Training camp ended this past Thursday but based on what Jack Del Rio saw Saturday night in his Jaguars' 19-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins, he'd probably like to reopen camp on Monday.
"Not a very good effort. The Dolphins wanted to play a physical football game and they did and we didn't. Clearly, not what we're looking for," Del Rio said in one of the most stern postgame media conferences of his head coaching career.
"It was disappointing. Didn't fit the run well. Didn't tackle well. Didn't get off blocks well. When we played our regulars and they played theirs, they had a strong command of the game," Del Rio said.
The final score was close only because third-string quarterback Todd Bouman pitched a couple of touchdown passes to reserve tight ends Charles Davis and Chris Brown. Through three and a half quarters under the leadership of quarterbacks David Garrard and Cleo Lemon, the best the Jaguars offense could manage was a missed field goal attempt and a fumble at the one-yard line that resulted in a touchback.
Del Rio is usually able to find the positives in all situations, but it was a struggle for him following the loss to the Dolphins. He settled for no injuries, few penalties and the play of Bouman.
"Those are your positives," he said.
A wakeup call for a team that's being picked to contend for the Super Bowl? We'll find out next Saturday when the Jaguars play in Tampa.
Maybe it was a post-camp letdown. Maybe the Jaguars are practice weary. Maybe the preseason just doesn't hold enough intrigue for a team whose sights are set much higher. Del Rio, however, wasn't buying any excuses.
"There's no explanation that'll make it go away. What we just saw is not acceptable," Del Rio said.
Garrard struggled through a half of action. He completed seven of 14 passes for 63 yards and a 62.5 passer rating. A diving Mike Walker nearly hauled in a touchdown pass, but Walker was unable to control the ball through impact with the ground.
It's not that Garrard was bad, it's just that he wasn't sharp and that's a trend he'd like to reverse against the Bucs. At this time last year, Garrard was in the process of taking the starting quarterback job from Byron Leftwich.
"Stay on an even keel and move on to the next one," Garrard said in offering perspective.
Del Rio's perspective was stronger.
"I think the whole team played poorly. Evidently, I have to do something different," he said, which might've been a hint that practices could increase in intensity next week.
Lemon replaced Garrard for the start of the second half, but the result was the same: no points. Lemon completed five of 12 passes for 69 yards, one interception and a 26.0 passer rating.
The Dolphins got outstanding performances from both of their quarterbacks. Chad Pennington was five of six for 55 yards and a 104.9 rating, and rookie Chad Henne played three quarters of the game and completed 17 of 26 passes for 133 yards and a 77.9 rating. Henne had several passes dropped.
Bouman completed nine of 13 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and a 125.8 rating in just two series worth of action. He moved the Jaguars to touchdowns on drives of 71 and 73 yards.
Miami out-rushed the Jaguars, 123-42, as Ricky Williams led all rushers with 43 yards on 10 carries.
"All in all, the report is not what we're looking for. We have a lot of work to do," Del Rio said.
It almost sounded threatening.
