Top Stories Jacksonville

(November 9, 2008 – Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

This is the first post from good friend, newly married, huge Jaguars fan and current leader in my fantasy football league: Gil Samson. I urged Gil to write a series of articles on the Jaguars for Urban Jacksonville. I too am a huge Jaguars fan and I see these articles as a small part of my effort to raise awareness about the team and create new fans.

A front page article on ESPN today Small crowds, blackouts cloud future questions the future of an NFL franchise here in Jacksonville. This national coverage is hot on the heels of local political and business leaders announcing the revival of Touchdown Jacksonville, a grass-roots organization formed to lead efforts to ensure the Jaguars remain in Jacksonville.

While some were not invited to the official meeting I encourage everyone to do what they can to support this great opportunity for our city, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Join me Friday morning at 9:00am on 89.9’s First Coast Connect as we talk about the Jaguars and the future of our NFL franchise. I’d love to hear your questions and concerns.

(September 14, 2008 – Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America)

Hey Jaguars Fans: This is Rebuilding!

For those of you that were unsure, or were wondering what the Jacksonville Jaguars were all about this season, last Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans should have given you some clarity. If it didn’t, you may not have been watching close enough. You may have been too busy vomiting on the emotional roller coaster that has become synonymous with Jaguar Football.

If you didn’t know before, now you know for sure: This is rebuilding. Period. The lack of talent at several positions, especially on defense, was glaringly obvious on Sunday, as the Jaguars allowed the Titans to amass over 300 rushing yards, that included two touchdown runs of 52 and 89 yards.

Of all the failures that occurred, I’m sure that one stings Jack Del Rio the most. Going into the game, everyone knew that, coming off their bye week, the Titans would get back to their old ways and put the ball in the hands of their explosive, play-making running back, Chris Johnson. Everyone knew that, with a diffident Vince Young playing quarterback for the first time since injuring himself in a game against the Jaguars in 2008, the passing game of the Titans was not going to beat the Jaguars.

(Reuters Photo)

So if the Jaguars coaching staff and players knew what was coming and game planned accordingly, why the @#$% couldn’t they stop him? It was a question I was asked quite a few times by several people, both during and after the game. I also got asked more general, frustration-based questions like, “What’s wrong with the Jaguars?”. I continue to answer both questions the same way each time: “They’re just not good enough”. I’ve found that it’s a hard pill to swallow for most people, and most of the time they’ll respond with something like, “I don’t buy that. These guys are getting paid to do it. They should be able to do it.” Well, the guys on the other side of the ball are getting paid to stop them. So what do you say to them?

The simple truth of the matter is the Jaguars DO lack talent. Thanks to several years of horrendous drafting prior to this offseason, they got old and slow. Here’s a simple example of that truth that I read the other day on Jaguars.com: Only ONE player (Scott Starks) from the 2005 draft class is still on the roster; and only TWO players (Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves) are left from the 2008 draft class. TWO players from 2008! Only one of which is a starter (with minimal production). I don’t know about you, but I consider that EPIC DRAFT FAIL.

It’s extremely hard to be good in the NFL when you botch the draft like the Jaguars have. While you’re drafting Reggie Williams with the number 9 pick of the 2004 draft, your rivals are drafting this guy with the number 11 pick. OR… while you’re drafting Matt Jones with the 21st pick of the 2005 draft, you’re letting another team pick up Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick. But then again, I suppose, at the time, the Jaguars already had a quarterback…

But that’s all in the past. The Jaguars’ new General Manager, Gene Smith, has brought some sanity back to the Jaguars’ draft board. In his first year in charge of personnel, Mr. Smith has brought in one of the most productive draft classes in the league, and probably in Jaguars history, with 6 of 7 picks now in the starting lineup (I know Monroe was benched Sunday, but you know what I mean). But that’s still only 6 players out of a 22-man starting lineup.

(December 18, 2008 – Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America)

The Jaguars need talent and depth across the board, and one draft wasn’t going to do it. And, as I said before, it was glaringly apparent against the Titans. The defensive line, whose identity is in limbo as they switch back-and-forth between 4-3 and 3-4, was getting blown of the line of scrimmage and pushed around all over the field. The player drafted to be a pass-rush specialist has yet to produce a sack, and was constantly dropping back into coverage, conceding the fact that the Jaguars CANNOT rush the passer, and might as well add an extra pass defender to try and take away the “short stuff”.

Although the linebackers played well and led the team in tackles once again, it meant that the second tier defenders were the ones “stopping the run”, and instead of 3rd and long, the defense was faced with 2nd or 3rd and short all day long and couldn’t get off the field. And Reggie Nelson, who was playing cornerback for the first time due to an injury to Rashean Mathis and lack of depth at the position, was repeatedly caught out of position and targeted all day.

So, yeah, this is rebuilding. And I think they’re just not good enough… yet. Rest assured, in time, they will be. The nucleus of the team of the future is in place, and the young talent is developing far ahead of schedule. I think the development of those young players, and seeing them mature and become hometown legends is one of the greatest things the NFL gives us. And then, hopefully after MANY years, they’ll need to rebuild yet again and the process will restart. It is the inevitable cycle of an NFL franchise.

As fans, we have to temper our expectations and our frustrations, look past the x’s and o’s, and remember why we get so riled up about football to begin with: Because we love it. We are one of 32 extremely lucky cities that has the privilege of having our very own NFL team. So please don’t ask me, “What’s wrong with the Jaguars”, because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them. And I’ll just end up asking you, “Where’s your ticket?”.

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