We noted this morning that the Jaguars look like a team coming apart at the seams, and as new details emerge about what’s going on in Jacksonville, it appears that coach Jack Del Rio has big problems in his locker room.
For starters, Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com writes that linebacker Mike Peterson, who was sent home yesterday, is still not with the team.
Running back Fred Taylor spoke about Peterson in the past tense.
“It saddens the mood,” Taylor said of Peterson’s absence, “but we all have a job to do. Pete was a spirit in the locker room. He always challenged guys. Guys felt comfortable with Pete. He kept the mood real.”
Ketchman also details three incidents that have Del Rio and his players butting heads:
— John Henderson got in a fight on the field Sunday against the Bengals, got ejected, and then mocked the fans who were jeering at him as he made his way to the locker room.
— Peterson celebrated a sack on the very next play after Henderson got ejected, and Del Rio thought Peterson shouldn’t be celebrating on the field while the team was down 21-3 and a key player had just been thrown out.
— Wide receivers Jerry Porter, Matt Jones and Reggie Williams were all laughing while they talked to the media after the loss.
As a result of all that, Del Rio decided that he needed to crack down on player behavior, so he instituted new rules, including no wearing of hats or hoods during meetings, and no listening to music without headphones.
The good news for the Jaguars is that winning usually serves as the cure for locker room ills, and the Jaguars get to play the winless Lions on Sunday. The bad news is that the Jaguars just gave the Bengals their first win, and if they lose to another winless team, they may be in for something more severe than having to wear headphones when they listen to music.