Sorry for the quiet

My khaki pants turned a bit gray for a while but new year, some hope and a touch more resolve, I plan on updating daily. I haven't been good (read, I've been pathetic) at updating when things head south for the Jags and things really headed south at the end of this year but I'll work on that, while the Jags work on filling a need at every position except TE and kicker.

1) The loss to the Colts was devastating and heart breaking. I think most Jags fans have moved on but it didn't help seeing the Jets beat them. Random but an odd, marginally unexplainable win in Jags history was when they beat the Jets in 2009. Those Jets have now gone on to two AFC championship games (I suppose what's actually odd is all those wins after. I wonder if the Colts regret not going undefeated and knocking the Jets out of the playoffs in 2009)

2) Keeping Del Rio felt a bit like a sucker punch from Weaver. Weren't we all on the same page at the beginning of the season? Playoffs or he's out?

I think Del Rio is alright. His record as a coach, somewhere in the neighborhood of .500, probably a game or two above that, is a fairly accurate representation. The problem for Jags fans is his soul-stealing penchant for late season losses. If it was only the last two years I'd be more sympathetic, young team and what not, but the Jags collapsed in 2006 as well. To be fair to Del Rio, it hasn't all been December blues. They closed out 2003 and 2004 reasonably well, going 3-2 and 3-1 respectively. In, 2005 and 2007, they made the playoffs, closing out each season strongly (/having refuted my initial point I should move on).

Ultimately though, I just don't think you'd be set back that far if the Jags had fired Del Rio. He's an average coach and if you picked a guy as best you could I think you'd expect to get a coach back about as good as him. They could have kept the defensive mindset and gone with a guy like Rob Ryan, who I like a lot as a future head coach, or any number of qualified assistants. Yeah, there's some uncertainty and cost but Del Rio isn't a genius. He's lost control of teams before (see 2008) and there's no guarantee if the Jags are somewhat unlucky in 2011, he couldn't lose this team. This had to be about money and I don't blame Weaver and he'll never, nor should he, admit that. It's not my millions but couldn't you have just hired some random cheap guy who everyone knows can coach (This is clearly my most analytical proposition)?

This could cost Weaver some money as well. I don't think there's a magical head coach out there who sells tickets for the Jags. That said, keeping Del Rio made the ticket sales job infinitely more difficult. Head coaches are exciting. The Jags reported an increase in ticket sales after the Del Rio hire in 2003 and I think the situation is somewhat analogous. This team is closer to turning the corner than the 2003 team was, and that was Weaver's stated reason for keeping Del Rio. The culture and mood in the building is presumably better than it was at the end of the Coughlin era (if only cause Coughlin liked it unpleasant. I miss that curmudgeon). The fans wanted blood though and I highly doubt taking the play calling away from Del Rio satisfies anyone (Was anyone complaining about defensive play calling?).

We shall see. More to come this week but mostly I'm going to focus on getting a thought or two out each day, probably riffing off of Vic or something I've read somewhere else. Any suggestions, Jags or something else, pass them along.

Q