JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio is
sticking with his starting quarterback. This time, he really means it.

Del Rio said that rookie Blaine Gabbert(notes) will start Monday night’s game
against San Diego.

Del Rio backed Gabbert after Sunday’s 20-13 loss against Houston, but since
Del Rio showed similar support for David Garrard(notes) before cutting him the week of
the opener, there was speculation the coach would return to Luke McCown(notes).

“I would just say that, right now, Blaine’s the quarterback,” Del Rio said
Monday. “He’s doing some things that are pretty good at times and he’s doing
some things that he’ll need to do better going forward.

“He’s not the only one on the field. There are other people that need to do
things, whether it be blocking, running routes or catching the ball that will
help him have better days and will help us have better days. Clearly, the head
coach and the quarterback are the two people that are directly tied to winning
and losing, and if you don’t win, then those are the two people who are going to
hear the most.”

Gabbert completed 13 of 29 passes for 136 yards, with an interception,
against the Texans. He was sacked a season-high six times, showing more
indecision in the pocket.

Del Rio benched the 22-year-old former Missouri standout midway through the
fourth quarter, putting the offense in McCown’s hands for the final two drives.
McCown provided a spark by leading the team to a field goal, but his fourth-down
pass in the closing minutes fell incomplete and the Jaguars (3-8) were all but
eliminated from the AFC South.

McCown finished 7 of 11 passing for 62 yards.

“The backup quarterback is always the most popular guy in town if you’re
not doing well offensively in the game of football,” Del Rio said. “These are
decisions that I’ve got to make and I’ll make them and we’ll go forward.”

Gabbert has completed 48.5 percent of his passes for 1,371 yards, with six
touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s been sacked 28 times, ranks 33rd in the
league in QB rating and is seemingly way behind fellow rookies Cam Newton(notes), Andy
Dalton(notes) and Christian Ponder(notes).

His problems have become obvious: He gets rattled under pressure, is
woefully inaccurate on short throws and doesn’t appear to be making much
progress.

“I think it’s fair to say he’s going to have to operate with pressure in
his face at a higher level that what we’ve seen thus far,” Del Rio said. “Part
of that is the responsibility of us making sure that we’re affording him the
kind of protection that a quarterback should have. Part of that is him being
able to stand in the face of it and make decisions and be on time and accurate.
That’s part of playing that position.”

He could use more help, too.

Jacksonville’s offensive line, even though the same unit has started five
consecutive games, has been mediocre at best. And the game’s receivers have
dropped balls routinely all season. On Sunday, tight end Marcedes Lewis(notes) dropped
a pass in the end zone with no one around him, and the Jaguars settled for a
short field goal in a close game.

“I know my abilities. This team knows my abilities,” Gabbert said after
the game. “We’ve just got to execute. It’s a team sport. Everybody has got to
do their job on a daily basis and we’ll go up. But right now we’re not doing
that and we’re losing football games.”

The Jaguars have lost 11 of their last 14 games dating to last season,
making it likely that Del Rio will be fired during or shortly after the season.

Team owner Wayne Weaver has declined to talk about Del Rio’s future. Del
Rio, meanwhile, said he is solely focused on getting his team ready for the next
game.

“This is not a time to stop and think of selfish things,” Del Rio said.
“This is a time to continue to commit to the team and do all I can, give all
the energy I can to this football team.”

Del Rio backed Gabbert after Sunday’s 20-13 loss against Houston, but since Del Rio showed similar support for David Garrard before cutting him the week of the opener, there was speculation the coach would return to Luke McCown.

“I would just say that, right now, Blaine’s the quarterback,” Del Rio said Monday. “He’s doing some things that are pretty good at times and he’s doing some things that he’ll need to do better going forward.

“He’s not the only one on the field. There are other people that need to do things, whether it be blocking, running routes or catching the ball that will help him have better days and will help us have better days. Clearly, the head coach and the quarterback are the two people that are directly tied to winning and losing, and if you don’t win, then those are the two people who are going to hear the most.”

Gabbert completed 13 of 29 passes for 136 yards, with an interception, against the Texans. He was sacked a season-high six times, showing more indecision in the pocket.

Del Rio benched the 22-year-old former Missouri standout midway through the fourth quarter, putting the offense in McCown’s hands for the final two drives. McCown provided a spark by leading the team to a field goal, but his fourth-down pass in the closing minutes fell incomplete and the Jaguars (3-8) were all but eliminated from the AFC South.

McCown finished 7 of 11 passing for 62 yards.

