Nov 15th 2008 12:50PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars, AFC South
Yesterday MDS mentioned that Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio had banished muscle-flexin’ Mike Peterson to the bench and stripped him of his captaincy for insubordination.
Today, the ’s Michael Wright points out that Del Rio has named Daryl Smith the team’s starting linebacker for the rest of the season, and Peterson will now serve as Justin Durant’s backup. Del Rio said there won’t be any further discussions about Peterson regaining his job in the middle.
“He needs to embrace his role,” Del Rio said. “Daryl Smith is going to be our mike [linebacker], and it should be good for him.” Got that? Don’t even think about asking Jack about Peterson getting his old job back because it ain’t happening. And just to reassure those of you who think this has more to do with last week’s falling out than it does with trying to fix a defense Gregg Williams has managed to render useless in two months on the job, well, you’re wrong. Sorta: “This move is more about giving Daryl Smith more opportunities in the middle than punishing Mike [Peterson],” Del Rio said. “He’ll get some snaps at the will [linebacker].” Reading between the lines: this has EVERYTHING to do with punishing Mike Peterson and nothing to do with giving Daryl Smith more opportunities. Okay, got it.
Nov 14th 2008 4:46PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars
Last week Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio became so angry at the insubordination shown by starting middle linebacker and team captain Mike Peterson that he sent him home from practice. Del Rio also fined Peterson $10,000.
But while Peterson is back with the team, he’s not back in the starting lineup. Del Rio says he has permanently demoted Peterson to backup status, replacing him with Daryl Smith.
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reports: “Daryl Smith is our starting middle linebacker,” Del Rio said in a telephone conversation after Friday’s practice, as the Jaguars got ready for the undefeated Tennessee Titans. …
Del Rio was asked if he and Peterson have reached any kind of meeting of the minds after last week’s dispute.
“There will be no meetings,” Del Rio said. “He has to embrace his new role on the team.”
So Peterson is now relegated to special teams, which he hasn’t played in years. And that’s ridiculous. If Peterson was good enough to start before, why is he suddenly not good enough to start after he talked back to Del Rio? Benching players for insubordination might build character when it comes from a high school coach. It smacks of desperation when it comes from a professional coach.
Nov 12th 2008 1:45PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Jaguars, AFC North, AFC South, NFL Fans, NFL Referees
During the Bengals Week 9 win over the Jaguars (their first of the season!), Jacksonville defensive tackle John Henderson tried to remove Cincy offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth’s eyeballs from his skull. He didn’t scrub up, ask for a melon baller … nothing. Just started poking away.
Predictably, both players were fined for the altercation ($10,000 each), although Whitworth has a legitimate gripe: why is the punishment for eye-gouging the same as having your eyes gouged? It’s a fair question.Continue Reading
Nov 9th 2008 12:00PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars, AFC South, NFL Coaching
The Jaguars are a mess. Apparently, that can’t be stressed enough. After losing to the Browns two weeks ago, and the previous winless Bengals last Sunday, Jacksonville prepared for today’s grudge match with the 0-8 Lions by sending linebacker and team captain Mike Peterson home for insolence. Because talking back to the Del Rio WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
And this was after we learned that some Jaguars players were having a good laugh in the locker room minutes after losing in Cincinnati, which, apparently, is the exact wrong emotion for such situations.
And today, via ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, head coach Jack Del Rio has fined Peterson 10 grand for his insubordination. It’s not clear if Peterson will be active for the game — I think he will; Del Rio wants to set an example, for sure, but not so much of one that the Jags actually lose — but bigger issues remain. Namely: Jacksonville, a preseason favorite to make a deep playoff run, are sitting at 3-5 and playing some pretty unspectacular football.
It was also reported that Del Rio has banned all music (even MP3 players!) from the Jags locker room. That should solve . By the way, while Del Rio’s going ban-crazy, he might want to ban John Henderson from doing emergency eyeball surgery.
Nov 9th 2008 1:45PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars, Lions, AFC South, NFC North, NFL Fans
No idea what the script for the Jaguars-Lions game would even look like — there are so many subplots, it’s hard to keep up with all of them — but Daunte Culpepper, Pee Wee League football coach earlier this week, got the start for Detroit and promptly reintroduced fans to what made him so good in Minnesota: play-action fake and throw it as far as you can.
But instead of Randy Moss running underneath 50-yard bombs, Calvin Johnson now has the honors. On the Lions third drive of the game, Culpepper found Johnson on a 51-yard bomb, and two plays later Detroit made it down to the Jaguars two-yard line. And then things got weird. (Weirder?)
After a Detroit timeout, Drew Freaking Stanton calmly jogged onto the field like he was actually going to play in a real live NFL game or something. I can’t imagine the range of emotions offensive coordinator Jim Colletto, who sits in the booth during games, must’ve been experiencing.
After a Stanton-to-Kevin Smith handoff for a small gain, a play later, Stanton rolled right and found tight end John Owens in the end zone. For a touchdown. That’s right, the World’s Most Embarrassing Player actually made a play. Fancy that.
Which obviously means one thing: there’s quarterback controversy in Detroit. Or at the very least, the Lions have found their goal-line QB and, ironically, it isn’t the fat guy.
Nov 7th 2008 5:56PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Dolphins, Jaguars, AFC East, AFC South
Yesterday I called it the world’s lamest cat fight, but apparently I was wrong because there’s more. Earlier in the week, Joey Porter wondered why Matt Jones still hadn’t been suspended after an arrest for cocaine possession a few months back, Jones then questioned why Porter was “even thinking about” him before wagering a guess: “maybe he likes other men and sits up and thinks about stuff.”
