Did the Jacksonville Jaguars Need a Backup Safety More Than a Wide Receiver?

It’s official, Jaguar fans.

Jacksonville finalized the trade that sent wide receiver Dennis Northcutt to Detroit for safety Gerald Alexander.

There’s no question that wide receiver and safety were two major needs on the roster.

The only question is this: Which unit needed more help?

That’s definitely debatable. The Jaguars went out and signed Sean Considine, who is projected to be a starter alongside Reggie Nelson.

They also retrieved a former Jaguar in Marlon McCree, who had played for four different teams in the past six years.

Those moves were absolutely necessary after Jacksonville let Gerald Sensabaugh explore his options in free agency. He ended up signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

Looking at the receiver situation, there was a great deal of turnover from last year. Jacksonville got rid of the Headache Twins, Matt Jones and Reggie Williams. The Jaguars also jettisoned Jerry Porter, perhaps the biggest free agent bust in franchise history.

The team made a point of getting some help in the draft, taking three wide receivers in the later rounds. The biggest move they made on the receiver front was the signing of Torry Holt. Holt gives them a legitimate (albeit past his prime) threat in the passing game for the first time since Jimmy Smith’s forced retirement.

Before making this trade, the Jaguars were definitely short on true safeties. Rookie Michael Desormeaux, a converted quarterback, is listed as a strong safety. And cornerback Brian Williams has played safety before.

But prior to the trade, the safeties were basically McCree, Considine, and Nelson. Acquiring another safety was definitely a good idea.

Even though the receiving corps was a little deeper, most of the group is much more unproven than the safeties.

In all likelihood, the Jaguars will go into the regular season with at least five receivers. Assuming that Holt is a lock for a roster spot, that leaves Jarett Dillard, Tiquan Underwood, Mike Thomas, Mike Walker, and Troy Williamson vying for the last four spots.

Three of the aforementioned receivers have never caught an NFL pass. In Walker’s career, he has caught 16 passes for 217 yards. Even though Williamson’s stats are slightly more impressive (84 catches, 1,097 yards, four touchdowns), he only caught five passes for 30 yards and a score in his first year in Jacksonville.

Considering he was a top-10 pick five years ago, he has been a major disappointment.

Although the team needed help at both positions, I think getting rid of Northcutt was a major mistake. The receiving corps, for the most part, is void of real experience.

Northcutt would have solidified the position until one or more of the rookies were ready to take over. I think he would have made a formidable duo with Holt, but now we’ll never know.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Dennis Northcutt on the Trade Block

ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky broke a story today that the Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to trade wide receiver Dennis Northcutt.

“They have indicated that they intend to trade him and are trying to do so,” said Jerome Stanley, Northcutt’s agent.

It’s an interesting move, considering that Jacksonville is still a little short-handed at the receiver position.

Obviously the acquisition of Torry Holt was a big upgrade, but one would think that the Jaguars would want two true veteran receivers on the roster.

This move might be a testament to the development of the rookie wide receivers. If Jarett Dillard, Mike Thomas, and/or Tiquan Underwood can break into the rotation early and often, then having Northcutt might be a luxury.

Kuharsky’s article made no mention of what the Jaguars are trying to get in return for the 10-year veteran who caught 88 passes for 1,146 yards and six touchdowns in his two years in Jacksonville.

Perhaps the team is trying to trade Northcutt for another receiver. But the more logical scenario is that the team is trying to stockpile some more draft picks for new General Manager Gene Smith.

I’m going to reserve judgment on the move until I see what the Jaguars get in return (if, in fact, they can trade him at all).

But you would think that the team would want to hold on to its receivers rather than trying to get rid of a member of a already-thin unit.

AFC Division Breakdown (Two Months Too Early)

While the NFL regular season is still more than two months away (NOOOOOOO!), football is in the air.
When the plethora of NFL preview magazines hit the newsstands, I know that it’s time to start thinking about football.
That, and the fact that the best sports on TV right now are baseball and golf.
Yikes.
Anyway, with football right around the corner (and since I really have nothing better to do), I’m going to do a series of “Way Too Early NFL Predictions.”
Today we’ll begin by forecasting the divisions in the AFC.
Hopefully this will help tide some of you football junkies (myself included) over, at least until preseason.

How the Minnesota Vikings’ Brett Favre Affair Will Ruin Tarvaris Jackson

As the Brett Favre-to-Minnesota saga continues, the Vikings continue to have a glaring question mark at the quarterback position.

Minnesota has looked truly pathetic throughout this process.

The Vikings have done everything from ignoring the Favre rumors to denying a “deadline” for Favre to report to the team.

