Sep 16 2007 11:02AM
Hi and welcome to the press box at "The Jack." I&39;ll kick off today&39;s blog with this thought: It is really hot. Today&39;s game could bear a strong resemblance to last week&39;s. The team that deals with the heat the best will be the team that wins.
Sep 16 2007 11:22AM
There are those times in a season when it&39;s obvious a team is facing a critical game. Those games aren&39;t usually this early in the season but, with two road games ahead for the Jaguars, I don&39;t think anyone would argue that today&39;s game is critical. Must-win game? I won&39;t go that far, but I&39;ll call it a better-win.
Sep 16 2007 11:58AM
Folks, I&39;ve covered every game the Jaguars have ever played in this stadium and I can&39;t remember it ever being hotter than it is today. It&39;s not just me. Everybody is saying the same thing. It is really, really hot. These players desperately want some cloud cover.
Sep 16 2007 12:00PM
The inactives for the Jaguars: Josh Scobee, Terry Cousin, LaBrandon Toefield, Aaron Glenn, Clint Ingram, Brad Meester, Richard Collier, Kenny Pettway and Tony McDaniel.
Sep 16 2007 12:03PM
Correction: Terry Cousin is active, not inactive
Sep 16 2007 12:05PM
The Falcons inactives: Casey Bramlet, Laurent Robinson, Chris Crocker, D&39;Anthony Batiste, Rod Coleman, Quinn Ojinnaka, Tyson Clabo and Josh Mallard.
Sep 16 2007 12:08PM
The Jaguars have a major injury situation on their defensive line. Making matters worse is the heat, which requires a healthy rotation the Jaguars don&39;t have at their disposal. On top of all of that, the Falcons have one of the great open-spaces runner in NFL history in Warrick Dunn. The Falcons, therefore, are expected to take a page out of the Titans&39; game plan and spread the field and run.
Sep 16 2007 12:23PM
All five of the Jaguars&39; wide receivers are active for today&39;s game. The Falcons only have four active wide receivers. Complicating the issue for the Jaguars is that none of their wide receivers are kick-coverage guys. The temperature at 12:20 is 88 degrees.
Sep 16 2007 12:24PM
I&39;m heading over to the radio studio for the "Jaguars This Week Extra" segment of the pregame show. You&39;re certainly welcome to join us. I&39;ll be back just before kickoff.
Sep 16 2007 1:03PM
Atlanta wins the toss and will receive. Enjoy the game, folks. I hope we don&39;t have technical difficulties today, but there&39;s no guarantee.
Sep 16 2007 1:05PM
John Carney&39;s kick drops at the 12 and is returned to the 29. First down Atlanta.
Sep 16 2007 1:06PM
Alge Crumpler takes a five-yard pass and goes 35 yards to the Jaguars 36 on the first play. Nobody was there.
Sep 16 2007 1:06PM
John Henderson gets the sack on second down. The ball is at the Jaguars 42, third and 16.
Sep 16 2007 1:07PM
Mike Peterson gets the sack. The Falcons have to punt.
Sep 16 2007 1:08PM
The Jags have it at their 20. The Falcons did the exact opposite of what we expected. They did not spread the field, they tightened it. They started with two tight ends.
Sep 16 2007 1:10PM
The temperature at kickoff was 88 degrees. That makes this the hottest home game in Jaguars history.
Sep 16 2007 1:10PM
Fred Taylor breaks loose for 29 yards on the first play. First down at the Jaguars 49.
Sep 16 2007 1:12PM
John Abraham gets the sack. He beat Khalif Barnes bad.
Sep 16 2007 1:12PM
David Garrard to Marcedes Lewis for a first down. Gain of 14. Good-looking pass.
Sep 16 2007 1:14PM
Two runs lose two yards. The Falcons defense is in a penetration mode. They are going to pose a formidable rush. That&39;s apparent.
Sep 16 2007 1:16PM
Garrard hit Dennis Northcutt with a pass close to a first down, until Northcutt spiked the ball in the presence of a defender. That&39;s taunting and that&39;s a 15-yard penalty. Adam Podlesh&39;s punt is killed at the Falcons three-yard line.
