Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars’ Josh Scobee (10) celebrates with teammate Zach Miller (86) as New York Jets’ Marquice Cole (34) looks on after Scobee hit the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jaguars won 24-22. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Despite the balmy temperature at kick-off, the Jaguars’ Week 10 game against the New York Jets definitely had the feel of December football. Both teams entered the game with equal records and “must-win” attitudes that normally don’t appear until later in the year. Win, and you’re still in the playoff hunt. Lose, and you’re basically out of contention and just playing out the rest of your schedule. Fortunately, with post-season hopes on the line, the Jaguars failed to disappoint.

In a game that looked to be slowly slipping through their fingers, the Jaguars were able to rally at crunch time and allow Josh Scobee to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. With the win, Jacksonville improved its record to 5-4 and remains a legitimate contender for one of the two heavily coveted AFC Wild Card spots.

Interestingly enough, the term “wild card” seems like an appropriate handle for this young, upstart football team. At the beginning of the season, if anyone had predicted the Jaguars would be in this position at this point of the year, I might have laughed in their face. Then I probably would have lectured them about rebuilding.. and patience.. and tempered expectations. But, here we are. The Jaguars have proven to be unpredictable.

Heading into the game New York was one of the league’s best defenses and ranked number two against the pass. Against all logic, the Jaguars offense had considerable success, in the first half. By halftime, David Garrard had thrown for 142 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 127.7. He also ran for a touchdown. On the ground, Pro Bowl (Vote NOW!) running back Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown, on his way to becoming the only 100-yard rusher that the Jets allowed this season.

Photo: Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, left, runs for a touchdown as New York Jets’ Dwight Lowery (21) pursues during the first quarter Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Even more surprising than the offense was the performance of the defense. In its first true test after switching base schemes, the Jaguars’ more “bulky” 4-3 defense rose to the occasion and proved to be the more successful and natural alignment for the second week in a row. Throughout the game, the front four were able to successfully stop the run and force the ball into the hands of rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez. The defense was also able to get decent pressure on Sanchez at times and came away with three takeaways, including two interceptions.

Unfortunately, for as well as they played in the first half, the Jaguars came out completely flat in the second half. Half-time adjustments made by Rex Ryan and the Jets coaching staff seemed to effectively neutralize the Jags’ offense. Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis was assigned to exclusively cover Mike Sims-Walker, essentially taking the Jags’ number one receiver out of the game. Ryan also decided to throw the defensive kitchen sink at Garrard, sending pressure from everywhere but the press-box. As a result, the Jaguars went three-and-out on four of their five possessions to start the second half and fumbled away another on the one-yard line.

Photo: New York Jets’ Jim Leonhard (36) sacks Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard (9) during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

The sputtering of the offense allowed the Jets to score nine unanswered points and take a one point lead (22-21) heading into the closing minutes. For the Jaguars, the game and all their postseason hopes were circling the drain. Visions of meaningful December football were slowly leaving our minds, and flashbacks of the 2008 season began to creep into their place. It was under this sense of urgency, with just over five minutes left, at crunch time, that Garrard and the offense came back to life.

Starting from his own 17-yard line, Garrard completed 4 of 6 passes, including a huge third-down conversion to wide-receiver Mike Thomas and a 33-yard strike to tight-end Marcedes Lewis. Led by their quarterback, the Jaguars were able to march 69 yards, to the Jets’ 14-yard line, just as the clock reached the two-minute warning.

It was then that “unpredictable” became an understatement for the Jaguars. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Rex Ryan told his defense to give Maurice Jones-Drew a “free-way”. The Jets would “try to make it look good”, but still allow Jones-Drew to score. Hoping they would get the ball back in the hands of their offense with enough time left to march down-field and score.

However, Jack Del Rio suspected Ryan’s plan, so he instructed Maurice Jones-Drew to get as close to the end zone as possible… then take a knee. Say whaaa?! If you tell me you saw it coming, then you better have fire-retardant pants. I mean, we’ve seen this type of thing before, but why would you forgo the go-ahead touchdown and six free points? It’s a question that sports analysts and football pundits around the country are debating this week. However, in Del Rio’s mind, it was never a question. Rather than to take the touchdown and kick-off to the Jets with the issue still in doubt, he wanted to seal the game right then and there. Milk the clock. Kick the walk-off, three-point “extra-point”.

