The Infrequent I-10 Rivalry

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

There are some match-ups you would like to see more of, but due to the way inter-conference are set-up, these teams play each other at home once every eight years.

This was one of those.

Before a thumb injury sidelined New Orleans QB Drew Brees, I can only imagine how many local fans were looking forward to seeing the the all-time leading passer, who has 74,845 yards.

Sunday's match-up was suppose to feature Brees vs Nick Foles.

The Jaguars prize free agent hurt his shoulder in the first game of the year against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Instead, what we saw was a 4-1 Saints team facing a 2-3 Jaguars squad as Jacksonville started rookie Gardner Minshew II who faced Teddy Bridgewater.

If Jacksonville fans want to see Brees, they'll have to travel 547 miles and 7.50 hours on I-10 East to see these squads in New Orleans if the signal caller is still playing.

Going into this game there were some interesting connections between these two teams.

Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette is from New Orleans and played his college ball at LSU. This is his first meeting against his hometown team.

His first act against the Saints was a solid one as he led the team in rushing and receiving. Fournette rushed for 72 yards and added 46 in the air.

Even though they've only met six times with New Orleans leading the series 4-2 and having a three game winning streak, from 2006-2008, Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone was the Saints Offensive Coordinator.

Marrone coached in the 2007 game on November 4, and the New Orleans Saints defeated Jacksonville 24-21 in Louisiana in front of 70,009 at The Superdome.

During Marrone's tenure with New Orleans, the Saints offense was potent.

New Orleans ranked first in total yards per-game (387.8), first in passing yards per-game (294.1) and third in points per-game with (26.1).

What would give in this Infrequent I-10 Rivalry?

If you were looking for a high scoring affair, you weren't getting it in the first half as the teams went into the locker room tied 3-3.

New Orleans had 125 net yards while Jacksonville amassed 110.

Jacksonville managed to hold up on defense despite the fact that Jalen Ramsey was ruled inactive.

The Jaguars defense limited Saints running back Alvin Kamara to eight yards. Kamara would finish with 66 total yards.

Minshew II went 8-15 for 80 yards.

In the second half, Jacksonville still didn't find it's offense and New Orleans mustered up enough to win the contest 13-6.

It was another win for Bridgewater, who is keeping the Saints in the playoff hunt while still auditioning for a starting job in free agency in 2020.

New Orleans improved it's record to 5-1 and lead the NFC South Division.

The Saints out gained Jacksonville in total yards 326-226.

Jacksonville had 11 first downs the entire contest.

This was Jacksonville's worst offensive game of the season.

The Saints defense limited Jacksonville wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. to three receptions for 43 yards as he was double-teamed throughout the game.

Minshew II finished the game throwing for 163 yards and one interception.

The Saints have now defeated Jacksonville four consecutive times.

They lead the all-time series 5-2.

After the game, Marrone gave credit to the Saints but admitted there is a lot of work to do as his team get's ready to hit the road and face the 0-6 Cincinnati Bengals.

"Today was a hard fought defensive battle," Marrone said. "We did well in the running game but overall, our offense wasn't in sync. We were not able to make plays. I have to do a good job and get them to play in all three phases, offense, defense and special teams. That starts with me.

"I liked the effort today, they played hard but have to play better. At the end of the day they (Saints) are a good football team. They're one of the best teams we'll play all year. They play well at all three levels. Their secondary did a real good job and covered us real well. At the end of the day, those guys are a pretty good team.

"Leonard did a good job with his play getting all purpose yards, but we have to get first downs so we can get everybody involved."

Minshew II said, "today was a tough day and they're a good team. I missed some balls that I can't afford to miss. They did a good job taking away our quick stuff. We have enough guys who can make plays and we will do better."

The announced crowd was 64,341. There appeared to be a lot of Saints fans to make the trip.

The Jaguars return home on October 27, 2019 at 1 pm to face the New York Jets at TIAA Bank Field and see another up and coming QB in Sam Darnold.

The Jets (1-4) play the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

These next two games are very winnable for the 2-4 Jaguars, who hope to reach the .500 mark by the end of the month. The combined record of the Bengals and the Jets is 1-10.

The Jaguars proceeded to trade Ramsey to the LA Rams on Wednesday for two first round picks and a number four in the next two drafts.

The Bengals lost to the Baltimore Ravens 23-17 while the Jets defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-22.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is the Founder and CEO of The South Florida Tribune and The South Florida Tribune Broadcasting Network.

The Weekend In Review

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

During the weekend, our football teams were 2-1.

The Florida Atlantic Owls improved their record to 3-2 with a 45-27 road win against the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

FAU Coach Glenn Spencer coached at UNCC a year ago and when the game was over got a cold shower.

FAU QB Chris Robison picked up where he left off against Wagner the previous week.

In this Nationally televised game on The NFL Network, he was 20-27 with 312 yards and two touchdowns.

Florida Atlantic showed some balance on offense by amassing four rushing touchdowns, two of which came from running back Malcolm Davidson, who had 13 carries for 83 yards.

Two touchdowns occurred in the air.

The Owls have a bye this weekend.

They return to action on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 4 PM as they face Middle Tennessee State at FAU Stadium.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The struggles continued for the Miami Dolphins against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The last time the Chargers won a game in South Florida was an overtime playoff thriller on January 2, 1982, in The Orange Bowl in what was regarded as one of the greatest games in NFL History.

The Chargers won a classic 41-38.

Miami proceeded to win eight straight.

QB Philip Rivers threw for 310 yards and two scores to lead LA to a 30-10 win, ending 38 years of frustration. LA improved its record to 2-2 while Miami dropped to 0-4.

Miami has been outscored 163-26 this season, which is the NFL's worst four-game point differential since at least 1940. Moreover, Miami has been outscored 81-0 in the second half this season.

Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was active after reporting this week ending his holdout, but he didn't have a carry.

Dolphins QB Josh Rosen threw for 180 yards and a touchdown, but had an interception and was sacked four times.

Up next for Miami, they have a bye this weekend, then play host to the Washington Redskins on October 13.

The Redskins are 0-4 and are 0-5 at Miami, with the most recent game in 2011. There are rumors that Coach Jay Gruden is on the hot seat.

This game could be the best opportunity for the Dolphins to avoid the 0-16 club which has two members, the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars earned a thrilling 26-24 win over the Denver Broncos in Colorado to improve to 2-2.

The Jaguars won despite Jalen Ramsey being inactive for the first time in his career and ending his streak of 131 straight games missing the first game in his four-year career. He missed practice all week, first with an illness, then a back injury and finally for paternity leave.

Despite the drama, Minshew Mania went to the Rocky Mountains and the rookie didn't disappoint his followers.

Despite being sacked five times, Minshew II was 19-33 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't throw an interception.

Jacksonville's rushing game came alive as running back Leonard Fournette had 29 carries for 225 yards and also caught two passes for 20 yards.

Fournette's career day topped his previous high of 181 yards on October 8, 2017 at Pittsburgh.

Kicker Josh Lambo booted all four of his field goals including the game winning 33-yarder as time expired to send the Jaguars home happy.

Minshew II Mania travels to NASCAR Country as the Jaguars visit their expansion brother, the Carolina Panthers.

The Broncos visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Sunshine State Pre-season Week 3 Style National TV Tour

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I've seen a lot of football in the Sunshine State.

I've covered high school, college and pro football in Florida.

Pro football even includes the USFL back in the 1980's when I wrote on the Tampa Bay Bandits and covered a USFL Championship in 1984 at the old Tampa Stadium.

I've covered four Super Bowls in Florida, two in Miami and one apiece in Jacksonville and Tampa.

I've seen my fair share of Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Bucs and Jacksonville Jaguars contests.

Tonight's game featuring the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins will mark a unique situation here at Joe Robbie Stadium.

Now I've covered each Florida team during the third pre-season game on National TV on a Thursday night in a span of five seasons.

The first one occurred on a rainy night on August 28, 2015 when the Detroit Lions played in North Florida and defeated the Jaguars 22-17.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

WR Golden Tate amassed 91 yards and a touchdown.

The next game occurred at Raymond James Stadium as the Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday August 23, 2018.

This game was delayed by heavy rain and lightening. When it was all said and done, the Detroit Lions emerged as 33-30 winners and a University of Florida Gators product named Brandon Powell, a wide receiver, was an undrafted free agent made the team as a result of incredible play on special teams.

Tonight, at a venue for which I've seen many football games, most notably Detroit Lions/Miami Dolphins contest and Dolphins vs Jaguars clashes, in addition to two Super Bowls, Mother Nature appears to be cooperating with us.

For Candy Ebling, who has had to brave these rainstorms, I prayed that she got a dry evening to work.

Meanwhile, this game was televised on FOX as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were on the call featuring a game with two AFC teams normally not on their network.

Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw also made the trip from Los Angeles, CA. Erin Andrews reported on the sidelines while Michael Strahan made the trek from New York to South Florida.

Former Dolphins Coach Jimmy Johnson in the photo above on the sidelines, got to sleep in his own bed as he lives south in Key Largo, FL.

Jags Owner Shad Khan, below, made the trip down I-95 to see this pivotal pre-season game which he hopes will provide enough answers that will hopefully lead to a playoff season.

One thing is clear for Jacksonville is there will be no more QB Blake Bortles speculation as to how long he'll stay with the club or is he the trigger man of the future.

The last time these two teams met was on December 23, 2018 as Jacksonville, led by Bortles defeated Miami 17-7.

The win gave Jacksonville a 5-4 lead in their overall series history.
During the off-season, Bortles signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

The QB for Jacksonville is a guy that owns a Super Bowl Ring, Nick Foles (#7 pictured below looking for a receiver to throw to).

As for Miami, which is in the midst of a rebuilding season.

What should be decided here?

Will the Dolphins signal caller be veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick or second year-man Josh Rosen, acquired in an off-season trade with the Arizona Cardinals?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out during the first year of the Brian Flores era.

But if you're going to go to or cover a pre-season game, then the best one is the third one as a good portion of these decisions are expected to be made, plus there are many scouts in the Press Box.

As for the players that stood out in this game, Foles was 6-10, 48 yards with one TD and one INT. His touchdown pass was for 10 yards to DeDe Westbrook that gave Jacksonville a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

 As for the rest of Jacksonville's regulars, RB Leonard Fournette had seven carries for 27 yards including a 12-yard run. As a receiver, he was targeted three times and had two catches for 19 yards.

Westbrook finished with four receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown.

One guy trying to make the roster is WR Terrelle Pryor. He had three catches for 26 yards with an 8.6 average.

Fitzpatrick's night was done with 4:56 left in the third quarter and Rosen took over. 

Fitzpatrick is in the photo handing the ball off to his running back.

The Harvard graduate was 12-18 for 126 yards and a touchdown to go along with a passer rating of 105.3.

The contest ended with a Miami Dolphins 22-7 win.

This was anything but a nail biter but then again, are there many of those in August?

Candy did stay dry as Mother Nature stayed away.

The tickets distributed 49,317 for their home dress rehearsal.

The Jaguars (0-3) face the Atlanta Falcons at home on Thursday August 29, 2019.

Meanwhile the Miami Dolphins (2-1) also conclude the pre-season on the road Thursday Night against New Orleans.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottbm33@gmail.com and is the CEO and Founder of The South Florida Tribune.