Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars, Colts, Let’s get it on!

// October 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // David Garrard, Derek Cox, Marcedes Lewis, Maurice Jones Drew, Mike Sims-Walker, Pocket Hercules

You can throw out the record books when the Colts and Jaguars get together, which they will do this Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville. Since the whooping Peyton Manning and the Colts put on the Jaguars on Monday night back in 2007, all 5 games have been within 7 points or less. The Colts are 4-1 in those games, but each one could have easily gone the other way. The Jaguars always seem to play their best games when Indianapolis comes to town.

Last season, the Colts won 2 hard fought games: 14-12 in Week 1, and 35-31 on a Thursday night in Week 15. How close was that Week 15 game? An NFL Record 9 lead changes throughout the game. They also won in Jacksonville a week after beating Denver.

Hmmm…

The Jaguars come off a giant let-down of a game last weekend, getting smacked around by the Eagles 28-3. Stud RB Maurice Jones-Drew was held to 88 yards on 22 carries, and only 1 receiving yard on 2 catches. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s going to have more receiving yards this week. David Garrard also struggled mightily, barely getting in positive numbers in ANPY/A, 0.25 / Attempt, worst in the league last week. It was the 2nd week in a row Garrard was pretty bad, as he got yanked, then put back into duty after an injury to Luke McCown, against the Chargers.

So how do the two teams match-up? Let’s take a look…

Some keys from the stats:

I don’t know about you, but every time the Colts play the Jaguars, I’m infuriated at the fact that the Jaguars convert 3rd down after 3rd down by 2 or less yards.  It’s like death by paper cuts.  Despite being pretty poor at Drive Success Rate (DSR), they are pretty good at the other drive-related stats: Time of Possession / Drive, First Downs / Drive, and Plays / Drive.  The quickest way to get Jacksonville out of the game is to get them off the field on 3rd Down.  Oh, and watch for the 6 yard hitch patterns on the outside on 3rd and 5.  I call it the Tim Jennings Special.

Watch the Red Zone Efficiency again this week.  The Jaguars haven’t been too good so far this young season on either side of the ball, while the Colts have been fantastic.

The best stat for the Jaguars this year?  Net Punting Average.  Their special teams look to be pretty good.  Let’s hope that get a lot more practice covering punts.

These numbers don’t take into account schedule played, which according to the Winning Stats, the Jaguars have played the toughest schedule so far this year (Colts are #17).  When you adjust for opponents, the Jaguars become much better statistically (Non-Adj: 27th Overall, Adj: 13th).

Other things to watch:

Injuries on the Offensive Line.  Jeff Linkenbach didn’t play too bad last week, but that might be slightly skewed because of just how bad both Mike Pollak and Jamie Richard played.  It’d be really nice if Charlie Johnson came back this week healthy.  He practiced fully on Wednesday, so that’s a great sign.

I think Jack Del Rio is coaching for his job on Sunday.  Another blow out loss will mean his team has pretty clearly quit on him, and he’ll need to be replaced immediately.  Maybe the Colts will let them hang around just enough to let Del Rio keep his job, at least until they come to Indianapolis in Week 15.

The Jaguars defense is very familiar with Manning, intercepting at least 1 pass in 6 of the last 7 meetings between the teams.  He’s been extremely careful with the ball so far this season, but there always seems to be a bad bounce that gets intercepted against Jacksonville.  I’m betting we’ll see one this week too.

Both Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were bottled up pretty well last Sunday against the Broncos.  I haven’t had an opportunity to re-watch the game yet, so I’m not sure whether the Tackles were just really good, or whether they had lots of help.  More on that Friday.  Getting to Garrard on those 3rd down and mediums will be vital to the Colts success.

Prediction:

On paper, this doesn’t look like much of a game, as the Colts have significantly outperformed the Jaguars so far in 2010.  However, familiarity almost always wins out in this series, so I just can’t see a blowout.  Factor in that I think the Jaguars do care about their coach, so they’ll be playing hard to save his job.  I know most teams like to wait until the Bye week if they are going to fire their coach in-season, but that is still 5 weeks away, way too long in a league where every game matters.  I don’t see Del Rio making it much past next Tuesday, as the Colts will win handily, but certainly not easily.

