Fred Taylor doesn’t know what the problem is, but the 11-year veteran called this team the worst he’s ever been on. This season’s 4-7 start has been a shocking turnaround from last year’s 11-5 regular season finish and trip to the second round of the playoffs.
“It has to be something,” Taylor said. “Right now the chemistry, it’s not good . . . the team, the (team) concept more so than our franchise. The chemistry is bad. The chemistry, the mix isn’t . . . something’s not right.”
The problems for Jacksonville began before the season opener when backup tackle Richard Collier was shot and critically injured. With center Brad Meester already out for the start of the season, the Jaguars lost both their starting guards to season-ending injuries in the opener.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio refused to point to injuries on the offensive line as a reason for the struggles of his team.
“Well, I think certainly everything adds up,” he said. “I think trying to pin it on any one thing is not going to be entirely accurate.”
Now they’ll face a Houston team also in the midst of a disappointing season, but coming off its best defensive performance of the year in a 16-6 win over Cleveland.
The Texans are looking forward to their first Monday night appearance in franchise history.
“It means a lot to have an opportunity to play on a stage like that,” said 2006 top pick Mario Williams. “A lot of people don’t even know about us still or who we have on the team. So for us to finally showcase our stuff this year is really important.”
Despite flirting with the idea earlier this week that Matt Schaub could return for tonight’s game, coach Gary Kubiak said Friday that Sage Rosenfels will start. Schaub could be the backup, but Kubiak said he’d continue to evaluate his health before making that decision.
