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While the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrated their first win of the 2014 season on Sunday, the team lost two key players on defense – the same unit that helped key the Cleveland Browns to six points.

Paul Posluszny, the Jaguars’ starting middle linebacker and the team’s on-field defensive leader, will be placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. Announcing the situation on Monday, Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley left no doubt: This is an important player, who played a critical role on and off the field.

And he will be missed.

“It’s a big loss,” Bradley said on Jaguars.com Monday afternoon, a day after the Jaguars’ 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Field. “He’s been playing really well lately.

“He’s been playing well ever since I’ve been here, but I think he’s really coming into his own and really understands the defense. He really takes total command of the defense. That will be a difficult one.”

The news regarding Posluszny came the same day the Jaguars announced that defensive end Andre Branch will miss about six weeks with a torn groin muscle sustained against the Browns. Branch has three sacks this season.

While Posluszny is the heart and soul and definitive leader of the defense, there isn’t a belief that the team will got out and sign a veteran to play in the middle for the Jaguars defense. The team signed Dekota Watson in the offseason and will count more on the play of J.T. Thomas and rookie linebacker Telvin Smith.

Smith had a sack and interception in the 24-6 win on Sunday.

Watson or LaRoy Reynolds likely will play the Otto outside linebacker position. Watson was signed as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason to play the Otto, and when he missed the offseason and much of training camp with a groin injury, Reynolds started the first three games of the regular season.

Bradley said the position will be competitive this week, and that Watson has improved in recent weeks.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrated their first win of the 2014 season on Sunday, the team lost two key players on defense – the same unit that helped key the Cleveland Browns to six points.

Paul Posluszny, the Jaguars’ starting middle linebacker and the team’s on-field defensive leader, will be placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. Announcing the situation on Monday, Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley left no doubt: This is an important player, who played a critical role on and off the field.

And he will be missed.

“It’s a big loss,” Bradley said on Jaguars.com Monday afternoon, a day after the Jaguars’ 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Field. “He’s been playing really well lately.

“He’s been playing well ever since I’ve been here, but I think he’s really coming into his own and really understands the defense. He really takes total command of the defense. That will be a difficult one.”

The news regarding Posluszny came the same day the Jaguars announced that defensive end Andre Branch will miss about six weeks with a torn groin muscle sustained against the Browns. Branch has three sacks this season.

While Posluszny is the heart and soul and definitive leader of the defense, there isn’t a belief that the team will got out and sign a veteran to play in the middle for the Jaguars defense. The team signed Dekota Watson in the offseason and will count more on the play of J.T. Thomas and rookie linebacker Telvin Smith.

Smith had a sack and interception in the 24-6 win on Sunday.

Watson or LaRoy Reynolds likely will play the Otto outside linebacker position. Watson was signed as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason to play the Otto, and when he missed the offseason and much of training camp with a groin injury, Reynolds started the first three games of the regular season.

Bradley said the position will be competitive this week, and that Watson has improved in recent weeks.

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said he wanted the loss to Tennessee to hurt a little bit so the team could learn from it. The Jaguars, a team that has lost six straight games this season and have lost eight in a row over the course of two seasons, failed to capture an opportunity to earn their first win of the season on a missed field goal in the closing seconds of a 16-14 loss to the Titans.

Jacksonville’s defense appears to be headed in the right direction and the play of rookie quarter Blake Bortles dazzled with his first 300-yard passing game of the season.

Questions about the running game and offensive line remain, however the steps are more toward the good, than towards the bad when three weeks ago, this was a team that was beaten by 31 points on the road.

Here is what we learned from the loss at Tennessee on Sunday, according to Jaguars.com senior writer, John Oesher.

1. Close hurts. The Jaguars’ post-game locker room was a quiet, disconsolate place Sunday. This is a team that feels like its close and it is indeed getting closer. The Jaguars have been competitive for a half in one of Blake Bortles’ starts and were competitive for the entire game in his other two starts. That’s better than before. But this is also fast becoming a team that knows close isn’t enough. On Sunday, it was again a team that came close and this time, close really hurt.