“The backup quarterback is always the most popular guy in town if you’re not doing well offensively in the game of football,” Del Rio said. “These are decisions that I’ve got to make and I’ll make them and we’ll go forward.”

Gabbert has completed 48.5 percent of his passes for 1,371 yards, with six touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s been sacked 28 times, ranks 33rd in the league in QB rating and is seemingly way behind fellow rookies Cam Newton, Andy Dalton and Christian Ponder.

His problems have become obvious: He gets rattled under pressure, is woefully inaccurate on short throws and doesn’t appear to be making much progress.

“I think it’s fair to say he’s going to have to operate with pressure in his face at a higher level that what we’ve seen thus far,” Del Rio said. “Part of that is the responsibility of us making sure that we’re affording him the kind of protection that a quarterback should have. Part of that is him being able to stand in the face of it and make decisions and be on time and accurate. That’s part of playing that position.”

He could use more help, too.

Jacksonville’s offensive line, even though the same unit has started five consecutive games, has been mediocre at best. And the game’s receivers have dropped balls routinely all season. On Sunday, tight end Marcedes Lewis dropped a pass in the end zone with no one around him, and the Jaguars settled for a short field goal in a close game.

“I know my abilities. This team knows my abilities,” Gabbert said after the game. “We’ve just got to execute. It’s a team sport. Everybody has got to do their job on a daily basis and we’ll go up. But right now we’re not doing that and we’re losing football games.”

The Jaguars have lost 11 of their last 14 games dating to last season, making it likely that Del Rio will be fired during or shortly after the season.

Team owner Wayne Weaver has declined to talk about Del Rio’s future. Del Rio, meanwhile, said he is solely focused on getting his team ready for the next game.

“This is not a time to stop and think of selfish things,” Del Rio said. “This is a time to continue to commit to the team and do all I can, give all the energy I can to this football team.”

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

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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Week 11 of the NFL season is almost underway. Here are my sits and starts for this weekend’s AFC South games:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Start – Maurice Jones-Drew(notes)

Yes, this is one of the more obvious choices I can make, but it’s the best one out there for the Jaguars. The Cleveland Browns have the NFL’s 30th-ranked rush defense, and with one of the team’s key run-stoppers, T.J. Ward(notes), missing the game, it’s only going to get worse. The Browns do have the advantage in pass defense, but the Jaguars haven’t thrown the ball well anyways. I think Jones-Drew gets plenty of yardage in the game, but I’m just not sure how often he’ll visit the endzone.

Start – Jaguars defense

If the Browns weren’t able to put a touchdown up on the board against the St. Louis Rams’ awful defense, then what should we expect out of them this week against a Jaguars defense strong against both the rush and the pass? This matchup is going to be a low-scoring and physical one with little offense to find outside of Jones-Drew. If you have the Jaguars defense, this is the week to start it.

Tennessee Titans

Start – Damian Williams(notes), WR

With the Titan receiving corps riddled with injuries, Damian Williams has stepped up in recent weeks. He’s averaging four catches a game since week five, and Williams has also scored a touchdown in four out of the team’s last six games. Those are solid numbers to rely on as the Titans take on an Atlanta Falcons pass defense ranked 23rd in the NFL. I’m expecting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) to look for Williams early in the game in hopes of freeing up the running game.

Sit – Titans defense

The Titans defense did an outstanding job against Cam Newton(notes) last weekend, but I don’t see a repeat performance happening against the Falcons. Atlanta enters this game in danger of losing its second straight game at home, and I think the Falcons have too many weapons for that to happen. Look for Michael Turner(notes) featured early in this game in hopes of exploiting the Titans’ 22nd-ranked rush defense. I just don’t see this ending well for Tennessee on Sunday.

Bye – Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts

Derek Ciapala has been playing fantasy football for over 10 years and has hosted an IDP league every year since 2001. He’s hoping to win another trophy in this year’s league. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

Source: NFL.com

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Andre Johnson(notes) is finally ready to return to the field for the Houston Texans, and that is great news for newly anointed quarterback Matt Leinart(notes). This is even better news for fantasy football owners that have held on to Johnson while he suffered through injuries and then set-backs during the recovery period.

With Matt Schaub out for the year with his own injury, the team will have to turn to Leinart and Johnson to carry them to the postseason. Coming into this season, Johnson needed to step into that role anyways, but he has really been limited so far in 2011. He did post 352 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns early on though, but he will have to do even better than that in the coming weeks.

