Lori Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (6-4) at BUFFALO BILLS (4-6) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2006 – 1:00 PM ET RALPH WILSON STADIUM, ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK CBS: Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots ***NOT AVAILABLE IN BUFFALO*** DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket: Channel 709 (no HD) RADIO: Buffalo Bills Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: John Murphy COLOR ANALYST: Mark Kelso SIDELINE REPORTER: Paul Peck Jacksonville Jaguars Radio Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Brian Sexton COLOR ANALYST: Jeff Lageman SIDELINE REPORTER: Dennis Evans Sirius Sunday Drive: Channel 181 (Buffalo feed) / Channel 155 (Jacksonville feed) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: Bills lead, 3-2, but Jacksonville is 2-1 at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo’s only home win came in 1998, when they eked out a 17-16 victory on Doug Flutie’s last-play bootleg. PLAYOFF RECORD: Jacksonville leads 1-0, winning a 30-27 wild-card matchup in 1996. That game remains Buffalo’s only home playoff loss since the AFL/NFL merger. LAST MEETING / LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: September 12, 2004 – Jaguars 13, Bills 10 The Bills led for the first 59:59 of the game, but couldn’t put the Jaguars away when they had the chance. On the final play of the game, Ernest Wilford brought down a desperation heave by Byron Leftwich in the back of the scoreboard end zone to stun a sold-out Kickoff Weekend crowd at the Ralph. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ JAGUARS OVERVIEW (2006 RANKINGS) OFFENSE (#15 total yardage, #4 rushing, #23 passing, #10 scoring): Veteran Fred Taylor combines with second-round pick Maurice Jones-Drew (UCLA) to form a potent tandem at running back; both players are averaging well over four yards per carry. With Jones-Drew to spell him, Taylor has managed to stay healthy this season, and the rookie is merely leading the team with seven touchdowns. Byron Leftwich’s ankle injury has given David Garrard the opportunity to claim the starting quarterback job. Garrard isn’t as polished a passer; his 69.0 rating includes a four-interception game against the Texans two weeks ago. He brings an added dimension of mobility to the Jacksonville attack, though, and (other than the Houston loss) does a decent job of managing the game. His overall record as a starter is 8-4, 3-1 this season. Despite Leftwich’s statuesque pocket presence, Jacksonville has only given up fourteen sacks in the first ten games. The offensive line is anchored by center Brad Meester, right guard Chris Naeole and right tackle Maurice Williams; the veteran trio has combined to miss only five starts since the beginning of the 2003 season. Following the off-season retirement of five-time Pro Bowl WR Jimmy Smith, Jacksonville has no true #1 receiver; six different players (including tight end George Wrightster and both RBs) have more than twenty catches, nobody more than thirty. They do have plenty of size at the position, which could create matchup problems with the Bills secondary: Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford are both 6-4, and Matt Jones is even bigger, weighing in at 6-6, 238lbs. Add in 6-6 tight ends Kyle Brady and this year’s first-round pick, Marcedes Lewis (UCLA), and Leftwich isn’t far off when he says, “We look like the Miami Heat when we get off the bus.” DEFENSE (#3 total yardage, #6 rushing, #5 passing, #3 scoring): Tackles John Henderson and Marcus Stroud, first-round picks in back-to-back seasons, provide a formidable example in the linemen-versus-skill-players argument. Even though Stroud has missed time with an ankle injury, Jacksonville is once again among the league leaders in run defense. (In fact, their weekly press release contains an entire page showing various top-five defensive rankings from 2003-06, including fewest rushing TDs allowed, 100-yard rushers, etc.) No team in the league has given up fewer red-zone touchdowns, and opposing QBs have combined for an NFL-low 31.9 passer rating in red-zone attempts. The defense carried the day in Jacksonville’s last game, holding the Giants to 25 rushing yards in a 26-10 win, but lost SS Donovin Darius for the season with a broken leg. He joins fellow starters DE Reggie Hayward (torn Achilles tendon) and LB Mike Peterson (torn pectoral muscle) on I.R. Bobby McCray, Hayward’s replacement at left end, leads the team with seven sacks. Paul Spicer starts at the other end, backed up by a familiar face, Marcellus Wiley. Rob Meier has started several games, and can play either end or tackle. Daryl Smith shifted inside to fill Peterson’s spot at middle linebacker, and leads the team in tackles. Clint Ingram, a third-round pick, takes over for Smith; Nick Greisen (free agent – Giants) is the other OLB. Cornerback Rashean Mathis’s six interceptions tie him with Bears CB Walt Harris for the league lead. In only his fourth season, the ballhawking Mathis already holds the career franchise record with eighteen picks. Brian Williams (Vikings) was signed to man the other corner slot. Nickel back Terry Cousin has missed significant time with an injury, with second-year CB Scott Starks taking his place. Deon Grant, the free safety, hasn’t missed a game since 2000. In Darius’s absence, Gerald Sensabaugh is the probable starter at SS. SPECIAL TEAMS: Josh Scobee has hit his last fifteen field goal attempts, and nineteen of twenty-two overall. Punter Chris Hanson is having an off-year – both his gross (41.9) and net (34.8) averages are the lowest since his rookie season, and seven of his fifty kicks have reached the end zone for touchbacks. Jones-Drew handles kickoff-return duty, with a respectable 23.3 yards per attempt; backup running back Alvin Pearman is averaging just shy of ten yards per punt return. The kick-coverage team is good, the punt-cover squad not so much. (Their 10.1 yards-against number includes an 82-yard touchdown.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OUTLOOK: If you swear by the “run and stop the run” mantra, the Jaguars are your kind of team. They haven’t been very good on the road this season, but if the Buffalo defense couldn’t hold Wali Lundy and Samkon Gado under six yards per carry, I’m not sure I like the matchup against Taylor and Jones-Drew. On offense, rushing yards will be tough to come by, so the newly-discovered passing attack needs to continue showing progress for the Bills to pull this one out. Either way, I’m expecting a close, low-scoring game. (Cue the 45-42 shootout.) See you in Lot 1 Sunday morning, and Go Bills. Links: NFL.com: injury report / Jaguars depth chart / Jaguars team stats / Bills depth chart / Bills team stats Official team website: Jaguars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted November 25, 2006 Author Share Posted November 25, 2006 With a five-states-in-four-days itinerary, I thought about taking the week off... but when I ended up in the back seat of the car on a three-hour trip to Ohio, I was glad I'd brought the laptop along. So, if anyone's still around to read this, or needs one of the links, here you go. Seeya at the stadium tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed83HOF Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Lori Another great preview. I'm sure everyone else is also glad you brought the Laptop and stayed sane enough during your trip to do this...see everyone who's going in Lot 1 tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Thanks Lori! Great info as always. The opener a couple years ago still gets under my craw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 lori - great . wish i was in buffalo . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 I hope that you had a great time. Thanks for the report. Not only was I concerned, but bummed out as well thinking there would be none to read. Have fun today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JÂy RÛßeÒ Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Thanks Lori! Great info as always. The opener a couple years ago still gets under my craw. 847622[/snapback] I was SO relieved when Nate simply batted that last pass down against Houston last week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Thanks, Lori. You da FAN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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