BLACKBOARD » the backfield experienced during the offseason.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Its probably the most important game in Gus Bradleys coaching career.Coming off a 38-14 loss at San Diego and being 0-2 for the third time in four years, Bradley is seemingly down to just a few chances to turn things around in Jacksonville.The first one comes at home against Baltimore (2-0) on Sunday.Its about us this week and how we come back and how do we handle getting punched in the mouth, and how do we respond to play at a high level, said Bradley, whose 12-38 record in four seasons is the second worst in NFL history for anyone who has coached at least 50 games.The Jaguars believe last weeks lackluster effort on the West Coast was a fluke, and that the way they played against Green Bay in a 27-23 loss in the opener was more indicative of what kind of team theyve assembled. Now, they need to prove it.We had a pretty sound, realistic group of guys that believes in themselves, believes in one another, and understands that when we play well and do well like were supposed to do, well be fine and well execute and well move the ball, quarterback Blake Bortles said. We just havent done that in back-to-back weeks.The Ravens have done enough in two weeks to be among the leagues undefeated teams. They edged Buffalo in the opener and then overcame a 20-0 deficit to win at Cleveland last week. They have a chance to start 3-0 for the third time in franchise history.Resilient. We are a resilient team, able to face all opposition and shortcomings, veteran receiver Steve Smith said. It was an ugly win, but we pulled through.The Jaguars have been involved in plenty of ugly losses since starting to overhaul the roster in 2013. But this season was supposed to be different. Owner Shad Khan said a winning record is everyones reasonable expectation, and general manager Dave Caldwell said before the opener that we can match up with virtually almost anybody. Our guys just have to perform to a high level.It didnt happen against the Chargers, frustrating players, coaches and fans, and raising speculation about Bradleys job security.Bradley said all the right things this week: calling the blowout an aberration and vowing to get back on track against the Ravens.We went out there and thought we were going to play better than we did and we didnt play as well, Bradley said. We have to come back and get that right.Here are some other things to know about the Ravens and Jaguars:TOTAL RECALL: The Ravens havent forgotten about last years controversial loss to Jacksonville. The NFL acknowledged that officials failed to penalize the Jaguars for not being set on the next-to-last play of the game. After the ball was snapped, Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil grabbed Bortles facemask while making a tackle and Jacksonville got one more play with no time left on the clock. Jason Myers 53-yard field goal gave the Jaguars a 22-20 victory.You know, I dont really ever forget that game, coach John Harbaugh said. It doesnt have to be spurred. Thats always been kind of on my mind.RUN FOR COVER: The Ravens have found no room to run the football. Baltimore is averaging a mere 3 yards per carry. Justin Forsett and Terrance West are sharing the workload for the 23rd-ranked rushing game. Its a work in progress, Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda said. Were 2-0, but we definitely need to get the run game going. All three Ravens touchdowns this season have come on passes from Joe Flacco to Mike Wallace.DEFENDING A-ROB: Allen Robinson has just nine catches for 126 yards and no touchdowns, a big reason Jacksonvilles offense has sputtered. Teams are putting a safety over the top of him, even when hes lined up alone on one side of the formation. The Jaguars plan to move him around against the Ravens, hoping to get him freed up more.AT THE TOP: Baltimore owns the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL. That might not mean much after Week 2, but its significant because of the change the backfield experienced during the offseason. Safety Eric Weddle signed as a free agent and has one of the teams two interceptions. Lardarius Webb has made the transition from cornerback to free safety, and cornerback Shareece Wright had 11 tackles in the opener.IVORY RETURNS: Jacksonvilles run game, which ranks 30th, should get a boost with the return of Chris Ivory. A 1,000-yard rusher with the New York Jets last season, Ivory missed the first two games with a general medical condition that required a hospital stay.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom San Antonio Spurs Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Custom Chicago Bulls Jerseys . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. http://www.customjerseysbasketball.com/custom-houston-rockets-jerseys-387y.html . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Custom Brooklyn Nets Jerseys . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Cheap Custom Basketball Jerseys Online . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Zach Merrett, who at age 20 will serve as stand-in skipper of Essendon this weekend, is backing Dyson Heppell to captain the AFL club in 2017.Brendon Goddard is leading the Bombers because 12 of their players, including captain Jobe Watson, were given doping bans at the start of the year.Goddard suffered a groin injury last weekend and will miss his first game of the season on Sunday, when the Bombers host Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium.Coach John Worsfold opted to look to the future when picking Goddards replacement, asking the midfielder with 56 games experience to step up.A more-challenging question for Worsfold will come during the off-season, when he settles on a leadership group for next year.Watson is among the five banned Bombers yet to indicate whether they will return to the club.Even if Watson doesnt retire, there is a good chance Heppell will be given the gig.Its definitely something to aspire to but I think Dyson is probably the man for next year, Merrett said on Thursday.Hes been fantastic for this footy club.Dyson did his apprenticeship last year and I think hes ready to go.Merrett will be 20 years and 316 days old on Sunday when he tosses the coin, making him the third-yooungest man to captain Essendon in VFL-AFL history.ddddddddddddBernie Quinlan holds the overall league record, having been 20 years and nine days when he was stand-in skipper of Footscray in round 18 of the 1971 season.Merrett plans to pick the brains of Heppell and Goddard, while mentor Chris Judd has also been a sounding board.Hes probably got a bit annoyed sometimes with the number of questions Ive asked, Merrett said of Judd.(Judds leadership advice was) to be myself. Be authentic and lead the way I normally lead. Not much is going to change.Its very exciting ... a very good opportunity.No other 20-year-old except for (Western Bulldog Marcus) Bontempelli, in the last probably five or 10 years, has had this opportunity.Meanwhile, Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell suggested the club would be willing to trade Michael Hurley but they expected the in-demand banned defender to recommit.Hurls is very close with his teammates; (there is a) strong association with that group. Theyve been through a very-challenging period together, Campbell told SEN radio. ' ' '