Unrealistic expectations... as usual

[Chuck 54]

Homers look at our team, with Flo back, though he wasn't for the last month of preseason, and T.O. added, though he wasn't for most of preseason, and everyone thinks we're incredible, SB bound, superior to almost any opponent.

When Jax was the favored team early last week, no one can believe it...Leftwich is a joke, Fred Taylor is always hurt, blah blah blah. Home teams win more often than road teams.

1. DelRio is an impressive coach and has a team that went 12-4 and is much improved in the past year. Fred Taylor is a beast who can power inside like few backs in the league, moving piles forward, and still has the speed and moves to embarrass Roy Williams and others several times, not to mention being a nice receiver. DelRio played it conservative when it was raining like crazy, put up with boos for his QB who was playing it safe most of the time, and then when the weather cleared and the ball wasn't slick, Leftwich took over the game and embarrassed our defense.

Parcells used up his T.O. designed plays and decoys in the rain while Bledsoe missed with a slick ball...then when the weather cleared, Jax had seen what we had to offer.

2. Where was that super duper defense...don't whine to me about Bledsoe or Parcells or Flo or Glenn...yes, they made mistakes, and yes, I think our staff was outcoached today...our offense was never intended to carry us, though we hoped they'd perform better, but we spent most of our time trying to connect with T.O., despite the fact that we all knew he and Bledsoe had very very little time together all preseason...what I want to know is why our defense was totally manhandled for 3 quarters...we only looked like a great defense or a little more than a quarter...we were run on, passed on, and we made stupid penalties by key players like Roy, who should know better, to keep drives alive.

3. I don't want to hear about Suisham...Jax's kicker missed one badly as well...it would NOT have been a different game if we'd been up by 3...Jax's offense had already started abusing us on every drive...our defense had no answers for their power or their passing game.

4. and most important, it's no time to panic or whine...those of you who expected us to be 12-4 or better were just loony to begin with. This team has proven nothing to no one in several years. It will take time for the offensive coaches to realize what works best for T.O. It will take time for Bledsoe and T.O. to get on the same page. It will take time for Flo to get into game shape, and it may be next year before he's the player he was before the injury... that's a simple fact for a lineman...he's still better than Tucker or Pettitti...It will take time for this OL, playing with 5 new starters from last year to get it all together.

Clearly, our defensive players spent too much time reading their own press clippings and media prognosticators...now it's time for everyone to dig deeply and get ready to play. Jax was ready for 60 minutes of football...clearly our defense thought they'd won the game after the first quarter.

This team is still not a great team, but they are better...they are a good team...they can be a playoff team, but it's not guaranteed.

I think this team will still finish in the 10-6 or 9-7 range and be in the playoff hunt. This game was not lost by a simple kick or Bledsoe's struggles in the rain in the first half when the lead could have been bigger. This game was lost because Jax stepped it up...their corners kept fighting and started covering...and their DL played like men...and their coaches blitzed at the right times...and their offensive coaches called the perfect plays, screens, draws etc. at the perfect time against our defense...they were physical and tough. Our players wilted in the pressure, imo.

When we finish the tough string of road games to start the season, we will be a much better team than we are now, and hopefully we'll be at least .500 at that point and ready to make a serious move.

 

[joseephuss]

Not everyone had unrealistic expectations. I didn't expect Dallas to come in and dominate just because they signed T.O. or because of the pre-season results. I did expect them to be better and more consistent. That did not show today. Still a long season to learn that, but it was a reason they lost today.

Jax is a good team, but one reason they stepped it up is they were given a gift on that first interception just before half time. That was a huge play and mistake on Bledsoe's part. That changed the momemtum of the game. Instead of having a lead at the half, they are tied. I don't mind if Dallas just loses to a good team playing good football. Dallas gave away some good plays by stupid penalties and bad decisions. That is the frustrating part.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Jaxsonville is the better team, simple as that

 

[DipChit]

Well said, wayne.

Not sure why these basic fundamentals are so hard to grasp for some people.

Must be the "fantasy" football world we live in now.

 

[Eddie]

I expected a win ... not TOO unrealistic, no? :bang2:

 

[bbgun]

SB aspirations are probably unrealistic, but a road win in Jax was not.

 

[Cbz40]

Wayne you have no idea what you're talking about.



































