Tony McDaniel, Finally Pays For His Heinous Act

Tony McDaniel, a former lineman at the University of Tennessee and now a defensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has finally settled his civil lawsuit. He was sued for $800,000 by Edward Goodrich, a UT student, for basically breaking his face. But that is what's to be expected when you suckerpunch someone during a basketball game.



That video still turns my stomach a bit, and it's been two years since I first saw it.

Why The Jaguars Will Beat The Patriots

Ok, so the "in" thing to do this week is to predict a Jacksonville win over New England. The reasons are really two-fold. One, a number of people have come to hate New England so predicting them to lose is a popular choice. Two, if you pick Jacksonville to win and they do, then you look like a genius of sorts. If they lose, no one remembers, and they really never bother you about making a stupid pick.

Sounds good to me!

Actually, since it looked like Jacksonville was going to make the playoffs I've wanted them to get matched up with New England as early as possible. The only thing I wish I could change is that it would be the Sunday game instead of the Saturday one. That way the Patriots would know exactly who they were playing if they won, and there might have been the added aspect of them looking ahead a bit. Alas, Commissioner Goodell didn't ask for my input so it's Jax at New England on Saturday night. Now onto some questions and stats!

Jacksonville Went 0-2 Against The Colts This Season So How Can They Beat The Patriots?

Good question! To start, let me say that I think it's different when you're playing a division rival than when you're playing an opponent for the first time in a season. Jacksonville and Indy know what to expect from each other. New England and Jacksonville haven't faced teams quite like each other this season, so it's a different feel for both of them. It's true that in their first meeting the Jags were destroyed by Indy. In Jacksonville no less. However, that game saw Quinn Gray stepping in for an injured David Garrard, and subsequently throwing two interceptions. Without Garrard in the lineup the Colts were able to stack the box and concentrate on shutting down Taylor and Jones-Drew. The second Jags/Colts matchup was much closer, and showed that the Jags are capable of hanging with the elite NFL teams. However, we're talking about them beating one. So just how are they going to do it?

With their returns and running game.

Everyone knows about how dangerous Jones-Drew can be on kickoff returns. Most of us saw it first-hand on that 96 yard return against Pittsburgh last weekend. However, one player that has been overlooked a bit is Dennis Northcutt. He's never been an outstanding receiver, but this year he's been a decent punt returner for the Jaguars. Jacksonville is going to have to make the most out of every possession, and if Northcutt can set them up with good field position, then they increase their chances of pulling off the win. Besides, if Jones-Drew is returning a lot of kicks, then that probably means that New England is scoring. And Jacksonville can't survive a shootout with the Patriots. The only problem is that New England does a pretty good job at covering punts and kicks, so hopefully the Jags have worked some wrinkles into their return game. Though, they've only had 14 punts returned them this entire season(lowest in the NFL), and that bit of inexperience could lend itself to some mistakes.

The other tool that Jacksonville will use to beat New England is their rushing attack. We've seen what a good rushing game combined with a good defense can do against the Patriots. The Colts and Ravens both have good defenses, both rushed for 100+ yards against the Patriots and both almost beat New England. Philly and the Giants also almost defeated New England, but that was more because of defense and quarterback play. The thing is, none of those four teams have a running back tandem like Taylor and Jones-Drew. Addai and Keith are pretty good, but not quite on the same level as the Jags' backfield duo. Taylor grinds it out on first and second downs, but also still has the speed to go the distance like he did against Carolina. Jones-Drew moves the chains on third down, but can also churn out yards on first and second down and is a threat take it to the house whenever he has the ball. He's also a great receiver out of the backfield, and can wreak havoc when covered by a linebacker. New England's rush defense is pretty strong, but I still think that Jacksonville can get Jones-Drew matched up one-on-one at times with their linebackers and that he can exploit that match-up. Jacksonville's strong rushing attack should also limit New England's scoring opportunities, though they do have an explosive offense that can score from anywhere on the field.

Yes, Jacksonville does have a good defense, but they have to do more than just defend New England well. The Jaguars have to control the game. They can control field position with their returns, and control the clock/tempo with their run game. Both of those are crucial if they want to win, and I believe that they'll utilize both to knock off the Patriots.

Matt Jones Already Has His Halloween Costume Ready

For those of you that have seen "Pirates of the Caribbean" I'm sure that you're familiar with Captain Barbossa. However, some of you(obviously the ones that have never seen the film) might not know that his character was based on a real pirate by the name of Barbarossa, or Redbeard. And now, through the power of superstition and a lack of shaving, the Jacksonvile Jaguars are poised to have their very own "Redbeard" courtesy of Matt Jones.

Jacksonville's third-year WR Matt Jones sports a full red beard, an unusual sight in a sport in which beards are customarily kept short because of the mandatory use of chin straps.

Jones is ready to get rid of it, but there's one issue.

"I'll go until I score," Jones said. "You can write that."

Jones has been held without a touchdown over his last five games, and it appears that at least one person isn't digging the firechin.

We've got to get him a touchdown so he'll shave," Coach Jack Del Rio said this week, only half-jokingly.

