Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Previewing the Jaguars Offseason
Date: January 27, 2008
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: I’m sure nobody ELSE cared about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offseason moves, but I sure did, in too much depth.

The other night Sam and I were having one of our usual in-depth and entertaining sports conversations when the topic of June’s NFL Entry Draft came up. We were first focused on Sam’s Dallas Cowboys (an intriguing situation with two mid-to-late first round picks), but since my Jacksonville Jaguars have a pick in the same range discussion soon moved towards them. What ensued was a pretty thorough analysis of what the Jags need to do in the offseason, though it was mostly a diatribe on my part while Sam (probably out of boredom) egged me on with questions and comments. What follows, then, for those who care, is a look at the Jaguars roster and ways they may look to improve on it in 2008. Unfortunately for Sam much of this won’t be new to him but to everyone else, especially Alex and my brother Matt (the only other people I know who care about the Jaguars), here are my thoughts on the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Offense
Usually considered a defensive juggernaut first, Jacksonville did a great job putting up points in 2007, especially in the second half of the season. Fueled by a devasatating two-headed running back monster, a mistake-free quarterback, and a wide receiver corps deadly in the red zone, the Jags put up 25.5 points and nearly 300 yards of offense per game, stats good enough to crack the top 10 in the NFL. Despite the gaudy numbers, the Jaguars have a few improvements to make to their depth chart.O-Line: The Jags have a great left side and Maurice Williams is a servicable right guard but they’ll probably want to upgrade on right tackle Tony Pashos to keep defenses honest against runs to both sides and to free up the tight ends for pass catching rather than blocking. Alot of the free agent class here is aging or pricy, so the Jags will probably experiment in training camp with Pathos, Richard Collier, and maybe a mid-round draft pick or low-profile free agent.Backs: We obviously don’t need to make improvements here with the Mo-Jo-Freddy T combo doing serious damage to the rest of the league. Fullback Greg Jones has a few 100-yard games under his belt too, and LeBrandan Toefield is as good a third-string RB as you’ll find, so the Jags are shored up for the present and future at both back slots.

QB: Garrard showed this season that he is a servicable NFL QB. He posted the third best QB Rating in the league and had the second lowest interception rate of all time. The Jags need him to be exactly that type of quarterback moving forward, an efficient third down passer (best 3rd down QB Rating in the league in 2007) who can run the ball occasionally but most importantly stays mistake free. Quinn Gray showed this year he is unreliable as a back-up and with only two QBs signed, I’d expect the Jaguars to spend a middle round pick on a QB they can mold into a future backup.

TE: Some have mentioned to me that they think the Jags need a high-profile tight end to run their chippy offense better, but I argue that depth at the position is much more important for them. When healthy, George Wrighster provides a good combination of blocking and pass-catching and Greg Estandia does much the same, though both struggled to stay on the field in 2007. Marcedes Lewis finally started to show some of the potential that made him a first round pick in 2006 and his ankle appears to be healed moving forward. The team still has big expectations for Lewis and believes in it’s backups (Estandia and Richard Angulo) so I’d be surprised to see them make a major move here.

WR: Obviously the Jaguars biggest weakness, they have far too many #2 and #3 receivers on this team. Dennis Northcutt was a questionable choice as a free agent #1 wide-out signing and he was a disappointment to those who believed in him. Young long-shots Charles Sharon and John Broussard were invisible, limiting this discussion to the same three receivers Jags fans (all 12 of us) have been discussing for three years now. Both former first round picks, the duo of Reggie Williams and Matt Jones coupled with Ernest Wilford have been pretty disappointing. The big problem with these three is that they all do primarily the same thing: they’re all tall, medium-speed, medium-hands guys that are big targets in the slot or in the redzone but are useless as far as long drives go. Williams showed the most promise, catching 10 of his 40 receptions for touch downs. Wilford is probably on his way out as a free agent. Matt Jones is the most intriguing one of the bunch, being a superfreak athletically and having a good head for the game. Coach Del Rio has made it clear that Jones is not his favorite receiver, primarily because of his shortcomings as a downfield blocker, a must in Del Rio’s system. Jones could fit well as a #3 receiver running routes across the middle for a team with above-average top WRs, and could be a good fit on a team like Dallas, Arizona, or Cincinatti (if the rumored Chris Henry or Chad Johnson move is true). Jones is under contract until 2010 but with very little guaranteed money, so he could be an offseason cut if his demeanor and style don’t improve. The Jags probably can’t cross their fingers for a top free agent to fall in their lap (there aren’t many to begin with, and those that are available [Drew Carter, Devery Henderson, Patrick Crayton, Bernard Berrian] are likely to re-sign or wouldn’t fit as a #1), so the Jags are left, once again, looking to the draft. With a late first round pick it will be tough to steal a receiver, and generally the type of receivers that last that long are of the mold the Jags have plenty of. The Jags need a ‘burner’ as their #1, someone with top-level speed that will require extra attention, freeing their less talented receivers to play one-on-one. Good luck with that, Del Rio, and here’s hoping one of said free agents loves sunny Florida.

