EverythingJax

Cam Newton ran for three touchdowns to set the NFL single-season record for rushing TDs by a quarterback, leading the Carolina Panthers to a 38-19 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Houston Texans quarterback T.J Yates looks for a receiver against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, in Jacksonville, Fla. Houston won 20-13.(AP Photo/John Raoux) khou.com HOUSTON -- The Houston

HOUSTON — If the Texans plan to defeat the favored Atlanta Falcons in rookie quarterback T.J. Yates' first start, the running game must be more productive than it was at Jacksonville. In what turned out to be coach 's last game, the Jaguars stuffed the

Jacksonville Jaguars interim coach Mel Tucker fired wide receivers coach Johnny Cox on Wednesday. It was one of a series of a moves made by Tucker, who was elevated to interim coach Tuesday following the firing of Jack Del Rio. Mike Sheppard, the quarterbacks coach, will now take over as wide receivers coach. and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter will add quarterbacks coach to his responsibilities. Jacksonville has scored the fewest points in the NFL and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert is the league's lowest-rated passer at 62.2.

2 cents

No disrespect to Jay Gruden, but, please, shouldn’t the next Jaguars head coach have more than a season logged as a coordinator in the NFL?

The Cincinnati Bengals offensive guru, who many experts are pining for, has done a brilliant job with rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. However, he’s been on the job for less than a season.

Jacksonville needs a more proven commodity and someone with previous head-coaching experience. Not with the Florida Tuskers, but with an actual NFL team.

read more

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars are headed in a completely new direction. And Los Angeles doesn't appear to be the destination. Team owner Wayne Weaver fired longtime coach Jack Del Rio on Tuesday after a 3-8 start and agreed to sell the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Weaver named defensive coordinator Mel Tucker the interim coach and gave general manager Gene Smith a three-year contract extension, putting him in charge of the coaching search. The moves marked the most significant changes for the small-market franchise since its inception in 1993. "It's the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons," Weaver said. Forbes reported the sale to be worth 760 million. The 77-year-old Weaver had been looking for an "exit strategy" for years, wanting to find someone to buy the team and keep it in Jacksonville. He had tears in his eyes several times as he announced his impending departure. Khan, 59, believes he is the right choice. "Wayne's legacy will be lasting, and I will always be grateful for Wayne's trust and confidence in my commitment to the Jaguars, the NFL and the people of the Jacksonville community," Khan said in a statement. Born in Pakistan, Khan left home at age 16 to attend the University of Illinois. He graduated in 1971, a year after he started working for Flex-N-Gate Corp. in Urbana, Ill. He purchased the company in 1980. Today, Flex-N-Gate is a major manufacturer of bumper systems for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles built in North America. Khan tried to purchase controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams last year. His purchase of the Jaguars is subject to NFL approval. League owners will vote to ratify the deal Dec. 14, and if it passes, would become official Jan. 4. The Jaguars could have a new coach in place before then. "There's a lot of good things that will happen in the future," Smith said. Del Rio's job security had been tenuous since Weaver said the coach needed to make the playoffs to secure a 10th season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars were essentially eliminated with Sunday's 20-13 loss to AFC South-leading Houston. "It's the nature of the beast," tight end Marcedes Lewis said. "Change is good sometimes. Obviously, it's an unfortunate situation. ... This is the NFL and unfortunate things happen sometimes." The timing of the move made sense since the Jaguars are struggling to sell tickets and host a Monday night game against San Diego. The team needs to sell about 9,000 tickets to avoid a local television blackout for a prime-time game. Making a coaching change could boost sales. Del Rio leaves with a 69-73 record, including 1-2 in two playoffs appearances. The Jaguars didn't win the AFC South in any of his nine seasons. Weaver gave Del Rio a four-year extension worth 21 million after Jacksonville won a playoff game following the 2007 season. The team stumbled to a 5-11 finish the following season, and Weaver overhauled the roster but decided to keep Del Rio. Weaver considered firing Del Rio again after last season, but kept him partly because of the uncertainty surrounding the NFL lockout. Weaver refused to give contract extensions to any of Del Rio's assistants, putting everyone on alert that this was a win-or-else season. Del Rio told The Associated Press in a text message that his family was "blessed with nine good years" in Jacksonville. Fans would disagree. They will remember Del Rio's tenure as one that lasted too long and was filled with quarterback chaos, inconsistency, staff turnover and late-season collapses. There also was the decision to place an ax and a wooden stump in the locker room to remind players to "keep chopping wood." It backfired miserably when punter Chris Hanson accidentally hacked into his leg and was placed on injured reserve. This season, Del Rio released veteran quarterback David Garrard five days before the season opener, then benched journeyman Luke McCown after two games. He turned things over to rookie Blaine Gabbert, who has panicked under pressure, misfired on short throws and shown little progress in nine starts. Del Rio also botched quarterback decisions involving Mark Brunell and Byron Leftwich in 2003, and Leftwich and Garrard in 2007. Equally troubling, Del Rio showed a penchant for throwing players and assistants under the bus. Del Rio fired 19 assistant coaches during his tenure, creating enough tension that could make it tough for him to get another job in the league. The Jaguars owe Del Rio about 5.6 million for the final year of his contract. Del Rio met with Weaver early Tuesday and then held one final team meeting. "He just said that he's spent a lot of time here, obviously devoted a lot of time and energy here, but it was unfortunate that he wasn't able to win a championship," linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "So it was time for a change, time for someone else to have a shot. "I don't know what else can top a day like this."

