jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman followed the action live as the Jags took on the Bucs at Jacksonville Munical Stadium. Here's what he wrote.
Aug 18 2007 6:26PM
Hi and welcome to "The Jack." This is not football weather but they&39;re going to play a football game beginning at 7:30 p.m. this evening. I&39;m in the press box and I&39;ll throw some nuggets at you between now and kickoff. I&39;m heading down to the radio booth now for a little pregame segment. I&39;ll be back in about a half hour.
Aug 18 2007 6:53PM
I&39;ll join Brian Sexton and Jeff Lageman for a "Jaguars This Week Extra" segment on radio in about 10 minutes. Today was a big day because the Jaguars sold single-game tickets. We&39;ll talk about it in the "JTWE" segment.
Aug 18 2007 7:36PM
Tampa won the toss and will receive. Josh Scobee is kicking.
Aug 18 2007 7:37PM
Touchback. Tampa starts at its 20. Jeff Garcia is the starting QB.
Aug 18 2007 7:37PM
Pat Thomas is starting at outside linebacker, in place of Clint Ingram (ankle).
Aug 18 2007 7:39PM
Three and out. Maurice Jones-Drew is back to field the punt.
Aug 18 2007 7:40PM
Josh Bidwell punted a bomb; 74 yards to the Jaguars one-yard line.
Aug 18 2007 7:42PM
Three and out. Byron Leftwich had good pass-protection on third down but his pass for Dennis Northcutt was wide of the mark. Northcutt was covered.
Aug 18 2007 7:43PM
Chad Nkang made the tackle in punt coverage. Adam Podlesh&39;s punt was 38 yards. He was in position to let it rip but didn&39;t get much on it.
Aug 18 2007 7:45PM
Garcia slid out of the grasp of Bobby McCray and scrambled for six yards. McCray appeared to have him.
Aug 18 2007 7:47PM
Garcia to Michael Pittman for a first down at the Jaguars 32.
Aug 18 2007 7:49PM
Garcia throws a nice, sharp short pass. His timing is good. He&39;s got a nice tight release. We have a clock malfunction. There should be 10 minutes left in the first quarter but all of a sudden it went to zero. That&39;ll get it sorted it out quickly.
Aug 18 2007 7:51PM
The Jags look strong against the run. Mike Peterson just made an aggressive stop.
Aug 18 2007 7:52PM
Terry Cousin just got called for holding on a deep ball. He was beat and apparently grabbed the intended receiver as he ran by. The ball is at the 19.
Aug 18 2007 7:55PM
Touchdown! Garcia threw 19 yards to David Boston. Garcia scrambled right and was up against the sideline when he threw. It was an impressive play by Garcia.
Aug 18 2007 7:57PM
Garcia is a gamer. From what scouts have told me, he&39;s very unimpressive in a workout situation, but he finds ways to get it done in the game. He could be a difference-maker for Tampa, if tonight&39;s game is any indication.
Aug 18 2007 7:59PM
Reggie Williams, Charles Sharon and Matt Jones are in the game at wide receiver for the Jaguars. Fred Taylor is the running back and Marcedes Lewis is the tight end. Leftwich is still the quarterback. The Bucs&39; first-team defense is still on the field.
Aug 18 2007 8:00PM
Bucs linebacker Antoine Cash is being carted off the field. It would appear to be a significant leg injury.
Aug 18 2007 8:02PM
Incomplete for Matt Jones. It was low.
Aug 18 2007 8:04PM
Three and out; incomplete for Jones over the middle on third down. Tampa takes over at its 34. Podlesh hit his punt 50 yards. It had nice hang time. Montell Owens made the tackle. That punt should give Podlesh a lift.
Aug 18 2007 8:09PM
Three and out. The Jags take over at their 35.
Aug 18 2007 8:10PM
Chris Naeole is limping off.
Aug 18 2007 8:12PM
Sack. Jon Gruden should&39;ve challenged the spot on the previous play. It does not appear that Ernest Wilford got to the 45-yard line.
Aug 18 2007 8:14PM
Nice pooch by Podlesh. He hung it up there and Owens killed it at the Tampa five-yard line.
Aug 18 2007 8:15PM
Luke McCown is at QB for Tampa. The rest of the starters are still in the game.
Aug 18 2007 8:17PM
Naeole has a sprained knee. He will not return.
Aug 18 2007 8:20PM
We&39;re in the second quarter now. The Bucs lead, of course, 7-0. The Jaguars have just one first down.
Aug 18 2007 8:23PM
The Jags get real good field position at the Tampa 40. Uche Nwaneri is at left guard and Vince Manuwai&39;s at right guard. Leftwich is still in the game. Mike Walker and John Broussard are at the wide receivers.