Ah, lighten up coach. Two more weeks without a touchdown, and Jones should be ready for any and all Halloween festivities. Who knows, maybe he'll even let ya throw on an eye patch and attend some parties.

Khalif Barnes Doesn't Understand Valet Parking

Khalif Barnes seems to have a hard time operating a motor vehicle. A little less than one year ago he was arrested and charged with DUI. In that incident he basically called the residents of Jacksonville racists, and wondered aloud in the back of patrol car why they would even have an NFL team there.

If you thought that was interesting, then you should get a kick out of Khalif's latest automotive mishap. In which he wrecks his 2007 Mercedes causing an estimated $10,000 worth of damage, calls the police to report the accident, tosses the ignition key into the grass then flees the scene.

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Khalif Barnes was cited for reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and violating a term of his probation following a one-car accident in which he plowed his Mercedes into a tree.

Barnes called Jacksonville police to the scene of the accident near his house early Saturday morning, but when officers arrived Barnes was not there. When they knocked on his door at home, he wasn't there, either.

What officers found, however, was the lineman's 2007 Mercedes Benz against a tree and keys in the grass. Police estimated damage to the car around $10,000.

Sure Khalif, just toss the keys in the grass, and we'll get this Mercedes back to you in pristine conditon, no questions asked.

Fallout From The Vick Suspension, Less Sellouts?

Since Michael Vick won't be making any appearances in the NFL anytime soon(unless it's picking up trash outside a stadium in an orange jumpsuit), it also means that fans of his won't be purchasing tickets to NFL games. For the most part this probably isn't a big segment of the ticket purchasing crowd, but how might it affect a city where the local NFL team isn't a huge draw and there have been rumors of the team moving to Los Angeles.

Say, a team like the Jacksonville Jagurs?

Well, the Jags failed to sell out their game against Atlanta this Sunday, and consequently the game will be blacked out.

The NFL blacked out Sunday's Atlanta-Jacksonville game Thursday morning because of lackluster local ticket sales.

There are about 4,000 tickets available for the game at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, and it was unlikely the Jags would sell all of them by today's 1 p.m. deadline. The NFL requires the game be a sellout 72 hours before kickoff.

The Jags never faced an Atlanta team with Vick at QB, so it's difficult to draw any comparison. And they have had a problem with games being blacked out, including almost having their '07 season opener blacked out.

However, not having a flashy player like Vick on the field has to keep some people from buying tickets, especially for a franchise that has trouble drawing fans in the first place.

Jacksonville's Freaky Kicking Injuries Continue

Getting injured during the course of the game is a constant possibility for NFL players, even kickers. However, getting injured during pregame warmups is not something you want to be a part of, especially if you're the kicker(or getting injured during a celebration, I'm looking at you Gramatica!). However, that's exactly what happened to Jacksonville's starting kicker Josh Scobee yesterday.

For once, pregame warmups were significant. They cost Jacksonville a key weapon and a serious piece of strategy for Sunday's season opener. K Josh Scobee pulled a quadriceps muscle before the game when his kicking foot struck the turf. He kicked one more field goal and felt another twinge. Then he slammed his helmet to the ground. "It just wasn't a good idea to kick off or doing anything long," Scobee said.

The worst part is that his injury probably cost the Jags three points, the margin of defeat against the Tennessee Titans.

He booted one extra point and a 22-yard field goal, surrendering long attempts and kickoffs to P Adam Podlesh. Scobee's injury might have cost the Jaguars three points. Early in the third period they were forced to go for a first down on fourth-and-10 from Tennessee's 19-yard line. A 36-yard field goal was too long for Scobee to attempt. He told Coach Jack Del Rio that anything beyond the 15-yard line was too long.

Scobee was 7-7 between 30-39 last year, so it's pretty safe to assume that he would have knocked that field goal through. Had he been able to do so, Jacksonville would have tied the score at 13-13, and who knows what the outcome would have been.

Eventhough it does seem like a freak injury, maybe it shouldn't be too surprising considering that Jacksonville did lose a punter once to an ax incident that took place in the locker room.

Do What You Do Well Or Be Prepared To Lose

Every week you see a football team try and win their game in a manner that they're not used to doing. Whether it's getting into a shootout when you're used to grinding it out on the ground, or trying to continually run the ball when your quarterback can air it out at will. At the end of the game, usually one that results in a loss, people wonder why the team didn't stick to doing what it does best. This weekend's team was the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Over the past few season, the Jaguars have been known as a strong running team that uses their running success to set up the playaction pass. Last season, they were tied for 3rd in the NFL in rush attempts per game(32.1), in '05 they were ranked 8th(31.4) and in '04 they were ranked 15th(27.9). So what did they do yesterday with their rushing combo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew?

They rushed 13 times. Total. For a whopping 48 yards, and no touchdowns.

Instead, they asked David Garrard to throw 30 passes, and to try to win the game through the air. It's no wonder they lost to Tennessee 13-10.

I expect to see significantly more rush attempts for both Taylor and Jones-Drew when they face Atlanta in week 2.