Some of you may not know that Football Fanatics is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Tonight we have a HUGE Thursday Night NFL game here in town – the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts are 13-0 and have everything wrapped up, while the Jags are 7-6 and fighting for a Wildcard playoff spot. The weather is going to be horrendous, but this is a game the Jaguars must have.

The city of Jacksonville have been amped all week. You probably know that ticket sales for the Jaguars have been less than par this year and the overall interest for the team has been down. But not this week. Everyone is talking Jags, everyone is wearing teal and everyone is going to this game. For the first time all year, the Jacksonville Jaguars sold a game out – no blackout this week!

With a win tonight the Jaguars will stay in control of the 6th seed in the AFC and will generate excitement in this city once again. We can’t afford a loss tonight – not this time. The Jaguars don’t beat the Colts often but they always play the Colts tough. The Jags are not intimidated by Peyton Manning or their undefeated record.

I’m going out on a limb and predicting a Jaguars victory, 28-24. What do you think?

Former Florida Gator running back and now 12-year NFL veteran, Fred Taylor, is my favorite football player. In fact, I have a huge poster of him in my cubicle. I love his style of play and his attitude on the the field. As a Jaguar fan, I was devastated when they let him go in the off-season in favor of a younger Maurice Jones-Drew. But at the same time I was happy for Fred to move on in his career and pursue an opportunity to win a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots.

The Patriots have to be thrilled with what the 33-year-old Fred Taylor is bringing to the team. Through the first three games of the 2009 season, Fred has 38 carries for 176 yards (4.6 ypc) and two touchdowns. That’s already more touchdowns than he scored in the entire 2008 season as a Jag. In week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, the Patriots ran Fred 21 times on their way to a 26-10 victory. It looks like Tom Brady and Randy Moss aren’t the only keys to success for the Pats.

Throughout his career Fred Taylor has never had the respect and publicity he deserved from the fans and media. The players knew what he was capable of, but because Fred suffered a few injures while he was young and ruined fantasy football teams he was labeled “Fragile Fred.” It’s great seeing him succeed now in a new system as he marches toward new rushing records and ultimately the Hall of Fame.

Taylor currently ranks 15th on the list of all-time rushing leaders. There are only two active players ahead of him. Of the 14 players ahead of Fred Taylor on the NFL all-time leading rushers list, only Jim Brown (5.2 ypc) and Barry Sanders (5.0 ypc) rank ahead of him in overall yards per carry average. During his 12-year career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and now the New England Patriots, Fred has managed to average an amazing 4.6 yards per carry average.

Last week’s game was just a glimpse of what we will see from Fred Taylor in 2009. Barring injury, he is capable of rushing for around 1,000 yards and 8-10 touchdowns in the high powered Patriots offense.

Reebok Jacksonville Jaguars #32 Maurice Jones-Drew White Replica Football Jersey
If you act now while the Super Clearance Sale is still on, you can grab a Replica Maurice Jones-Drew Jersey for only $39.96. That’s 20% off it’s normal sale price of $49.95. With a replica jersey purchase you will get:

• Mesh body
• Screen print lettering, numbers & logos
• Screen print stripes on sleeves
• Dazzle shoulders, sleeves & sides
• Embroidered NFL equipment logo at the neck
• Rib knit collar
• V-Neck
• Jock tag
• Drop tail
• Imported
• 100% Polyester

Currently, we have all sizes available from Small to 4X.

About Maurice Jones-Drew
Maurice Jones-Drew is entering the 4th year of his career as a running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the recent release of Fred Taylor, the Jags will look for Maurice to handle a much larger workload. The question has brought up… can Maurice handle being a featured back? He’s only 5′6″ tall and takes a beating when he runs. Maurice is the type of player that looks for contact.

Jones-Drew has only rushed for over 20 carries in a game 5 times in his first 3 years. And in those 5 games, he’s only had one 100-yard performance. There’s no doubt that Maurice is a playmaker and has a nose for the endzone. He’s scored 38 touchdowns already and could realistically be the Jaguars all time touchdown leader in just a few more years. That is if they extend him.

Maurice Jones-Drew wants an extension that pays him as a top back. The Jaguars seem to be a bit hesitant on giving him a big deal until he proves he can be an every down back.