ESPN is reporting that former East Carolina and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Davis Garrard is headed to the Miami Dolphins.

After failing to land Peyton Manning, the Dolphins courted David Garrard, Matt Flynn and Alex Smith to name a few.

Garrard sat out out all of the 2011 season after being cut by the Jaguars.

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

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Maurice Jones-Drew insists he has one thing in mind for the final four games of the season: winning.

The franchise running back has been the lone bright spot in a dismal year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the league’s worst offense.

Jones-Drew leads the NFL with 1,137 yards rushing and has accounted for 46.9 percent of Jacksonville’s offense, the most in the league. His numbers are even more impressive considering the Jaguars (3-9) have had little go right this season. Given all the turmoil — a coaching change, mounting injuries and quarterback chaos — it might make sense that Jones-Drew would want to win the rushing title for teammates and morale.

Not totally.

“Hopefully I can get it and we win the next four,” Jones-Drew said. “That’d be awesome, that’d be ideal. If it comes along with the wins, I’d be happy. I’d love to win the thing — with the four wins. If we don’t win the games, I couldn’t care less about the rushing title.”

His chase begins Sunday against Tampa Bay (4-8), a favorable matchup since the Buccaneers rank 29th in the league against the run. Tampa Bay has allowed 169 yards rushing a game during its six-game losing streak, giving up big chunks to Carolina, Tennessee, Houston, New Orleans and Chicago.

“In this game, if you don’t stop the run, you put yourself in a tough position to win,” Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber said. “As a defense, you always want to be able to pin your ears back and get after the quarterback. But we haven’t been stopping the run well enough to do that.”

Barber laughed when reminded of Sunday’s challenge against Jones-Drew.

“Yeah, that’s always fun,” Barber said. “We all know what Maurice can do. We’ve seen him play. Everybody is a fan of his, love the way he plays the game. If we expect to come out of Jacksonville with a win, and we need one sorely, we’ve got to stop the run. That’s the bottom line. Let them put it on their young quarterback and we feel like our chances are a lot better than if they just turn around and hand the ball off to (No.) 32 all day.”

Jones-Drew has gained at least 84 yards on the ground in 11 of Jacksonville’s 12 games. He’s been solid against everyone, including several of the NFL’s top defenses.

“Eight-man fronts, nine-man fronts, whatever it is, he steps up to the challenge each and every time,” Jaguars interim coach Mel Tucker said. “I don’t know what more you can say about him. He’s one of those guys that any team would like to have.”

Jones-Drew ran for 1,324 yards in 14 games last season — all while dealing with torn meniscus in his right knee. He sat out the final two games after Jacksonville was essentially eliminated from the playoffs, had surgery in January and spent the next six months working his way back to 100 percent.

Speculation about his health persisted as the Jaguars limited his touches in training camp and the preseason. He hated hearing questions about whether he would be ready for the opener or how long he would hold up at arguably the most taxing position in football.

He has silenced all that talk these days. Instead, everything has turned to the rushing title.

“I know you probably think I’m bull-jiving you, but I couldn’t care less about this rushing title,” he said. “I want to win. People remember winners. Tell me who was the rushing leader in ’93. Does anyone know? … You don’t know, but you know who won the Super Bowl in ’93, right?

“Exactly, so that’s what people remember. They remember winners, and that’s what you want your legacy to be.”

Nonetheless, teammates insist MJD’s competitive nature — he wears No. 32 because every team in the league passed over him during the 2006 NFL draft — will push him to want the rushing title.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” guard Uche Nwaneri said. “As a team, to have a back like that, who’s as special as he is, it makes you want to be battle even more on Sundays. And we want to get him that rushing title. I believe he wants it. He’s a competitive guy and I know he wants to win at everything he does.

“And we want to win for him. Everybody on this team, especially us as offensive linemen, wants to get him that rushing title.”

The Buccaneers could have something to say about it. But they need to be better than they’ve been the last six games. Coach Raheem Morris figures that will be a difficult task against the league’s top rusher.

“He’s one of the toughest guys you’ll play against,” Morris said. “He’s hard to tackle, hard to bring down. He’s a rolling ball of butcher knives. He runs angry. He runs violent. He’s one of those guys you want on your football team.”

On Sunday, Nov. 20, the Cleveland Browns finally ended their three-game losing streak with a 14-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chris Ogbonnaya(notes) rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown to lead the Browns.