For fantasy football owners, Johnson will take the field on Nov. 27 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He and the Texans are coming off a bye week, so the team might start a little slow in the game, but everyone should have a lot of rest as well. Johnson becomes a must-start against a pretty weak team on defense, and there is a chance that he could put up some very impressive statistics.

It’s rough on fantasy football owners that Johnson is returning during a bye week, especially as many leagues near the postseason. At least he will become one of the must-start receivers for Week 12 though, and that could serve as a huge boost to any team that has limped along lately. For the Texans, he comes back at a very opportune time. The team is trying to pull away in the AFC South, and losing Schaub was of huge detriment to the team. Getting Johnson back may serve as a good boost for the team again, but the arm of Leinart becomes almost as important.

For the rest of the 2011 season, Johnson is a wide receiver that should get the start in any lineup (beginning in Week 12). It has been a long wait for him to get healthy, but he now presents the skill-set that could put up 120 yards and one or two touchdowns every week.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the healthiest teams in the league over the first 10 weeks of the season.

No starters on injured reserve. Only a few backups out for the year. It one was one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal season.

It all changed Monday. The Jaguars placed cornerback Rashean Mathis, guard Eben Britton and backup linebacker/special teams standout Kyle Bosworth on injured reserve because of injuries.

Mathis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Sunday’s 17-3 win at Indianapolis and will have season-ending surgery. Britton, who missed the last four games, developed an infection following back surgery in training camp. Bosworth broke his left hand against the Colts.

“It’s life in the NFL,” coach Jack Del Rio said Monday. “It’s a tough business. It was nice to get a win. Tough for a couple guys to get news that they’re going to go on IR, but as a football team we’re going forward doing the best we can.”

Losing Mathis is the biggest setback for the Jaguars (3-6), and it could mean he has played his last game in Jacksonville. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Mathis is in the final year of his contract. It’s unclear whether the team will give the 31-year-old defender who has missed games in four of the last five seasons a new deal.

Mathis was playing arguably his best football, with 12 passes defended and an interception this season. He injured his knee while planting to cover Colts receiver Pierre Garcon.

“It’s unfortunate,” Del Rio said. “He’s a good football player. He’s having a good year for us and so obviously, as we do, we move on as a team.”

Mathis has started 125 games — every one he’s played since being drafted in the second round in 2003 — made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and was the leader of the team’s revamped secondary. Without him, Will Middleton will move into a starting role.

“That’s a huge loss,” defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. “That’s a veteran voice we need out there. We’ve got guys that have to step in and pick up where he left off and grow up, hopefully do the same thing he did.”

Despite Mathis’ injury, Jacksonville won for the second time in three games and kept alive slim hopes of winning the AFC South. The Jaguars dominated the Colts, scoring points on one of Curtis Painter’s two interceptions and turning backup Dan Orlovsky’s fumble into a late touchdown that sealed the game.

But injury news kept the Jaguars from celebrating.

Mathis had X-rays in Indianapolis and tests Monday revealed the severity of the knee injury.

“With us being a young defense, a lot of players look up to him for guidance, just for the type of ability that he has,” cornerback Drew Coleman said. “When we come to the sidelines, we discuss things and it’s kind of like he has the last say on how we do certain things during certain plays. …

“The confidence is there within our group that we’ll pick it up and replace him. In this league, you’re always one play away from being a starter. Now that that opportunity is there, we’ll step up and fill that role. We won’t miss a beat, but we’ll miss his leadership. We’ll miss looking up to him for guidance. We’ll truly miss him, but we have young guys who are ready to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The Jaguars expect to work out several cornerbacks Tuesday.

The team also signed second-year tight end Fendi Onobun off Washington’s practice squad and added tight end Colin Cloherty to the practice squad. The team also waived rookie tight end Schuylar Oordt from the practice squad.

The moves left Jacksonville with two open roster spots, which could be used to replace Britton and Bosworth.

Bosworth was one of the team’s top special teams tacklers.

Britton missed the entire preseason and the opener because of a herniated disk in his back. He started three games, but his back tightened up the morning of the Oct. 16 game at Pittsburgh and he hasn’t played since.

“The complications he’s having, they’re not structural, but it’s going to require some time and so he’s not going to be available for us,” Del Rio said. “So another unfortunate situation with him being a good football player and a guy that we were hoping to get back. But he’s not going to be able to make it and so he’ll go on IR as well.”