Throughout the Favre debacle, the organization has proven just how desperate it is for a quality quarterback.

And that can’t be good for the psyche of Tarvaris Jackson.

Jackson, the quarterback from Alabama State, had to be on shaky ground in terms of confidence even before the perpetual Brett Favre flirtation.

He opened the 2008 season as the starting quarterback, but was yanked in favor of Gus Frerotte after the Vikings lost their first two games.

Jackson’s stats weren’t terrible (30-of-59, 308 yards, one touchdown, one interception), but Head Coach Brad Childress felt that Jackson was being too tentative and went with the much older Frerotte.

That had to be hard on the young QB. He played in 12 games in 2007, and probably thought that 2008 would be his time to shine.

Instead, his coach gave him perhaps the worst vote of confidence imaginable: benching him in favor of Frerotte, who is completely over the hill (and was never all that good to begin with).

Jackson got a chance at redemption in Week 14, after Frerotte went down with an injury.

He answered the bell, leading Minnesota to wins in three of the team’s final four games. His stats were far more impressive as well (57-of-89, 740 yards, eight touchdowns, one interception).

So coming into this year, Jackson had to feel pretty good about his chances of being the starting quarterback in 2009.

But the Vikings have gone out of their way to convince the third-year QB that he is not the permanent answer.

First, they went out and got Sage Rosenfels from Houston to compete for the starting job. And then, of course, came the never-ending Favre story.

At this point, Jackson has to be feeling a variety of emotions: anger, confusion, and hurt, to name a few.

Whether or not Jackson will ever become an effective NFL quarterback remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the Vikings’ handling of their quarterback situation has essentially ensured that Jackson will never be an effective QB in Minnesota.

Roger Goodell’s Opportunity To Send a Message to NFL Players

In his brief tenure as NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell has proven he means business when it comes to disciplining NFL players.

No matter how big or small the infraction may be, players who step out of line can expect that Goddell will bring the hammer down on them.

Now, as he approaches the third anniversary of his role as commish, Roger Goodell is faced with his toughest test to date.

Of course, I am referring to the situation surrounding Donte Stallworth and his recent plea agreement.

Many NFL fans were outraged that Stallworth and his legal team managed to turn a DUI manslaughter charge into a 30-day prison sentence.

Part of his punishment included a settlement with the family of the victim for an undisclosed sum.

Still, no amount of money or jail time can undo the damage done by Stallworth and his foolish decision to get behind the wheel of his car after having too much to drink.

For the time being, he did the best (and smartest) thing he could do, which is suspend Stallworth indefinitely. The indefinite suspension delays any potential outcry that Goodell’s decision will certainly draw.

But Goodell is now in what many people believe is a no-win situation.

If he suspends Stallworth for anything less than a year, people will decry the commissioner for being too lenient. The backlash would be considerable.

If he decides to shelve Stallworth for more than a season, people will portray him as a heartless dictator who is out of touch with reality.

In fact, someone on B/R already penned an article saying that he’s tired of Goodell “playing judge.”

While most view this scenario as a lose-lose situation, I see it as something else.

I believe Goodell has been given a golden opportunity, a chance to send a strong message that can not be misinterpreted.

I think he should ban Stallworth for life.

I am of the opinion that even if the receiver put the victim’s family in a position where they’re set for life, 30 days in jail doesn’t even come close to Stallworth’s rightful debt to society.

Many legal experts have said that a normal person in Stallworth’s shoes would have received about 10 years in prison.

If money and fame didn’t ensure a favorable outcome in the legal system, Stallworth would be cooling his heels for quite some time, perhaps as many as seven of those 10 years, if he was a model athlete.

By the time he was released from prison, Stallworth would be 35 years old. At that age, and having missed seven years in his prime, there would be no way he could return to the NFL.

Essentially, if the legal system wasn’t an unadulterated joke, Stallworth would have received a sentence equivalent to a lifelong suspension.

If the courts won’t step up and do the right thing, Goodell should.

Stallworth doesn’t seem like a bad guy. It was a terrible mistake, but there was no intent to kill anyone when he started his car.

But Stallworth typifies a sense of entitlement that most professional athletes share.

Because they have great wealth, because they are in the limelight, they think society’s laws don’t apply to them.

And so often, they are proven right.

Stallworth will serve a month in prison for taking someone’s life.

Leonard Little served even less for a similar crime. And he was pulled over for DUI years later. Obviously he didn’t get the message.

And why would he? Little got off basically scot-free. He was suspended from the NFL, but went on to enjoy a lengthy NFL career.

By suspending Stallworth for life, Goodell would let it be known that even if players escape severe punishment from the law, they will not be immune to a stiff punishment from the NFL.