Maurice Jones Drew at the Sirius XM Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft

// July 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Fantasy Football, Maurice Jones Drew, Player News, Pocket Hercules

SIRIUS XM 2010 CELEBRITY FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT
Hard Rock Cafe, Times Square NYC

Written by Evan Marx, exclusively for the TheFantasyFix.com

TheFantasyFix.com was privileged this year to be part of the press for the Sirius XM Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft held at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Some of the big names drafting were Jacksonville Jaguars’ Maurice Jones-Drew (MJD) , New York Mets Ex-GM/ESPN Baseball Analyst Steve Phillips , and ex-NHL star Jeremy Roenick .

The event kicked off with the Howard Stern Wrap Up Show live hosted by John Hein and Gary Dell’Abate (Baba Booey) . Gary known to be an avid Mets fan, was one of the guest celebrities of the draft and had the first pick. A huge baseball fan doesn’t equate to knowing anything about football, but lucky for him he had a whole posse giving him tips.

After the wrap-up show was over, we had a quick interlude from South Side Johnny. Now the fun begins…

All the celebrities were shuffled to the red carpet where we were waiting to pounce with questions out the wazoo.

Our first taste of blood was with “America’s Running Back” Maurice Jones Drew. MJD (@Jones_Drew32 ) immediately recognized TheFantasyFix.com (@thefantasyfix) because we had been tweeting with him all morning.

He was gracious and somewhat soft-spoken and gladly answered every question we had. Drew told us that he had been doing fantasy football ever since he joined the league five years ago and won two championships so far. When we asked what he was planning on doing with the number eight pick, he basically told us he was going to make every effort to trade-up for the three or four pick, that way he could get himself. Seeing as how Jay Thomas had the third pick and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo had the fourth pick, neither being fantasy experts, he seriously had a chance to make that happen.

Maurice had previously just told us he didn’t mind having a pick closer to the turn, but who could blame a man for wanting yourself on your own team. James and I, sadly realized that this would never be the case for us. After all, the chances of two scrawny white boys from the NJ burbs, ever playing more horseshoes or bocce ball was close to nil. But hey, at least we get to write about them and that’s pretty rewarding in itself.

Our last question to Jones was “Now that Lindsay Lohan is behind bars, do you feel safer at night?” This cracked him up, and he said in return “How is that news??”. Nothing better in life than making a pro athlete laugh…

Our next guest was the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo . Chris was a treat to talk to since I listen to him almost daily on Sirius Mad Dog Radio. He always has something to say and his voice is just as charismatic in real life as it is on the radio.

Chris admitted he really didn’t know the first thing about not only fantasy football, but fantasy sports in general. He told us that he was a “sports purist” and took issue to the fact that people were rooting for individual players instead of rooting for the team itself. But regardless of whether “Mad Dog” likes Fantasy Football, he knows his sports. Hell, a good portion of my daily sports knowledge comes from him!

I told him that if he was good with statistics and keeping up to date on all injuries (which he does), then he would do just fine. We may have another addicted fantasy player after this league. I also gave him a link to the The Fantasy Fix “Quick Fix”, in case he ever needed our help on a last minute decision.

Scott Ferrel (host of the Scott Ferrel Show on Howard 101) was again, as nice as peas. You’d think we were at a “nice convention”. Scott told us that he has been playing fantasy football for around 12 years and got hooked while in Vegas. When asked if he would take a QB in the first round, he hands down said “No way”. When asked if he liked Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, he said Rodgers because of his amazing running capabilities. So not to spoil the draft results below, but Brees was drafted number seven overall and Scott was able to get his boy Rodgers number 16, which was a steal.

Jeremy Roenick gave us a few minutes too and a nice insight into his thoughts for the season. “I think there are a lot of good players who will fall short this year.” Roenick quickly touched on Hockey having a lot to offer for Fantasy Sports but admitted it wasn’t the monster that Football has become.

Talking to Jay Thomas (Emmy award-winning actor & host of the Jay Thomas Show on Sirius XM) was like talking to an old friend. He showed up a little later than the rest of the celebrities but still gave us a good few minutes of sports talk right before the draft started. We spilled the beans about MJD possibly wanting to make a trade and Jay joked “He better have a big bag of money”.

The event was like being in a candy store. The event was catered and there was probably no more than 200 people there. The celebrities we right in front of us at all times and had I been smart I would have stolen MJD’s gum and sold it on ebay. There’s always next year…

World Cup in terms of the AFC South, the Jaguars are North Korea?

