Last year's approach to the Jaguars' two West Coast trips left the team lifeless from a combined 61-3 beating, so the Jags will try a new approach this weekend: They'll fly to San Diego on Saturday afternoon and tuck themselves into bed before anyone notices the three-hour time difference.
"Land, go to bed, wake up, get taped, go out and play," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said of the team's travel itinerary. He referred to the journey west as being a "short business trip."
Last year, the Jaguars flew to Seattle and San Francisco on Friday. They used the extra day to get their bodies on Pacific Time. Apparently, their bodies stayed at home.
Del Rio is challenging his team to erase the stigma of the poor performances in Seattle and San Francisco by scoring a win in San Diego over a Chargers team that is just about everyone's pick to win the AFC West. He did not resist questions on the topic in his Wednesday press conference.
"There's no denying it," he said. "The West Coast wasn't real good to us last year. We need to be better. We played horrible on the road, especially on the West Coast."
The Jaguars are coming off what is arguably the most energizing win since the 2007 team's playoff win in Pittsburgh. The Chargers are coming off a Monday night downer in Kansas City.
"Kansas City was rocking. That's part of playing on the road. It's different on the road than it is at home. This will be our first challenge," Del Rio said.
The Jaguars will be facing a Chargers team that is loaded with offensive weapons. Quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns on Monday and has the Chargers offense at number four in the league's rankings.
Defensively, the Chargers are also number four, number two against the pass. The Chargers' weakness would seem to be their run-defense.
How did the Chiefs, who threw for a mere 62 yards in the game, win? They did it with special teams, which is one of the Jaguars' strengths.
Pass-defense is the Jaguars' main concern heading into this game. Denver quarterback Kyle Orton threw for 295 yards and repeatedly burned the Jaguars deep. Orton targeted Jaguars cornerback Derek Cox.
"We are not going to allow easy plays over the top of us. We had a few of those last week and that's got to stop," Del Rio said.
Cox was replaced by newly-acquired David Jones in the late stages of the win over Denver, but Cox will be back in the starting lineup in San Diego.
"Derek's our starter. The guy had a couple of tough plays. You have to keep it in proper perspective. We expect him to play well this week," Del Rio said.
Kick-returners Deji Karim and Scotty McGee returned to practice in one capacity or another on Wednesday. Del Rio was to release his first practice report of the week after practice.
