Dec 23 2007 10:56AM
Hi and welcome to the press box in "The Jack." This is clinch day. The Jaguars can clinch the number five seed in the AFC playoffs with a win over the Oakland Raiders. I'm gonna keep a close watch on Cleveland at Cincinnati, a one o'clock game that could have a major bearing on where the Jaguars go in round one of the playoffs. Welcome aboard.
Dec 23 2007 11:23AM
The skies seem to be clearing and the sun is trying to appear. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day for a football game.
Dec 23 2007 11:58AM
Jaguars inactives are: John Broussard, LaBrandon Toefield, Aaron Glenn, Mike Peterson, Uche Nwaneri, Tutan Reyes, Jeremy Mincey and Reggie Hayward.
Dec 23 2007 11:59AM
Raiders inactives are: Daunte Culpepper, Tim Dwight, Justin Fargas, John Bowie, Mario Henderson, Josh Shaw, Rashad Baker and Andrew Walter (third QB).
Dec 23 2007 12:31PM
The sun is shining in full glory; not a cloud in the sky. This could be the best-weather game of the season. Last week at this time, I was writing to you about dropping temperatures, 30 mph winds and driving snow. Not today. "The Jack" should be packed today.
Dec 23 2007 1:04PM
Oakland won the toss and will receive. Enjoy the game everyone.
Dec 23 2007 1:06PM
The Raiders returner slips and only gets to the 13.
Dec 23 2007 1:08PM
Three and out.
Dec 23 2007 1:09PM
Fair catch by Dennis Northcutt at the Jaguars 33.
Dec 23 2007 1:10PM
Twelve men on the field for the Raiders. Why do I have a feeling this one will be over by halftime?
Dec 23 2007 1:11PM
Touchdown! Fred Taylor goes 62 yards on the first play of the game. He cut back to the left. There was only one guy to beat and he had four blockers in front of him. I was wrong. Make that the end of the first quarter.
Dec 23 2007 1:13PM
With that run, Taylor moved to 17th on the all-time NFL rushing list and passed Jimmy Smith to become the all-time leader in all-purpose yards in Jaguars history.
Dec 23 2007 1:14PM
Big improvement this time. The Raiders returned the kickoff to the 15.
Dec 23 2007 1:18PM
The Raiders have to take an injury time out. They're facing a second and 15 at their 37-yard line.
Dec 23 2007 1:20PM
Crowd update: "The Jack" is packed. I don't see an empty seat anywhere.
Dec 23 2007 1:22PM
The Raiders have to punt. That's likely to be a repeating theme in today's game.
Dec 23 2007 1:25PM
David Garrard completes his first pass, a short toss to Reggie Williams.
Dec 23 2007 1:25PM
Sacked! He beat Richard Angulo.
Dec 23 2007 1:27PM
Short pass, long run by Maurice Jones-Drew. The ball is at the Oakland 25. It's a gain of 43 yards. It's anything the Jaguars want.
Dec 23 2007 1:28PM
Garrard scrambles for nine yards to the 16.
Dec 23 2007 1:28PM
First down at the 14.
Dec 23 2007 1:29PM
Touchdown! Jones-Drew right up the middle. Only one guy touched him.
Dec 23 2007 1:30PM
I'll be going down to the locker room soon. I trust you can take it from here.
Dec 23 2007 1:33PM
JaMarcus Russell is coming into the game. This ought to be good.
Dec 23 2007 1:35PM
Wide open and he missed him, but there was holding anyhow.
Dec 23 2007 1:37PM
First down at the Jaguars 42. That was a nice pass by Russell.
Dec 23 2007 1:38PM
Holding, again. It's back to the Raiders 48.
Dec 23 2007 1:41PM
That's the end of the first quarter. The best I can tell you about the Raiders is that they appear to be just playing out the string. I see no energy on defense and they're just trying to avoid disaster on offense.
Dec 23 2007 1:44PM
Delay of game. He's struggling, as should be expected. He's trying to get in and out of the huddle, get the ball snapped and find the check-down receiver.
Dec 23 2007 1:46PM
Interception by Reggie Nelson. It was a wild throw. Nelson then fumbled and the Raiders appear to have recovered at the Jaguars 25. I challenge whether he really caught the ball and tucked it away.
Dec 23 2007 1:47PM
Jack Del Rio is challenging. I expected that. Nelson never tucked it away. He had it in both hands for a second, but didn't tuck it. We'll see.
Dec 23 2007 1:51PM
Russell is a wild-high thrower when he goes downfield. He never struck me in college as an accurate thrower. The officials are sticking with an interception and fumble.
Dec 23 2007 1:52PM
Blitz on Russell. He's lost.
Dec 23 2007 1:53PM
Fade pass way out of bounds. Janikowski is on for a 41-yard field goal attempt. It's good.
Dec 23 2007 1:57PM
Garrard continues to be an extremely accurate passer. I don't think anyone thought he could be this accurate.
Dec 23 2007 1:59PM
Jones-Drew runs for a first down. He really looks quick today. Warren Sapp hasn't done a thing.
Dec 23 2007 2:00PM
Right through Matt Jones' hands. It was a perfect pass. It was as though the ball surprised him.
Dec 23 2007 2:01PM
Great punt by Adam Podlesh, who was assisted by Johnnie Lee Higgins' brain cramp. Higgins deciced to catch the ball at the three-yard line. He returned to the seven, so the Raiders have that going for them.
Dec 23 2007 2:03PM
The Jaguars had 99 rushing yards in the first quarter.
Dec 23 2007 2:04PM
That's a one-hopper. Unfortunately, bounce passes aren't permitted in football.
Dec 23 2007 2:04PM
Three and out would be an understatement.
