JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There was plenty of blame to go around for the Jaguars' fourth consecutive loss.
Poor punts, dropped passes, a botched snap, defensive lapses, missed chances near the goal line. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio tried to deflect all of it following Sunday's 30-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
"Simply not acceptable on a lot of fronts," Del Rio said. "Just put it on my shoulders. I'm not doing enough. We can't have breakdowns like that at the end of the game. ... It's unacceptable."
The question now is if it's acceptable for Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver, who said in January that "if we're not in the playoffs next year, there won't be many people around here."
Jacksonville's start, beginning with Del Rio's decision to release veteran quarterback David Garrard, has some wondering if the coach will make it past the bye week at the end of the month.
"At the end of the day, he's not playing," running back Maurice Jones-Drew said. "If somebody has to go, obviously it's going to be one of the players. You can call whatever you want, we have to execute the play. It's not on the coach. It's sad to say that he has to take the heat, but he shouldn't because he's not out there strapping it up, going out there to play. All he can do is sit and watch.
"It's ain't on him. He's not wearing a jersey number."
The Jaguars (1-4) have lost seven of their past eight games dating to last season, a streak of futility that has fans frustrated with Del Rio and players wondering if changes are on the horizon.
"That's part of the business," Del Rio said. "I've been in this game long enough to understand if you win you get praise. If you don't, you get criticism. I understand that part of it. ... Whether it's good and you're praising or whether it's bad and you're ripping me, I'm going to be consistent.
"I'm going to be a man of integrity and a man of faith that works hard every day. And that won't change."