// June 15th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // AFC South, Gene Smith, Maurice Jones Drew, Tickets

Every four years, Americans’ annual summer-long gridiron football withdrawal is relieved (for those of us who are open-minded) by the World Cup—association football’s biggest event, something like the lovechild of the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

Before its final tournament, the Cup starts with a group stage, which, besides the whole “can’t-use-your-hands” thing, bears a striking resemblance to the NFL and its divisional structure.

Eight groups, four teams in each. Round-robin play. Top divisional dogs advance.

Inevitably, one or two of those groups bundles three or four of the world’s best teams together, pitting them against one another for two spots in the knockout stage. These are called, (melo)dramatically, “groups of death.”

The AFC South, to its credit, has a lot in common with Group G, the 2010 World Cup’s consensus group of death, which starts play Tuesday. Aside from the almost inevitable short-changing of a strong third-place team, the four in each make interesting parallels across the two kinds of football.

Indianapolis Colts: Brazil—Kaka is Brazilians’ Peyton Manning

Tons of commercials. Million-dollar smiles. High-profile—and playoff-underachieving—teams.

Oh, and Kaka and Peyton Manning both cost their owners several boatloads of money. Due for a contract extension, Manning figures to hit up his boss, Colts owner Bill Polian, for a cool $20 million salary, with $50 million up front as a signing bonus.

Meanwhile, Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid recently forked over around $94 million for the right to swipe Kaka from Italian club A.C. Milan, then negotiated to pay him $12.7 million per year.

Also, Indianapolis and Brazil’s high-powered offenses would be completely dysfunctional without their respective stars.

In the same way that Manning distributes the ball to the Colts’ many capable receivers, Kaka is the central cog for his national team in his role as an attacking midfielder.

And, in the same way that Brazil leads the Group G pack despite a few warts, Indianapolis’ disheartened 2009 runners-up should still be considered the odds-on favorite to win the AFC South.

Tennessee Titans: Portugal—Chris Johnson + Hair Gel = Cristiano Ronaldo

They sport different looks, but Portugal’s talismanic forward and the Titans’ All-Pro running back have the same basic talent: ungodly game speed.

Johnson runs as though his trademark dreadlocks are on fire, darting through holes between defenders and daring them to catch him after he dashes by.

Ronaldo, similarly, flies past opponents with the ball seemingly strapped to his sprinting feet, timing his steps and strikes so perfectly that his dribbling looks as effortless as jogging.

Even with these superstars, however, both Portugal and Tennessee have struggled to come out on top in the playoffs.

Quadrennial contenders, the Portuguese have never finished better than third (1966) in a World Cup. Their fourth-place campaign in the 2006 tournament is cause for optimism, but they have yet to prove capable of putting a team together that can effectively ride Ronaldo’s pace.

The Titans, similarly, have come up agonizingly short in recent strong seasons, including a Super Bowl loss in 2000 and a divisional playoff exit in 2008 as the AFC’s top seed.

Johnson’s 2,509 yards from scrimmage last year were as impressive as Ronaldo’s 31 goals in 34 games for elite English club Manchester United in 2007—league records, both—but these teams will need more than awesome individual efforts to rise above their also-ran histories.

Houston Texans: Ivory Coast—Injured Talent, Limited Success

One is a West African coastal nation of 20 million people—only 2 million more than the state of Florida. The other is a 2002 expansion team, rebuilt over the past four years under head coach Gary Kubiak after stumbling out of the gates.

Apples and oranges, to be sure. Still, Cote d’Ivoire and the Houston Texans have one abundant resource in common: super-talented players.

In round-ball football, Ivory Coast stars, including Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, and brothers Yaya and Kalou Toure, form the backbone of elite clubs in top-tier leagues, such as Chelsea, Manchester City, and Barcelona. On paper, the Elephants are more than capable on the attack and in defense.

On the gridiron, the Texans can match anyone all-star for all-star. Wide receiver Andre Johnson is arguably the NFL’s best at his position. Running back Steve Slaton stormed onto the professional scene as a rookie fantasy football standout in 2008.

Quarterback Matt Schaub, like Drogba, is an All-Pro talent whose still-young career has been hamstrung by nagging injury concerns.

For all the promise these teams have shown in the build-up to their respective competitions, though, neither has broken into the playoffs, to the disappointment of their rabid, hopeful fan bases.

