Coach Jack Del Rio remained calm Monday in the eye of the hurricane of criticism he is getting from angry Jaguars fans in the wake of back-to-back 25-point losses.
That might be because Del Rio doesn't seem to run into the fans who call the talk shows and write to the Times-Union's Monday Morning Quarterback and share their frustration with the coach on Twitter.
Del Rio said the fans he meet tell him, " 'Hang in there coach. We're pulling for you.' I hear that all over town. I do and I appreciate it, and ultimately you've got to get it done."
"... I do have faith in what I am doing and who I am and what I stand for. I will continue to fight the good fight. I'll bring passion and energy to my job every day and continue to look for ways to get this football team to execute and play well to do some of the little things that are keeping us from having more fun on Sundays. That's just the way I'm wired."
Meanwhile, the Jaguars made a flurry of moves Monday, re-signing safety Gerald Alexander and signing linebacker Eric Alexander, who spent six seasons with the Patriots before being cut this year. They made room for them by cutting cornerback Michael Coe, who gave up a touchdown pass Sunday, and tight end Ernest Wilford.
They also changed practice-squad quarterbacks, cutting Brett Ratliff and replacing him with Keith Null, who started four games with the Rams last year.
Despite all the criticism Del Rio is getting, he is showing no signs of the pressure getting to him.
When he was asked how he is doing, he said, "I am doing well, thank you for asking. I assume you're asking because you care about me. I appreciate that.
"I have a lot of faith in what we're doing and how we're going about it. This is a fun group to coach, it's an eager group. It is a group that in comes out and works every day. I really believe if we don't allow the negative vibe of, 'Oh, my gosh; things didn't go our way,' to permeate the group, they'll continue to believe and continue to work. We'll get this turned around and have a lot of fun this year."
Some coaches have health issues from facing the stress on the job, but it doesn't seem to have affected Del Rio.
"I do the best I can to have balance. That's something all of us coaches have to work through," he said.
The pressure on Del Rio has increased because, owner Wayne Weaver said at the end of last season that he didn't expect to be home in January for the playoffs. And Del Rio put a lot of emphasis in the offseason on getting off to a fast start.
So the 1-2 start, including losses of 38-13 to San Diego and 28-3 to Philadelphia, has sparked speculation nationally that Del Rio's job in jeopardy.
If the Jaguars lose to Indianapolis on Sunday, they'll be 1-3. That would be their worst start since they started 0-4 and fell to 1-7 in Del Rio's first season in 2003.
Del Rio's teams are 58-57 in the regular season and 59-59 overall. Weaver has called their record in recent years "average."
Del Rio said, "There's a flavor of the week in the NFL. There are going to be people, the talking heads are going to discuss who is the Super Bowl winner right now, who's the team whose coach and quarterback are going to get canned. It's a week-to-week business. It's all great for the ratings, for the popularity of the game. For this football team, we can't get caught up in the hype when it is good or the beat down when it's bad. You've got to stay focused on what we're doing. We've got to continue to prepare. Next up is the Colts."
Del Rio said the Jaguars face a "a very urgent" time.
"It's important we get this ship righted right away," he said.
Blog: Jack Del Rio calls this an "urgent" time, reiterates faith in team
Del Rio also supported beleaguered quarterback David Garrard.
"You've got to get it done, and I think David understands that," he said. "As long as he's our best option, we'll continue to go with him."
Because backup Luke McCown was lost for the season last week with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and current backup Todd Bouman was out of football for a year and has been with the team a week, Garrard is virtually their only option.
Del Rio also showed he hasn't lost his sense of humor when he was asked about the fact he hasn't taken any of the blame publicly for poor coaching in the last two games.
"I did that after Week 1," Del Rio.
That's when the Jaguars beat the Broncos 24-17 in the opener.
