The Sports Xchange

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Running back Bernard Pierce of the Jacksonville Jaguars was placed on one-year probation after entering a plea to a DUI charge in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Pierce was arrested last March 18 on the DUI charge and three related offenses. The Ravens then cut him and the Jaguars signed him.

The other charges were dropped as a result of the plea bargain and the guilty verdict was struck from the plea agreement, so there is no conviction on Pierce’s record.

Pierce was placed in the NFL’s substance abuse program following his arrest and the court said it wants monthly reports of his drug tests. He can be randomly tested up to 10 times a month. The league might suspend him.

“I lost it all and now I’m trying to rebuild,” Pierce said during the proceedings, according to the Baltimore Sun. “If I could do it all over again, I definitely wouldn’t drink and drive.”

Pierce has carried six times for 11 yards this year. He didn’t play on offense in London, but played on 21 special teams plays.

–The Jaguars lost their first two games in London after spending a week there. This time, they left on Thursday night and beat Buffalo, and coach Gus Bradley indicated they will continue to make short trips.

Bradley said the team will send something out to the players to get their views and said: “I think that would be a strong consideration to continue that (short trips).”

–In an ESPN interview conducted at his home in July that recently was published, Jaguars offensive coordinator Doug Marrone said he when he’s 65 in 14 years, he will reveal why he quit as the Bills head coach at the end of last year. He said he hasn’t even given his parents the reason.

Marrone, who said he hopes to get another head coaching job, declined to talk about the Bills last week before the London game, although some of his former players were publicly critical of his coaching style.

–When the Jaguars played in London against Buffalo last Sunday, it was the fifth time that defensive tackle Roy Miller has played there in his seven-year career.

Miller believes he’s the only NFL player to make five trips there, but Sunday’s game had a different ending for him. He finally savored a victory after losing in both trips with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the last two years with the Jaguars. He signed with the Jaguars as a free agent in 2013.

“It was special,” Miller said of winning the game, although he said he always enjoys the trips.

“It’s fun. Even after you been there enough to do the touristy stuff, you enjoy being in another country, seeing all the different foods and people. And the fans over there are growing every year in their love for the game.”

And now Miller is ready to enjoy the bye week as the players are off until next Monday.

“We have a chance to reflect on who we are, the two wins, the losses,” he said. “It’s a perfect time to be encouraged, to do some soul searching about what it took to be in this position.

“To fight back and win the game (in London), this is a good taste in our mouth so to speak, going into next week.”

–Second year linebacker Telvin Smith won AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play against Buffalo.

Smith picked off a pass by former Florida State teammate EJ Manuel and returned it for a touchdown, and also had nine tackles and three passes defensed.

–The future of kicker Jason Myers apparently hasn’t been determined.

At his press conference on Tuesday, coach Gus Bradley said he hasn’t talked to general manager Dave Caldwell about whether they will bring in kickers for tryouts.

“We’ll look at some things there and analyze it,” Bradley said. “Whether there will be guys coming in or not, Dave will take a look at that. Even if guys do come in, does that mean we’ll go differently? No. I think you always want that competition.”

Myers missed his third extra point in London on Sunday against Buffalo and has missed three field goal attempts this season. Two of them came in the Indianapolis game and cost the Jaguars the game.

“Whatever takes place, I think he understands as a kicker, he has to make extra points,” Bradley said.

It will be somewhat surprising if the Jaguars make a kicking change after seven games because when Caldwell traded Josh Scobee to Pittsburgh and handed the job to Myers, who had never kicked in an NFL regular season game.

Bradley said the Jaguars would live with his misses.

“I am not going to hang on every missed kick because I promise you he’s not going to make them all,” Caldwell said at the time. “We’re just going to live with them and grow with them.”

–The Jaguars lost their first two games in London after spending a week there. Last week, they left on Thursday night and beat Buffalo, and coach Gus Bradley indicated they will continue to make short trips.

Bradley said the team will send something out to the players to get their views and said: “I think that would be a strong consideration to continue that (short trips).”