What's done can't be changed. Paul Posluszny said the Jaguars realize that.
But as for any notion that the Jaguars can't recover from a one-sided loss this past Sunday, or any idea that an early hole is too deep . . .
Well, the Jaguars' middle linebacker said those aren't the team's thoughts.
"We're good to go," Posluszny said Wednesday morning as the Jaguars (0-2) prepared to play the Indianapolis Colts (1-1) in an AFC South game at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis Sunday at 1 p.m. "Obviously 0-2 doesn't help but the fact is we have a long way to go. We don't have time to be down on ourselves. We've got to get going.
"It's not a good start. We're going to do everything we can to fix that."
That was the focus Wednesday as the Jaguars gathered at EverBank field three days after a 27-7 loss to the Houston Texans, a game in which the Jaguars set a franchise-record low with 117 yards total offense.
"There's no reason to stress," Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew said. "We're 0-2, but we have a long way to go."
Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey at his media availability early Wednesday afternoon said he spoke to the team early that morning, and when he did, a major emphasis was on "staying the course."
Mularkey, in his first season with the Jaguars, considers former Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll a major influence. Noll's philosophy following a loss was to simplify and refocus rather than make drastic changes.
Mularkey said the Jaguars have seen evidence in the preseason and in a regular-season-opening loss to Minnesota that when they do what they're supposed to do things go well, which gives him little incentive to make changes.
"You dig a little deeper," he said.
Mularkey, speaking before the team's lone padded practice of the week, said he was impressed with the players' approach early.
"We've moved on," he said. "We have to. That's part of the NFL."
Mularkey said his emphasis when speaking to the team Wednesday was on continuing to work, to improve on areas that needed work after Houston. He said there wasn't much emphasis on the ramifications of Sunday's game against the Colts.
"They absolutely know the importance of it," he said. "I'm not going to talk about, 'What if we lose?' I'll never do that."
Jones-Drew said there's no reason to emphasize record this week.
"Regardless of whether you're 0-2 or 2-0, you're going to have a sense of urgency," Jones-Drew said. "We just have to continue to work and prepare. It's going to be a tough game up there. We understand why we are 0-2 and we're the ones who have to fix it."
And although the Jaguars have missed the playoffs the last five seasons, and although for observers the memory of a 5-11 season is fresh, Jones-Drew said that has no bearing on this week.
"Last year was different than this year," Jones-Drew said. "We're just working on what we can do right now."
Rather, Mularkey said on Wednesday the Jaguars discussed past teams that have recovered from 0-2 starts, and that while history suggests 0-2 is difficult from which to recover, history also provides examples of when it happened. The 2001 Patriots, for example, started the season 0-2 after a 5-11 season the year before. They won the Super Bowl.
The Dallas Cowboys in 1993 and New York Giants in 2007 also won Super Bowls following 0-2 starts.
"They're definitely focused," Mularkey said. "They're not in panic mode. There are a number of stories of teams that started like we have that ended in good results. They heard them."
Mularkey also Wednesday said he believes the Jaguars will have quarterback Blaine Gabbert available.
Gabbert, who sustained a glute injury Sunday, was expected to work on a limited basis in practice Wednesday, with several other injured players also expected to work limited. Gabbert worked full during the early portion of practice open to the media.
Cornerback Derek Cox, out since the preseason opener with a hamstring injury, was expected to work limited with a chance to play Sunday, and guard Eben Britton and offensive tackle Cameron Bradfield were expected to work limited with Britton having a better chance to play Sunday than Bradfield, Mularkey said.
Mularkey said linebacker Daryl Smith (groin) likely won't play, but the Jaguars on Wednesday were focused less on injures and more about figuring out a way to win and change the conversation from what's going wrong to what's going right.
"We've been working," Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "We've really been working. We're not where we want to be, but I still believe we can be there. There are 14 games left, a lot of football left, a lot of hope."
And on Wednesday, that hope far outweighed the memory of three days before.
"I think it's definitely in the rear view," Jones-Drew said. "Obviously these last two games haven't been good for us, but we have to bounce back and get ready to play Indy. A lot of guys are upbeat. A lot of guys are fired up to get that taste out of our mouth,
"As soon as we do that, the sooner we can be in here smiling."
