It’s not surprising that Jacksonville finally decided to cut ties with long-time Head Coach Jack Del Rio. What caught our attention was the timing. In the midst of a forgettable 3-8 season, the Jaguars shocked the NFL world to its core by not only canning Del Rio, but by announcing that they were sold. Then they gave their GM a 3 year extension, and well, is that not enough? As for what all this means, well, that’s the bigger question. Juiced Sports Radio breaks it all down. We’re backkkk!

We’re just about halfway through the 2011 NFL season and it’s pretty clear by now what teams are competitive, and what teams are now playing for next year. The six teams on this list: Colts, Rams, Cardinals, Vikings, Dolphins, and Jaguars aren’t going anywhere this season. Which leads us to wonder: whose job might be in jeopardy, and which coach could be the first to get canned this year? It’s our first ever edition of the game show sweeping the nation: Hot (or not) Seat. No prizes awarded, just axes. Where does your coach stand on our coaching carousel? Juiced Sports Radio makes their cuts!

It’s a long video, so if you’re just looking for our opinion on your team’s head coach, here’s where each team is covered:

Colts – 0:32
Rams – 1:59
Cardinals – 3:46
Dolphins – 7:00
Jaguars – 12:39

For more Juiced Sports Radio subscribe to our brand new YouTube page.

SCOTT JACOBS

The Jacksonville Jaguars are for all intensive purposes the forgotten step child when it comes to NFL franchises.  They have had success since their inception into the league, but often times they float so far under the radar – good season or bad – that their fans forget they have games.  Okay, so that’s a bit cruel, but the Jags are notorious for playing in front of half empty stadiums and way too many of their games have been blacked out in the past few years.  It takes a lot – like an LA rumor or a really good team – for Jacksonville to emerge on the mainstream sports radar.

It takes something like cutting your starting quarterback out of nowhere, just a handful of days before the season is set to begin, to get everyone’s attention.  O by the way, Jacksonville just did that.

They cut David Garrard today; out of nowhere. A story so abrupt and so shocking I thought it was a joke when I first saw the headline.  But it’s real.  Rather than elevate Luke McCown to starting quarterback and make Garrard the backup, Jack Del Rio’s crew decided to just cut the 9 year Jaguar veteran loose.  Well, I guess that’s one way to avoid QB drama.

It’s not like Garrard is an all world QB.  I’m not even blasting the move.  I’m more just thrown off by its timing.  Garrard is a little above average.  A fourth round draft pick out of East Carolina in 2002, he had to wait patiently to get his opportunity.  He started just 9 games total his first four seasons and looked like a typical NFL journeyman QB: nothing more, nothing less.

But then, after the Jags gave up on Byron Leftwich, Garrard was handed the keys to Jacksonville’s offense.  In 2007 he was one of the remarkable stories of the season, leading the Jags to the playoffs, while putting up an impressive 18-3 TD to INT ratio. He even led Jacksonville to a spirited upset road victory in Pittsburgh, before running into the locomotive that was New England.

It seemed like Jacksonville finally found their man to replace Mark Brunell.  But the love affair was short lived, and Garrard has been inconsistent ever since.  His time in the sun over, Garrard looked shaky in preseason, but never looked in danger of losing his job, never mind being cut.

The Jaguars apparently felt like the time was right to make a move.  So Garrard is a free man and Jacksonville’s new signal caller is a guy who played against 2^nd and 3^rd string units all preseason.  It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but going into his 9^th season, Del Rio knows he needs a big year or he’s gone (2 winning seasons in 9 years will do that for ya).  So this apparently was his team’s big move.

Let’s face it, the AFC South is wide open with Peyton’s injury, and if the Jags feel that McCown can be the man to lead them to a division title, more power to ‘em.  But Luke ‘I am not your father’ McCown is not exactly the type of jolt to the system you generally look for when a team makes this kind of gamble.  I don’t know, maybe Jacksonville knows something we don’t.  Or maybe like Washington they’re desperately crazy.

I’m not sure.  I’m not a doctor.

But I do know this:  Jacksonville grabbed your attention today if you’re Joe Sports fan X; Which is more than they can usually say.  Like Maryland’s unis from last night, any publicity is good publicity.

How they fare this season, well that’s an entirely different question.

Photo: Getty

SCOTT JACOBS

It’s a sad day in the NFL and for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Today Richard Collier’s NFL career was put to bed, and the normal life he lived not so long ago, a distant memory.

From ESPN.com

Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital, said Collier, who had 14 bullet wounds, is now in good condition after being previously listed in critical condition.

Kerwin said Collier had bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock. In addition, a bullet severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. The amputation was the result of damage to his left leg and groin, which had blood clots.

The 26-year-old Collier had five bullets removed from his urinary bladder and suffered bouts of pneumonia, infections and renal failure.

The player will undergo physical therapy to learn to get from his bed to a wheelchair. He will never walk again, the doctor said.

Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, Kerwin said.

“His overall condition has improved greatly,” Kerwin said. “We expect him to be discharged soon.”

Are thoughts and prayers go out to Collier’s family and friends.  It’s the third shooting in the last two years of an NFL player.

We’d like to note that 930thefox.com brought this story to our attention.

http://www.930thefox.com/pages/blasts.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3616696