Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Miguel from Jacksonville
At the beginning of the year you spoke about the Jaguars needing stability at the quarterback position to advance to the next level. Your crystal ball was finely polished and right on the money. Even on a day when Garrard wasn't at his absolute best (passer-rating wise), he found a way to win the game. Personally I like to look at the whole body of work but does this count as that signature win that people have been looking for?
Vic: I’m OK with it, though I’d prefer to save the “signature” designation for the playoffs. I predicted that this game would define the Jaguars’ season and I think it has, for a lot of reasons. It was a late-season game with major postseason importance, it was against a high-profile team and in a classic venue with real football weather, and it was a game the Jaguars won the way they want to win football games, which is to say with physically superior play. In my opinion, Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh was the defining moment of this season to date, maybe even for Jack Del Rio’s five years as head coach. By the way, I don’t think anyone needs a crystal ball to know a team needs stability at quarterback to go to the next level.
Mike from Riverhead, NY
In your opinion, are all those Garrard near-interceptions a cause for concern going into the playoffs or is this something that comes with a young quarterback still perfecting his craft?
Vic: Yes, I think they are reason for concern because they’ve been increasing in number recently. There may have been a half dozen of them yesterday and a couple of them had pick-six written on them. On the first one, the linebacker nearly intercepted the pass in full stride. Any one of those near interceptions could’ve changed the whole flow of the game. Young quarterback? A couple months shy of his 30th birthday, I don’t think David Garrard qualifies as a young quarterback any longer. I would consider him a quarterback coming into his prime years and they are years that appear to have a lot of upside. In my opinion, it might be a good idea to step back a little bit right now and not be quite as daring with the football.
Owain from Sheffield, England
Ever been disappointed by a Jags-Steelers game? I haven't.
Vic: They usually find a way to produce drama, don’t they?
Kevin from Jacksonville
Is it really fair for teams to play on Thursday nights during the regular season? I understand the Thanksgiving matchup as part of tradition. I'm also not opposed to the start of the season having a Thursday night game but, to me, it is unfair for the Steelers to turn around and play Thursday night. As a Jaguars fan, I'm sure glad our games aren't moved to Sunday nights or played Thursday night.
Vic: The downside of achieving high-profile status is that you’re going to play on Monday, Thursday, Sunday night and four o’clock games. The fans like that but it’s awfully tough on the players and coaches. The Steelers have had two Monday night games, two Sunday night games, a one o’clock moved to four and they’ll play this Thursday night with their playoff fate on the line just four days after a very physical game against the Jaguars. Unfair? That’s the competitive disadvantage the high-profile teams face but I don’t hear any of them complaining. They know it goes with success.
Liam from London, England
What a beautiful display of don't take what they give you, take what you want.
Vic: That’s what the truly good teams do.
Bill from Jacksonville
Did my eyes deceive me or was that the mighty Steeler fan base booing their 9-4 home team and why were there thousands of empty seats at Heinz Field halfway through the third quarter? Sounds like they have the same problems the Jags sometimes do. There is nothing special about their fans.
Vic: It’s very easy to determine how many no-shows there are at Steelers home games because the Steelers are the only team in the league that announces actual attendance and not tickets distributed. Sunday’s official attendance was 58,793, which means there were 6,257 no-shows. As far as booing, yeah, I heard boos for their defense at some point in the second half. As far as their fans not being special, watch Thursday night’s game and then tell me what you think.
Josh from Jacksonville
Watching Fred Taylor this Sunday was something magical. He may not be the fastest and most powerful back, but there’s no doubt he’s the most focused, determined and mature man that steps onto the field every Sunday.
Vic: Actually, he may be the fastest and most powerful back, or at least the back with the best combination of power and speed. Willie Parker leads the AFC with 1,317 yards rushing and he is a fantastic running back with true beep-beep speed, but he doesn’t have Fred’s power. Please, don’t start talking about Fred in terms of intangibles. Fred still has the goods. He’s an overpowering physical presence on the field.
Daniel from Austin, TX
Should we be concerned with the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter or did Pittsburgh just get really fired up? Also, would you rather have the Jaguars play the Steelers, Chargers or, possibly, the Browns in the playoffs?
Vic: I said in my blog, just don’t turn it over, and then the Jaguars turned it over and that began a 15-point run by the Steelers and that’s why I’d rather not go back there. Their quarterback has a comeback quality about him. He likes the drama. He has a penchant for getting it done at crunch time that I’d rather avoid. The way I look at it, Philip Rivers is 0-1 in the postseason and Derek Anderson has never played in a postseason game, whereas Ben Roethlisberger is 5-1 with a Super Bowl win. I think Cleveland is the perfect place for the Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. I don’t like the idea of having to beat the Steelers or the Chargers for the second time in a season, and I’d sure rather face Anderson than Roethlisberger. Based on what I saw yesterday, Cleveland could be the Jaguars’ destination. The Steelers are really struggling on their two lines, Roethlisberger is clearly favoring his sore shoulder and the Steelers may be kaput. Cleveland has to win in Cincinnati this Sunday. That’s the game that could determine where the Jaguars go in the first round of the playoffs.
Dennis from Orlando, FL
Fred Taylor has looked absolutely unstoppable the last four games. Do you think yesterday's performance did enough to propel him into the Pro Bowl?
Vic: The voting was over last week. What happened yesterday means nothing, as it relates to the Pro Bowl.