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The wind was at Scobee's back

Join jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.

Jeremy from Portsmouth, OH:
Is it fair to expect that sort of offensive game plan from here on out?

Vic: If the runs hadn't gained 5.0 yards a carry, everybody would be complaining that Dirk Koetter ran the ball too much. Calling a good game is all about the players making your plan work. The Jaguars made Koetter's plan to control the ball with the run work. It was the only game plan a sensible offensive coordinator could've created for this game. Look at this way: The Colts had eight possessions in the game. Four of them ended in touchdowns on drives of 54, 85, 96 and 65 yards. One drive ended on an interception that would've been a completion to near the goal line if the ball hadn't been jarred loose from the receiver's hands. Another drive ended deep in Jaguars territory on a careless fumble. In other words, what would've happened had the Jaguars gotten into a shootout with the Colts, instead of limiting Peyton Manning's time on the field as much as they did, thanks to a strong rushing attack? That's the way the Jaguars want to play football, need to play football, but it's not as easy as just calling the plays. That's the league's 29th-ranked run-defense the Jaguars were facing. The Colts defense makes a lot of game plans work. It's not about the plays, it's about the players.

Steve from Neptune Beach, FL:
How huge was that?

Vic: You know how huge it was. I was worried about today. I'm not worried now.

John from Jacksonville:
Was the key to victory losing the coin toss before the game, or was the wind not much of a factor in the kicking game?

Vic: The wind was 10-15 mph from the north. Josh Scobee was kicking to the south end zone. I don't think he would've made that 59-yarder if he had been kicking in the other direction. So why didn't the Colts elect to defend the south end zone in the third quarter, which would've forced Scobee to kick into the wind in the fourth quarter?

Paul from Jacksonville:
Football is alive and well in Jacksonville.

Vic: Yeah, it is, but do we have to have these life and death swings on a weekly basis? Can't we just stick by the team win or lose? I mean, what choice do you have? You either love it or you don't.

Kelvin from Warwick, UK:
Amidst the euphoria of a great win, I suspect many people may overlook Mike Thomas' contribution. I'm interested to hear your evaluation of a second-year guy who seems to be establishing himself as a consistent producer of yards, more so than Sims-Walker. Secondly, is it a worry that Sims-Walker has now gone two games out of four without contributing anything at all?

Vic: I don't think anyone is overlooking Thomas' contribution. He leads the Jaguars in receiving. He's their go-to guy, a young player hard on the rise. Yes, I'm concerned about Mike Sims-Walker. His production has been down since late last season. This team needs him to come to life.

Howard from Homestead, FL:
Let's not berate the time out too much. Caldwell was just saying, "If you won't go for the win, we will." Turns out, going for it was the right thing to do.

Vic: You lost me on this one, Howard. Are you actually quoting yourself, or did you see somewhere that Jim Caldwell had made that remark? Here's a better question: How did it work for him? "Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance."—Sun Tzu.

Tolar from Jacksonville:
I hope Tiquan Underwood gets more playing time.

Vic: I've liked this guy since I first saw him. He made me proud yesterday.

John from Alexandria, VA:
I know this was not a playoff game but what do you think was the bigger win, Sunday's game or the playoff win over Pittsburgh in 2007?

Vic: The playoff win in Pittsburgh, in my opinion, was not a big win for this franchise because it did more harm than good. It reinforced the notion that this team was a player or two away from the Super Bowl, and that caused excessive spending in free agency and the trading away of several draft picks this team needed to rebuild its future, instead of spending on two pass-rushers that didn't put this team over the top. Yesterday's win, in my opinion, is big because it reinforces the belief that this is a team on the rise, and I believe the Jaguars desperately needed that reinforcement.

Jeremy from Jerseyville, IL:
I'm hoping to find out on the Gene Smith show about why Gerald Alexander was let go in final cuts before the season.

Vic: He was cut because he had a couple of terrible games in the preseason. It's that simple. When he was cut, I wasn't convinced that it was the right thing to do, but he played himself into his release.

Ivan from Gainesville, FL:
Garrard hit the "honey hole" to set up the winning field goal. That was an NFL throw.

Vic: That's exactly where he threw the ball. The Colts were in "cover two" and Garrard hit the "honey hole." It's a throw Colt McCoy and a lot of other college-type quarterbacks can't make. That's why a quarterback has to be able to make all of the throws. On that play, it wasn't about intangibles. It wasn't about leadership or karma or winning attitude or that look in his eye. It was about having the arm to hit the "honey hole," and Garrard did.

Geoff from Jacksonville:
Did either Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis play on Sunday?

Vic: Freeney is credited on the final stats sheet as having made one tackle and one pass-defensed (tipped pass). Mathis is credited with two tackles and one quarterback hurry. So, what does everyone think of the Jaguars' young tackles today?

Rob from Milwaukee, WI:
The Colts are 0-2 in the division. How big of a deal is that?

Vic: I'll tell you how big it is. My initial reaction to that stat is that the Colts are unlikely to win the division title without winning the title outright. That's what yesterday's loss may cost them. I think they may have also taken a look around the AFC, where there are two 3-1 teams in the North, there'll be two 3-1 teams in the East after tonight's game, and there will be six other 2-2 teams, most of whom have better tiebreakers than the Colts. I don't think the Colts should be feeling panic, but they sure didn't help themselves with that loss yesterday.

Josh from Washington, DC:
I flew my father in from England for this game, as he had never been to an NFL game and I thought this would be the one sure hit of the season. My father was very impressed and asked me, "Are all games this good?" My response was, "Dad, you have just seen the best home game in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars." True or false?

Vic: I think it's true.

James from Knoxville, TN:
Do you think Mincey made a big enough statement to overtake the left defensive end spot?

Vic: Yes.

Kyle from Jupiter, FL:
I just adopted a kitten from the humane society. I'm naming him Scobee.

Vic: Peyton's a nice name.

Josh from Harrisburg, PA:
Did the AFC South catch up with Indy, or is Indy's inability to slow the run finally being exposed?

Vic: Finally being exposed? They've never been able to stop the run. It's always been the fly in the ointment for the Colts, which begs this question: If I'm the best personnel man in the game, shouldn't I have been able at some point in the glorious career of Peyton Manning to fix that defense?

Scott from Ann Arbor, MI:
The other day my wife asked me why I root for the Jaguars. She feels they never win and it gets me all upset. I tried explaining to her that you don't just quit on your team. You stick with them and enjoy the good times all the more because of it. She didn't seem to get it. Any advice on how to explain why to be a Jaguars fan?

Vic: Ask her why she loves you. She'll get it.

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