(Cote d’Ivoire may hold a bit more clout than Houston. A plea by Drogba for peace in 2006 resulted in a ceasefire between warring factions in his country’s civil war. Never underestimate the power of football, whichever kind.)

Jacksonville Jaguars: North Korea? Oddly True—and That’s a Good Thing!

To be clear, there are no parallels between Jacksonville general manager Gene Smith and entrenched North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, nor between Jong-il and head coach Jack Del Rio.

Nor have the Jaguars attempted to smuggle a player onto their roster under a different position, as the North Koreans did by listing forward Kim Myong-won as a goalkeeper. (He’ll only be allowed to play as a goalie, according to FIFA.)

Unless, of course, you count Tim Couch’s brief attempt to pass for an NFL quarterback last year.

But Jacksonville fans might sympathize with soccer supporters in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. Both groups have been reduced to pirating out-of-market TV broadcasts to see their home team, with South Korean broadcaster SBS recently accusing the Democratic People’s Republic of “hacking.”

The North Korean players’ indefatigable self-confidence, too, rings a bell. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew insisted, as a guest pollster last season for a power poll by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky, that the inexperienced Jaguars should be considered a Super Bowl contender.

Recently, North Korean forward Jong Tae-Se told reporters that he will “score one goal per game” and that, “In our group, it will be Brazil and North Korea who will advance.”

Such self-belief, even in the face of overwhelming off-the-cuff public skepticism, is what drove Gene Smith make to bold decisions, such as drafting defensive lineman Tyson Alualu tenth overall. Whatever vast differences exist between them, Jacksonville and North Korea have that much in common.

Of course, neither the Jaguars nor the North Koreans are odds-on favorites to emerge ahead of their respective rivals—but, in both the NFL and the World Cup, anything can happen.

Aaron Kampman is the leader the Jaguars need

// June 14th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Aaron Kampman, Maurice Jones Drew, Pocket Hercules

When the Jaguars signed free agent defensive end Aaron Kampman to a four-year, $26 million contract, the price tag included the expectation that the former Green Bay Packer would become a leader in a locker room that needed a veteran presence.

In just three months, and despite Kampman still recovering from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament injury (the Jaguars will likely limit him to once-a-day practices in training camp), he’s making a significant impression on teammates. Veteran defensive ends Reggie Hayward and Attiyah Ellison vouch for Kampman, saying he encourages teammates in a positive way and isn’t afraid to speak up in a civil tone if he sees something isn’t being done right.

One Jaguar put it this way: “[Kampman] gets on people’s butts the right way.” This young team desperately craves a forceful leader, especially on defense. Kampman, 30, has the career resume and personality to fill that void. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew summed it up well, saying: “He’s had double-digit sacks every year in a 4-3 [defense]. That’s a reason to listen to him, isn’t it?” …

How the National Media Views the Jacksonville Jaguars

// June 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // Aaron Kampman, Coaching Staff, David Garrard, Maurice Jones Drew, Mike Sims-Walker, NFL Draft, Playoffs??? Playoffs!!!?, Rashean Mathis, Thanks Wayne Weaver, jack del rio

Why Your Team Won’t Win the Super Bowl: Jacksonville Jaguars Edition.
Nick Signorelli by
Nick Signorelli
Senior Writer Written on June 13, 2010
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/405022-why-your-team-wont-win-the-super-bowl?search_query=jaguars%20why

No, I am not picking on just the Jacksonville Jaguars! This is a series that I am doing for all 32 of the NFL teams, Why Your Team Won’t Win The Super Bowl.

To me, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the strangest teams to figure out. During the NFL’s last expansion, instead of putting a team in the second largest market in America, LA, the powers that be decided to put the franchise in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Jaguars have had numerous problems selling out home games, and have had many games blacked out,for lack of ticket sales.

They have even had games where they would section off parts of the stadium so that people would not see the empty seats.

In my opinion, forget about all the talk about the Rams or the Vikings moving to Los Angeles when their leases are up at their current buildings. In my opinion, it is going to be the Jaguars.

This is not to disrespect the fans of Jacksonville in any way. I actually feel sorry for any city that loses their team. But I honestly believe from the top down the Jaguars are looking to make a change.