2. Blake Bortles is developing … It appears we’re going to keep learning this the rest of the year, and that’s a good thing for the Jaguars. Bortles led a productive opening drive Sunday and stayed poised late. He threw for 336 yards despite being sacked six times. He continues to look the part and is remarkably in control and comfortable for a player making his third NFL starts. Those are good things.

3. … and he’s not yet perfect. It was difficult to tell at first look what happened on Bortles’ lone interception Sunday, a third-quarter pass to wide receiver Allen Hurns. The rookie receiver either slipped or tripped on the play, but cornerback Blidi Wreh Wilson also appeared to have a read on the pass and made a pretty easy interception. That play tilted the game’s momentum, with the Titans turning the opportunity into a field goal and a 16-7 lead.

4. But the arrow is way, way up on the quarterback. We can analyze the interception all we want – and some absolutely want. But Bortles completed 32 of 46 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He looked in control in the pocket and was poised at the end of the game with the Jaguars trying to rally. Those are all very, very good signs.

5. Stats aren’t everything. The Jaguars had 27 first downs to 14 for the Titans and they outgained Tennessee 379-290, but they never led in the second half and needed an unlikely onside kick recovery to have a chance at a miracle at the end. A good sign for the Jaguars to dominate statistically; a better sign would be eliminating the mistakes that prevented them from taking advantage of the statistics.

6. The offensive line’s work in progress … remains in progress. The line allowed 10 sacks against Washington in Week 2. This game wasn’t that, but the line allowed six sacks and there were spurts in the middle of the game – particularly the second quarter – where the pressure put the Jaguars in too many difficult down-and-distance situations. The pass blocking took a step forward the last couple of weeks. This was not a step forward.

7. The work in progress isn’t just pass protection. The Jaguars wanted to establish the run Sunday. Early on, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch called plays to do so, but by game’s end the Jaguars had 82 yards on 23 carries with Bortles rushing for 38 yards on five carries. That’s not enough production from the backs, and too often Sunday, the holes just weren’t there.

8. It wasn’t all Gerhart’s fault after all. Jaguar’s running back Toby Gerhart had taken a lot of heat the last two weeks. Well, Storm Johnson started for an injury Gerhart on Sunday and rushed for 21 yards on 10 carries. In the NFL, the running game usually is line-centric and the Jaguars’ line is still searching for the experience and continuity needed for consistency.

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said he wanted the loss to Tennessee to hurt a little bit so the team could learn from it. The Jaguars, a team that has lost six straight games this season and have lost eight in a row over the course of two seasons, failed to capture an opportunity to earn their first win of the season on a missed field goal in the closing seconds of a 16-14 loss to the Titans.

Jacksonville’s defense appears to be headed in the right direction and the play of rookie quarter Blake Bortles dazzled with his first 300-yard passing game of the season.

Questions about the running game and offensive line remain, however the steps are more toward the good, than towards the bad when three weeks ago, this was a team that was beaten by 31 points on the road.

Here is what we learned from the loss at Tennessee on Sunday, according to Jaguars.com senior writer, John Oesher.

1. Close hurts. The Jaguars’ post-game locker room was a quiet, disconsolate place Sunday. This is a team that feels like its close and it is indeed getting closer. The Jaguars have been competitive for a half in one of Blake Bortles’ starts and were competitive for the entire game in his other two starts. That’s better than before. But this is also fast becoming a team that knows close isn’t enough. On Sunday, it was again a team that came close and this time, close really hurt.

2. Blake Bortles is developing … It appears we’re going to keep learning this the rest of the year, and that’s a good thing for the Jaguars. Bortles led a productive opening drive Sunday and stayed poised late. He threw for 336 yards despite being sacked six times. He continues to look the part and is remarkably in control and comfortable for a player making his third NFL starts. Those are good things.

