less people are there than truly are. Edited January 3, 2018 by SwagJag
Stank_Nasty Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) 5 minutes ago, SwagJag said: The tarp thing kinda took a life of its own. The truth is, when Khan took over, he got rid of most of the tarps. There are only two nosebleed sections that had them left. As I heard it, they needed permission from the league to remove them which caused the delay. Once they did, those seats were gobbled up in a few minutes. The tarps are an easy target for haters, but the truth is, even with them we have a larger capacity than a lot of other stadiums, like Soldier field for example. EverBank Field is built on the shell of the old Gator Bowl which was pretty big. When the blackout rules were in effect (and the team was pathetic), it became an issue for local fans as many games were blacked out locally (which may have been a blessing in disguise). The tarps were a means to keep games on tv. Much respect to Bills fans who get out there and brave the elements. Loved seeing highlights from the Colts game this year. For those coming to town, our stadium straight up kicks "butt". The world's largest scoreboards, longer than the field and six stories tall flanked at both end zones and all the bells and whistles. If you grabbed a nosebleed seat, you can always go to the party deck above the north end zone (where the pools are) as all the talent is not on the field, if you catch my drift. The Bud Zone above the south end zone also gets packed, but can be loud and a bit rowdy at times. Ushers are not militant, so if you see an open seat in the lower bowl, you may be able to slide in. A lot of fans roam the stadium throughout the game as there are plenty of cool spots to hit. That is why sometimes it looks like less people are there than truly are. Section 243 or 244 for my wife and I. I can’t remember. My wife is the one that took care of that. 15 hour drive but whatever. Very excited to check out the area, the stadium and finally feel the electric in the air from a playoff atmosphere and your explanation of the whole upper deck deal makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up.... regardless I think you all might be a bit surprised at all the red and blue in that stadium. Before the bills clinched those tickets weren’t going for half of what they are now. The franchise sees a thirsty fan base gobbling up tickets and willing to pay whatever it takes after 17 years. Don’t blame them for capitalizing on it though. Haha. Edited January 3, 2018 by Stank_Nasty
PaattMaann Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 6 minutes ago, SwagJag said: The tarp thing kinda took a life of its own. The truth is, when Khan took over, he got rid of most of the tarps. There are only two nosebleed sections that had them left. As I heard it, they needed permission from the league to remove them which caused the delay. Once they did, those seats were gobbled up in a few minutes. The tarps are an easy target for haters, but the truth is, even with them we have a larger capacity than a lot of other stadiums, like Soldier Field for example. EverBank Field is built on the shell of the old Gator Bowl which was pretty big. When the blackout rules were in effect (and the team was pathetic), it became an issue for local fans as many games were blacked out locally (which may have been a blessing in disguise). The tarps were a means to keep games on tv. Much respect to Bills fans who get out there and brave the elements. Loved seeing highlights from the Colts game this year. For those coming to town, our stadium straight up kicks "butt". The world's largest scoreboards, longer than the field and six stories tall flanked at both end zones and all the bells and whistles. If you grabbed a nosebleed seat, you can always go to the party deck above the north end zone (where the pools are) as all the talent is not on the field, if you catch my drift. The Bud Zone above the south end zone also gets packed, but can be loud and a bit rowdy at times. Ushers are not militant, so if you see an open seat in the lower bowl, you may be able to slide in. A lot of fans roam the stadium throughout the game as there are plenty of cool spots to hit. That is why sometimes it looks like less people are there than truly are. what? why would any fan leave their seat during a game to go "hit cool spots" in the stadium???? there is something cooler than an NFL game??? yes please keep selling us on how much of a good and dedicated fan base the Jags have lol (you seem educated and cool but I know you are in the VAST minority of Jags "fans")
SwagJag Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) 22 minutes ago, PaattMaann said: what? why would any fan leave their seat during a game to go "hit cool spots" in the stadium???? there is something cooler than an NFL game??? yes please keep selling us on how much of a good and dedicated fan base the Jags have lol (you seem educated and cool but I know you are in the VAST minority of Jags "fans") It's an event here and I know commonly at halftime or quarter ends, people migrate to meet up with other friends. By all means, the game IS the reason for being there, but for some reason people don't always tend to stay in their designated seat the whole game. I have had 400 level tickets to plenty of games, but have never sat in those seats as I have always found better ones open. As this is a playoff game, that may not be the case. The party deck is lower than the nosebleed seats and offers a better view. 26 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said: Section 243 or 244 for my wife and I. I can’t remember. My wife is the one that took care of that. 15 hour drive but whatever. Very excited to check out the area, the stadium and finally feel the electric in the air from a playoff atmosphere Awesome. There really are few bad seats in the house. That is a cool corner of the stadium. As mentioned, Jax is massive in size, so depending on where you are staying, you will likely need to travel to get to some of the cooler spots. I repeat, do not waste your time on the downtown area.The Riverside/Five Points and Avondale (St. Johns Ave) areas just southwest of the downtown are much more interesting and have significantly more to offer. The San Marco area due south of the downtown does as well. The St. Johns Town Center is a massive outdoor mall area that has anything you could ask for (except.. y'know any sort of real culture). Jax Beach is a hike from the downtown area, but offers it's own vibe and is very cool. A few places I would recommend: TacoLu (off Beach Blvd - locally caught fish tacos are the attraction - the scallop taco is not on the menu, but is amazing) V Pizza (multiple locations - the one in San Marco has a great bar attached to it called Sidecar where all cocktails are truly handcrafted - all ingredients including flour imported from Italy and cooked in wood ovens also imported from Italy) Indochine (in San Marco - very good Thai food) Lola's (in Riverside off King St. - solid burritos - they make a killer salsa verde to order if you are into that) Biscotti's (in Avondale - rotating menu - incredible brunch - all made with love) Metro Diner (multiple locations - Just yes.. to all of it) Edited January 3, 2018 by SwagJag
26CornerBlitz Posted January 3, 2018 Author Posted January 3, 2018 Sean McDermott Presser at 9:30 AM ET. Hoping to hear some good news on Shady.
PaattMaann Posted January 3, 2018 Posted January 3, 2018 10 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: Sean McDermott Presser at 9:30 AM ET. Hoping to hear some good news on Shady. dont get your hopes up Buddy, I think McD will play it super close to the vest even if he knows right now from the med staff that Shady will play. Guessing he will be a labelled questionable all week and probably not practice much, if at all
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