Just kidding. excellent post Sir

 

[Boyzmamacita]

It will take time for Flo to get into game shape, and it may be next year before he's the player he was before the injury... that's a simple fact for a lineman...he's still better than Tucker or Pettitti...It will take time for this OL, playing with 5 new starters from last year to get it all together.

And yet our O-line was not the problem today. What bothers me is that we had a chance to win against a good team on the road and blew it with our own mistakes. We made it easy on Jax, something you can ill afford to do on the road. If they had been blown out, it would've felt better than this. Bledsoe made the Jags secondary look better than they are.

 

[joseephuss]

I expected a win ... not TOO unrealistic, no? :bang2:

I expect the QB to hit open receivers when given time. He did not do that.

I expect a veteran receiver in Glenn not to have two penalties.

I expect even a rookie in Fasano not to commit such a poor play on the pick play.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

I disagree to an extent. I thought we were well on our way to playing a game like we did last year against Philly at home. Where we took it to them from the get go, and never let up. This game we came out like gang busters, took a 10 point lead and went conservative, putting the game in the D's hands, which was too early and a big mistake.

 

[Danny White]

Nice post Wayne.

 

[tyke1doe]

The problem with this game isn't losing. It's losing when if we just complete one of two passes to a wide open TO, we're sitting at 17-0 and the Jags are playing catch up.

Instead, we misfire. We're up 10-0 and punting back to the Jags.
They benefit from a field goal and then another TD, off a bonehead interception, and viola, 10-10 and game essentially over.

That's the frustrating part.

I could stand losing 20-0 if we played crappy because then I'd know we stunk.

But we play good enough to win and don't.

This game should have been over before half time. But we let another one get away.

 

[The30YardSlant]

We had Jacksonville dead to rightsd. Up 10-0, our defense was dominating, our offense was moving at will, and even Suisham was kicking butt. Then Bledsoe decided to start sucking. Missed a wide open TO on a seem route that would have made it 17-0. That gave Jacksonville life, and they ran with it.

Drew Bledsoe, plain and simply, is to blame for this loss. Not the penalties or the kicking or the defense, it's on Drew Bledsoe. He couldnt hit the broadside of a barn today.

 

[Mattsdad]

Wayne, very well said.

At the same time though, I am very tired of the conservative 'play not to lose' approach we take; just my opinion.

 

[joseephuss]

Wayne, very well said.

At the same time though, I am very tired of the conservative 'play not to lose' approach we take; just my opinion.

Conservative? What else are they supposed to do on 2nd and short? Actually use a play action pass?

 

[BigDFan5]

We had Jacksonville dead to rightsd. Up 10-0, our defense was dominating, our offense was moving at will, and even Suisham was kicking butt. Then Bledsoe decided to start sucking. Missed a wide open TO on a seem route that would have made it 17-0. That gave Jacksonville life, and they ran with it.

Drew Bledsoe, plain and simply, is to blame for this loss. Not the penalties or the kicking or the defense, it's on Drew Bledsoe. He couldnt hit the broadside of a barn today.

He decided? What was he on the sideline thinking to himself "hmmm we are winning and I am playing good, maybe I should go out and not play well the rest of the game"

He "decided"

 

[The30YardSlant]

He decided? What was he on the sideline thinking to himself "hmmm we are winning and I am playing good, maybe I should go out and not play well the rest of the game"

He "decided"

Sarcasm, un posible?

 

[windward]

the thing is though we had them and just could not finish them off. If we were to play them again next week, I'd still pick us.

 

[Dale]

What frustrated me was that we weren't just utterly outplayed. That hot start had me thinking this team was as good -- if not better than -- as advertised.

But the penalties, the poor throws, etc...that's what makes this loss frustrating.

Frankly, I can handle their offense doing what it did to our defense. Leftwich played tremendously and their receivers stepped up today better than anyone expected. If their offense is going to play like that, then they're going to be hard to stop.

But it's the many, many mistakes we made that frustrates me. It's exciting, on one hand, to think that despite all those errors it came down to the final possession. It's entirely frustrating on the other hand when realizing that we're likely to continue seeing some of these mistakes in the future. The Bledsoe we saw today appears several times -- usually against good defenses -- each year.

It's not like we have a creampuff schedule. I'm extremely worried we're going to see more of today's Bledsoe than we even saw last year.

 

[BigDFan5]

Sarcasm, un posible?

your post wasn't sarcasm it was just worded poorly.