I can’t say I agree wholeheartedly with the strategy, considering it was a crazy, gutsy, against the percentages, “feast-or-famine” type of call, but hey; that’s why I’m not a head coach. However, I feel obligated to mention that Del Rio’s decision cost me and countless others some serious MJD fantasy football points! (Kidding!… Kind of…)

Fortunately though, JDR’s fourth quarter gamble yielded dividends in real life (unlike this guy’s). With 3 seconds left in regulation, Josh Scobee came on and drilled the 21-yard game-winning field goal. Game over. Del Rio is a genius. Or very lucky. Either way, I’ll take it.

Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars’ Josh Scobee (10) kicks the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jaguars won 24-22. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

With a finish that no one could ever have predicted, the Jaguars have positioned themselves to get in the driver’s seat of their post-season aspirations. At 5-4 in Week 10, there is no doubt that the Jaguars are playing well-beyond everyone’s expectations. But you know what? Forget expectations and predictions. Let’s focus on the right now. Right now, the Jaguars are winning games. They’re playing with passion. They’re putting on that entertaining show that so many people have cried out for. This team is giving this city all it’s got, trying to turn nothing into something. But they can’t play the games and sit in the stands too.

This Sunday, the Buffalo Bills will be coming to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, and the Jaguars will try to continue their pursuit of an entertaining, over-achieving, “wild card” 2009 season. As of this morning, the Jaguars are about 4,000 tickets shy of reaching their blackout number of about 50,0000 for next Sunday’s game against the Bills. If they fail to reach 50,000 by noon on Thursday, the game will be, once again, blacked out. People in this town are still searching for a reason to come watch the Jags.

So I guess the question is:  “Is being a wild card enough for Jacksonville?”

Above is a screenshot of conceptual ideas for the Hogan’s Creek (and surrounding parks) revitalization master planning project. It was presented to Springfield community members for vetting at the SPAR Council general meeting held on October 29. I am told the concepts were favorably received and there will be additional meetings with government and corporate stakeholders in the coming weeks.

The scope of the master plan includes determining timing/cost for environmental remediation of soil and water, storm water management (flood control), preservation and restoration of historic assets where possible, and inclusion of beautification components. The master plan is scheduled for completion in January 2010.

Once the plan is complete and approved, then begins the long work of securing funding to execute the plans. Some interesting things to note from the plans which you can view/download below:

• The South Confederate Park Concept shows the removal of the Park View Inn (Yay!)
• The McPhearson & Schell Park Concept shows a skate park, creek expansions, a play ground and a fountain
• Still no playground at Klutho Park, but I have no room to complain b/c I was not at the meetings.

View and Download the Plans

Karpelles / Bethel Area Concept
Klutho Park Concept
McPhearson & Schell Park Concept
South Confederate Park Concept

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Updates and Clarifications on Conmoto

• The special guest isn’t Black Kids, Ian Ranne (Triclops I) DJing local music between the sets and the Troupe Shoot Dancers performing with Lazerstar.
• The Art Show will be upstairs at Burrito Gallery from 11p – 1a, Three Olive martinis will be free for of-age art lovers.
• Afterparty – The official afterparty on Friday is at Birdies. TSI has said they will let ticketholders in to TSI for free that night.
• The official afterparty on Saturday night is at The Pearl. It will be DJed by the musicians from Conmoto.
• Beforeparty – Dinner with the bands. Bands will receive a 20% discount at Burrito Gallery on Friday and Saturday. Festers are invited to come hang with the bands from 4 – 630 both nights before the shows start.

Worst picture ever, but it’s all good. This was not our worst show ever, probably one of our best. Not only do we talk about Conmoto, we also talk about FRAM or Farmers at RAM and Bikevemberfest at RAM.

Listen and Subscribe

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EU Magazine Music Issue

EU Music Issue Issue and Conmoto Article

Art by Dog and Pony Showprints
Rob Roy on Entourage
Conmoto Ticket Pricing, Conmoto Schedule and Art Show Details

Tickets will be available starting Thursday at the box office of the Florida Theatre at 128 E. Forsyth Street. Tickets will hopefully also be sold on this page starting tomorrow (assuming the gods of the Internet so allow).

• Tickets will be $20 for all access (all venues both days + afterparties)
• $10 for Friday only (Florida Theatre)
• $10 for Saturday only (All Participating Venues). Afterparty admission not included, patron can pay at the door of afterparty.