In the days preceding the game, I thought the Jaguars would take advantage of Cleveland’s struggling run defense. I fully expected to see them to unleash Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) on the Browns and ride him to a close low-scoring victory. Instead, the Jaguars put the ball in rookie Blaine Gabbert’s(notes) hands and trusted him to lead the team against one of the NFL’s best pass defenses. Needless to say, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has some questions he needs to answer in Jacksonville this week.

The team’s decision to ride Gabbert probably cost the Jaguars a chance at beating the Browns, and I’m perfectly fine with that. It was a victory Cleveland fans desperately needed after blowing last week’s game against the Rams.

Meanwhile, I thought the Browns did an excellent job involving multiple players in the passing offense. Quarterback Colt McCoy(notes) completed passes to seven different receivers on Sunday, including a 51-yarder to undrafted rookie Jordan Norwood(notes). McCoy managed the game well against a stout Jaguars defense, and he definitely deserves credit for leading the Browns to victory.

Ogbonnaya also did an outstanding job as the Browns’ featured tailback. In last week’s game against the Rams, he showed some signs of breaking out, but I didn’t know what he’d do against the Jaguars. As it turned out, Ogbonnaya gave the Browns the running game they’ve been missing since Peyton Hillis(notes) and Montario Hardesty(notes) got injured. If he keeps playing well, I don’t think Hillis will get his job back when he returns.

Finally, the Browns’ defense deserves credit for its performance, especially in the fourth quarter. There were moments when it felt like the Jaguars were going to deliver another heartbreaking loss to the Browns, but the defense stood tall. With Jacksonville just one yard away from the game-winning touchdown, Gabbert’s pass into the end zone was broken up, and Cleveland sealed the victory.

The Browns won this game by executing a solid game plan that kept them from being one-dimensional. Hopefully, the team will be able to repeat its performance next week in Cincinnati.

A native of Northeast Ohio, Derek Ciapala grew up in a family of Cleveland Browns’ fans. He has been following the Browns since 1987 and still hopes to see the team play in the Super Bowl one day. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

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Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 114 yards and a
touchdown, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 17-3 victory over the still-
winless Indianapolis Colts.

Blaine Gabbert threw for 118 yards with a score for the Jaguars (3-6), who won
on the road for the first time in five games this season.

The Colts (0-10), meanwhile, have been unable to win anywhere. The are 0-5 at
home and 0-5 on the road heading into their bye week. Indianapolis is winless
after 10 games for the first time since the 1997 team also lost its first 10
on the way to a 3-13 record.

That was pre-Peyton Manning. With the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion
sidelined by a neck injury, the Colts hardly resemble an NFL team.

Curtis Painter was lifted in the fourth quarter after throwing his second
interception of the game and Dan Orlovsky turned the ball over on his second
throw, leading to Jacksonville’s game-sealing touchdown.

“Obviously, the turnovers were the big factor today. We can’t have those,”
Painter said.

The Colts totaled just 212 yards of offense. Painter completed 13-of-19 passes
for 94 yards and Orlovsky finished 7-of-10 for 67.

Jacksonville snapped a 3-3 tie and reached the end zone first with an 86-yard
march that ate up more than 9 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. A 17-yard pass
from Gabbert to Deji Karim converted 3rd-and-9 early in the series and a
penalty against Indianapolis’ Tyler Brayton negated a third-down sack that
would have forced a punt.

Instead, the Jaguars were given a fresh set of downs and Gabbert took
advantage by hitting Jarrett Dillard with an 11-yard pass for the score to
make it 10-3 with just 1:49 left in the third.

The Jaguars appeared to come up with a turnover on the next series when
William Middleton picked off Painter. However, during the timeout on the
change of possession, the Colts challenged that Jacksonville had 12 men on the
field and the correct reversal allowed Indianapolis to keep the ball. But not
for long, as Painter was intercepted three plays later by Paul Posluszny at
the Jacksonville 21.

Indianapolis got the ball back at its own 13 with just under six minutes
remaining and Orlovsky under center in place of Painter. It didn’t help.

Orlovsky’s arm was hit on his second pass attempt and the ball fluttered into
the waiting arms of Jacksonville lineman Tyson Alualu. The play was ruled a
fumble, setting up Jones-Drew’s three-yard touchdown run to seal the contest.

Jones-Drew carried 25 times and added three catches for 23 yards. Gabbert
completed 14-of-21 passes with an interception and hit nine different
receivers.

