Blogging the Offseason worked so well for the MLB that I'm bringing it back for the NFL. You can find all the posts under the label Offseason or just go here.
Today's blogger is Terry from the Jacksonville Jaguars blog, Black & Teal.
1. David Garrard "made" the Pro Bowl this season, despite only throwing for 15 tds. What do you think his absolute best season could be? Will he ever throw for 25+ tds?
David threw for 2,500 yards and 18 TD’s for a QB rating of 102 in 2007. That earned him a big contract. Since then, his receivers changed and his offensive line deteriorated. He is not good at getting away from pressure and the line play and his play combine for 125 QB hits. That means his skills will deteriorate with the accumulation of punishment. These are the big Ifs for David, if the line can establish the run so that play action passes are available, David could throw for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. His QB rating could be 100+ again since he is adverse to throwing interceptions. He doesn’t have the receivers to accumulate the yards and the team is returning to a running focus. He has 2 good years left and the Jaguars need a replacement groomed soon.
2. Mike Sims-Walker emerged as the Jaguars go to receiver in 2009, where did he come from? What do you expect from him in 2010 and are there any hidden gems on your roster that we should expect to see bloom in 2010?
Marcedes Lewis had a great 2009 campaign and is both a force for blocking and catching. I think he is a great candidate to surprise this year, his progression points to that. Jarret Dillard is a very exciting wide receiver that broke his ankle early in the year, but his highlight catch was a 25 yarder over the middle going up so high to grab it. Mike Thomas is a slippery receiver that follows his blocking well. Those are the only gem potential on the roster.
As for Mike Sims-Walker, he came from central Florida with a knee injury. He didn’t have a good senior season because of that injury and was passed over in the draft until the third round when the Jaguars took him. He tried to come back too early and injured it again for his rookie year. His second year showed new health problems as well. Finally everything landed well for him last year and he returned to his junior year in college form. He was a risky draft bet that healed well. We called him Mike “I Need a” Walker.
As for 2010, the team will have a mix of running and passing. The run sets up the pass. Maurice Jones Drew has a 2,000 yard season in him and just needed 5 or 6 more blocks to make that happen. MSW will be the featured WR.
3. The Jaguars are in a coin toss for the 10th pick, what luck charms will you be pulling out on coin flip day? And whether the Jags pick be the 10th or the 11th, what position do you think they will look to address? Do you have a player you hope they end up with?
There are three players we hope to land in the draft, Eric Berry (S, Tennessee), Joe Haden (CB, Florida), and Rolando McClain (LB Alabama). We see no other top ten picks that will have a chance to be available we would want, except combine may change minds on that. Rolando McClain is why we need the coin toss to go in our favor. Denver might go receiver, but if they are smart, those three guys are on their radar as well with McClain the probable guy.
4. Outside of their first round pick, do you have any players you hope the Jaguars select in the latter rounds?
I like Mike Johnson (guard out of Alabama and Kyle Calloway, guard out of Iowa. I think if we stock the offensive line, we are doing ourselves a big favor.
5. After Sims-Walker it appears as if you have a void at wideout with Holt being cut and Troy Williamson & Ernest Wilford being free agents. Who is going to makeup the remainder of the wideouts in 2010?
Watch Jarret Dillard, Troy Williamson and Mike Thomas. One of those three and maybe two of them will emerge. Jarret and Mike had their rookie season in 2009.
6. Jack Del Rio was not let go at the end of the season. Do you agree with this decision? Do you think if he doesn't get it done this year that he's gone?
Jack rode the 2007 season to a point of having all the power and money in the organization and then squandered it all. He is becoming marginalized. Everyone and I mean everyone understands he is not a $5 million coach. He has produced a playoff team before and he might do it again. He is not a bad coach, as long as he is limited to coaching. I think the overall feeling is one of being let down by Jack and he has a long way to go to redeem himself. With the money he made in Jacksonville, he doesn’t have to work a day in his life, so does he care? We don’t know. Jacksonville will respond with an explosion of enthusiasm when a new coach is hired. Jack has a way of deflecting blame that has run out now. History will show he was a bad coaching hire.