The Commercial

Conmoto Art & Music Festival – Jacksonville Florida – Complete Film from JonBosworth on Vimeo.

Recommendations

Joey: Jaguars feature articles on Metro Jacksonville and their updated homepage
Jonathan: Being awesome at the Conmoto music fest and work (LAME)
Tony: Conmoto After Party at TSI
Jack: Buff Clout’s last show in Jacksonville

Next Week on the Show

Abel Harding, Jacksonville.com business columnist and UJW political consultant along with Fresh Ministries will join us to talk about the possible links between Springfield and East Jacksonville. Check out this video to get up to speed:

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Urban Jacksonville posted a photo:

They are moving to Portland.

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Join us Monday morning on Urban Jacksonville Weekly at 9:30am. We’ll be talking with Jon Bosworth about the Conmoto Music Festival, Jacksonville’s largest local music festival. Proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit Habijax (Jacksonville’s Habitat for Humanity).

There is a massive line up of bands and an art show component too. Watch the show, ask questions via Twitter and Facebook, tell your friends. You can find Conmoto on Twitter and Facebook.

Watch Urban Jacksonville Weekly
Monday, November 16th at 9:30a.m.

Conmoto Art & Music Festival – Jacksonville Florida – Complete Film from JonBosworth on Vimeo.

Friday » Florida Theatre (7:00pm-12:00am)

kLoB
Shangrala
SPECIAL GUEST
Lazerstar
Rob Roy

Saturday » Burrito Gallery (7:00pm-12:00am)

7:00 – Jameyal
7:45 – Strange Fires
8:30 – Fountain
9:15 – AC Deathstrike
10:00 – Manatella
10:45 – Thumbnail Sketch
11:30 – Rusholme Ruffians
12:15 – Airport Factory

Saturday » TSI (7:00pm-12:00am)

7:00 – Business Casualties
7:45 – Single White Herpe
8:30 – Sephiroth Chorus
9:15 – Rich and Mindy
10:00 – Crash the Satellites
10:45 – Lazerstar
11:30 – After the Bomb Baby

Saturday » The Sinclair (7:00pm-12:00am)

7:00 – Scared Rabits
7:45 – When Tides Collide
8:30 – Eugene
9:15 – Tuffy
10:00 – Rails
10:45 – Pine and Bone
11:30 – Lackawanna Carriage Works

Saturday » Cafe 331 (7:00pm-12:00am)

Hip-Hop with Mas Appeal, Mr. Al Pete, And more

Saturday » Dive Bar (7:00pm-12:00am)

7:00 – I Hope You’re a Doctor
7:45 – Pilar Arevalo
8:30 – East China Sea
9:15 – The Heyday
10:00 – Christina Wagner

Saturday » London Bridge (7:00pm-12:00am)

7:00 – Grabbag
7:45 – National Dairy
8:30 – Locust Grove
9:15 – Dig Dog
10:00 – Chicken & Whisky
10:45 – X Sister Z
11:30 – Status Faux
12:15 – SkatterbrainThe Lineup

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Urban Jacksonville posted a photo:

www.conmotofest.com/

Don't miss this extraordinary event showcasing not only the best Jacksonville talent, but the unique array of venues and community members that will come together in this one incredible weekend. Seriously, you can recall all those times sitting on your couch complaining there is nothing to do, that there is no culture in Jacksonville and thinking how great it would be to do something charitable. Bring all three conquests to a close at once by planning to purchase your ticket, celebrating the rich music and art scene in Jacksonville and telling all of your friends.

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Urban Jacksonville posted a photo:

www.conmotofest.com/

Don't miss this extraordinary event showcasing not only the best Jacksonville talent, but the unique array of venues and community members that will come together in this one incredible weekend. Seriously, you can recall all those times sitting on your couch complaining there is nothing to do, that there is no culture in Jacksonville and thinking how great it would be to do something charitable. Bring all three conquests to a close at once by planning to purchase your ticket, celebrating the rich music and art scene in Jacksonville and telling all of your friends.

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Read all 6 Dwayne and T.K. episodes. Hey it’s Friday take a break! Thanks to Big Baby Birdie for his hard work in this series. Find more Haiku Birdie on his site: http://www.thehaikulife.com.

This week marks a new Zombie Bikes, the beginning of the end for the Riverside Arts Market, continued courthouse blunders and a decade of Money Hungry Jungle.