Sep 16 2007 1:18PM
The Jaguars wide receivers are starting to get a little heavy. They are becoming difficult for this team to carry. Just catch the ball. Demonstrations aren&39;t necessary.
Sep 16 2007 1:25PM
Our server was down for awhile. I apologize. The ball is now at the 50, second and 10. Atlanta hit a big pass to Roddy White.
Sep 16 2007 1:29PM
The Falcons have to punt. Northcutt fair catches at the 15.
Sep 16 2007 1:30PM
There has been no cloud cover, yet. The Jaguars are using awnings over their benches. The sun is brutal and the Falcons&39; bench is staring right into it without cover.
Sep 16 2007 1:31PM
The awnings are being hand-held. That&39;s legal. It wouldn&39;t be legal if they were bolted to the bench.
Sep 16 2007 1:32PM
Garrard scrambled for a few yards but Tony Pashos got called for holding. The ball is at the eight.
Sep 16 2007 1:33PM
Garrard hits Reggie Williams with a laser shot over the middle for 27 yards to the Jaguars 37. Garrard is three for three.
Sep 16 2007 1:33PM
Garrard to George Wrighster for 18 to the Falcons 45. Garrard needs to finish this drive.
Sep 16 2007 1:34PM
Garrard is sacked. He pumped and then pulled it down. Discretion is the better part of valor. If he had thrown it, it probably would&39;ve been intercepted.
Sep 16 2007 1:36PM
On the last play of the first quarter, Garrard hits Lewis for 25 and a first down at the Falcons 24. Garrard was five for five for 94 yards and a 118.8 passer rating in the first quarter. John Henderson took a blow to the head and his return is questionable.
Sep 16 2007 1:41PM
On third and eight Garrard scrambles for six. Carney hits from 35 yards out. Nine plays, 68 yards. That&39;s a good start, but the Jaguars will need more drives and touchdowns instead of field goals.
Sep 16 2007 1:43PM
Carney thumps his kickoff into the end zone. Hmmm. First down for the Falcons at their 20. Rob Meier has replaced Henderson at tackle. Derek Landri is also in the game.
Sep 16 2007 1:49PM
The Jaguars stuff a third-and-one play. The Falcons pulled out their right guard and he got stuck in the hole. That&39;s too much going on for a quick-hitter type of play.
Sep 16 2007 1:49PM
Fair-catch interference against the Falcons puts the ball on the Jaguars 38.
Sep 16 2007 1:54PM
A false start against Matt Jones and an intentional grounding against Garrard are killing the drive.
Sep 16 2007 1:55PM
The Falcons have it at their 35-yard line. The Jaguars dodged a bullet on a possible late hit.
Sep 16 2007 1:56PM
Two rookies, Justin Durant and Reggie Nelson, are starting for the Jaguars today.
Sep 16 2007 1:57PM
Harrington big pass to White; 35 yards to the Jaguars 30. No rush.
Sep 16 2007 1:58PM
Gerald Sensabaugh has a sprained shoulder and will not return. Sammy Knight has taken his place.
Sep 16 2007 1:59PM
Great coverage by Rashean Mathis; fourth down.
Sep 16 2007 1:59PM
Matt Prater is wide to the right from 43. The Jaguars need to score here and push this lead upward.
Sep 16 2007 2:05PM
Garrard sacked on third down. He had enough time to throw but couldn&39;t find an open receiver. I couldn&39;t find one, either, but you can&39;t stand there with the ball in your hand; gotta move.
Sep 16 2007 2:08PM
Joe Horn beats Mathis for 26 yards on third down. The ball is at the Jaguars 47.
Sep 16 2007 2:08PM
The Falcons are starting to grind a little bit. Jerious Norwood just ran for eight.
Sep 16 2007 2:10PM
Harrington to Crumpler for a first down at the Jaguars 28; plus 13. Harrington&39;s playing well. He&39;s showing more pocket presence than I had seen from him in last year&39;s game in Miami.
Sep 16 2007 2:10PM
The Falcons have moved the ball well all day, but can&39;t score. Now they have a holding penalty hurting them; first and 19.
