Read More: Julio Jones (WR – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars, Aug 19, 2011 8:00 PM EDT

The NFL preseason continues this week as the Atlanta Falcons visit the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on Friday, August 19 at 8 PM ET.

TV: FOX

Radio: 790 The Zone and Star 94 FM (Atlanta); 690 WOKV and 106.5 FM (Jacksonville)

The Falcons enter Friday’s game coming off a 28-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener despite a solid outing from rookie wideout Julio Jones. The sixth overall pick in the 2011 Draft caught two passes for 43 yards and rushed for 12 yards on a reverse before the Falcons pulled him from the game, encased him in bubble wrap, and safely stowed him at an undisclosed location. Atlanta lost in part due to its inabiliy to stop The Big Play, yielding touchdowns on a 44-yard pass and a 75-yard punt return.

One has to figure the Falcons will continue to feature Jones during the few series he’ll play, and look to tighten up its defense and special-teams play so as to not give up more Big Plays.

The Jaguars lost their preseason opener, 47-12, to the New England Patriots. Jacksonville managed just 193 yards of total offense, while the Patriots tallied 476 yards and only punted once. As bad as the Jaguars’ offense was, its defense proved more inept, though it ought to have been encouraging that rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert played reasonably well (9-of-16 passing, 85 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions) in his NFL debut. They’ll need an all-around improvement to keep pace with Atlanta.

For complete Falcons coverage, check out The Falcoholic. To learn more about the Jags, head to Big Cat Country.

JACKSONVILLE, FL (AP) — Donovin Darius has signed a one-day contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars so he can retire with his former team.

The 35-year-old safety played for the Jaguars from 1998 to 2006, then played three games with the Miami Dolphins in 2007. He has been out of the league since.

A first-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 1998 after a two time all-Big East Conference career at Syracuse University, Darius started 115 games with the Jaguars and finished with 858 total tackles, 14 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and two sacks. His final season with the team was cut short after 10 games because of a broken leg.

Darius’ 14 INTs rank third in team history. His 858 tackles rank second.

He is the second player to sign a one-day retirement deal with Jacksonville in the last week, joining defensive end Paul Spicer.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

A former Jacksonville Jaguars player who has a reputation for being of high character spent part of his 32nd birthday in jail after a disturbance early Friday morning at a popular Jacksonville Beach night spot.

Ernest Wilford, who played tight end before the team cut him in September, was released from the Duval County jail on $5,000 bail after he was booked on charges of resisting arrest and trespassing.

Court and property records show Wilford married in 2005 and owns two homes in St. Augustine.

Wilford did not respond to a phone call and e-mail seeking comment Friday. However, a post on his Facebook Friday at about 1:15 p.m. reads: “My name is the most important thing I have, I WILL fight back.”

Jacksonville Beach police said officers were called to the Ritz bar on 3rd Avenue North at 1:20 a.m. when management received complaints that Wilford was groping cocktail waitresses and wouldn’t leave.

Wilford’s arrest report describes an extensive Tasering to take down the 6-foot-5-inch, 235-pound former NFL player after uniformed officers had asked him to leave, but he mouthed off and pushed one of them.

At first Wilford seemed not to be affected by the electro-shock probes that an officer shot into his chest and abdomen. The police report said he turned and began to walk away as the Taser cycled.

He went down after a second Taser shot hit him in the lower back but still he refused to be handcuffed even as the shock caused him to arch his body from the floor. Wilford reeked of booze and rambled when he spoke, police said.

Samantha Eichas, 21, one of the waitresses, said men in the bar have been touchy with her before but never as forcefully as this case.

“Usually you can just say, ‘excuse me, Sir, I don’t work here to get grabbed by you.’ You can shake hands about it and part ways,” she said. “This was different. I felt violated.”

Having moved to the area several months ago from Chicago with plans to go to school, Eichas said she had no idea who Wilford was as the police hauled him away.

Wilford initially was a wide receiver for the Jaguars. He went in the fourth round out of Virginia Tech in the 2004 NFL draft. His best year came in 2005 as he caught 41 receptions for 681 yards and seven touchdowns.

In 2008 he left the team to sign with the Miami Dolphins but did not meet the team’s expectations and rejoined the Jaguars as a converted tight end in 2009. He was released in September after having played little as a backup.

Coaches frequently talked about his high character, and off the field the military academy graduate was a Jaguars fixture in community service.

Last summer he shaved his dreadlocks to raise money for Jacksonville’s

Wolfson Children’s Hospital cancer unit. In 2009 he took dozens of children from The Bridge of Northeast Florida holiday shopping among other charitable efforts. Wilford also was a host of the Jaguars Foundation’s Straight Talk program, an effort to reduce teen pregnancy and HIV transmission.