And though it didn’t happen this week I sympathize with JaxScene’s boot troubles downtown. Bad User Experience. While the entire city may be falling into a state of apathy, hate and pro football dissatisfaction, we keep it real at Urban Jacksonville and bring the love all day, err day.

How To Attack West 4th Street

This is a special section for those Springfield residents required to enter 4th Street from Main. Everyone in the neighborhood knows 4th between Main and Laura is an old cobblestone street with terrible bumps and bruises. You’ll spill your coffee if you take the wrong line, so follow this recommendation and you’ll hit the cleanest line on the street.

When you turn left on 4th from Main, stay as far left as you can. This will help you avoid the big pot hole right at the intersection. Continue to drive as close to the curb as possible all the way to Laura Street for a smooth ride.

Urban Jacksonville Weekly on Monday

Have a good weekend everyone and get pumped for Urban Jacksonville Weekly on Monday morning. We’re having Jon Bosworth on the show to talk about the Conmoto Music Festival November 20th-21st in Downtown Jacksonville. Check out all the bands, good local music festival.

Jaguars on Urban Jacksonville and New Contributor Gil Samson

We started a new column last week on the Jaguars with new contributor and old friend Gil Samson. This column has two stated goals:

1. Increase awareness and visibility of Jacksonville’s NFL franchise in an attempt to keep the team, an important economic development and branding opportunity for the city, here as long as possible
2. Get linked in the Reading the Coverage column of Paul Kuharsky’s AFC South blog on ESPN.

Please let Gil and I know what you think about the new column. We would love your feedback. Here are linkes to GIl’s first two posts:

Defense is the Key to Any Successful Hunt
Hey Jaguars Fans: This is Rebuilding!

Urban Jacksonville posted a photo:

This is a special section for those Springfield residents required to enter 4th Street from Main. Everyone in the neighborhood knows 4th between Main and Laura is an old cobblestone street with terrible bumps and bruises. You're guaranteed to spill your coffee if you take the wrong line driving down this stretch. Follow this recommendation you'll hit the cleanest line on the street.

When you turn left on 4th from Main, stay as far left as you can. This will help you avoid the big pot hole right at the intersection. Continue to drive as close to the curb as possible all the way to Laura Street for a smooth ride.

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Urban Jacksonville posted a photo:

Created for Urban Jacksonville by birdie, haiku writing cartoonist www.thehaikulife.com

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Photo: Kansas City Chiefs center Andy Alleman, right, blocks Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson during the third quarter, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville won 24-21. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

And off in the distance, a glimmer of light. At the halfway point of the season, the Jaguars improved their record to 4-4 against the visiting, one-win Kansas City Chiefs; refusing to quiet whisperings of a playoff berth.

A playoff berth? From a team that experienced a 50% roster turnover in the off-season, and that I said was rebuilding? Yes, it’s possible. As of now, aside from the division leaders, only 3 teams in the AFC have a better record than the Jaguars, and two teams share their record. One of which being their next opponent: The New York Jets.

Although we’re only in Week 9 next Sunday’s game at the Meadowlands could have serious playoff implications. Following the Jets, Jacksonville’s next two opponents are both 3-5, so next Sunday’s game could provide the impetus for the Jaguars to “get hot” in the latter half of the season.

That all sounds nice of course, but if the Jaguars are to make a legitimate post-season run, they’ll have to greatly improve on defense, where they are currently ranked 23rd in the league. Fortunately, they were able to make large strides in the right direction on Sunday, against a bottom-feeding Chiefs offense.

Photo: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, right, avoids a sack from Jacksonville Jaguars’ Bryan Smith, left, in fourth-quarter action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

I think it’s clear that a major contributing factor to the improvement was Jack Del Rio’s decision to abandon the 3-4 defense they had been playing in weeks prior, and recommit to the 4-3 that has been the staple of Jaguars defense for the past decade.

After allowing the Tennessee Titans to rush for over 300 yards the week before, the Jaguars were able to hold the Chiefs rushing “attack”, that was without running back Larry Johnson, to a paltry 60 yards. With four down linemen, including Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves as defensive ends, the Jaguars had the “bulk” at the point of attack that they were flat-out missing while playing the 3-4.

The switch in scheme, combined with a renewed commitment to fundamentals (i.e. tackling), produced 3 sacks of quarterback Matt Cassel; as opposed to the exasperating FIVE sacks accrued in weeks 1 through 7.

