Ever since a training camp scrimmage, when former teammate Gerald Alexander first came up with the only nickname in Sean Considine's career that has stuck, Jaguars players have routinely called the veteran safety, "On Time Considine."
It's a catchy moniker, and one that also suddenly applies to an entire unit that might finally be waking up after years of mediocrity.
We've been hearing so much about the Jaguars being an ascending team. However, it's a belief that was rooted more often in myth than fact because the defense has been an eyesore for too long.
Maybe, just maybe, with more big plays like Considine has provided the past two weeks and how his teammates Sunday bailed out a turnover-plagued offense, the rest of the NFL will start to look at this franchise a little differently.
Because the way the Jaguars defied the odds in pulling out a 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Field, overcoming four interceptions and two fumbles, you have to wonder if this team is on the verge of a long-awaited breakthrough.
Not just because the Jaguars are in a first-place tie in the AFC South during Thanksgiving week, but doing it for a change behind a defense saving the day. That's something Jack Del Rio has been waiting on since midway through George W. Bush's second term.
"Plenty of days, the offense has carried us," said cornerback Rashean Mathis. "It was our time to give back. We grew up on defense across the board."
From Considine's last-second, game-sealing interception - which ricocheted off his arm and then tight end Ben Watson's chest at the Jaguars' 3-yard-line - to an Aaron Kampman-absent defense getting six quarterback sacks, what was not to like about Del Rio's defense?
"When you turn the ball over five times in a half [six overall], you expect the score to be ugly," said Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri. "Luckily for us, our defense played just outstanding. Those guys battled and played probably their best ball of the year. The defense held strong, even when it looked it about to be over."
Seriously, who would ever expect this 28th-ranked Jaguars' defense to repeatedly bail out an offense that turned the ball over on five consecutive possessions? But if you look at what's transpired over a three-game winning streak, there were signals that Mel Tucker's unit was on an upward tick.
They had four interceptions at Dallas, then completely shut down a potent Houston Texans offense for one half. But what happened against Cleveland, especially how they continually stonewalled 245-pound running back Peyton Hillis, now that was a moment to savor.
Under normal circumstances, any NFL team with a minus-five turnover margin can almost count on absorbing a 25-point blowout or worse. It's a recipe for a long day. As Del Rio put it: "They could have buried us."
But no matter how many balls the Jaguars receivers dropped, or how many David Garrard passes deflected into the wrong hands, or how badly the Maurice Jones-Drew quarterback experiment went awry, the defense kept giving the offense chance after chance to redeem itself.
After a Jones-Drew fumble led to a go-ahead touchdown, the Jaguars' offense made four more turnovers that gave Cleveland field position at the Jacksonville 48, 19, 35 and the Browns' 43.
The defense responded by giving up a combined total of minus-four yards and no first downs. On four possessions where the Browns could have put the game away, rookie QB Colt McCoy was sacked twice and failed to complete a pass in four attempts.
"We were making our mistakes and turning the ball over, but the defense kept going out there and getting them off the field," Garrard said. "That's what you've got to have if you want to be a great team."
Considine's dramatic interception, coming a week after he forced a fumble by Texans tight end Joel Dreessen that led to Garrard's game-winning Hail Mary pass, was another sign that the Jaguars are gradually learning to make plays in big moments. Maybe "On Time" Considine will lead a defensive transformation.
"I was digging a little bit to keep up with [Watson]," said Considine. "Luckily, [the pass] deflected off my forearm and the ball just happened to bounce right to me. I'll take it."
The Jaguars will gladly take being in a first-place tie with the Indianapolis Colts. If the defense keeps this up, maybe the idea that Jacksonville can knock Peyton Manning from the AFC South mountaintop isn't a pipe dream.
But after last year's four-game December slide, maybe the Jaguars should just enjoy this moment. Let's just see where first place on Thanksgiving takes them.