Aug 18 2007 8:25PM
Leftwich to Jones-Drew; short pass, long run to the Tampa two-yard line.
Aug 18 2007 8:26PM
Touchdown! Fred Taylor up the middle for two yards and the score at 13:42 of the second quarter. On the Jones-Drew play, Leftwich scrambled out to his right and found Jones-Drew in the middle of the field. Jones-Drew would&39;ve been the check-down receiver. He made one guy miss and the left side of the field was wide open.
Aug 18 2007 8:29PM
The second-team defense is on the field for the Jags.
Aug 18 2007 8:29PM
Reggie Nelson is still in the game at safety. He&39;s getting some extra playing time for the obvious reason.
Aug 18 2007 8:31PM
The Bucs are moving the ball. They&39;re at midfield.
Aug 18 2007 8:33PM
Nelson limped off the field.
Aug 18 2007 8:33PM
Nelson appears to have a significant leg injury.
Aug 18 2007 8:34PM
Maurice Stovall fumbled after a catch and Jamaal Fudge returned the fumble to the Tampa five.
Aug 18 2007 8:35PM
Leftwich incomplete on the lob for Marcedes Lewis.
Aug 18 2007 8:35PM
Greg Jones to the two-yard line; third and goal.
Aug 18 2007 8:36PM
Jones stopped on third down. Scobee is coming on for a chip-shot.
Aug 18 2007 8:37PM
They&39;re working on Nelson&39;s ankle. Dee Webb got run over on the play in which Nelson was injured.
Aug 18 2007 8:38PM
Nelson is being helped to the locker room. He&39;s putting no weight on his left ankle.
Aug 18 2007 8:40PM
Nkang with another tackle on special teams. He&39;s in the process of winning a roster spot, especially considering the situation at safety which is, to say the least, an area of concern.
Aug 18 2007 8:42PM
Leftwich is still in the game. It makes sense because the offense, other than for one play, hasn&39;t done much.
Aug 18 2007 8:43PM
The ball is at the Jags 40 and the Tampa two&39;s are in the game.
Aug 18 2007 8:45PM
Leftwich to Wilford for a first down. That&39;s Leftwich&39;s best throw of the evening.
Aug 18 2007 8:46PM
Leftwich to Wilford on a slant; nice throw, nice catch.
Aug 18 2007 8:47PM
The Jags are in aggressive mode. Leftwich to Estandia and the ball is at the Tampa 25.
Aug 18 2007 8:48PM
Jones is down to the eight-yard line. It was a good-gainer but he didn&39;t look like the same guy I saw last summer. He&39;s still feeling his way.
Aug 18 2007 8:49PM
Touchdown! LaBrandon Toefield takes it around left end and barrels into the end zone. Tampa offered very little resistance in that series.
Aug 18 2007 8:51PM
Chad Owens is back to receive for Tampa. He takes it out to the 22.
Aug 18 2007 8:54PM
We&39;re at the two-minute warning. The Jags lead, 17-7, and the Bucs are punting.
Aug 18 2007 8:56PM
David Garrard is in the game at QB. The ball is at the Jags 38 with 1:53 to play.
Aug 18 2007 8:57PM
Garrard to Lewis on first down, and then he scrambles for a first down at the Tampa 49. Garrard to Lewis, again, and the Jags call time out.
Aug 18 2007 8:59PM
Charles Sharon with a great, leaping catch at the Tampa 14.
Aug 18 2007 9:00PM
Pass intended for Matt Jones in the back of the end zone. It was knocked away.
Aug 18 2007 9:00PM
Toefield on a draw play to the Tampa four. Time out Jaguars with 15 seconds to play in the half.
Aug 18 2007 9:02PM
Touchdown! Garrard up the middle. He made it look easy.
Aug 18 2007 9:06PM
That&39;s the end of the half; Jags lead, 24-7. Here are a few thoughts: The offense didn&39;t show me much early. Leftwich and Garrard were playing against reserves late in the half. I&39;d like to see the Jaguars target Charles Sharon as much as they do Matt Jones. The catch Sharon made at the end of the half may have earned him a spot on the roster. Tony Pashos doesn&39;t look comfortable.
Aug 18 2007 9:21PM
Sharon just made a catch on a simple out pattern and the comment was made to me, "What a nice route," and it was. It was crisp and sharp and he made the catch with his two hands away from his body. He&39;s a good-looking receiver. His time may have arrived.
Aug 18 2007 9:22PM
I do not like the Jags in spread formation. They don&39;t look comfortable in it. Garrard nearly threw an interception. Players were strung out everywhere, the rush was on Garrard within a second and nobody got open. I&39;d like to see less spread formations.