Photo: Jacksonville wide receiver Jarett Dillard (87) makes a catch over Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher, left, in first quarter game action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

After last Sunday, I think we can all agree that the 3-4 experiment is over, and Jack Del Rio all but said so himself. It was fun to think a team could switch base defenses just like that and not skip a beat, but I think most people knew that the Jaguars don’t have the kind of personnel required to make that scheme work.

Especially when the reason for the switch was losing players, like Reggie Hayward (DE) and Rob Meier (DT/DE), to begin with. Plus, JDR’s always been a 4-3 guy, and everyone’s always saying that a team should embody the personality of its head coach.

I don’t know about you, but to me the 4-3 just looks better. There’s something unsettling to me about seeing only 3 guys against 5 guys. But, whatever. As long as they’re stopping the run and sacking the quarterback, who cares what scheme they’re playing, right? Hell, line up in punt return formation if it means Mark Sanchez and Thomas Jones are on their backs all day.

And that’s where the true test for this seemingly reinvigorated defense lies. The Jets are currently ranked number one in the league in rushing, and Jones is the NFL’s 8th ranked running back. “Run the ball/Stop the run” will be absolutely critical in this game if the Jaguars hope to make it out of New Jersey above .500.

Photo: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, right, catches a fourth-quarter pass from quarterback David Garrard, left, during an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville won 24-21.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

If the defense cannot stop the run as it did against the Chiefs, the Jaguars could fall behind early yet again and be forced to throw the ball more than they’d like against the league’s number 2 ranked pass defense. The Jaguars will have to continue to give the ball to their Pro Bowl (Vote Now!) running back Maurice Jones-Drew 25-30 times and get another mistake-free game out of quarterback David Garrard to continue their hunt for a playoff berth.

Playoffs? We’ll see…

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Wambolt in Talleyrand

Note: a wambolt is not a furry tailed marsupial.

• Very warehouse-y. Cheap and no bathroom
• One of the challenges: It’s very DIY
• Bands looking for space can rent practice space
• Three blocks north of the Matthews Bridge
• Blog: Devil’s Playground
• Blog: Wambolt 8B
• Discussion of demon symbolism
• Discussion of “big churces”, downtown and development

Recommendations

Jonathan Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s new director
Jack Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival at the 5 Points Theatre
Tony Conmoto Music Festival. Jon Bosworth will guest next week to talk about the festival. BIKEVEMBERFEST November 21st at ArtWalk.
Clay 229 Hogan Street Art Space. Above Underwoods in Hemming Plaza. (map)
Joey Ritz Chamber Players at MOCA

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(November 9, 2008 – Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

This is the first post from good friend, newly married, huge Jaguars fan and current leader in my fantasy football league: Gil Samson. I urged Gil to write a series of articles on the Jaguars for Urban Jacksonville. I too am a huge Jaguars fan and I see these articles as a small part of my effort to raise awareness about the team and create new fans.

A front page article on ESPN today Small crowds, blackouts cloud future questions the future of an NFL franchise here in Jacksonville. This national coverage is hot on the heels of local political and business leaders announcing the revival of Touchdown Jacksonville, a grass-roots organization formed to lead efforts to ensure the Jaguars remain in Jacksonville.

While some were not invited to the official meeting I encourage everyone to do what they can to support this great opportunity for our city, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Join me Friday morning at 9:00am on 89.9’s First Coast Connect as we talk about the Jaguars and the future of our NFL franchise. I’d love to hear your questions and concerns.

(September 14, 2008 – Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America)

Hey Jaguars Fans: This is Rebuilding!

For those of you that were unsure, or were wondering what the Jacksonville Jaguars were all about this season, last Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans should have given you some clarity. If it didn’t, you may not have been watching close enough. You may have been too busy vomiting on the emotional roller coaster that has become synonymous with Jaguar Football.

If you didn’t know before, now you know for sure: This is rebuilding. Period. The lack of talent at several positions, especially on defense, was glaringly obvious on Sunday, as the Jaguars allowed the Titans to amass over 300 rushing yards, that included two touchdown runs of 52 and 89 yards.

Of all the failures that occurred, I’m sure that one stings Jack Del Rio the most. Going into the game, everyone knew that, coming off their bye week, the Titans would get back to their old ways and put the ball in the hands of their explosive, play-making running back, Chris Johnson. Everyone knew that, with a diffident Vince Young playing quarterback for the first time since injuring himself in a game against the Jaguars in 2008, the passing game of the Titans was not going to beat the Jaguars.