The Jacksonville Jaguars are headed in a completely new direction. And Los Angeles doesn't appear to be the destination. Team owner Wayne Weaver fired longtime coach Jack Del Rio on Tuesday after a 3-8 start and agreed to sell the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Weaver named defensive coordinator Mel Tucker the interim coach and gave general manager Gene Smith a three-year contract extension, putting him in charge of the coaching search. The moves marked the most significant changes for the small-market franchise since its inception in 1993. ''It's the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons,'' Weaver said. Forbes reported the sale to be worth $760 million. The 77-year-old Weaver had been looking for an ''exit strategy'' for years, wanting to find someone to buy the team and keep it in Jacksonville. He had tears in his eyes several times as he announced his impending departure. Khan, 59, believes he is the right choice. ''Wayne's legacy will be lasting, and I will always be grateful for Wayne's trust and confidence in my commitment to the Jaguars, the NFL and the people of the Jacksonville community,'' Khan said in a statement. Born in Pakistan, Khan left home at age 16 to attend the University of Illinois. He graduated in 1971, a year after he started working for Flex-N-Gate Corp. in Urbana, Ill. He purchased the company in 1980. Today, Flex-N-Gate is a major manufacturer of bumper systems for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles built in North America. Khan tried to purchase controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams last year. His purchase of the Jaguars is subject to NFL approval. League owners will vote to ratify the deal Dec. 14, and if it passes, would become official Jan. 4. The Jaguars could have a new coach in place before then. ''There's a lot of good things that will happen in the future,'' Smith said. Del Rio's job security had been tenuous since Weaver said the coach needed to make the playoffs to secure a 10th season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars were essentially eliminated with Sunday's 20-13 loss to AFC South-leading Houston. ''It's the nature of the beast,'' tight end Marcedes Lewis said. ''Change is good sometimes. Obviously, it's an unfortunate situation. ... This is the NFL and unfortunate things happen sometimes.'' The timing of the move made sense since the Jaguars are struggling to sell tickets and host a Monday night game against San Diego. The team needs to sell about 9,000 tickets to avoid a local television blackout for a prime-time game. Making a coaching change could boost sales. Del Rio leaves with a 69-73 record, including 1-2 in two playoffs appearances. The Jaguars didn't win the AFC South in any of his nine seasons. Weaver gave Del Rio a four-year extension worth $21 million after Jacksonville won a playoff game following the 2007 season. The team stumbled to a 5-11 finish the following season, and Weaver overhauled the roster but decided to keep Del Rio. Weaver considered firing Del Rio again after last season, but kept him partly because of the uncertainty surrounding the NFL lockout. Weaver refused to give contract extensions to any of Del Rio's assistants, putting everyone on alert that this was a win-or-else season. Del Rio told The Associated Press in a text message that his family was ''blessed with nine good years'' in Jacksonville. Fans would disagree. They will remember Del Rio's tenure as one that lasted too long and was filled with quarterback chaos, inconsistency, staff turnover and late-season collapses. There also was the decision to place an ax and a wooden stump in the locker room to remind players to ''keep chopping wood.'' It backfired miserably when punter Chris Hanson accidentally hacked into his leg and was placed on injured reserve. This season, Del Rio released veteran quarterback David Garrard five days before the season opener, then benched journeyman Luke McCown after two games. He turned things over to rookie Blaine Gabbert, who has panicked under pressure, misfired on short throws and shown little progress in nine starts. Del Rio also botched quarterback decisions involving Mark Brunell and Byron Leftwich in 2003, and Leftwich and Garrard in 2007. Equally troubling, Del Rio showed a penchant for throwing players and assistants under the bus. Del Rio fired 19 assistant coaches during his tenure, creating enough tension that could make it tough for him to get another job in the league. The Jaguars owe Del Rio about $5.6 million for the final year of his contract. Del Rio met with Weaver early Tuesday and then held one final team meeting. ''He just said that he's spent a lot of time here, obviously devoted a lot of time and energy here, but it was unfortunate that he wasn't able to win a championship,'' linebacker Paul Posluszny said. ''So it was time for a change, time for someone else to have a shot. ''I don't know what else can top a day like this.''

