Mojo plans to be suited up for preseason finale

 It’s almost Go time and the Jags still need to tune the engine a bit more. Maurice Jones Drew says he plans to be in the 4th and final game of the preseason and anxious Jaguar fans will likely watch his every move early to see how healthy the knee is. The bigger picture is – just how healthy is the offense overall? It’s been largely inconsistent through the first three exhibition games with both David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert working with the first team.

It took Luke McCown (3rd QB) running the offense to find the end zone for the first time in the preseason and the other two have flashed at times but fluttered as well. David Garrard throws a pick in the red zone failing to hit an open Mercedes Lewis against the Falcons and badly overshoots a streaking Mike Thomas too, which Atlanta picked off and brought out of the end zone for a 40 yard return.

Then in the Buffalo game, 3 targets for big plays – Garrard and his WR’s missed them all. And worse, Garrard spent part of his interview time with sideline reporter Brent Martineau blaming his WR’s. I saw a pretty lackluster performance from Garrard in failing to convert on numerous 3rd downs against the 1st team Buffalo D and the Jags trailed 17-0 to a Bills team that barely won 4 games last season and just scored just 10 points total in their last two games to end 2010. Yeah, that team.

Down, 17-0, all of a sudden, the Jags suddenly start to play with urgency and the rest is history – they pull to within a TD at the half, tie the game with the Jags first team against the Bills 2nd team D in the 3rd Qtr. After that, the 2nd team Bills offense with Tyler Thigpen throws a pick 6 and suddenlly Jacksonville is feeling good about itself.

Whoa big fella! The Jags D in the first half let another average QB look like Tom Brady – as Ryan Fitzpatrick goes 11-12 for 2 scores and a perfect passer rating. It looked like one team on the ascent (to use a Jack Del Rio term) and one team on the decline – you tell me which is which?

When they face the Rams on Thursday night, history says we won’t the first teamers too long but getting MojoD in uniform along with Aaron Kampman, but at least you’ll get a better picture of where this team is headed. Alualu is still nursing an injury as well as Eben Britton and Zach Miller – all key players – that have to be healthy for this team to go forward. And an already healthy Garrard needs to play a better brand of football. Keep in mind, we’re all gauging his play against Gabbert’s and sometimes we forget, David’s entering his 10th year in the league and Blaine is a rook. That’s a decade of playing at NFL speed against NFL talent – he should be better than Gabbert…right now