(Reuters Photo)

So if the Jaguars coaching staff and players knew what was coming and game planned accordingly, why the @#$% couldn’t they stop him? It was a question I was asked quite a few times by several people, both during and after the game. I also got asked more general, frustration-based questions like, “What’s wrong with the Jaguars?”. I continue to answer both questions the same way each time: “They’re just not good enough”. I’ve found that it’s a hard pill to swallow for most people, and most of the time they’ll respond with something like, “I don’t buy that. These guys are getting paid to do it. They should be able to do it.” Well, the guys on the other side of the ball are getting paid to stop them. So what do you say to them?

The simple truth of the matter is the Jaguars DO lack talent. Thanks to several years of horrendous drafting prior to this offseason, they got old and slow. Here’s a simple example of that truth that I read the other day on Jaguars.com: Only ONE player (Scott Starks) from the 2005 draft class is still on the roster; and only TWO players (Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves) are left from the 2008 draft class. TWO players from 2008! Only one of which is a starter (with minimal production). I don’t know about you, but I consider that EPIC DRAFT FAIL.

It’s extremely hard to be good in the NFL when you botch the draft like the Jaguars have. While you’re drafting Reggie Williams with the number 9 pick of the 2004 draft, your rivals are drafting this guy with the number 11 pick. OR… while you’re drafting Matt Jones with the 21st pick of the 2005 draft, you’re letting another team pick up Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick. But then again, I suppose, at the time, the Jaguars already had a quarterback…

But that’s all in the past. The Jaguars’ new General Manager, Gene Smith, has brought some sanity back to the Jaguars’ draft board. In his first year in charge of personnel, Mr. Smith has brought in one of the most productive draft classes in the league, and probably in Jaguars history, with 6 of 7 picks now in the starting lineup (I know Monroe was benched Sunday, but you know what I mean). But that’s still only 6 players out of a 22-man starting lineup.

(December 18, 2008 – Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America)

The Jaguars need talent and depth across the board, and one draft wasn’t going to do it. And, as I said before, it was glaringly apparent against the Titans. The defensive line, whose identity is in limbo as they switch back-and-forth between 4-3 and 3-4, was getting blown of the line of scrimmage and pushed around all over the field. The player drafted to be a pass-rush specialist has yet to produce a sack, and was constantly dropping back into coverage, conceding the fact that the Jaguars CANNOT rush the passer, and might as well add an extra pass defender to try and take away the “short stuff”.

Although the linebackers played well and led the team in tackles once again, it meant that the second tier defenders were the ones “stopping the run”, and instead of 3rd and long, the defense was faced with 2nd or 3rd and short all day long and couldn’t get off the field. And Reggie Nelson, who was playing cornerback for the first time due to an injury to Rashean Mathis and lack of depth at the position, was repeatedly caught out of position and targeted all day.

So, yeah, this is rebuilding. And I think they’re just not good enough… yet. Rest assured, in time, they will be. The nucleus of the team of the future is in place, and the young talent is developing far ahead of schedule. I think the development of those young players, and seeing them mature and become hometown legends is one of the greatest things the NFL gives us. And then, hopefully after MANY years, they’ll need to rebuild yet again and the process will restart. It is the inevitable cycle of an NFL franchise.

As fans, we have to temper our expectations and our frustrations, look past the x’s and o’s, and remember why we get so riled up about football to begin with: Because we love it. We are one of 32 extremely lucky cities that has the privilege of having our very own NFL team. So please don’t ask me, “What’s wrong with the Jaguars”, because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them. And I’ll just end up asking you, “Where’s your ticket?”.

Ford Motor Company plant on Talleyrand. photo credit Metro Jacksonville

Monday morning at 9:30 on Urban Jacksonville Weekly, we’re talking with Clay Doran and UJW producer, Jack Diablo about their new spaces off Talleyrand on Wambolt Street. The Devil’s Playground and Warehouse 8B are two emerging art and music venues in the city.

Talleyrand is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. It’s full of huge warehouses, crazy machinery, containers and cranes. It’s a waterfront warehouse district at it’s best and it’s been underutilized by Jacksonville’s creative community, until now.