By Alex Boeder

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Nov 9, 2011 – Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark will not play in Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Tight end has suddenly become quite thinned out in Indianapolis. Clark has been ruled out of Sunday’s game with a leg injury, along with fellow tight end Brody Eldrige and guard Joe Reitz. Quarterback Peyton Manning, of course, also remains out.

Four players missed practice for the Colts today: linebacker Kavell Conner, defensive end Dwight Freeney, defensive tackle Antonio Johnson, and wide receiver Blair White.

Meanwhile, running back Joseph Addai was a limited participant in practice today.

The 0-9 Colts are still searching for their first win of the season, and hosting the 2-6 Jaguars figured to provide the team with one of their best chances to win, but the piling up injuries are doing them no favors.

Clark, who left the team’s Week 9 31-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter and was wearing a walking boot on the sideline.ranks third on the Colts with 287 yards and second with two receiving touchdowns, 

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Are they or aren’t they?  The talk is a portion of the Jacksonville Jaguars is up for sale.

“I think it’s a rumor. I would say that it’s false,” said fan Dale Tatum.

The buzz is all over sports radio and the internet that owner Wayne Weaver is selling a minority share of the team to FedEx CEO Fred Smith, and that part of the deal is the Jags would have to stay in Jacksonville.

“It would surprise me. I think that Wayne is a very honest, straightforward guy, and I think if he were gonna do something, he wouldn’t be hesitant to tell people,” said former Jaguars executive Michael Huyghue.

Huyghue said he’s heard the recent rumor for a few days, but said he doesn’t think it’s true. “Sometimes when there is smoke, there is smoke. But I would say that it is not uncommon for owners to look at potential limited partners to come in.”

Today, the Jaguars communications office said in a statement, “It’s just not true. It is just a rumor.”

Smith’s corporate communications office released a statement saying, “The rumors that Fred Smith has any involvement with or interest in the Jacksonville Jaguars are not true. Any speculation stating the opposite is patently false and incorrect.”

“I think there’s going to be opportunity for the team to move, but I really believe Wayne. I’ve known him for a long time, worked very closely with him. I just trust him and so I believe him,” said Huyghue.

Those diehard Jaguar fans said they agree with that too. “I think there will be some changes, but I think they are here to stay.”

First Coast Newsa

In surprising news, the Jacksonville Jaguars have placed wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker on injured reserve with a knee injury. The team announced the move earlier today. It’s unknown when Sims-Walker injured his knee, but it had to have been on Sunday against the Houston Texans. Sims-Walker played in the game after dealing with the flu during the week and Jaguars head coach noted Sims-Walker was effected in the game, lacking energy. Sims-Walker missed practice this week apparently due to having a tooth pulled.

With Sims-Walker being placed on injured reserve, it opens up a roster spot for former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Brian Robiskie, who was waived by the team yesterday. The Jaguars receiving group has been abysmal this season and it seems the team is desperate to get help from anywhere. During the season, the Jaguars have signed two players that were released from their team mid-season and teams that were hurting at the receiver position.

For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars, visit SB Nation’s Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston star receiver Andre Johnson will miss his fourth straight game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a hamstring injury.

Johnson returned to practice this week and the Texans had hoped he would be able to play. He made progress, but Johnson said Friday that he would sit out another week.

“I don’t feel like I’m ready to play,” he said. “I’m not at full speed yet. I said I wouldn’t put myself out there until I’m able to run full speed.”

He was injured on Oct. 2 against Pittsburgh and had a minor procedure to repair the right hamstring injury early that next week.

Coach Gary Kubiak said it was difficult to make the decision to keep him out another game, but that it’s better to get him completely healthy than to rush him back and have problems later in the season.

Johnson said there isn’t anything specific he can do to speed the process, but that he simply has to continue working with trainers to improve.

“I just have to keep maintaining the rehab and keep pushing myself,” he said. “It gets frustrating because every week a game goes by that you wish you could be out there, but it’s just part of the process. I’ll just keep working hard at what I’m doing and hopefully next week I can get back on the field.”

The Texans (4-3) lost to Oakland and Baltimore in their first two games without Johnson, before bouncing back with a 41-7 win over AFC South rival Tennessee to take the division lead behind a 115-yard rushing and 119-yard receiving day by Arian Foster.

Foster’s 287 yards receiving in the last three games have led the team with Johnson out. Kevin Walter has added 168 yards and Jacoby Jones has 112 yards receiving in that span.

Johnson said he’s probably about 70 to 75 percent recovered and that it wouldn’t be smart for him to return if he isn’t close to 100 percent.