3. … and he’s not yet perfect. It was difficult to tell at first look what happened on Bortles’ lone interception Sunday, a third-quarter pass to wide receiver Allen Hurns. The rookie receiver either slipped or tripped on the play, but cornerback Blidi Wreh Wilson also appeared to have a read on the pass and made a pretty easy interception. That play tilted the game’s momentum, with the Titans turning the opportunity into a field goal and a 16-7 lead.

4. But the arrow is way, way up on the quarterback. We can analyze the interception all we want – and some absolutely want. But Bortles completed 32 of 46 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He looked in control in the pocket and was poised at the end of the game with the Jaguars trying to rally. Those are all very, very good signs.

5. Stats aren’t everything. The Jaguars had 27 first downs to 14 for the Titans and they outgained Tennessee 379-290, but they never led in the second half and needed an unlikely onside kick recovery to have a chance at a miracle at the end. A good sign for the Jaguars to dominate statistically; a better sign would be eliminating the mistakes that prevented them from taking advantage of the statistics.

6. The offensive line’s work in progress … remains in progress. The line allowed 10 sacks against Washington in Week 2. This game wasn’t that, but the line allowed six sacks and there were spurts in the middle of the game – particularly the second quarter – where the pressure put the Jaguars in too many difficult down-and-distance situations. The pass blocking took a step forward the last couple of weeks. This was not a step forward.

7. The work in progress isn’t just pass protection. The Jaguars wanted to establish the run Sunday. Early on, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch called plays to do so, but by game’s end the Jaguars had 82 yards on 23 carries with Bortles rushing for 38 yards on five carries. That’s not enough production from the backs, and too often Sunday, the holes just weren’t there.

8. It wasn’t all Gerhart’s fault after all. Jaguar’s running back Toby Gerhart had taken a lot of heat the last two weeks. Well, Storm Johnson started for an injury Gerhart on Sunday and rushed for 21 yards on 10 carries. In the NFL, the running game usually is line-centric and the Jaguars’ line is still searching for the experience and continuity needed for consistency.

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said he wanted the loss to Tennessee to hurt a little bit so the team could learn from it. The Jaguars, a team that has lost six straight games this season and have lost eight in a row over the course of two seasons, failed to capture an opportunity to earn their first win of the season on a missed field goal in the closing seconds of a 16-14 loss to the Titans.

Jacksonville’s defense appears to be headed in the right direction and the play of rookie quarter Blake Bortles dazzled with his first 300-yard passing game of the season.

Questions about the running game and offensive line remain, however the steps are more toward the good, than towards the bad when three weeks ago, this was a team that was beaten by 31 points on the road.

Here is what we learned from the loss at Tennessee on Sunday, according to Jaguars.com senior writer, John Oesher.

1. Close hurts. The Jaguars’ post-game locker room was a quiet, disconsolate place Sunday. This is a team that feels like its close and it is indeed getting closer. The Jaguars have been competitive for a half in one of Blake Bortles’ starts and were competitive for the entire game in his other two starts. That’s better than before. But this is also fast becoming a team that knows close isn’t enough. On Sunday, it was again a team that came close and this time, close really hurt.

2. Blake Bortles is developing … It appears we’re going to keep learning this the rest of the year, and that’s a good thing for the Jaguars. Bortles led a productive opening drive Sunday and stayed poised late. He threw for 336 yards despite being sacked six times. He continues to look the part and is remarkably in control and comfortable for a player making his third NFL starts. Those are good things.

3. … and he’s not yet perfect. It was difficult to tell at first look what happened on Bortles’ lone interception Sunday, a third-quarter pass to wide receiver Allen Hurns. The rookie receiver either slipped or tripped on the play, but cornerback Blidi Wreh Wilson also appeared to have a read on the pass and made a pretty easy interception. That play tilted the game’s momentum, with the Titans turning the opportunity into a field goal and a 16-7 lead.