Dec 23 2007 2:07PM
Reverse hand-off on the punt. Starks took it all the way down to the two-yard line. He was running behind the "Berlin Wall." It was 56 yards on the return. Greg Jones then caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Garrard. He was all alone. The Raiders have quit.
Dec 23 2007 2:13PM
Sacked by Bobby McCray. The blocker completely whiffed. McCray did the Gator chomp.
Dec 23 2007 2:14PM
Intercepted by Terry Cousin. Russell threw into double, maybe triple coverage. He stared right at the receiver for a long time and then launched a wild throw that would've been too high for the receiver to catch.
Dec 23 2007 2:15PM
Garrard to Reggie Williams for 28 yards to the six-yard line.
Dec 23 2007 2:16PM
Touchdown! Garrard sneaked in from two yards out.
Dec 23 2007 2:18PM
Del Rio's team is humiliating the team of his youth. I covered a lot of Raiders games when they were one of the most feared teams in the league, but there's nothing scary about them now. I'm not seeing the commitment to excellence.
Dec 23 2007 2:22PM
You had to see this pass to believe it. Russell is down out of bounds. He's hurt. He launched a "punt" back across the middle of the field. It was nearly intercepted. Daryl Smith knocked him out of bounds. Russell's passer rating right now is 0.0. He's up and jogging across the field.
Dec 23 2007 2:26PM
Sacked by Justin Durant. We're at the two-minute warning. This is a horrible coaching job by the Raiders. They weren't ready to play today.
Dec 23 2007 2:30PM
The Jaguars take over on downs. There's 1:48 to play in the half. The ball is at the Jags 20. Will they actually try to score again?
Dec 23 2007 2:31PM
Yep. Two passes has the ball across midfield. I smell Belichick.
Dec 23 2007 2:33PM
The ball is down to the Raiders 25.
Dec 23 2007 2:37PM
It's third and 20 with 21 seconds to play.
Dec 23 2007 2:38PM
Sapp just got an unsportmanlike conduct while the Jaguars were in the huddle. He pushed the official. He's got to be ejected. Lane Kiffin is standing on the sideline looking helplessly disgusted. This is a disgrace.
Dec 23 2007 2:40PM
Derrick Burgess got one, too, and here comes another flag. Sapp is ejected. He's melting down. There he goes off the field. We're going to have another unsportsmanlike. The ball is going to be moved to the two or three-yard line. This all started at the 35. I'm embarrassed.
Dec 23 2007 2:41PM
OK, there were four penalties. One on Burgess and three on Sapp. He is ejected. The ball is at the two-yard line.
Dec 23 2007 2:42PM
Garrard's pass is intended for Marcedes Lewis and intercepted by Kirk Morrison. There are 11 seconds to play. I'll have more to say on all of this.
Dec 23 2007 2:43PM
McCray gets another sack on the final play of the half but Paul Spicer is down. He's up now and limping off.
Dec 23 2007 2:45PM
That's not professional football. That's not how professionals should act. The final minute of the first half was a sloppy mess and that's what happens when games get out of control. What you have to worry about now is the Raiders taking their frustration out on Garrard. I say it's time to play Quinn Gray.
Dec 23 2007 2:58PM
Spicer has a sprained ankle and will not return.
Dec 23 2007 2:59PM
Garrard is still in the game. He was nearly intercepted; a very poor pass.
Dec 23 2007 3:00PM
The Raiders have the ball at their 37 following a Podlesh punt.
Dec 23 2007 3:01PM
Third-quarter crowd update: Nobody has left "The Jack." I don't see an empty seat.
Dec 23 2007 3:02PM
Russell is back in the game.
Dec 23 2007 3:08PM
Taylor is now at 86 yards rushing. He's nearing his fifth consecutive game over 100 yards.
Dec 23 2007 3:08PM
That does it. Taylor is over 100, again.
Dec 23 2007 3:10PM
Jones-Drew is leading the Jaguars in receiving with five receptions for 94 yards. The ball is at the Raiders 37.
Dec 23 2007 3:12PM
Jones-Drew ran over Michael Huff and nearly knocked him out.
Dec 23 2007 3:14PM
Touchdown! Alley oop to Matt Jones. He went up over the defender to catch it. It's a 37-yard score.
Dec 23 2007 3:17PM
Jones punted the ball into the stands following his score.
Dec 23 2007 3:24PM
Russell's rating is up to 2.6.
Dec 23 2007 3:26PM
The Jaguars have the ball back with three minutes to play in the third quarter. Quinn Gray is in the game.
Dec 23 2007 3:30PM
Russell is intercepted by Jamal Fudge. It was just a horrible pass. He's lost. He needs a preseason.
Dec 23 2007 3:32PM
Gray runs the QB draw for a first down at the Raiders 12. That's the end of the third quarter.
Dec 23 2007 3:35PM
After the Jaguars score, we'll take a look at the big picture.
Dec 23 2007 3:37PM
Touchdown! Gray to Reggie Williams for nine yards. There are 13 minutes to play in the game.
Dec 23 2007 3:40PM
Cincinnati is leading the Browns, 19-7, with 10 minutes to play in that game. If the Bengals go on to win, the Steelers will clinch the AFC North title and would likely be the four seed in the AFC playoffs. I can't imagine the Steelers not resting everybody they can next week in Baltimore. I think you know the circumstances involving the Steelers and injuries. The Jaguars will clinch the fifth seed today and would likely be headed back to Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs.
Dec 23 2007 3:45PM
Russell is back to 0.0. I have never covered a 0.0; at least, I don't remember having done it.
Dec 23 2007 3:49PM
Cleveland has cut the deficit to 19-14. There are six minutes to play. That one is not over by a long shot.
Dec 23 2007 3:51PM
I'm going to head down to the locker room soon. Thanks for spending the afternoon with me.