“It’s nice to get a win in the division on the road to start the second half
of the season,” Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said.

The game’s first two possessions ended in interceptions. Painter was picked
off by Drew Coleman, giving the Jaguars a first down at the Indianapolis 18,
but Jerraud Powers returned the favor with an interception of Gabbert inside
the 10.

After a series of punts, Josh Scobee connected from 44 yards away to put the
Jaguars on the board late in the first quarter. The Colts responded in the
first minute of the second period with a 42-yard kick from Adam Vinatieri on
the ensuing series.

The Jaguars had a chance to move in front just before the intermission, as a
19-yard pass from Gabbert to Dillard set up Scobee for a 45-yard try, but he
missed wide right and the teams went to the break knotted at 3-3.

Game Notes

Donald Brown led the Colts with 53 yards on 14 carries and caught four passes
for 12 yards…The Jaguars managed only 251 yards of offense…Jacksonville
cornerback Rashean Mathis left the contest in the second quarter with an
apparent knee injury…The Jaguars improved to 8-9 after a bye.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Can the Indianapolis Colts finally win their first game? If they are destined to win this year, this will be the week. The Colts host the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 13 in what is a very winnable football game. Colts fans have struggled to deal with playing without Peyton Manning(notes). At 0-9 on the season there are few chances left at getting a win. The 2-6 Jaguars present a great opportunity for them.

Indianapolis often gets beaten badly by Jacksonville’s running game. The Colts’ defense has been terrible at defending against the run. Frankly, the defense has been terrible at everything this year. Indianapolis is giving up 31.4 points per game in 2011. Only two teams in NFL history have been worse. This statistic is greatly affected by the lopsided 62-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Colt fans have been subject to several blowout losses lately though.

One big reason the Colts can defeat the Jaguars is the poor play of quarterback Blaine Gabbert(notes). Gabbert has not played well at all in his rookie season. Dwight Freeney(notes) and Robert Mathis(notes) will need to break out of their slumps and put pressure on Gabbert.

While they do have the look of an 0-16 team, every fan wants to see the team win at least one game. The talent is certainly there, they just need to put it all together for a full game. I think and hope that this is just the week.

Veteran center Jeff Saturday recently held a team meeting to address the team on their winless season. The players in the locker room are not used to losing and this shows that they still care and are certainly not tanking the season in hopes of the number one draft pick. As great as Andrew Luck may someday be, these players want to win badly and have too much pride to not give it everything they have in an attempt to win this season. Going 0-16 is an embarrassment and something no professional player wants on their resume.

I’m predicting the first win of the season this week for the Colts. They will finally rally behind the veterans on the team and win the game on a late field goal by veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri(notes). This will still keep the team in the suck for luck sweepstakes.

Prediction: Colts 20, Jaguars 17

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Jones-Drew ran for 105 yards, Josh Scobee kicked four field goals and the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped a five-game slide with a 12-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

“It finally feels good to win one after all those losses,” said Jones-Drew, the first player to run for 100 yards against the Ravens since last December. “It was nice to show the world what we’re about. We beat a very good team.”

Stepping into the national spotlight for a few hours, the Jaguars used their best defensive effort in seven years to slow down Ray Rice, Joe Flacco and Co.

“You’ve got to give them credit. They played like it was their Super Bowl,” Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin said.

The victory could be a turning point for a young team trying to create confidence after losing eight of its previous nine games. Instead of talk about coach Jack Del Rio’s job security, the Jaguars (2-5) got back in the mix in the wide-open AFC South.

“We knew this was an opportunity to right things and gain a little respect,” Del Rio said.

They relied on Jones-Drew and the defense to get it done.

Jacksonville didn’t allow a first down until the 5:26 mark of the third quarter, a mix of stout defense and inept offense. Flacco finally got the Ravens (4-2) on the scoreboard with a little more than two minutes remaining. He capped a 90-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Boldin.

The Ravens failed to recover an onside kick when the ball bounced inches short of going the required 10 yards. Scobee followed with his third field goal of at least 50 yards, tying an NFL record held by many.

“As long as I’m getting those opportunities, I will gladly take them,” Scobee said. “Given that we haven’t scored a lot of points this season, I know that every time I’m out there it’s very important.”

Baltimore had a final possession, but in fitting fashion, Jacksonville’s defense came up big. Drew Coleman stepped in front of Ed Dickson and intercepted Flacco’s final pass.