“Who wants to go out on the field and see a half speed Andre Johnson? That’s not a good thing,” he said. “You will be out there hurting your team and you could have somebody out there who could go out there and give it all they’ve got and make plays for you.”

Johnson isn’t in any pain, but said that he isn’t feeling like he did before the injury yet.

“It’s just tugging, but that’s part of it,” he said. “Those things are going to happen when you have procedures done. You just have to get used to getting back to doing things that you normally do. It’s just part of the process and I’ll just keep working on it and trying to get better.”

He had 25 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns in Houston’s first four games.

Coach Gary Kubiak knows his first-place Houston Texans have a long way to go
before they can start thinking about their first AFC South title.

A few more stellar performances against divisional foes would get the Texans
closer to that point, though they’ll have to once again make do without Andre
Johnson(notes) on Sunday against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.

After dropping three of four, Houston (4-3) got back on track with a 41-7
rout at Tennessee last Sunday.

Matt Schaub(notes) had a career-best 147.7 passer rating in that game while
completing 18 of 23 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Arian
Foster(notes) and Ben Tate(notes) each topped 100 yards rushing as their team finished with a
season-high 222 after failing to crack 100 in each of its previous two games.

Foster added 119 yards receiving and matched a career high with three total
TDs in helping the Texans overtake the Titans for the division lead.

“I don’t really look at (leading the AFC South) too much. We’ve got so far
to go,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, we feel good coming out of (last weekend). We
played very well. We’ve got another division game coming up right here, but I
think we better just stay focused on what we’re doing week to week right now.”

Houston has outscored divisional opponents 75-14 in two games, and it didn’t
have Foster and Johnson on the field together for either. Johnson, who has
missed three straight games with a hamstring, will sit out again Sunday after
the Texans were initially optimistic he’d play when he returned to practice
earlier in the week.

Johnson says he isn’t able to run full speed and is probably about 70 to 75
percent recovered.

Houston is hoping to get fullback James Casey(notes) back from a strained chest
muscle, but safety Danieal Manning(notes) will miss at least four weeks after breaking
his left leg in last week’s win.

Johnson had 146 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions during a 31-24 loss
to the Jaguars on Nov. 14 but sat out last season’s second matchup with a
nagging ankle injury that later required surgery. With Johnson out, Foster
rushed for 180 yards to secure the league’s rushing title and lead his team to a
34-17 season-ending victory, which snapped a series-high three-game skid against
Jacksonville.

This time, the Texans will face a Jaguars team that just ended its longest
losing streak in eight years. Jacksonville (2-5) snapped a five-game skid by
holding Baltimore to 146 yards during a 12-7 victory Monday night.

Josh Scobee(notes) converted all four field goal attempts – three from more than 50
yards.

The Jaguars ranked 28th in yards allowed and 27th in points allowed per game
in 2010, but they’re in the top 10 in both categories this season.

“We need to win some more and the next opportunity we have to do that is go
down and play a divisional opponent in the Houston Texans, who are sitting on
top right now,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “Getting our energy back and going down
there and playing well on the road and getting a victory, that’s what it’s all
about right now.

“The division right now, you don’t have Indy that’s sitting there at 7-0 or
8-0 running away with things. There is definitely an opportunity for everybody
involved to put some wins together and have a shot.”

The Jaguars haven’t dropped back-to-back games against the Texans since
2006, but they’re 2-6 in their past eight trips to Reliant Stadium.

With rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert(notes) still getting comfortable in the NFL,
the Jaguars might lean on running back Maurice Jones-Drew(notes), the league’s
second-leading rusher with 677 yards.

Jones-Drew fumbled three times on Monday night – losing one – but he has 295
rushing yards, five touchdowns and no fumbles in his last three games against
Houston.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars promoted Gene Smith to general manager in 2009, it came amid a groundswell of support.

The motto “In Gene We Trust” become a popular phrase on Internet message boards and talk-radio shows.

Nearly three years later, and after the worst start in franchise history, that confidence has seemingly been shaken.

Although team owner Wayne Weaver has expressed faith in Smith’s rebuilding project, he declined to extend the contract of his longtime scout-turned-personnel chief in January. So much like everyone except coach Jack Del Rio, who has two years remaining on a four-year, $21 million deal, Smith is in the final year of his contract.

“We ask players to play out contracts and we have players who sign one-year contracts. I’m no different,” Smith said last week as the Jaguars (1-5) prepared to play the Baltimore Ravens (4-1) on Monday night.

