First lets talk about the defense. They hit hard. When you play against the Jaguars you know that you have been in the toughest game of your life. They may not be able to stop you, but they can and will hit you and you will feel the effects of that. With Reggie Hayward at defensive end, Rasheen Mathis and Drayton Florence at cornerback, and Mike Peterson at linebacker it is a defense that has the stars to be successful. They once again come into this year looking to shut down every team they play, especially Peyton Manning and the Colts. What I am most looking forward to though is to see how well Derrick Harvey out of Florida will do when he gets to chance to play at defensive end. He was the Jaguars’ first round draft pick and I personally think he will fit in very nicely with this defense. Time will tell, but I think the Jaguars have improved their already impressive defense tremendously with this draft pick. We must also be on the look out for what Quentin Groves can bring to this team as well.
Last year, the Jaguars had everything a team needs to be successful except for that big play wide receiver. That was a vital reason why the Jaguars could not go further in the playoffs. During this year’s off-season, the Jaguars addressed this problem. They signed former Minnesota Viking Troy Williamson and former Oakland Raider Jerry Porter to the squad to help provide instant big play presence. They also still have Reggie Williams, who I personally love, and Dennis Northcutt, who emerged last year as a huge target for QB David Garrard. Its an impressive Wide Receiver group and I think its going to do a lot of good for this team. This offense will be better then it already was and that is worth watching. Mercedes Lewis will line up at tight end and although I don’t feel that he is an elite tight end, he can make plays and will help out Garrard immensely. I would talk about Matt Jones, but with the recent news of his trouble with Cocaine, I will not get into Jones. We will just have to wait and see how that turns out.
The most impressive part of the Jacksonville Jaguars team is without a doubt the running game. The veteran Fred Taylor and the ultra-impressive Maurice Jones-Drew bring something to this league that many teams have tried to incorporate, but no one has gotten quite right. The two-back system. No team does it as well as the Jaguars. It takes two running backs that are both talented in different ways and are unselfish. Fred Taylor is a scat back who makes defenders miss. Jones-Drew is a power back that forces his way through the line with his tremendous speed and ability to take a hit. Together they are the perfect contrast and change in style to keep opposing defenses off balance. Last year, Jones-Drew had a great sophomore campaign. Maybe not as great as his rookie campaign, but there can’t be much complaining for what he accomplished. A lot of his carries were taken away because of the re-emergence of Fred Taylor as a true NFL Starter. What a year Taylor had last year. A 1,000 yard season with 5 touchdowns. That is an amazing output at this stage of the game from Taylor. This year, Taylor will start and Jones-Drew will still be a heavy presence in spelling him and on the goal line. If Taylor can stay healthy, this team will go deep into the playoffs. If he can’t, I believe that Jones-Drew can carry the load. Either way, this is a fun running game to watch and is the most vital component to the Jaguars offense.
If you thought that the only thing the Jaguars could do was run the ball, last year proved you wrong. David Garrard was named the starting quarterback and in his first year as a started shined. Garrard was impressive throwing for 2,509 yards and 18 touchdowns. But what was most impressive was the fact that Garrard threw only 3 interceptions the entire regular season. He is a safe quarterback who will protect that ball and in this game protecting the ball is among the most important tools for winning. I believe with his new targets at wide out he will take more chances, but I still think his interceptions will be low. Garrard is just a smart quarterback that can throw the ball when he has to, but remember the foundation of the Jaguars is to run, run, run. The signing of Cleo Lemon means absolutely nothing. He is there just in case Garrard gets hurt. Garrard is their quarterback and with Garrard they will be successful.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a great year last year, making the playoffs and impressing everyone with how they were able to play. They beat Pittsburgh last year, twice, in the cold. It was said that a Florida team could not play in the cold, but Jacksonville proved everyone wrong and took it to the Steelers. They beat the Steelers at their own game, pound and ground. Those two victories and their spirited attempt at beating the then undefeated Patriots has made Jacksonville this year, a contender. I look at their schedule and already see some games that I will be circling. Those games will be the ones that the Jaguars will have to win to prove they can get the job done. The Jaguars will make the playoffs this year once again. Superbowl? I don’t know about that yet, but its not out of the realm of reality.
Keywords: AFC, David Garrard, Derrick Harvey, Drayton Florence, Fred Taylor, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jerry Porter, Maurice Jones-Drew, NFL, Quentin Groves, Reggie Hayward, Reggie Williams, Resheen Mathis, Troy Williamson