The Ravens finished with 146 total yards, the fewest yards the Jaguars have allowed since 2004.

“They basically beat us with their defense,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I don’t think it was any one thing. It was a lack of execution. It’s almost as bad as you can play on offense.”

The Jaguars set a franchise record by allowing only 16 yards in the first half, including 1 yard passing by Flacco, who was under relentless pressure for much of the night.

“We need to make sure when we’re not on our ‘A’ game, we’re not this,” said Flacco, who completed 21 of 38 passes for 137 yards.

Baltimore finally got a first down on its 28th play of the game when Rice broke off a 12-yard run. That was only the second play longer than 10 yards for the Ravens.

“We were confident about this game,” Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said. “We knew we had to outplay them. The difference between this and the other weeks is that we started fast. Our defense is capable of that. That’s why we hold ourselves to a high standard. We just needed to taste victory. Now that we have, we’re going to keep it rolling.”

The teams combined to go 0 of 16 on third-down conversions in the opening half. The Jaguars began the third quarter with six first downs, only for the Ravens defense to stiffen after yet another mistake.

The Ravens stopped Jacksonville, but Brendon Ayanbadejo was called for a personal foul and ejected from the game when he punched Guy Whimper in the facemask after the play. That gave the Jaguars first-and-goal from the 3, but Blaine Gabbert failed to complete two passes in the end zone and Scobee kicked a 22-yard field goal.

An earlier field goal was set up by another Baltimore blunder.

After Gabbert completed passes of 24 and 11 yards to the Ravens 38, Gabbert was sacked on third-and-8 at the 40. The Jaguars chose to punt, but Paul Kruger was penalized for running into the kicker. The 5-yard penalty put Scobee in field goal range, putting the Jaguars up 6-0 with a 54-yard kick.

Scobee, who extended his franchise record with a field goal for the 15th straight game, kicked two 54-yarders.

Jacksonville needed every yard and point it could muster. The NFL’s worst offense put the game on Jones-Drew’s shoulders. He carried 30 times, most of them right into the middle of Baltimore’s revered defense.

“We just grinded them,” Gabbert said. “Mojo’s a beast back there.”

NOTES: Ravens S Ed Reed had his shoulder popped back into place in the fourth quarter, but returned after a few plays off. … Houston’s Arian Foster was the last player to run for at least 100 yards against Baltimore. … The Jaguars, who snapped a six-game losing streak in prime time, improved to 7-3 on Monday night. … Rice ran eight times for 28 yards. … Baltimore’s star was Sam Koch, who punted nine times for a 52.2 yard average.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: Mike Sims-Walker (WR – JAC), Joe Flacco (QB – BAL), Courtney Greene (S – JAC), Eugene Monroe (OT – JAC), Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars

We’re about four hours from kickoff between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the visiting Baltimore Ravens. The AFC squads meet on Monday Night Football in Jacksonville to conclude Week 7 of the 2011 NFL season.

The two squads are clearly heading in different places organizationally. The Ravens (4-1) feel they are primed to make a Super Bowl run after coming up in short in recent playoffs. The Jaguars (1-5) meanwhile are competing well but not all that competitive. They’re just too young to win consistently just yet, but head coach Jack Del Rio has certainly done a nice job getting his team ready to play hard each week.

There will be a few changes to the Jaguars lineup Monday night, the most notable being the return of wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker. Drafted by the Jaguars in the 2007 draft, Sims-Walker was released in free agency after the 2010 season. Sims-Walker was signed by the St. Louis Rams after the lockout, released one week ago, and then rejoined the Jaguars. Apparently a week of practice was enough to prove that he was ready to play against the Ravens Monday night.

“I’ve been in this offense my whole career, only a couple different plays I haven’t heard before,” Sims-Walker said. “But for the most part I’ve got a pretty good grasp on it.”

The Jaguars will be without safety Courtney Greene (neck). Expect Joe Flacco and the big-play Ravens passing game to take some shots down the field. On the offensive line, Ebon Britton is listed as doubtful and Eugene Monroe will not start at tackle. 

Kickoff between the Jaguars and Ravens is at 8:30 pm local time. For more Jaguars coverage leading up to tonight’s game, head on over to Big Cat Country.

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars (8:30 p.m. ET, TSN)

On paper, this projects to be a blowout, even though the Jaguars are at home.