The former Coca-Cola bottling plant at 14th & Market awaiting a new use. photo credit Metro Jacksonville

It’s not the only industrial district ripe for use. Just a couple miles to the West is Springfield’s industrial district. Metro Jacksonville describes it in a recent article The Underappreciated Side of Springfield

Springfield is home to one of Jacksonville’s most compact historic industrial districts. Centered along the S-Line, if JTA gets their commuter rail plans off the ground, they could be the catalyst for transforming this district into a place dominated by lofts, art galleries, cultural and entertainment uses commonly seen in more progressive communities.

Urban Jacksonville Weekly
Monday 9:30am

credit: Heart of Oak via Flickr

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Special Guest – Amy McGeorge
CEO Talagy

job recruiting firm
HQ in Jax
400 jobs available
Jax has double digit unemployment
“desperate”

job hunting should be a full-time job
podcasting sure is glamorous, but it doesn’t pay
be realistic about your skills and the market

company started in the 70’s
talagy.com
jank-free site
coolest and best

about 50 jobs available in Jacksonville
quality of jobs is going up

important to have an advocate
80% of jobs go unposted

use social networking

resume templates, interviewing skills
fancy isn’t better
looking to narrow selection down, not find needle in haystack

best way to find a job – call everyone you know and let them know you’re looking

what do you want to do? – define it

misconceptions
“shady”

Music
Dark Castle at Wambolt 8B

Recommendations

Jack – Chiaroscuro, Baby
Tony – Art Walk (new galleries (above Hemming))
Joey – Evolving local trend: Creative Philanthropy
Jonathan – Abel at the TU
Amy – New Symphony Director

Attached Media: audio/mpeg (31 826 ko)

art via arimoore on flickr

A few locals designers are using their talents to help others and a beard blogger is growing a stache to bring attention to men’s health issues – specifically prostate and testicular cancer. These are just a few notable items in an emerging local trend: creative people finding ways to help others. They’re illustrating that there is more than one way to give back to the community.

Brand Sprout From Greenhouse Studio

You may have noticed the Brand Sprout ad on the blog last week. Brand Sprout was a contest to award one new company a complete branding package:

We will create your identity, messaging, vision, website and overall brand framework. We’ll even host your site and support your branding initiatives for one year.

While not completely without motives (new business and PR) the idea of giving away weeks and maybe months of work is very generous. Although the contest is over, you can see who the winner is when it’s announced later today.

AIGA Jacksonville’s Designers in Toyland

AIGA is hosting its first custom toy show, Designers in Toyland, at the December Art Walk, December 2 from 5-9 pm downtown. Both AIGA members and non-members are invited to build a toy from scratch, choose an existing toy and take it to another level, or paint a blank vinyl toy — anything that makes the toy a creation unique to you. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to The Big Fun Box.

The Big Fun Box donates thousands of goodie boxes, each year, to children who are experiencing frequent and extended stays—for any illness or injury—in pediatric hospitals across the country.

Movember With JaxBeard

Movember Jax encourages people to raise money to fight prostate cancer and improve survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40 via the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Here’s how it works. A “Mo Bro” starts Movember (the month formerly known as November) clean shaven and naked-face. He grows a moustache all month long, and as he’s doing this, he’s gathering support from friends and family in the form of donations. This helps us get the subject of men’s health out in the open and gives us the opportunity to talk about the cancers affecting men. The moustache becomes a symbol, much like the pink ribbon is for breast cancer.

Sean Collins who organizes JaxBeard is a solid dude and you can help out by joining up. Contact Sean if it’s something you’re interested in.

We Inspire Grant Program

Similar to Brand Sprout, the We Inspire Grant Program is donating creative services too, but this time it’s going exclusively to a non-profit somewhere in the US. It’s a collaborative effort between Studio Orange Design, Subtle Technology and Tiffany Manning Photography.

Providing a yearlong partnership will enable us to develop a strategic and integrated approach to your marketing. Once a recipient is announced, a kick-off meeting will be scheduled to establish the goals and objectives of your organization. At this point, we can collectively determine what creative services will have the greatest impact on your cause.

The We Inspire team and each of the other organizations in this post are friends of the Urban Jacksonville blog. It’s quite an honor to be affiliated with people who are doing such good things in the local community. This is a trend I expect to see continue throughout the end of the year and into 2010.

If you have any other examples please share them along with links to the organization on the Urban Jacksonville Facebook page.

Talagy is a local company providing employment services to clients and candidates nationwide. We’ll be talking about the local economy and unemployment situation.

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