Defense
The Jags lost defensive coordinator Mike Smith to the Falcons as their new Head Coach, so the biggest defensive change will be on the sidelines. Del Rio takes an active role in managing the defense, so any new coordinator is unlikely to be able to make large-scale personnel changes right away. Regardless, the Jags have an imposing D when healthy, especially against the run, so depth and pass rushing are their only real areas to improve.

D-Line: As mentioned, the Jags have the fiercest run-stopping duo in the league in John Henderson and Marcus Stroud. When healthy (and not suspended for steroid use), this tag team is a lethal combination of football IQ, strength, and speed, hammering any back that dares look through the middle. On the ends the Jags struggle, with Reggie Hayward, Bobby McCray, and Paul Spicer failing to hold up the pass-rush end of the D-line bargain. With the Jags reputation as a run stopping leviathan, the pass-rush becomes ever more important, and I could definately see the Jags using their first round pick on a DE. Phillip Merling of Clemson seems a popular choice for them at #27 on the most recent mock drafts.

Safety: Rookie Reggie Nelson played unbelievably well in his rookie year, living up to his first round pick status and reputation as a hard-hitting ball-hawker. The future is bright for Nelson, having lead all rookies with 5 INTs in 2007. Last offseason the Jags made the perplexing move of cutting strong safety Donovan Darius, a Jag fan favorite with loads of experience. Instead the job went to special teams guru Gerald Sensabaugh and Sammy Knight. While the Jags have faith in Sensabaugh, an improvement at strong safety could improve the entire secondary, making them just as feared as the Jags front line. Mike Doss and Gibril Wilson are both free agents and could add some much needed attitude to the position.

LB: It surprises me constantly that Jack Del Rio, a former linebacker and linebacker coach, has rarely spent a high-level pick on a linebacker (Daryl Smith being the exception, in the 2nd round in 2004). Mike Peterson is as good as they come in the middle, stopping the run and getting at opposing QBs, but he has had a lot of trouble staying healthy the past two years and probably requires a reliable backup. The outside linebackers are pretty inexperienced but have shown flashes of promise as a group. Justin Durant, Clint Ingram, and Brian Iwuh make up that group and one or two of them should emerge in the next couple years as a prime time player. With Peterson healthy Jacksonville has the option to move veteran Daryl Smith back to the outside, an option which greatly improves this part of the defense. There is not a pressing need to improve here as the success of the unit depends primarily on Peterson’s health, but the Jags should look for added depth.

DB: Rashean Mathis remains one of the best corners in the game despite a lack of picks this year, successfully shutting down the league’s best wideouts with regularity. One of the faster corners with some of the best hands, Mathis is a match-up problem for any team…just ask Randy Moss. Unfortunately the other half of the Jags corner situation allows teams to target away from Mathis…just ask Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth. Brian Williams and Terry Cousin split time on the field opposite Machine Mathis, and they are the most glaring hole in the Jaguars defense. While not awful by any stretch, they are average at best and negate the advantage gained by having such a great #1 corner. I’d love to see the Jags make a play for Asante Samuel to create the best corner combo in the league but realistically, the Jags have stayed well under the salary cap in the past and I have no reason to think they’ll do otherwise this year. Randal Gay and Marcus Trufant are also intriguing options.
Special Teams
The Jags spent a 4th round pick on punter Adam Podlesh in 2007 to replace Chris Hanson (SuperBowl-bound Chris Hanson, yes) so they are clearly not shy about improving their special teams through the draft. Josh Scobee has been unreliable throughout his tenure as a Jag and I’d hope Jacksonville looks to upgrade at the position, via late rounds of the draft or free agency. The duo of Mo-Jo and Northcutt for the return game is just fine by me.

The Jaguars don’t have any real glaring holes, though they could use upgrades at WR, Safety, Corner, and the right side of both lines. As far as priorities go, it’s always diffiult to tell with a frugal team and a late draft pick since offseason moves will be a result of what’s available more than what’s desired. The Jags left $19.1M unspent last year and drafted high-character players for depth at positions other than Reggie Nelson, and this has been a Jack Del Rio trademark. If I’m drafting, I’m looking for, in rounds 1 to 7 respectively, DE, WR, OL, QB, S, K, TE, and then look for a top-tier corner and maybe a right end in the free agent market. But I’m not an NFL coach, and I’m not a former USC Linebacker, USC Back Catcher (with Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire), Blue Jays draft pick, Miami Dolphin linebacker, and coach of the year candidate like my boy Jack Del Rio, so he has my trust moving forward.