Baltimore is a legit Super Bowl contender, mixing a perennially strong defence with standout running back Ray Rice and an in-form Joe Flacco.

Rice has been putting up obscene all-purpose numbers and is a major threat catching the ball as well as rushing with it. That has opened things up for Flacco, who is playing well.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s offence is plodding along under rookie Blaine Gabbert, who has struggled to adapt to the NFL.

Maurice Jones-Drew is having a fine campaign, despite Gabbert’s slow learning curve, but expect Jacksonville’s weak lines to have all kinds of troubles with the Ravens on both sides of the ball.

If Jones-Drew gets handled, this game could get mighty ugly, barring an unforeseen turnaround from Gabbert.

Jacksonville’s only chance might be if the defensive line can step up and get to Flacco.

That has been the knock on 4-1 Baltimore, which already has allowed Flacco to be sacked 10 times. The Jaguars have not been able to stop the run this season and likely won’t do any better against Rice.

The Pittsburgh Steelers cautioned each other about a let down
after rolling to halftime with a commanding 14-point lead over
Jacksonville on Sunday.

It happened anyway.

Though the Steelers hung on for a 17-13 win, their inability to
move the ball on offense and get off the field on defense in the
second half continued a troubling trend for a club that considers
itself one of the AFC’s elite.

Managing one half of good football is easy. Two is a
problem.

Though Pittsburgh (4-2) has won four of five, it has only
dominated in spurts. The first half against the Jaguars, Seahawks
and Titans. The first quarter against Indianapolis.

Good enough to win against the league’s also-rans. The Steelers
know it’s not good enough to get them where they want to go.

“Maybe I need to keep the guys going,” quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger said. “I felt like I tried to do that, but maybe I
didn’t do enough.”

A week after lighting up Tennessee for five touchdowns on mostly
throws underneath, Roethlisberger tried to air it out against the
Jaguars. It worked for 30 minutes. He hit Mike Wallace for a pair
of deep completions _ including a 28-yard touchdown _ and Emmanuel
Sanders for another.

In the second half he continued to test Jacksonville. Though
Wallace and company had little trouble getting behind the
secondary, Roethlisberger couldn’t get them the ball on a windy day
at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger completed just 1 of 5 passes after
the break.

“My biggest thing is just don’t underthrow it, but they got up
in the wind and just kept going,” Roethlisberger said. “I got to
connect on them. That’s on me.”

Though he was hardly alone in his frustration. The Steelers had
a chance to go up 21-0 in the second quarter after running back
Rashard Mendenhall ripped off a 68-yard run. Two plunges into the
line and a fade pass Antonio Brown that fluttered over Brown’s head
forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal.

A touchdown would have likely forced the Jaguars to abandon the
run completely and rely on rookie Blaine Gabbert. Instead the stand
seemed to revitalize Jacksonville’s defense. The Steelers wouldn’t
score again, though kicker Shaun Suisham missed a 46-yard field
goal wide left.

“We (want to be) a team that is good and executes on third down
and in the red zone and not turn the ball over,” Pittsburgh wide
receiver Hines Ward said. “If we do that, we’re a pretty good ball
club. We just have to be consistent. We are not doing it on a
consistent level yet. But we’re getting there.”

The Steelers will need to get there soon if they want to prove
their slow start is just that and not indicative of another Super
Bowl hangover.

Pittsburgh travels to Arizona (1-4) next Sunday before a
two-game homestand against New England and Baltimore. The Cardinals
are no pushovers, and the Steelers are just 1-2 on the road this
year, with the victory a 23-20 escape against winless
Indianapolis.

Hanging with the Patriots and the Ravens _ who have more
combined wins (9) than the four teams Pittsburgh has beaten (6) _
will require more than a solid half, and the Steelers know it.

“We have to keep the same intensity the whole game,” Wallace
said.

On both sides of the ball.

Though Pittsburgh’s defense limited the Jaguars to 209 yards,
Jacksonville made enough plays in the second half to hang around.
The Jaguars scored their only touchdown on a 17-play, 80-yard drive
that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock.

The drive included an automatic first down after Pittsburgh’s
Ryan Mundy roughed Jacksonville punter Nick Harris and a
fourth-down conversion.

“They continued running the ball and we just did a bad job of
tackling,” Pittsburgh linebacker LaMarr Woodley said.

And a poor job of putting a team away, again.

Still, the Steelers would rather apologize for sluggish play in
a win than the alternative. Despite their somewhat bumpy start,
they’re right where they expected entering the meat of the
season.

