The Jaguars grinded out a victory last night in a very overmatched opponent in the Tampa Bay Bucs who were playing without their starting QB Josh Freeman.  David Garrard was solid for the most part as he completed 24 of 31 passes for 211 yards with 1 INT.  Luke McCown was so-so last night as he completed 9 of 14 passes for 76 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 14 yards (2.8 ypc) in this game.  FB Brock Bolen led the way on the ground for the Jags in this game with 26 yards rushing on 7 carries (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 40 yards (10.0 avg).  FB Montell Owens pitched in with 24 yards rushing on 6 carries (4.0 ypc) last night.  Rashad Jennings pitched in with 9 yards rushing on 4 carries (2.3 ypc) last night but he helped out in the passing game with 36 yards receiving on 4 grabs (9.0 avg).  WRs Mike Thomas (5 rec, 30 yards and 1 carry for 18 yards) and John Matthews (1 rec, 27 yards, TD) led the way for the Jags in the passing game.  The Jaguars finished up with 109 yards rushing (3.6 ypc) and 287 yards passing in this game as the Jags had possession of the ball for 39:00 in this game.

LB Jacob Cutrera led the way for the Jags’ D in this game with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  Safety Anthony Smith pitched in with 5 tackles including one of them that went for a loss.  The Bucs finished up with 42 yards rushing (2.8 ypc) and 149 yards passing in the game last night.  The Jaguars improve to 1-2 on the season.

The Jaguars have signed 25-year old RB Kolby Smith.  Smith played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Chiefs last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 33 yards (2.2 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg) last year.  Smith has now played in 27 games (9 starts) in his three years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 162 times for 540 yards (3.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 34 passes for 209 yards (6.1 avg) in his career.  This signing became crucial due to the injury to Deji Karim’s thumb.

Rookie 6th round pick (RB) Deji Karim will miss the rest of the pre-season due to surgery on his left thumb.  Karim played in the first two pre-season games for the Jaguars in which he carried the ball 2 times for 9 yards (4.5 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 5 yards (2.5 avg).  Karim was outstanding on kickoff returns as he returned 9 of them for 295 yards (32.8 avg).  That is where he will be missed the most.

The Jaguars defense failed them again last Saturday Night.  David Garrard looked solid in completing 6 of 8 passes for 79 yards with 1 TD pass.  Luke McCown continued his outstanding play this pre-season by completing 14 of 23 passes for 152 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Rashad Jennings led the way for the Jaguars on the ground in this game with 26 yards rushing on 3 carries (8.7 ypc).  Fullback Brock Bolen pitched in with 3 carries for 7 yards (2.3 ypc) and a TD run.  Bolen also caught 2 passes for 7 yards (3.5 avg) with a TD grab.  WRs Mike Sims-Walker (3 rec, 64 yards), Jarrett Dillard (3 rec, 43 yards) and Mike Thomas (2 rec, 27 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Jaguars on Saturday Night.  The Jaguars finished up with 54 yards rushing (2.8 ypc) and 221 yards passing in this game.

Linebackers Kirk Morrison and Tony Gilbert each had 4 tackles in this game for the Jags.  Safety Courtney Greene also had 4 tackles but he also had 1/2 a sack and 1 QB hit.  The Dolphins finished up with 79 yards rushing (2.8 ypc) and 262 yards passing in this game.

The Jaguars have placed 27-year old linebacker Freddie Keiaho on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a severe concussion.  Keiaho looked pretty good in the pre-season opener against the Eagles when he had 5 tackles.  He played in 16 games (2 starts) with the Colts last season and he had 38 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass defensed.  This a blow to the linebacker depth on the Jaguars as they liked Keiaho.

The Jaguars have signed 28-year old linebacker Rod Wilson.  Wilson played in 8 games for the Bucs last season and he had 3 tackles.  Wilson has now played in 36 games in his NFL career and he has made 37 tackles and he has forced 1 fumble.  Wilson will provide depth at linebacker and he’ll help out on special teams if the makes the Jags’ roster.

You certainly can’t blame the offense for this loss as they only had possession of the ball for 19:19 in this game.  David Garrard didn’t look too good in completing 5 of 10 passes for 35 yards.  Luke McCown replaced him and he was awesome!  McCown completed 11 of 15 passes for 244 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Before you jump the gun though Jags’ fans, McCown is the #2 QB and that is what he’ll be when the season starts unless Garrard is injured.  Trevor Harris finished up the game at QB for the Jags last night and he completed 6 of 9 passes for 30 yards.  The Jaguars didn’t run much as they were playing from behind most of this game.  WR Troy Williamson caught 2 passes for 101 yards (50.5 avg) including a snag of 73 yards for a TD.  WR Tiquan Underwood only caught 1 pass and it went for a 55-yard TD from McCown.  WR John Matthews was also impressive catching 4 passes for 41 yards including 1 grab that went for a 30-yard TD.  The Jaguars finished up with 14 yards rushing (1.6 ypc) and 302 passing yards in this contest.

The defense was awful against both the run and the pass last night.  LBs Freddie Keiaho (5 tackles, 1/2 sack, 1 QB hit) and Tony Gilbert (5 tackles) led the way for the Jags’ D last night.  Safety Reggie Nelson pitched in with 5 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  The Eagles finished up with 211 yards rushing (5.1 ypc) and 285 yards passing last night.

23-year old WR Mike Thomas played in 14 games for the Jaguars last season and he returned 26 kickoffs for 644 yards (24.8 avg).  Thomas will likely be moving into the starting lineup at WR but they don’t have anyone better than him to return kickoffs in 2010 so I see him keeping the job.  He has a lot of moves that often get him extra yards so the Jags should consistently have good starting field position for the offense in 2010.

The Jaguars have good reason to expect more out of the O-Line in 2010 as the unit has a good mix of young up and coming players and veteran know how.  LT Eugene Monroe was a first round pick of the Jags in 2009.  He has more than enough talent to become a dominating left tackle in the NFL.  But the Jags will have to keep him motivated and focused as Monroe didn’t seem to play hard on every play as a rookie.  Vince Manuwai is a dominating run blocker when healthy and he will be able to help out Monroe when he needs it.  Veteran Brad Meester is a tough guy that makes all of the line calls but he appears to be running on fumes.  Uche Nwaneri will likely have to hold off Kynan Forney for the starting RG spot.  Nwaneri runs hot and cold while Forney is a very solid pass blocker.  It’s possible that they will share the spot in 2010.  RT Eben Britton was outstanding as a rookie last season as he plays with a very nasty demeanor.  He could be a Pro Bowler in the very near future for the Jags.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE JAGUARS O-LINE in 2010:  B

The Jaguars have signed 30-year old Tony Gilbert and 29-year old Kris Griffin.  Gilbert played with the Jaguars from 2003-06.  He played in 12 games for the Falcons last season and he had 4 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  He has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has 47 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.  Griffin last played in the NFL in 2008 with the Cleveland Browns.  He has played in 46 games in his NFL career and he has 40 tackles.  These signing were likely made with special teams in mind but Gilbert and Griffin will also provide some depth at linebacker if the make the team.