Sep 16 2007 2:11PM
The Falcons have 177 totals yards. That&39;s a lot of yards at the two-minute warning of the first half.
Sep 16 2007 2:15PM
Harrington to Norwood for a first down at the 13. Time out Atlanta. I can&39;t imagine what it would be like to chase Michael Vick all over this field on a day this hot, but Harrington is giving the Jaguars enough of a problem. He&39;s throwing on rhythm.
Sep 16 2007 2:17PM
Bobby McCray was offside. Second down at the eight.
Sep 16 2007 2:17PM
Dunn runs to near the three; they&39;ll measure. Time out Falcons.
Sep 16 2007 2:19PM
Touchdown! Dunn for four yards on third down. He bounced it out to the left.
Sep 16 2007 2:23PM
On third and one, Maurice Jones-Drew loses a yard and the Jags have to punt. Atlanta may have a chance to move into field goal range.
Sep 16 2007 2:23PM
Short punt; dead at the Falcons 46.
Sep 16 2007 2:25PM
Kneel down; that&39;s the end of the half. Smart move by Bob Petrino; get into the air-conditioning.
Sep 16 2007 2:26PM
The Jaguars are getting whipped, again, on time of possession, by more than two minutes. I give the defense credit for holding the Falcons to seven points, but the defense has also allowed 204 yards.
Sep 16 2007 2:28PM
Offensively, the Jaguars have 156 yards and got off to a good start, but they began to stumble late in the half. All of the numbers look good except one: three points. The Jaguars need one of their wide receivers to make a big play; get open down the field and do something after the catch. Being efficient may not be good enough for Garrard today. He needs to make a play.
Sep 16 2007 2:40PM
Two passes, a first down. Garrard&39;s a good short passer. He needs to prove he can throw it down the field, as he did last week.
Sep 16 2007 2:41PM
Garrard is throwing well. Three completions put the ball at the Atlanta 39. All passes so far.
Sep 16 2007 2:43PM
Wow! What a run by Garrard for 11 and a first down. He ran threw three guys; powerful run. He needs to finish this drive. He&39;s doing everything but scoring.
Sep 16 2007 2:44PM
A run loses two. The running game is in the tank. The offensive line is getting no surge.
Sep 16 2007 2:46PM
Garrard hits Matt Jones over the middle, Jones gets popped and tbe ball comes out incomplete. You have to catch that ball.
Sep 16 2007 2:48PM
Fourth and six incomplete for Jones-Drew. It hit Jones-Drew on the hands.
Sep 16 2007 2:52PM
Harrington to Michael Jenkins for a first down on third and one. Harrington&39;s starting to look like Johnny Unitas. Harrington has thrown for 188 yards.
Sep 16 2007 2:52PM
The Jaguars are challenging Jenkins&39; catch.
Sep 16 2007 2:54PM
The ruling stands; control and two feet in bounds. Jacksonville is charged with a time out.
Sep 16 2007 2:55PM
Henderson is back in the game.
Sep 16 2007 2:56PM
Pass interference against Brian Williams. The ball is at the Jaguars 22. This is crunch time right now. The Jaguars have to stop the Falcons here. Their season, in my opinion, is on the line.
Sep 16 2007 2:58PM
Run by Dunn for a first down. The Jaguars defensive line is being moved out. They&39;re not getting off blocks.
Sep 16 2007 2:58PM
The Falcons have targeted Reggie Hayward.
Sep 16 2007 2:59PM
Daryl Smith makes a strong stop; third and goal at the five.
Sep 16 2007 3:00PM
Harrington is sacked by Marcus Stroud; fourh down. Prater will attempt a 26-yard field goal. It&39;s wide to the right. The Jaguars stay alive.
Sep 16 2007 3:02PM
Garrard is a workmanlike 10 of 17 for 150 yards and an 87.9 passer rating, but they don&39;t award points for stats. He needs to make a play on his end and he needs a wide receiver to make a play on his end. Where&39;s John Broussard?
Sep 16 2007 3:04PM
Great play! That&39;s making a play. Garrard to Ernest Wilford for 33 yards. Wilford got open and Garrard hit him in stride.