For starters this offseason we had the verbal spatting between head coach Jack Del Rio and owner Wayne Weaver over Del Rio’s interest in coaching the USC Trojans when Pete Carroll left to coach the Seahawks.

Del Rio is a former player and coach at USC, and I would be willing to bet the mortgage that the powers that be at USC would have taken Del Rio over Lane Kiffin in a second.

Del Rio has been the Jaguars second coach, only to Tom Coughlin, since the inception of the Jaguars in 1995.

He has made some curious decisions, such as allowing Byron Leftwich to walk out the door and to hand the reigns of the franchise to David Garrard.

Garrard is a decent player, but has yet to prove that he is any where near good enough to lead the Jaguars into the future successfully. And Jacksonville has done nothing to bring in competition for him, or address the situation in the draft.

The defensive line has struggled, even though Aaron Kampman was brought in to help the younger players.

Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker are two potential superstars, but without a quality offensive line or quarterback, neither one’s skills will reach full potential as long as they are in Jacksonville.

Though there are some bright spots for the Jaguars, there are just too many holes for this team to make a serious run at the Lombardi this year.

My prediction: 5-11, last place in the AFC South.

Jacksonville Jaguars Roster Rankings

// May 5th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // David Garrard, Derek Cox, ESPN, Gene Smith, Josh Scobee, Maurice Jones Drew, Mike Sims-Walker, Scouting

By Charlie Bernstein
Editor-In-Chief of JagNation.com
Posted May 5, 2010

http://buzztap.com/link.jsp?id=1478979&cid=26&source=feed

The first weekend of mini-camp is over and virtually no roster decisions will or have been made. That said, we will add to the baseless speculation upon what the final roster will look like as we rank the Jaguars current roster, 1-67 (we’ve omitted undrafted rookies).

We credit this story idea to ESPN Chicago columnist Michael Wright, who ran a similar column breaking down the Chicago Bears roster

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB
2. Daryl Smith, LB
3. Mike Sims-Walker, WR
4. Terrance Knighton, DT
5. Rashean Mathis, CB
6. Marcedes Lewis, TE
7. Eugene Monroe, OT
8. Aaron Kampman, DE
9. Tyson Alualu, DT
10. Derrick Harvey, DE

11. Derek Cox, CB
12. Justin Durant, LB
13. David Garrard, QB
14. Eben Britton, OT
15. Kirk Morrison, LB
16. Vince Manuwai, OG
17. Greg Jones, FB
18. Uche Nwaneri, OG
19. D’Anthony Smith, DT
20. Josh Scobee, K

21. Mike Thomas, WR
22. Kassim Osgood, WR
23. Reggie Hayward, DE
24. Luke McCown, QB
25. Tyron Brackenridge, CB
26. Gerald Alexander, S
27. Zach Miller, TE
28. Brad Meester, C
29. Larry Hart, OLB
30. Atiyyah Ellison, DT

31. Russell Allen, LB
32. Adam Podlesh, P
33. Jordan Black, OT
34. Rashad Jennings, RB
35. Freddy Keiaho, LB
36. Austin Lane, DE
37. Kynan Forney, OG
38. Montell Owens, FB
39. Ernest Wilford, TE
40. Reggie Nelson, S

41. Jarett Dillard, WR
42. Scott Starks, CB
43. Anthony Smith, S
44. Jeremy Mincey, DE
45. Cameron Stephenson, OL
46. Jeremy Cain, LS
47. Sean Considine, S
48. Nate Hughes, WR
49. Deji Karim, RB
50. Don Carey, CB

51. William Middleton, CB
52. Brock Bolen, FB
53. Scotty McGee, RS
54. Julius Williams, DE
55. Jeremy Navarre, DE
56. Cecil Newton, C
57. Courtney Greene, S
58. Walter Curry, DL
59. Zach Potter, TE
60. Tiquan Underwood, WR

61. Michael Coe, CB
62. Chris Harrington, DE
63. Paul McQuistan, OL
64. Andrew Crummey, OL
65. Allen Patrick, RB
66. Bryan Smith, LB*

Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Draft 2010 > 3rd Rounders to look out for.

// April 23rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Commentary, David Garrard, Gene Smith, Maurice Jones Drew, NFL Draft, Pocket Hercules, Scouting, Senior Bowl

Looking at the players around the Jacksonville Jaguars third round pick, it looks like we can get a quality starter!