“We won the game,” Ward said, “that’s all that matters.”

Maurice Jones-Drew and Mark Sanchez had everyone talking the last time the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets played each other.

It was all about one guy’s kneel-down and the other’s near-meltdown on that November afternoon two years ago.

There was Jones-Drew taking a knee at the 1-yard line despite having a clear path to the end zone to help the Jaguars run out the clock and kick the winning field goal, sending fantasy football fans into a frenzy.

He knows where they’re coming from, but he’s still not sorry.

“The fans obviously, (with) fantasy, they hated it,” Jones-Drew said. “At the same time, fantasy is a fun thing, it’s a hobby for me. It doesn’t pay the bills. So I have to take care of what pays the bills, you know?”

And, that’s whatever it takes to win on the field, of course. The Jaguars (1-0) and Jets (1-0) will meet again for the first time since at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Sanchez’s postgame press conference that day raised lots of eyebrows when he pulled out a sheet of paper and read off a list of prepared remarks. It was a curious move that some called arrogant, while others thought it was just plain silly. He was a rookie then, just a few games into his NFL career, and believed he had cost his team a few victories with spotty play.

“I was just stupid,” Sanchez said. “I would think I would be ready to handle it and at that moment you feel like, ‘Man, I need an answer for all that stuff, and here’s what it is.’ And that was just stupid and a dumb, dumb rookie mistake. So, that won’t happen again.”

With the Jets holding a late 22-21 lead in the teams’ last matchup, the Jaguars were driving down the field when New York coach Rex Ryan made the bold decision to allow the Jaguars to score. This way, Ryan thought, the Jets could get the ball back with about 2 minutes left for a winning drive of their own.

Instead, Jones-Drew took the handoff and was tackled at the Jets 10.

“Ten of us knew to let him score,” Ryan said, smiling. “I’m not going to put Marques Douglas under the bus — you know I love Douglas — but he had the classic quote of all time. He told me, ‘Hey, he’d been breaking that tackle all day.’ I was like, ‘Really, that’s what you came up with?’”

Hearing the angry yells from the Jets’ sideline, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio quickly drew up the new game plan.

Jones-Drew took the next handoff, went off left tackle and stunningly dropped to a knee at the 1.

“He said, ‘Listen, they’re trying to let you score, the best thing for us right now as a team would be not to put our defense out there. Take a knee, get the first down and we’ll be able to run the clock out,’” Jones-Drew recalled. “Like I said, we always play to win the game, if I can quote Herm Edwards at the time.”

A few moments later, Josh Scobee kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired.

It was soon after that when Sanchez took the podium to try to explain his performance. Ryan says that was then, and Sanchez now is a different person — more mature, experienced and better able to handle adversity.

“At the time, I was probably right there with him,” Ryan said. “We were both rookies at the job. I really never even thought about it, though. It wasn’t something I would lecture the guy (about). We always say, ‘Be yourself.’ He doesn’t need a prepared statement to do interviews and I think he knows that now.”

Sanchez has since established himself as the undisputed face of the franchise, and the team needs to protect him better because its Super Bowl hopes could depend on it. The quarterback was banged up in the opener against Dallas and was even tested for a concussion. He’s fine, though, and recognizes that although it’s just Week 2, the Jets have to stay sharp after an emotionally charged victory in the opener in which they erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit with the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks as the backdrop.

“This week, we can’t impress upon ourselves enough about how another AFC opponent (is) coming to our place,” Sanchez said. “This is a must win.”

Yes, he means it. And so do most of his teammates. A 2-0 start at home could be crucial, especially considering that the Jets are on the road for the next three weeks.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played three games in a row (on the road),” said Plaxico Burress, who made his NFL return last week after a nearly three-year layoff. “This game is critical for us to get. We don’t know how those things down the road are going to come out.”

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are trying to win the first two games of the season for the seventh time in franchise history, and first since 2006. They’re also hoping to start 1-0 on the road for the first time since 2007.

“We know what kind of team we have,” said quarterback Luke McCown, who made his first NFL start in four years. “We’re a hard-hat kind of a team and we’re going to work every day and at the end of the day suit up, buckle your chin strap and play ball.”