Aug 18 2007 9:24PM
Tampa takes over at its 24. McCown is still the QB.
Aug 18 2007 9:27PM
Tony McDaniel is injured. It appears to be his left knee. This would be a big blow. He&39;s a young player on the rise. The Jaguars need him, given Marcus Stroud&39;s attempt at recovery from ankle surgery.
Aug 18 2007 9:29PM
McCown scrambles for 27 yards. First down at the Jags 35.
Aug 18 2007 9:29PM
McDaniel is going to the locker room. He&39;s putting no weight on his left leg.
Aug 18 2007 9:34PM
Tampa fumbles at the Jaguars five-yard line and Fudge recovers. McDaniel has a sprained knee; won&39;t return.
Aug 18 2007 9:35PM
Leftwich finished the game six of 12 for 81 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 71.9 passer rating.
Aug 18 2007 9:37PM
Garrard looked like he was going to be sacked for a safety, but he pulled out of the Bucs&39; grasp and gained a few yards. That&39;s the strength of his game; raw physical ability.
Aug 18 2007 9:38PM
George Wrighster made an impressively strong run after a catch. That&39;s nice to see. The Jaguars need him. They need for a tight end to seize the job.
Aug 18 2007 9:39PM
The pass-protection right now is very poor. The tackles are Mo Williams and Richard Coller. The guards are Nwaneri and Pete McMahon, and Dan Connolly is at center.
Aug 18 2007 9:40PM
Broussard just moved the chains with a strong catch in traffic over the middle. Then Sharon came back with a catch at midfield. My eyes tell me that, tonight, Sharon is the Jaguars&39; most polished-looking receiver.
Aug 18 2007 9:42PM
Beautiful! Garrard to Broussard for 18 in the face of a hard rush. I like what I&39;m seeing right now.
Aug 18 2007 9:44PM
The third quarter ends with the Jags at the Tampa 20, leading 24-7. This is a good-looking drive. It&39;s reserves playing against reserves, but I&39;m starting to think it&39;s time for a few reserve receivers to move up the depth chart.
Aug 18 2007 9:46PM
Pearman takes a middle screen to the one-yard line. When they run it in here, this will have been a 95-yard drive.
Aug 18 2007 9:47PM
Touchdown! Pearman scores easily. The drive was 14 plays. That&39;s as good as it gets in the preseason. Impressive.
Aug 18 2007 9:48PM
Garrard is 11 of 14 for 129 yards and a 105.1 passer rating. I expect Lester Ricard to be the quarterback on the next possession.
Aug 18 2007 9:50PM
Pearman is having a strong preseason. As it stands right now, he&39;s making this team.
Aug 18 2007 9:50PM
Bruce Gradkowski is at QB for Tampa.
Aug 18 2007 9:53PM
Sammy Knight is at safety for the Jags.
Aug 18 2007 9:57PM
Touchdown! Gradkowski to Mark Jones for 53 yards. The Jags were in an all-out blitz and Gradkowski knew where to go with the ball. Gradkowski is an interesting guy. He played a lot of football as a rookie last year. He&39;s going to stay in the league a long time as a backup. He knows how to play and he&39;s tough.
Aug 18 2007 10:00PM
Ricard is the QB. There&39;s 11 minutes to play.
Aug 18 2007 10:06PM
Obviously, the outcome is not in doubt, so I&39;ll give you a few random thoughts to finish out the night: The big winner tonight would seem to be Sharon, who leads the Jaguars with three catches for 54 yards. I assumed he was in a roster battle against Reggie Williams, who has caught no passes.
Aug 18 2007 10:08PM
Other winners are: Fudge with a couple of fumble recoveries and Broussard with two catches for 29 yards. Nwaneri moved around and may have helped himself. Podlesh had his best performanced of the summer.
Aug 18 2007 10:11PM
The big winner for the Bucs is Gradkowski, who is leading the Bucs on another touchdown drive. Gradkowski is seven of 11 for 113 yards, a touchdown and a 128.2 passer rating. He also had three passes dropped.
Aug 18 2007 10:13PM
Injuries are the big negative for the Jags. Naeole, Nelson and McDaniel all sustained injuries, and Nelson&39;s and McDaniel&39;s would seem to be significant. I hope to be able to offer more information in my postgame story.
Aug 18 2007 10:15PM
Touchdown, Tampa; means nothing, except that this game could get real long. The Jags lead, 31-19, with 6:03 to play.
Aug 18 2007 10:18PM
I&39;m going downstairs folks. I trust you can take it from here. There&39;s not much to report. Thanks for spending the evening with me.