Mardy Gilyard is a straight game breaker. I think he will go in the Second Round personally.

As noted many times on this blog, CB Parrish Cox would boslter the worst big play defensive in football last year.

Jacoby Ford rand a 4.28. he would automatically be the second fatest Jaguar behind Maurice Jones Drew.

Brandon Spikes would sell Jerseys and lead the defense for many years.

Tony Pike has a great arm, but chokes away the big game. Could it be any worse than a Garrard fumble in the 4th Quarter. Probably not.

3rd Round Mock Draft

67. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
The Buccaneers need a receiver and Gilyard is tricky fast who is able to get deep or work underneath out of the slot.

71. Cleveland Browns
Chad Jones, S, LSU
Jones is also a baseball player and has good ball skills. He brings size and range to the position.

72. Buffalo Bills
Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
LaFell is a big possession receiver to help replace Terrell Owens. At LSU, LaFell had a productive career, catching 175 passes and getting 26 touchdowns.

73. Miami Dolphins
Cam Thomas, DT, North Carolina
The Dolphins grabbed Sergio Kindle in the first round, did not have a second-round pick and are lucky here to get a wide body to play the nose tackle spot while Jason Ferguson serves an eight-game suspension.

74. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jon Asamoah, G/C, Illinois
The Jaguars had to wait from pick No. 10 to No. 74, and they still get a guy who can help at any inside spot on the offensive line.

75. Chicago Bears
Zane Beadles, OT, Utah
This is the first pick of the draft for the Bears, who need help at right tackle. Some say Beadles is a guard, but as one coach said, “He always blocks his guy.” That’s more than I can say for some of the Bears linemen recently.

76. New York Giants
Joe McKnight, RB, Southern California
The Giants were a much better offense when they had Derrick Ward in a three-man rotation. McKnight would blend in well with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

77. Tennessee Titans
Jason Worilds, LB, Virginia Tech
Whether Keith Bulluck returns or not from injury, the Titans need to get younger at outside linebacker. Worilds is a terrific special teams guy with Elvis Dumervil-type rush skills.

78. Carolina Panthers
Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson
Ford has world-class speed, having run a 4.28 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine. He can take advantage of opposing defenses that will focus on stopping the run and roll coverages to Steve Smith.

79. San Francisco 49ers
Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
Alex Smith hasn’t locked down the quarterback job long-term, David Carr is not the answer and Pike can really throw the ball. He moves well for a 6-foot-6 guy.

80. Denver Broncos
Anthony McCoy, TE, Southern California
As expected, Tony Scheffler was dealt before the draft even took place. Here, the Broncos can get a complete tight end with blocking skills as well as receiving skills to replace Scheffler.

81. Houston Texans
Al Woods, DT, LSU
At 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds, Woods is a decent “one-technique” tackle to play in a rotation, especially on run downs.

Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Draft 2010 >> Tyson Alualu > First Round Pick > DT > California

// April 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // College Football, Gene Smith, Jaguar History, Maurice Jones Drew, NFL Draft, Player News, Senior Bowl, Tebow, Thanks Wayne Weaver, jack del rio

Despite Tebow Nation’s notion that they know better than the Jacksonville Jaguars latest savior Gene Smith, the Jacksonville Jaguars zigged when everyone expected them to zag. Choosing to follow Jacksonville Jaguars ex-coach Tom Coughlin’s recipe for front seven dominance, Jacksonville decided to go Stroud-Henderson 2.0 and pair up Tyson Alualu with second year, one man wrecking crew, Terrance Knighton.

Even though it was apparent that Jacksonville could have traded down with San Diego, as they jumped to the 12 spot to grab Fresno State RB Ryan Matthews, I feel the Jacksonville Jaguars had their man, and they took him. Hearing Jacksonville Jaguars’s Gene Smith talk about him was to hear a man who had just gotten a new BMW M series for Christmas.

The newest Jacksonville Jaguar Tyson Alualu may be the ultimate character guy, relative to our culture here on the mainland. I could get into it, but it will be well documented in the Jacksonville media. Born and bread in Hawaiian culture, he is not subject to the diva-esque trappings that so many “Professional Athletes” suffer from. (See Reggie Nelson.) Another team I follow has added numerous American Samoans, you can see the rest of the team rally around them as they live and die with each passing play. It has lead to a Division Championship and a playoff birth. It is a culture that stresses teamwork and working together for the greater good. Something our government should take a long look at.

