I wanted to be able to tell you the record of interim head coaches in their first game after taking over. I figured if I could go back over the last 10 years and find out what that stat is, it might be a nice piece of information with which to lead this column, so I asked around and nobody knew, which meant I would have to do exhaustive, nearly impossible research to find the information I sought. That’s when I decided to shorten the time period.
Interim head coaches were 1-2 in the NFL last season, in their first game after taking over for a fired head coach. Tom Cable and Mike Singletary lost their games, Jim Haslett won his.
Hey, that took some time. I’ll also have you know that Cable and Singletary were retained by the Raiders and 49ers as head coach. Haslett is now coaching in the UFL, which says something about the value of winning your first game – actually first two games – as interim head coach.
Perry Fewell will give it a try this week for the Buffalo Bills. Fewell, a former Jaguars assistant under Tom Coughlin, takes over for the fired Dick Jauron, a former defensive coordinator for the Jaguars under Coughlin.
OK, that’s enough of that. Wadda I think about this Sunday’s game?
Well, I think it’s a game the Jaguars should win. Right now, the Jaguars have one of the league’s hottest rushing attacks and the Bills have the league’s worst rush-defense. That’s a head-to-head comparison that can’t be ignored. The bottom line is the Jaguars should be able to run the ball and control time of possession against the Bills.
My concern is for Rashean Mathis’ absence at cornerback. The last time Mathis missed a game, in Tennessee on Nov. 1, the result was an embarrassing, franchise-record 305 yards rushing allowed. You might remember it for the tackling problems the Jaguars defense displayed that day.
Well, the league rankings say the Bills offense (29th overall) isn’t much better than the team’s rush-defense, but there are things about the Bills offense that could be of concern. They are:
- A formidable one-two punch at running back, featuring all-purpose backs Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, who is just now getting back into the swing of things after having served a three-game suspension.
- Big-play wide receiver Lee Evans, who’s been a Jaguars-killer of sorts in his career. Evans delivered the big blow in the Bills’ win in Jacksonville early last season and he has five touchdown catches this year.
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick gave the Jaguars fits last year when he led the Bengals to their first win of the season. Fitzpatrick is smart, mobile and resourceful.
Yeah, the landscape looks good for the Jaguars. I expect them to be 6-4 heading to San Francisco, but playing without Mathis is reason for concern. Here are 10 things the Jaguars have to do to beat the Bills.
- Tackle the man with the ball—The Jaguars’ tackling has improved greatly since the loss in Tennessee.
- Run, run, run—And then run some more.
- Keep Fitzpatrick in the pocket—He’s at his best on the run.
- Play your best—That’s the formula for playoff-contenders. It’s about building to peak performance in December.
- Start fast—It’s worked the past few weeks.
- Fall down in the end zone a lot—That’ll help avoid having to fall down at the one late in the game.
- Get a couple of sacks—The Bills are bad at pass-blocking.
- Know what this is—It’s a home game, one of four home games in the next five games. These are must-win games.
- Be good at quarterback—David Garrard is playing at a high level. It’s the one thing common to all playoff contenders.
- Win the battle of the hitting—Teams out of playoff contention in the second half of the season can be easily discouraged.