7. This was the first season that Jones-Drew was the sole man in the backfield and he proved up to the challenge. Do you think he can improve upon the 1391 yards he put up last year?
Yes, his blocking was not there. He was prevented from getting more yards by bad blocking. His power to break tackles and his speed to outrun the secondary is amazing. Plus he blocks and catches passes. He is a touchdown machine whether he gets the ball or not. Jones-Drew is a 2,000 yard back that is a more complete player than Adrian Peterson.
8. The Jaguars were just 23rd in Team Defense in 2009. What went wrong and what does the team need to improve on in the offseason to get that number back to near the league top?
14 sacks. A top 5 all time low number. Very few teams in the history of the NFL have been as bad as Jacksonville in putting pressure on the QB. Completion percentages records were set by everyone the Jaguars faced. If you can’t make the QB move out of the pocket, you are playing a scrimmage game. That is the number one reason. After we solve that, I can detail the rookie CB, Derek Cox, as having a learning season, and Reggie Nelson at Safety struggled in 4 – 5 games. The defensive backfield has gaps and rushing has gaps. See our preference for top 10 draft picks as to the solution.
9. There's always rumors about LA or Vegas or other cities searching for an NFL team and the first team to be mentioned for moving is always the Jaguars due to the relatively poor attendance. Do you think the Jaguars will stay in Jacksonville? Why does this community seem to do a poor job supporting the franchise?
Jacksonville is among the smallest NFL cities with one of the largest unemployment rates. Couple that with a 5-11 2008 season that was horrible to watch and you get apathy and financial survival. Jacksonville was 13th in attendance not long ago. The Florida Gators were making history down the road and people had to choose Florida or Jacksonville tickets. Things are changing for the positive and you will see signs of improvement this year. The team will stay in Jacksonville for 2010. If someone moves to LA before then, they will stay forever.
10. The Jaguars will win the division in 2014.
Today's blogger is Terry from the Jacksonville Jaguars blog, Black & Teal.
1. David Garrard "made" the Pro Bowl this season, despite only throwing for 15 tds. What do you think his absolute best season could be? Will he ever throw for 25+ tds? David threw for 2,500 yards and 18 TD’s for a QB rating of 102 in 2007. That earned him a big contract. Since then, his receivers changed and his offensive line deteriorated. He is not good at getting away from pressure and the line play and his play combine for 125 QB hits. That means his skills will deteriorate with the accumulation of punishment. These are the big Ifs for David, if the line can establish the run so that play action passes are available, David could throw for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. His QB rating could be 100+ again since he is adverse to throwing interceptions. He doesn’t have the receivers to accumulate the yards and the team is returning to a running focus. He has 2 good years left and the Jaguars need a replacement groomed soon.
2. Mike Sims-Walker emerged as the Jaguars go to receiver in 2009, where did he come from? What do you expect from him in 2010 and are there any hidden gems on your roster that we should expect to see bloom in 2010?
Marcedes Lewis had a great 2009 campaign and is both a force for blocking and catching. I think he is a great candidate to surprise this year, his progression points to that. Jarret Dillard is a very exciting wide receiver that broke his ankle early in the year, but his highlight catch was a 25 yarder over the middle going up so high to grab it. Mike Thomas is a slippery receiver that follows his blocking well. Those are the only gem potential on the roster.
As for Mike Sims-Walker, he came from central Florida with a knee injury. He didn’t have a good senior season because of that injury and was passed over in the draft until the third round when the Jaguars took him. He tried to come back too early and injured it again for his rookie year. His second year showed new health problems as well. Finally everything landed well for him last year and he returned to his junior year in college form. He was a risky draft bet that healed well. We called him Mike “I Need a” Walker.