I applaud the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pick, as I’m sure if there was a trade to be had, Gene Smith would have pulled the trigger. Mel Kiper isn’t hiding extras brains in all that hair, just look at Jimmy Clausen. How did Did Mel Kiper’s ranking and clairvoyance work out for the “Best Quarterback in the Draft.” He woke up today in the same spot he was yesterday, knowing all 32 teams passed on him.

The only other question I have is did fellow Califonia alum Maurice Jone-Drew have a say in this pick? Pocket Hercules gets a vote if I were Wayne Weaver.

Check out some of the videos and check back here for the Jacksonville Jaguars Round Two and Three picks.

Tyson Alualu Highlights from jack bauer on Vimeo.

Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Draft 2010 > CJ Spiller from First Coast News High School Football

// April 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // College Football, Derek Cox, Maurice Jones Drew, NFL Draft, Pocket Hercules, Scouting, Senior Bowl

Local product CJ Spiller would take the pressure off Pocket Hercules

There has been alot of talk about the Jaguars drafting CJ Spiller as some trades further up the draft board have allowed him to “possibly” slip to Jacksonville at #10. My personal feeling is while he would be a wicked addition as a One-Two punch with our beloved Pocket Hercules, The Geek thinks it’s all a smoke screen to garner trade bait to reclaim the second round pick we gave up for Derrick Cox last year.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars did take our hometown boy, i still think it would be a very, very good pick as the last time we had two #1 tailbacks, we got to the Championship game.

After watching some combine tape, I’m a fan of Jason Pierre Paul of USF. We need better coverage and or a better pass rush.

Here is the breakdown of CJ Spiller …

C.J. Spiller Scouting Report by Matt Horkman

Pros: Explosive player that is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Versatile. Will contribute as a runner, receiver and return man.
Cons: Can he run between the tackles? Probably not a true workhorse back. Doesn’t have great size.
Overall: Playmaker with a ton of talent. The true definition of an all-purpose player. Just as big as a threat as a receiver/return man as he is in the backfield. However, he isn’t Chris Johnson 2.0, but will still be very enticing to teams picking in the top half of round one.

Jacksonville Draft 2010 > Why Jacksonville needs a Second Round Pick

// April 9th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // College Football, Gene Smith, Jacksonvill Jaguars in the Community, Maurice Jones Drew, NFL Draft, NFL Network, Scouting

So as you can imagine I’ve been pouring over draft boards looking for value picks and trying to figure out what the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to do. I have to admit it’s pretty frustrating for Jacksonville not having a second round pick. As lifelong fan of the NFL, some of the best skill players come out of the second round.

Don’t believe me? Well how about a guy name Maurice Jones Drew. This Jaguar is  rubbing elbows with arguably the the most popular first lady since Jackie Onasis and who is quickly becoming one of the darlings of Rich Eisen and the NFL network. He made it to us from California, by way of the Second Round.

Good for our Jaguars, GREAT for Jacksonville.

What Jacksonville Jaguar came in the first round of the draft that year? Marcedes Lewis. Good player who has taken a few years away from that draft to blossom, but has he had the impact that Maurice Jones Drew has had?! Not quite.

As disappointing as not having a second round pick in the 2010 draft has been, knowing that we Got Derrick Cox who has turned out to be AT LEAST a #2 corner only bolsters my faith in Gene Smith. Would I give up a second rounder for Derrick Cox right now. Definitely!

Ideally I’d like to get trade our 1st rounder and 3rd rounder (or preferably a 4th) for 2 Second Rounders. Would You rather have 2 Maurice Jones Drews, or a Marcedes Lewis and Clint Ingram from 2006? Or how about a Matt Jones and Scott Starks from 2005?

As an aside, alot of my fellow Bloggers come up with these dream scenarios where we trade Greg Jones for a second rounder. Grow Up Jacksonville bloggers!

Looking at the 2010 NFL Draft, Jacksonville’s reality is they most likely won;t have a second rounder in the draft. I took a look at how many receivers went in the first two rounds of the 2009 draft last year which was 8. So here are the receivers ranked 8-15 that may come our way in the 3rd round.

Don’t want a wideout in the third round? Well you number 1 receiver come by way of the Third Round, Mike Sims-Walker. Check the post below!