Sep 16 2007 3:06PM
Garrard hums a strike to Northcutt at the Falcons 11. Garrard looks good. Finish it!
Sep 16 2007 3:06PM
Delay of game.
Sep 16 2007 3:08PM
Garrard is sacked by Grady Jackson. He had no one open and wanted to throw it away. That&39;s the end of the third quarter. The ball is now on the Falcons 20.
Sep 16 2007 3:08PM
Tickets distributed is 61,821.
Sep 16 2007 3:11PM
Touchdown! On third and 14 Garrard hits Reggie Williams with a bullet. Beautiful pass! Finally, the Jaguars finish a drive and take the lead, 10-7. Now, it&39;s up to the defense to hold.
Sep 16 2007 3:14PM
Another touchback for Carney. The ball must be filled with flubber.
Sep 16 2007 3:15PM
That is one of the biggest drives in Garrard&39;s career. It was 80 yards in eight plays, nearly all passes. Garrard drove his team to the lead at crunch time. He&39;s got a 118.9 passer rating right now.
Sep 16 2007 3:17PM
Harrington, I mean Unitas, has them on the move.
Sep 16 2007 3:17PM
Sacked by Paul Spicer; loss of four.
Sep 16 2007 3:18PM
First bad pass by Harrington. He missed Norwood in the flat. He would&39;ve gotten near the first down.
Sep 16 2007 3:19PM
Sacked by Brent Hawkins. Falcons have to punt. The defense did its job. Now it&39;s the offense&39;s turn to possess the clock.
Sep 16 2007 3:22PM
The run just isn&39;t working now. It&39;s going to be difficult to kill the clock.
Sep 16 2007 3:24PM
Freakish speed; fourth and one, Jags are going for it.
Sep 16 2007 3:25PM
Why are the Jags going for it? Just punt and play defense, right? We&39;ll see. The coach is making a bold decision.
Sep 16 2007 3:26PM
First down. Jones-Drew blows up the middle. The ball is at the Falcons&39; 43. Jack Del Rio just made a statement, I think.
Sep 16 2007 3:27PM
Greg Jones is in the game; fresh legs gain four.
Sep 16 2007 3:28PM
Great play by Garrard. He scrambled away from the rush and fit a pass to Taylor for a gain of 11 and a first down.
Sep 16 2007 3:29PM
The run is not there but Garrard&39;s third-down efficiency is allowing the Jaguars to move the clock. The Jaguars are five of 12 on third down.
Sep 16 2007 3:30PM
Garrard to Northcutt for 21 at the Atlanta 15. This is the best I have ever seen Garrard throw the ball.
Sep 16 2007 3:34PM
Carney is good from 27. The Jags got conservative there; three straight runs to end the drive. I think Garrard deserved more confidence than that.
Sep 16 2007 3:36PM
The Falcons came close to breaking that kickoff big. It&39;s at the Falcons 28 with 3:33 to play.
Sep 16 2007 3:41PM
Holding on Atlanta. Harrington had run for the first down. That&39;s a potential game-saving penalty for the Jaguars.
Sep 16 2007 3:42PM
Sack by Hawkins. Falcons have to punt.
Sep 16 2007 3:43PM
The Jaguars have it at their 36-yard line at the two-minute warning. The Falcons have three times out remaining. So what would you do? Run and expire the times out, or trust Garrard to make a play?
Sep 16 2007 3:45PM
Run for one on first down; timeout.
Sep 16 2007 3:46PM
Run for first down by Taylor on second down; timeout. That should do it. It should be kneel time.
Sep 16 2007 3:47PM
The replay booth wants to look at the spot.
Sep 16 2007 3:51PM
They&39;re moving the ball back, but it&39;s still a first down.
Sep 16 2007 3:53PM
The Falcons use their final timeout. Thank you for joining me for today&39;s blog. We&39;ll get a couple of runs and then a punt, which should leave the Falcons having to go the distance with a few seconds remaining.
Sep 16 2007 3:55PM
That&39;s it, everybody. I&39;m outta here.