Smith wants to stick around. He believes this team will be a playoff contender soon, regardless of what happens against the Ravens.

“People can doubt you, but you can never doubt yourself,” Smith said.

There are plenty of doubters these days.

The Jaguars have lost eight of nine dating to last season and have dropped five in a row for the first time in a decade. Much of the blame has fallen on Del Rio, but the franchise struggles also raised questions about Smith’s direction.

Smith agreed with the decision to cut veteran quarterback David Garrard five days before the opener, a poorly timed moved that didn’t look good until Garrard announced last week that he needed surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

Of Smith’s 20 draft picks over three years, only eight have become starters. Of those eight, rookie guard Will Rackley already has been benched, and cornerback Derek Cox and offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton have been in and out of the lineup because of injuries.

Five of the 20 picks are on injured reserve, including tight end Zach Miller, running back Rashad Jennings and defensive end Austen Lane.

“Injuries are something you can’t control in football,” Smith said. “Availability supersedes ability. They’ve got to be on the field to help you win. As frustrating as it is, you’ve got to get them healthy, and at some point, they’ll be back out there.”

Making matters worse, Smith’s most significant draft pick — franchise quarterback Blaine Gabbert — has been slow to develop.

Gabbert took over the starting job in Week 3 and has done little to improve the NFL’s worst offense. The 10th overall pick in April’s draft, Gabbert has the same number of turnovers as touchdown passes (four) and has really struggled in crunch time of close games.

“The offense will grow as Blaine grows,” Smith said. “He’s done some things that will help us win games in time and help us stack some wins. As things function better around him, you’ll see better performance out of that position. He’s got a legitimate skill set to lead us where we want to go. But there’s a learning curve and some patience that go along with it when you’re playing arguably the most difficult position to play in football.”

When Smith replaced former personnel chief James “Shack” Harris, the Jaguars were a mess. The roster was spotted with free-agent failures and draft-pick busts. Smith wanted to rebuild mostly through the draft, a time-consuming process that often yields sustained success.

Few can question what Smith has done with the defense. Jacksonville ranked near the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive category in 2010.

Smith drafted stout defensive tackles Terrance Knighton (2009) and Tyson Alualu (2010), then added linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session, safety Dawan Landry, cornerback Drew Coleman and defensive end Matt Roth in free agency this summer. Together, they have made Jacksonville one of the league’s top defenses.

The unit has been mostly overshadowed by the offensive problems.

Smith isn’t sure what the future holds. Weaver said in January that “if we’re not in the playoffs next year, there won’t be many people around here.”

Smith insists the team is close, closer than most outsiders think, and on the verge of something special. If it does get turned around, “In Gene We Trust” will be the talk again.

“People have a short memory as where we were as an organization two and half years ago,” Smith said. “This was a very trying situation. I know the arrow’s up; I know winning will come. It does take patience when you’re trying to do things the right way. But when you do sustain winning, it can be something that over the course of time we can be proud of. We don’t want to try to win one year. We want to be competitive every year.”

Published: Oct. 18, 2011 at 11:19 AM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 18 (UPI) — Quarterback David Garrard’s agent said the Jacksonville Jaguars withheld information about his injury and released him to avoid paying him for missed games.

Al Irby said in an e-mail to The (Jacksonville, Fla) Times-Union the team knew it would have to pay Garrard for four to six weeks while he was sidelined with an injury and released him from the team Sept. 6 instead.

“At $500,000 per game, they knew he would be down 4-6 weeks. They didn’t want to pay that bill,” Irby wrote.

Irby said the team told Garrard his back was “fine” and “he took them at their word.”

After he suffered extreme pain in his leg about two weeks ago, Gerrard’s wife suggested he go to an emergency room, where he got an anti-inflammatory shot and painkillers, the Times-Union said.

But after suffering numbness in his calf, he realized it wasn’t a normal leg injury, and an MRI revealed a herniated disc that would require surgery, making it unlikely he’ll play this season.

“Now he has to go to surgery, and Jacksonville is saying, ‘Not my problem.’ What a first-class organization,” Irby said.

Jaguars general manager Gene Smith responded to Irby’s comments in an email, saying, “David went through the standard process that all players go through when released.”

Garrard said he plans to return to football

The Times-Union said the Oakland Raiders contacted Irby Sunday after quarterback Jason Campbell was injured, and Irby said Garrard was getting a second opinion Monday on the need for surgery. The second opinion confirmed Garrard needed the surgery.