4. But the arrow is way, way up on the quarterback. We can analyze the interception all we want – and some absolutely want. But Bortles completed 32 of 46 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He looked in control in the pocket and was poised at the end of the game with the Jaguars trying to rally. Those are all very, very good signs.

5. Stats aren’t everything. The Jaguars had 27 first downs to 14 for the Titans and they outgained Tennessee 379-290, but they never led in the second half and needed an unlikely onside kick recovery to have a chance at a miracle at the end. A good sign for the Jaguars to dominate statistically; a better sign would be eliminating the mistakes that prevented them from taking advantage of the statistics.

6. The offensive line’s work in progress … remains in progress. The line allowed 10 sacks against Washington in Week 2. This game wasn’t that, but the line allowed six sacks and there were spurts in the middle of the game – particularly the second quarter – where the pressure put the Jaguars in too many difficult down-and-distance situations. The pass blocking took a step forward the last couple of weeks. This was not a step forward.

7. The work in progress isn’t just pass protection. The Jaguars wanted to establish the run Sunday. Early on, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch called plays to do so, but by game’s end the Jaguars had 82 yards on 23 carries with Bortles rushing for 38 yards on five carries. That’s not enough production from the backs, and too often Sunday, the holes just weren’t there.

8. It wasn’t all Gerhart’s fault after all. Jaguar’s running back Toby Gerhart had taken a lot of heat the last two weeks. Well, Storm Johnson started for an injury Gerhart on Sunday and rushed for 21 yards on 10 carries. In the NFL, the running game usually is line-centric and the Jaguars’ line is still searching for the experience and continuity needed for consistency.

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said he wanted the loss to Tennessee to hurt a little bit so the team could learn from it. The Jaguars, a team that has lost six straight games this season and have lost eight in a row over the course of two seasons, failed to capture an opportunity to earn their first win of the season on a missed field goal in the closing seconds of a 16-14 loss to the Titans.

Jacksonville’s defense appears to be headed in the right direction and the play of rookie quarter Blake Bortles dazzled with his first 300-yard passing game of the season.

Questions about the running game and offensive line remain, however the steps are more toward the good, than towards the bad when three weeks ago, this was a team that was beaten by 31 points on the road.

Here is what we learned from the loss at Tennessee on Sunday, according to Jaguars.com senior writer, John Oesher.

1. Close hurts. The Jaguars’ post-game locker room was a quiet, disconsolate place Sunday. This is a team that feels like its close and it is indeed getting closer. The Jaguars have been competitive for a half in one of Blake Bortles’ starts and were competitive for the entire game in his other two starts. That’s better than before. But this is also fast becoming a team that knows close isn’t enough. On Sunday, it was again a team that came close and this time, close really hurt.

2. Blake Bortles is developing … It appears we’re going to keep learning this the rest of the year, and that’s a good thing for the Jaguars. Bortles led a productive opening drive Sunday and stayed poised late. He threw for 336 yards despite being sacked six times. He continues to look the part and is remarkably in control and comfortable for a player making his third NFL starts. Those are good things.

3. … and he’s not yet perfect. It was difficult to tell at first look what happened on Bortles’ lone interception Sunday, a third-quarter pass to wide receiver Allen Hurns. The rookie receiver either slipped or tripped on the play, but cornerback Blidi Wreh Wilson also appeared to have a read on the pass and made a pretty easy interception. That play tilted the game’s momentum, with the Titans turning the opportunity into a field goal and a 16-7 lead.

4. But the arrow is way, way up on the quarterback. We can analyze the interception all we want – and some absolutely want. But Bortles completed 32 of 46 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He looked in control in the pocket and was poised at the end of the game with the Jaguars trying to rally. Those are all very, very good signs.

5. Stats aren’t everything. The Jaguars had 27 first downs to 14 for the Titans and they outgained Tennessee 379-290, but they never led in the second half and needed an unlikely onside kick recovery to have a chance at a miracle at the end. A good sign for the Jaguars to dominate statistically; a better sign would be eliminating the mistakes that prevented them from taking advantage of the statistics.