McCown was efficient in his first start with the Jaguars after replacing David Garrard as the starter. He went 17 of 24 for 175 yards last week, but could be without one of his primary targets against the Jets. Tight end Marcedes Lewis is dealing with a strained right calf suffered in the opener, and was planning to test it Friday to see if he’d be able to play Sunday.

“It’s just so annoying,” Lewis said. “This could happen in camp, you know what I mean? But I’m human. Things happen, and you have to roll with the punches and treat it.”

Having Lewis to go along with wide receivers Mike Thomas and Jason Hill helps set up a running game with Jones-Drew leading the way. The running back was miffed during last week’s game when Del Rio sat him for much of the fourth quarter in an effort to try to keep his play count down and his health up.

“When you’re in the middle of the game, tempers flare, emotions are flying,” Jones-Drew said. “That’s what it was.”

He apologized to Del Rio, but after playing 14 games with a torn meniscus in his right knee last season and needing surgery, Jones-Drew insists he’s feeling good.

“It actually feels like it did when I was 8 years old, or maybe when I was born,” Jones-Drew said. “It feels like a fresh-out-of-the-womb knee. Nothing is wrong.”

___

AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Maurice Jones-Drew and Mark Sanchez had everyone talking the last time the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets played each other.

It was all about one guy’s kneel-down and the other’s near-meltdown on that November afternoon two years ago.

There was Jones-Drew taking a knee at the one-yard line despite having a clear path to the end zone to help the Jaguars run out the clock and kick the winning field goal, sending fantasy football fans into a frenzy.

He knows where they’re coming from, but he’s still not sorry.

“The fans obviously, (with) fantasy, they hated it,” Jones-Drew said. “At the same time, fantasy is a fun thing, it’s a hobby for me. It doesn’t pay the bills. So I have to take care of what pays the bills, you know?”

And, that’s whatever it takes to win on the field, of course. The Jaguars (1-0) and Jets (1-0) will meet again for the first time since at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Sanchez’s post-game press conference that day raised lots of eyebrows when he pulled out a sheet of paper and read off a list of prepared remarks. It was a curious move that some called arrogant, while others thought it was just plain silly. He was a rookie then, just a few games into his NFL career, and believed he had cost his team a few victories with spotty play.

“I was just stupid,” Sanchez said. “I would think I would be ready to handle it and at that moment you feel like, ‘Man, I need an answer for all that stuff, and here’s what it is.’ And that was just stupid and a dumb, dumb rookie mistake. So, that won’t happen again.”

With the Jets holding a late 22-21 lead in the teams’ last matchup, the Jaguars were driving down the field when New York coach Rex Ryan made the bold decision to allow the Jaguars to score. This way, Ryan thought, the Jets could get the ball back with about 2 minutes left for a winning drive of their own.

Instead, Jones-Drew took the handoff and was tackled at the Jets 10.

“Ten of us knew to let him score,” Ryan said, smiling. “I’m not going to put Marques Douglas under the bus — you know I love Douglas — but he had the classic quote of all time. He told me, ‘Hey, he’d been breaking that tackle all day.’ I was like, ‘Really, that’s what you came up with?’”

Hearing the angry yells from the Jets’ sideline, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio quickly drew up the new game plan.

Jones-Drew took the next handoff, went off left tackle and stunningly dropped to a knee at the one.

“He said, ‘Listen, they’re trying to let you score, the best thing for us right now as a team would be not to put our defence out there. Take a knee, get the first down and we’ll be able to run the clock out,’” Jones-Drew recalled. “Like I said, we always play to win the game, if I can quote Herm Edwards at the time.”

A few moments later, Josh Scobee kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired.

It was soon after that when Sanchez took the podium to try to explain his performance. Ryan says that was then, and Sanchez now is a different person — more mature, experienced and better able to handle adversity.

“At the time, I was probably right there with him,” Ryan said. “We were both rookies at the job. I really never even thought about it, though. It wasn’t something I would lecture the guy (about). We always say, ‘Be yourself.’ He doesn’t need a prepared statement to do interviews and I think he knows that now.”

Sanchez has since established himself as the undisputed face of the franchise, and the team needs to protect him better because its Super Bowl hopes could depend on it. The quarterback was banged up in the opener against Dallas and was even tested for a concussion. He’s fine, though, and recognizes that although it’s just Week 2, the Jets have to stay sharp after an emotionally charged victory in the opener in which they erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit with the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks as the backdrop.

“This week, we can’t impress upon ourselves enough about how another AFC opponent (is) coming to our place,” Sanchez said. “This is a must win.”

