There is no joy in Mudville

the Jaguars have struck out.

The Tennessee Titans came to Jacksonville and delivered a real lesson on this team. Even though the Jaguars are 3-3 on the season, the three losses including this one, do not deliver promise of a good season. As a fan of the team and someone that has been in the stadium for every game since 2006, some of my questions have been answered. See if you agree with my assessment of some of these long standing questions.

Is David Garrard an Elite QB with a bad offensive line or just a good backup Quarterback? Answer: David Garrard can look very good, but he has not emerged as an $8 million per year starter. I defended him a lot over the years, but he has never emerged and now it is clear he never will.  The beating he took over the 2008 and 2009 season have caught up to him. Trent Edwards showed more spark but produced nothing as well. Jacksonville needs a quarterback.

Will Maurice Jones Drew burn out if used as a featured back? Answer: Maurice did burn out as a featured back late last year and has never returned to form. Maybe there is an injury he is nursing, maybe it occurred last year,  I don’t know but even against the worst team in football, the Buffalo Bills, he did not shine. Tonight against the Titans, he was nobody.

Is Jack Del Rio a winning coach able to take this team to the Super Bowl? Answer: No, Jack will never get the Jaguars to the Super Bowl. He has had every opportunity and can not rise above a .500 record. This season will be no different. His coaching staff of Mel Tucker and Dirk Koetter have shown nothing special. I don’t know what Mike Shula does anymore. Only Joe Cullin has a career in the NFL coaching ranks. Look at Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis in Kansas City. The right coaches make the right use of their people.

Will Gene Smith build a winning team if given total authority? Answer: Maybe, but Gene Smith is making as many mistakes as everyone else. Don Carey and David Jones starting in the backfield have been a disaster. Gene Smith’s emerging record as a GM is nothing spectacular thus far.

Will Mike Sims-Walker emerge as a true number one receiver? Answer: No. He does not have the elite ability of an Andre Johnson or any other real threat at wide receiver.

The best things about the Jacksonville Jaguars right now are the fans. In city after city there are blackouts. Tonight on Monday Night Football, this city was excited and enthusiastic and showed their support. They really deserved better than they received. It is great fun to be at a Monday Night game and I appreciate having the team, but some kind of hope of a victory was needed.

On a national stage at home for an important game, there was simply no fight in the Jaguars except on the defensive line. The demonstrated quality was poor. As the Titans said, they looked at the film and laughed. They came to Jacksonville and laughed again. For the Jacksonville Jaguars something must change. This team’s arrow is not pointing up.

– Terry O’Brien