Mr. Peezy hears your concerns, Matt, and he has something he’d like to say: “Matt, I’m sorry to bring it up,” Porter said to a group of reporters here at the Dolphins facility. “I wasn’t trying to use you like that.
In a Wednesday conference call with Seattle Seahawks reporters in advance of Sunday’s game in Dolphin Stadium, the NFL’s sack leader brought up Jones’ felony arrest for cocaine possession in discussing the unfairness of Porter’s recent $20,000 fine for criticizing officials. And because it was the Seahawks, Porter then spent the next 15 minutes ripping Jerramy Stevens for being soft. Actually, it sounds like Joey had a breakthrough in therapy, and Jones is the beneficiary. It’s sorta like “My Name Is Earl” but with just one redneck.
But Peezy wasn’t done; in fact, he started to ramble:Continue Reading
Nov 7th 2008 11:15PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars, AFC South
The Jaguars appear to be coming apart at the seams. A playoff team a year ago, and a favorite to return to the postseason in 2008, Jacksonville has bumbled their way through the first two months.
An 0-2 start, and back-to-back losses to the Browns and Bengals have them staring at 3-5, and head coach Jack Del Rio doesn’t feel some players are adequately grieving the losses. For example, raucous laughter in the locker room following a loss to Cincinnati? Yeah, don’t do that. Also unacceptable: talking back.
Which is apparently what got linebacker Mike Peterson sent home from practice earlier this week: Del Rio tossed Peterson out of the meeting room on Wednesday after Peterson replied when Del Rio admonished him for flexing his muscles after a sack in Cincinnati when the team was behind 21-3.
Peterson replied that he usually does that when he makes a big play and was trying to bring energy to the team. Peterson wasn’t allowed to return to the team Thursday and was sent home again. Continue Reading
Nov 8th 2008 8:00AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, Jaguars, AFC North, AFC SouthDuring last week’s loss to the Bengals, Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson decided that trying to remove Andrew Whitworth’s eyeballs with his fingers might be a way to bring energy to his team. It’s not as effective as flexing your muscles, apparently, but desperate times, measures and whatnot.
You can see Henderson in all his professional wrasslin’ glory below:
And yesterday we learned that the going rate for eye-gouging with the intent to blind* is $15,000, at least according to the NFL Plinko Board. Of course, this is the same outfit who fined Justin Tuck for making a legal tackle only to have commissioner Roger Goodell explain that legal tackles are, you know, legal.
Whitworth was also fined $10K because he threw a punch, but there should probably be allowances for self defense, especially if it’s in an effort to save your sight. Just outside-the-boxing it there. “I just pushed [Henderson] past the quarterback, and he fell to the ground,” Whitworth said. “But he held onto my facemask and ripped my helmet off. I turned to go back to the play, and the next thing I knew, I felt him grabbing at my eyeballs. I really didn’t know what to do when someone’s fingers are trying to dig into my eyes.”Not punch him for one, Andrew. That’ll cost you 10 large, forget that you were just protecting yourself. Also acceptable answer: don’t dance, don’t jump into the stands, don’t honor fallen teammates, and absolutely NO BONGOS. , on the other hand…
Nov 6th 2008 1:45PM by Adam Gretz (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars
After losing to the previously winless Bengals this past Sunday, you might think it would be hard for things to get much worse for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But, hark, they just may be. On Wednesday, Head Coach Jack Del Rio decided to give starting middle linebacker Mike Peterson the day off by sending him home early — reasons not disclosed — and it appears that may just be the tip of the iceberg.
The latest from PFT:”There is a tremendous amount of dissension,” said a league source with knowledge of the dynamics in Jacksonville. “That team is a house of cards. Poor leadership and bad character.”According to the reports, there was a great deal of laughter echoing from the Jaguars locker room following their loss to the Bengals, while players have been told to turn down their music (you wild kids with your long hair and your rock and roll music!).
In the Jaguars defense, a lot of people were laughing after Sunday’s game. But I’m not sure that’s something Del Rio wants to hear at this point.Continue Reading
Nov 6th 2008 7:15PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Dolphins, Jaguars, AFC East, AFC South
Joey Porter loves him some Joey Porter. And while it might seem that he’s been especially loquacious this season now that the Dolphins are 4-4 and he’s leading the league in sacks … well, that’s probably pretty accurate. Miami was 1-15 last year; even if Porter was flapping his gums, nobody was listening.
Not the case in 2008; Mr. Peezy has already proclaimed Brandon Marshall “soft,” and wondered why Matt Jones, arrested for cocaine possession earlier this year, has yet to be punished by the league.
Marshall responded to Porter on Tuesday, and Jones took time out from not getting suspended to respond today. “I don’t even know why he’s even thinking about me,” Jones said. “I mean, maybe he likes other men and sits up and thinks about stuff, so I don’t know. … Is Joey Porter the commissioner? Then why would I even worry about it?”All fair questions, particularly the first one. Why Porter cares about Jones is something of a mystery, since the Dolphins don’t face the Jags this season, and more importantly, most people in the league don’t even know who Jones is. I take Porter’s point, though — that the league is quick to fine him $20,000 for criticizing officials but sanctions for other, often more serious offenses seem arbitrary.
It appears that way, Joey, because that’s exactly what’s happening. But don’t bring Matt into this, it’s a buzzkill, frankly.
