Goings have been tough for Jaguars
One team was expected to finish at or around the .500 mark. The other had visions of a Super Bowl appearance dancing in its head.
For those wondering what's up with the 6-6 Bears this season, imagine what Jacksonville fans are thinking about their 4-8 Jaguars?
And the Jaguars' fans aren't the only ones feeling frustrated.
After a particularly brutal loss to Minnesota a few weeks back, veteran running back Fred Taylor unloaded.
"In my 11 years, this is probably the worst team, emphasize 'team,' that I've been on," said Taylor, who is 18th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 11,218 yards. "We have some outstanding players, but the mix is bad."
Taylor's tirade was heard by his teammates but didn't produce immediate dividends. The Jags promptly went out and laid an egg Monday night in Houston. On Sunday, they come to Soldier Field to play the Bears.
"I respect Fred a whole bunch and what he said was true," said fellow running back Maurice Jones-Drew. "We don't have that mix. We're not working together from top to bottom.
"It's like when you're doing a tug-o-war as a team, your guys all have to be pulling in the same direction. We've got guys - myself included - overcompensating, trying to do too much."
And, in the meantime, they saw their hopes for another playoff appearance dashed.
"It's very shocking; we thought we were heading in the right direction, took a victory in the playoffs and got to the second round and all that," Jones-Drew said. "Everyone was picking us to win the Super Bowl, and we just forgot about taking care of the little things.
"But this is the NFL and each season is different. That's what we have to realize."
And with four games remaining in their lost season, head coach Jack Del Rio nevertheless expects to see no letdown down the stretch.
"We've been a good football team for the last five years, and this year we haven't had things go our way - we've struggled a little bit," Del Rio said. "What we're doing is continuing to fight the good fight, continuing to persevere, and understand we've got four opportunities left against four good football teams that are all in the playoff hunt, starting this week in Chicago."
A numbers game: And you thought there would be no math. Jacksonville is 5-6 in games following a Monday night appearance and 1-2 after a Monday night road game. ... The Jaguars are in the midst of playing four games in 18 days. ... They own a 15-7 mark against the NFC under coach Jack Del Rio. ... The Jags are 2-0 in 2008 when they have a 100-yard rusher and 24-9 since 2003. ... They had their first eight games decided by 7 points or less. ... They have scored 21 of their 25 offensive touchdowns on first or second down.
High praise: The rave reviews keep coming in for Bears rookie running back Matt Forte. The latest to add his two cents worth is Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.
"I see some Marcus Allen-type vision and balance with him," Del Rio said. "He's a taller guy, he runs with good pad level. I think he's a good running back.
"I've got a lot of family and friends that live in Louisiana, so I'm aware of some of the things he did at Tulane. A lot of them were telling me how good he was going to be coming out; of course we weren't in the market for a back. I thought he was a good back coming out and they (the Bears) got a good player there."
He said it: Maurice Jones-Drew on if the Jaguars had quit: "We've addressed that after multiple games. I don't think that's it. It's always something's happening, one or two guys are breaking down the drive. We're doing a great job, it just seems like every time something bad happens on a drive."
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=256169">Bears' defense getting long in the tooth? <span class="date"> [12/6/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>