Yes, he means it. And so do most of his teammates. A 2-0 start at home could be crucial, especially considering that the Jets are on the road for the next three weeks.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played three games in a row (on the road),” said Plaxico Burress, who made his NFL return last week after a nearly three-year layoff. “This game is critical for us to get. We don’t know how those things down the road are going to come out.”

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are trying to win the first two games of the season for the seventh time in franchise history, and first since 2006. They’re also hoping to start 1-0 on the road for the first time since 2007.

“We know what kind of team we have,” said quarterback Luke McCown, who made his first NFL start in four years. “We’re a hard-hat kind of a team and we’re going to work every day and at the end of the day suit up, buckle your chin strap and play ball.”

McCown was efficient in his first start with the Jaguars after replacing David Garrard as the starter. He went 17 of 24 for 175 yards last week, but could be without one of his primary targets against the Jets. Tight end Marcedes Lewis is dealing with a strained right calf suffered in the opener, and was planning to test it Friday to see if he’d be able to play Sunday.

“It’s just so annoying,” Lewis said. “This could happen in camp, you know what I mean? But I’m human. Things happen, and you have to roll with the punches and treat it.”

Having Lewis to go along with wide receivers Mike Thomas and Jason Hill helps set up a running game with Jones-Drew leading the way. The running back was miffed during last week’s game when Del Rio sat him for much of the fourth quarter in an effort to try to keep his play count down and his health up.

“When you’re in the middle of the game, tempers flare, emotions are flying,” Jones-Drew said. “That’s what it was.”

He apologized to Del Rio, but after playing 14 games with a torn meniscus in his right knee last season and needing surgery, Jones-Drew insists he’s feeling good.

“It actually feels like it did when I was 8 years old, or maybe when I was born,” Jones-Drew said. “It feels like a fresh-out-of-the-womb knee. Nothing is wrong.”

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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report.

Pittsford native Adam Podlesh has signed a five-year contract with the Chicago Bears to become the team’s punter.

Podlesh spent the previous four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Podlesh will leave for Chicago tomorrow to join the team at their training camp at Olivet Nazarene University.

“Not only are the Bears a Super Bowl caliber team, they have shown themselves to take pride in their special teams,” Podlesh said. “They have done really well in special teams. I am excited to join a stellar unit. They showed a lot of commitment to me over the last couple of days, which I really respected.”

Podlesh is coming off his best pro season earning Pro Bowl alternate status after averaging 43.8 yards per punt and dropping 26 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Podlesh, a Pittsford Sutherland graduate, was taken in the fourth round by the Jaguars in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was the only four-time All-ACC Selection in Maryland history.

“The Jaguars are the only team I have known, and I have been fortunate to have a lot of really good relationships here,” Podlesh said. “It was tough to make this decision, but I went into this with an open mind. In all honesty, Chicago really won me over. I think it’s going to be a really great fit.”

The Bears are coming off an appearance in the NFC Championship game and won the NFC North Division titie. Chicago opens the season Sep. 11 against Atlanta at Soldier Field.

A long with the change in scenery, Podlesh will have to deal with a change in kicking conditions particularly in November and December. He is looking forward to the new challenge.

“I don’t mind playing in elements,” Podlesh said. “We have had our fair share of element games with the Jaguars, so I am prepared to deal with anything the elements have to offer.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 24 (UPI) — The Jacksonville Jaguars signed former defensive end Paul Spicer to a one-day deal and placed him on the retired/reserve list at his request, the team said.

Spicer had asked for the arrangement so that he could officially retire as a Jaguar, a team he played on for nine years, The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union reported.

Spicer played in 115 games and made 63 starts for the Jaguars before being cut after the 2008 season.

He was in the New Orleans Saints training camp in 2009, and although the Saints cut him before the season started, they brought him back for the playoffs, giving Spicer a Super Bowl championship.

Spicer wanted to retire as a Jaguar and called Paul Vance, the Jaguars’ senior vice president of football operations and general counsel.

On Monday, Vance called Spicer and said the team would make that happen.

“If it wasn’t for the organization giving me the opportunity to come in as a free agent, undrafted … they ultimately made the decision to keep me,” Spicer said. “I’m not a New Orleans Saint. I’m always going to be a Jaguar at heart.”

“It’s my dream for my next career to be a coach in the NFL,” Spicer said. “I’m going to do everything to make that a reality.”