As for 2010, the team will have a mix of running and passing. The run sets up the pass. Maurice Jones Drew has a 2,000 yard season in him and just needed 5 or 6 more blocks to make that happen. MSW will be the featured WR.
3. The Jaguars are in a coin toss for the 10th pick, what luck charms will you be pulling out on coin flip day? And whether the Jags pick be the 10th or the 11th, what position do you think they will look to address? Do you have a player you hope they end up with?
There are three players we hope to land in the draft, Eric Berry (S, Tennessee), Joe Haden (CB, Florida), and Rolando McClain (LB Alabama). We see no other top ten picks that will have a chance to be available we would want, except combine may change minds on that. Rolando McClain is why we need the coin toss to go in our favor. Denver might go receiver, but if they are smart, those three guys are on their radar as well with McClain the probable guy.
4. Outside of their first round pick, do you have any players you hope the Jaguars select in the latter rounds?
I like Mike Johnson (guard out of Alabama and Kyle Calloway, guard out of Iowa. I think if we stock the offensive line, we are doing ourselves a big favor.
5. After Sims-Walker it appears as if you have a void at wideout with Holt being cut and Troy Williamson & Ernest Wilford being free agents. Who is going to makeup the remainder of the wideouts in 2010?
Watch Jarret Dillard, Troy Williamson and Mike Thomas. One of those three and maybe two of them will emerge. Jarret and Mike had their rookie season in 2009.
6. Jack Del Rio was not let go at the end of the season. Do you agree with this decision? Do you think if he doesn't get it done this year that he's gone?Jack rode the 2007 season to a point of having all the power and money in the organization and then squandered it all. He is becoming marginalized. Everyone and I mean everyone understands he is not a $5 million coach. He has produced a playoff team before and he might do it again. He is not a bad coach, as long as he is limited to coaching. I think the overall feeling is one of being let down by Jack and he has a long way to go to redeem himself. With the money he made in Jacksonville, he doesn’t have to work a day in his life, so does he care? We don’t know. Jacksonville will respond with an explosion of enthusiasm when a new coach is hired. Jack has a way of deflecting blame that has run out now. History will show he was a bad coaching hire.
7. This was the first season that Jones-Drew was the sole man in the backfield and he proved up to the challenge. Do you think he can improve upon the 1391 yards he put up last year?
Yes, his blocking was not there. He was prevented from getting more yards by bad blocking. His power to break tackles and his speed to outrun the secondary is amazing. Plus he blocks and catches passes. He is a touchdown machine whether he gets the ball or not. Jones-Drew is a 2,000 yard back that is a more complete player than Adrian Peterson.
8. The Jaguars were just 23rd in Team Defense in 2009. What went wrong and what does the team need to improve on in the offseason to get that number back to near the league top?
14 sacks. A top 5 all time low number. Very few teams in the history of the NFL have been as bad as Jacksonville in putting pressure on the QB. Completion percentages records were set by everyone the Jaguars faced. If you can’t make the QB move out of the pocket, you are playing a scrimmage game. That is the number one reason. After we solve that, I can detail the rookie CB, Derek Cox, as having a learning season, and Reggie Nelson at Safety struggled in 4 – 5 games. The defensive backfield has gaps and rushing has gaps. See our preference for top 10 draft picks as to the solution.
9. There's always rumors about LA or Vegas or other cities searching for an NFL team and the first team to be mentioned for moving is always the Jaguars due to the relatively poor attendance. Do you think the Jaguars will stay in Jacksonville? Why does this community seem to do a poor job supporting the franchise?
Jacksonville is among the smallest NFL cities with one of the largest unemployment rates. Couple that with a 5-11 2008 season that was horrible to watch and you get apathy and financial survival. Jacksonville was 13th in attendance not long ago. The Florida Gators were making history down the road and people had to choose Florida or Jacksonville tickets. Things are changing for the positive and you will see signs of improvement this year. The team will stay in Jacksonville for 2010. If someone moves to LA before then, they will stay forever.
10. The Jaguars will win the division in 2014.
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