6. The offensive line’s work in progress … remains in progress. The line allowed 10 sacks against Washington in Week 2. This game wasn’t that, but the line allowed six sacks and there were spurts in the middle of the game – particularly the second quarter – where the pressure put the Jaguars in too many difficult down-and-distance situations. The pass blocking took a step forward the last couple of weeks. This was not a step forward.

7. The work in progress isn’t just pass protection. The Jaguars wanted to establish the run Sunday. Early on, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch called plays to do so, but by game’s end the Jaguars had 82 yards on 23 carries with Bortles rushing for 38 yards on five carries. That’s not enough production from the backs, and too often Sunday, the holes just weren’t there.

8. It wasn’t all Gerhart’s fault after all. Jaguar’s running back Toby Gerhart had taken a lot of heat the last two weeks. Well, Storm Johnson started for an injury Gerhart on Sunday and rushed for 21 yards on 10 carries. In the NFL, the running game usually is line-centric and the Jaguars’ line is still searching for the experience and continuity needed for consistency.

Nobody loves college football like the state of Mississippi does right now.  Whether you like it or not, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are the real deal and are in the hunt for the four-team College Football Playoff this year. 

Mississippi State man-handled the Auburn Tigers, 38-23, Saturday while Ole Miss beat Texas A&M, 35-20, on the road.  The score doesn’t truly show how dominant Ole Miss was on both sides of the ball.

Ole Miss’s defense, known as the “landsharks”, truly is the scariest defense in the nation right now.  They took down an Aggie offence easily on their own turf. 

Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill threw 2 interceptions, one resulting in a 75-yard touchdown by safety Cody Prewitt.   Hill was also sacked twice and fumbled on the first play of the fourth quarter, which Keith Lewis returned for a touchdown to make it 35-7. Poor Kenny Hill just couldn’t do anything and the Aggies ground game was shut down to just 54 yards. 

Anyone still questioning Ole Miss’s legitimacy is a fool.  You need to get over what hate/jealously you have (unless you’re Mississippi State) for Mississippi and realize they are the real deal this year. 

Ole Miss still has really tuff games coming up with two of them being road games at LSU and at Arkansas.  The egg-bowl will most likely be more exciting than the Iron-bowl this season.

The only thing I can really see other teams banking on is to take advantage of quarterback Bo Wallace’s mistakes.  He is prone to making key mistakes but if he is mistake-free for the rest of the season they could win every game this season. 

Fun fact for fans and upcoming opponents, Ole Miss’s starting defense has scored just as many points as they have given up.  Sit on that one for a while if you think Ole Miss isn’t that good. The state of Mississippi is coming for ya, and both teams have proven they are the best in the nation right now.

By Liana B. Baker and Lisa Richwine (Reuters) - The NBA's agreement on a new more than $20 billion multi-year contract with broadcast partners Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc was overshadowed by news that Disney’s ESPN is joining with the basketball league to create an Internet sports channel available without a pay TV subscription. ...

By Liana B. Baker and Lisa Richwine (Reuters) - The NBA's agreement on a new more than $20 billion multi-year contract with broadcast partners Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc was overshadowed by news that Disney’s ESPN is joining with the basketball league to create an Internet sports channel available without a pay TV subscription. ...

By Liana B. Baker and Lisa Richwine (Reuters) - The NBA's agreement on a new more than $20 billion multi-year contract with broadcast partners Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc was overshadowed by news that Disney’s ESPN is joining with the basketball league to create an Internet sports channel available without a pay TV subscription. ...

By Liana B. Baker and Lisa Richwine (Reuters) - The NBA's agreement on a new more than $20 billion multi-year contract with broadcast partners Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc was overshadowed by news that Disney’s ESPN is joining with the basketball league to create an Internet sports channel available without a pay TV subscription. ...