THE STATE OF THE JAGUARS

      Mid August in North Florida has again arrived.  The tropics are getting active, the heat is oppressive,the kids are getting ready for another school year, and the collective attention of the greatest football fans in the country
 turns a hopeful gaze to downtown Jacksonville.  This year promises to be a turning point for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gone are the days of  Shaq Harris' incompetent personnel decisions, enter the new era with Gene Smith,
 groomed by Wayne Weaver, and his new Jaguar order.  This off-season marked the departure of perhaps the team leaders on both sides of the ball.  The torch has been passed from Fred Taylor to Maurice Jones Drew, it is
 now MJD's turn to be the centerpiece to the Jaguar offense, accompanied by wholesale changes to the rest of the unit, David Garrard is sure to lead a fresh attack this campaign.  Longtime defensive leader Mike Peterson is
off to Atlanta leaving a unit that was still sorely missing Marcus Stroud.  Yes, a new era has arrived Jaguar Fans, but when your done grumbling let me make a case to why there's hope for this season.
     On his 74th birthday, Jaguar owner Wayne Weaver held a press conference announcing the resignation of Harris and thus putting coach Jack Del Rio on the hot seat this year.  During the press conference Weaver
expressed his displeasure of the direction his team had taken, and outlined the goals for the 2009 season.  He voiced the teams commitment to building through the draft, and perhaps forgoing high priced free agents, and
outlined some particular personnel goals.  He called for a rebuilding of the offensive line,  another force on the deffensive front to compliment "Big John",  better play from the quarterback position, and a retooling of the
receiving corps.  Four simple personnel goals that i believe made the difference between 5-11 and 11-5 in 2008.  Goals that certainly set the tone for the past off-season.
     Maurice Jones Drew is now the featured player in the Jaguar attack,  and  Dirk Koetter has had him playing everything but defense in camp.  Behind Drew the competition to share carries is intense,  Greg Jones has made a
name for himself as a hard nosed ball-carrier in his time in Jacksonville, and rookie Rashad Jennings has been creating some buzz since he joined the team.  Chauncey Washington, and Alvin Pearman also brought their skills
to camp hoping to let Greg Jones concentrate on the fullback position.  They will be working behind a talented offensive line rebuilt on executive order.   Three time pro-bowl tackle Tra Thomas, join eighth overall pick Eugene
Monroe,  and second round pick Eben Britton, also tackles were brought in to answer Weaver's call and perhaps give the Jaguars their best line since Tony Boseli and Leon Searcy dominated defensive fronts.  Center Brad Meester
returns to lead the group, and veterans  Tony Pashos [tackle], Jordan Black [tackle], Vince Manuwai [guard], Uche Nwaneri [guard], and Dennis Norman [utility] will compete for playing time as well as provide depth across
the line.  David Garrard returns to the helm hoping to return to his 2007 form , when he was remarkably efficient.  He will have a completely rebuilt group of receivers to choose from this season as the Jaguars, as ordered by,
Weaver cut their losses on past mistakes and cleaned house in this unit.  MJD will of course be a major target as will Marcedes Lewis who made strides as a receiver last season. Training camp star Mike Walker and trac star Troy
 Williamson survived the off-season exodus and likely will compete for the number two reciever spot.  Seven time pro-bowl wide receiver Tory Holt will be the top target, trying to bounce back from a bad year in 2008, but to be
fair to Holt the Rams were horrible.  Rookies Mike Thomas, Tiquan Underwood, and Jarett Dillard also are in camp competing for playing time.  In summary the Jaguar attack should be exciting and potent.
     The defense was not immune to the off-season housecleaning, free agent flop Drayton Florence [cornerback], and veteran Jag Gerald Sensabaugh, joined Petersons departure leaving for other destinations throughout the
league.  The deffensive front returns two time pro-bowl tackle  "Big John" Henderson,  a force in the trenches.  Veteran end Reggie Hayward, and 2008 first round pick Derrick Harvey also return hoping to improve on their
2008 performance.  Veterans Rob Meier, Derek Landri, and Montavious Stanley will be competing along with rookie third round pick Terrance Knighton for the tackle slot opposite Henderson.  Quintin Groves, James Wyche,
and Jeremy Mincey will provide depth at end.  Daryl Smith likely shifts to middle linebacker where he played nicely in 2007 when Peterson was injured. Talented linebackers Justin Durant and Clint Ingram will get the first shot
at the outside linebacker jobs. Their competition and depth will be provided by a young group of backers led by second year guys Thomas Williams, and Tim Shaw.  Brian Williams shifts back to his natural cornerback position
forming a solid duo with star corner Rashean Mathis.  Reggie Nelson was on his way to becoming a solid NFL safetey, but has yet to show the talent that made him a first round pick.  Former Jaguar Marlon McCree returns to
compete with newcomers Gerald Alexander, and special teams standout Sean Considine for playing time at the other safety position. Veteran corner Scott Starks and third round pick Derek Cox will compete with the safeties,
and a slew of young defensive backs for playing time on passing downs.  The front office failed to address the defensive line as outlined in Weavers press conference, however with new coordinator Mel Tucker taking over and
Coach Del Rio pledging to give the defense his own personal attention there is reason to be excited this season.
     Josh Scobee is developing into a solid kicker in the league, delivering strong kicks but would like to improve his consistency.  Athletic punter Adam Podlesh, will be competing with Steve Weatherford to punt for the team.
The return jobs are in the air as Maurice Jones Drew will probably focus on his offensive duties, and Dennis Northcutt did not survive the off-season housecleaning.  Rashad Jennings, Alvin Pearman and Brian Witherspoon will
be getting the first chance at their jobs.  It is imperative that the Jaguars answer their special teams questions before the end of the preseason.
     The first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins was slopily played and full of mental mistakes.  Nothing was revealed to support or contradict the content of this blog, however several performances warranted mention
this blog.  Tony Pashos had a horrible performance with a false start and giving up one of his two sacks allowed on consecutive plays killing a red-zone drive.  Tyron Breckenridge had a horrible missed tackle on his first punt
coverage opportunity.  The starting offense was completely ineffective, but their play-calling was vanilla and MJD didn't get much work.  The starting defense forced a three and out on the first possession and stiffened to force
 a field goal after the Dolphins had first and ten at the Jaguar 18.  In retrospect it was a typical first preseason game that should be learned from and moved on.
     In summary the Jacksonville Jaguars began this off-season with a house full of turmoil and a decree from ownership to fix it.  Through front office and coaching changes and a flood sale of players the team raised many eyebrows
and brought doubts whether they would even be able to compete this season.  But through the draft, and a slew of free agent acquisitions they have replaced if not improved the positions and brought order to the locker room. The
Jaguars have built a solid foundation for the future and I say the future is now.  If they can somehow accelerate the growing process that occurs when new players combine to form a team there is no reason they should not
contend for the playoffs this season.  I am optimistic my fellow Jaguar fans, this is your team.