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a change on their sideline, but things will remain status quo under center. Struggling rookie Blaine Gabbert will remain the Jaguars' starting quarterback, interim coach Mel Tucker said Tuesday. Tucker was elevated to interim coach after Jacksonville fired Jack Del Rio earlier Tuesday. Del Rio benched Gabbert in favor of Luke McCown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-13 home loss to the Houston Texans. Tucker, in his first major personnel decision, said there is no quarterback controversy on the team. "Blaine is our quarterback now and our quarterback of the future," Tucker said. Jacksonville has scored the fewest points in the NFL and Gabbert is the league's lowest-rated passer at 62.2.

Very rarely does a franchise’s decision not to draft a singular player determine its fate. However, we are currently in the midst of one of these instances. The Jacksonville Jaguars, in a series of monumentally bizarre quarterback decisions may have sealed their fate as a former NFL franchise. First off, when given the opportunity to do so, the Jaguars passed on Tim Tebow in the 2010 draft, instead opting to stay with incumbent QB David Garrard and draft a quarterback in the 2011 draft, which turned out to be Missouri rookie Blaine Gabbert. Prior to the start of the 2011 season, in a risky move, Jacksonville made the decision to release Garrard outright, putting the reins in the hands of Blaine Gabbert in 2011. The Jaguars have struggled mightily to produce on offense, leading to today’s firing of long-time, dead-man-walking head coach Jack Del Rio. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, rolling off win after win behind the leadership of Tim Tebow, as ugly and unconventional as that leadership may be. With a new multi-million dollar facility in the works in Los Angeles, the future of many of the league’s underperforming small-market teams is hanging in the balance, and the Jaguars are certainly no exception. The NFL is all about finances and the bottom-line, and Jacksonville had a wonderful opportunity to bolster its regional fan base in 2010 by drafting Tim Tebow and giving him the opportunity to become the face of its franchise, and they chose not to do so. Watching the Jacksonville-Houston game on Sunday afternoon, it was obvious that there were a large number of empty seats– a number made even larger given that there were large sponsorship placards covering up several sections of stands throughout the stadium. Poor fan attendance is more often than not a direct reflection of a team’s lack of success both on the field and in the front office. Will these failures, including the decision not to draft Tim Tebow in 2010, lead to the end of the Jaguars franchise? Will Jacksonville somehow continue to hang by a thread even though fan support seems to be waning with every passing year? Time will tell. Either way Los Angeles will have an NFL expansion franchise soon, and a move from Jacksonville is definitely an option that will be considered. Technorati Tags: denver broncos, jack del rio, jacksonville jaguars, NFL, pro football, tim tebow

ATHENS, GA. -- Aaron Murray’s four touchdown passes were enough for Georgia to beat Georgia Tech last week without much of a running game.

The quarterback said Monday No. 12 Georgia will need more balance to have a chance against No. 1 LSU in Saturday’s Southeastern Conference championship game.

Georgia hopes to have freshman starting tailback Isaiah Crowell back this week. Crowell missed the 31-17 win over Georgia Tech with a left ankle injury.

How important is Crowell’s return to Georgia’s chances? “It’s huge,” Murray said Monday.

read more