Obviously, this is nothing more than a pipe dream. But do you think we would see the same police blotter headlines over and over if Goodell took a decisive stand in the Stallworth case?

Maybe, just maybe, spoiled athletes would finally understand that playing professional sports is a privilege, not a right.

Maybe, just maybe, with the threat of losing their livelihood, they would learn a lesson in accountability.

It could all come to fruition with one definitive decision.

Zach Miller Could Add “WildJag” Wrinkle To Jacksonville’s Offense

When Jacksonville drafted Zach Miller in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, there were some Jaguar fans who let out a collective groan.

They had to be feeling a little bit of deja vu.

It wasn’t that long ago that the team drafted a player who was a quarterback with the hopes of using him at another position in the NFL.

And we all know how that turned out.

But Miller, a quarterback from Nebraska-Omaha, seems to be handling the transition to tight end quite nicely.

In a recent story written by jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman (http://jaguars.com/news/article.aspx?id=7944), General Manager Gene Smith and Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter gushed about the new weapon.

“Dirk likes to utilize the tight end in the offense,” Smith said in Ketchman’s article.

“The young guy, Zach Miller, has really progressed. He’s shown he can mismatch with a safety. You’ve got the Owen Daniels, Dallas Clark types. He’s faster than both those guys.”

“I think Zach Miller is an excellent prospect,” Koetter said. “For our scouting department to find that guy; his athleticism jumps out at you, his eagerness to learn and his willingness to compete. I would’ve never guessed he’s as fast as he is.”

I would not be surprised to see Miller get on the field immediately as a tight end, especially because Marcedes Lewis hasn’t shown the ability to be a consistent threat in the passing game.

But what I (and I’m sure other Jaguar fans) would really like to see is Miller harness that athletic ability and get the ball in his hands as much as possibly.

Namely, I’d like to see Miller run the Wildcat.

Whether the Wildcat is a passing fad (Pete Prisco seems to think so) or a viable offensive option, I can’t really say.

What I can say is that it’s an interesting wrinkle that even caught Bill Belichick off-guard the first time he saw it.

And Zach Miller seems like he would be a perfect candidate to run the offense.

You’ve already heard Smith and Koetter gush about Miller’s speed, which is a critical component to running this particular offense.

In college, he proved that he was just as dangerous running the ball as he was throwing.

During his senior year, he threw for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 64.2 percent of his passes.

He also led the team in rushing with 1,061 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three games in 2008.

His ability to pass adds an entirely new dimension to the Wildcat, a dimension that a bright offensive mind like Koetter could have a lot of fun with.

Hopefully he’ll have the foresight to use Miller accordingly.

From Bad to Worse: Jacksonville’s Backup QB Situation Is a Joke

Earlier this month, I wrote a B/R article about the fact that Jacksonville didn’t have a real backup plan if David Garrard was hurt.

(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/176703-garrards-heir-apparent-nowhere-to-be-found)

Jacksonville’s solution to the problem? Cut Cleo Lemon and sign Todd Boeckman.

Did I miss something?

Lemon, a sixth-year NFL veteran, was coming into his second year with the Jaguars. He signed a three-year, $8.1 million contract last year.

Boeckman, a rookie free agent out of Ohio State, was signed, but not to replace Lemon.

Instead, he will compete with Paul Smith for the final quarterback spot on the roster. That means Todd Bouman will enter the season as the No. 2 QB.

This is the same Tood Boeckman that couldn’t beat out freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor for a starting job.

I might be going out on a limb here, but it seems like Jacksonville is moving backwards, not forwards.

At least Lemon possessed SOME tangible NFL experience as a starting quarterback during his days in Miami.

The last time Bouman even took a snap in a regular season game was 2005.

And THIS is the guy who is backing up David Garrard?

I also wrote an article not too long ago about how Rex Grossman would fit in Jacksonville.

(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/186120-would-rex-grossman-be-a-good-fit-in-jacksonville)

He recently signed with Houston for the veteran minimum, $620,000.

Wouldn’t that have made more sense than signing a guy who literally has no chance of becoming the backup in Jacksonville?

Wow.

I mean, cutting Lemon is not the thing that really bothers me. It’s the fact that Jacksonville made no attempt to bring in another quarterback to compete for the job.

Was Cleo Lemon really that bad?

Or is Jacksonville’s front office that inept?

The Jaguars just signed the guy to a three-year contract. That would seem to indicate they felt comfortable making a commitment to Lemon.

All of a sudden, they kick him to the curb.

I would like to think that he did something (or didn’t do something) behind the scenes to warrant this kind of knee-jerk reaction.

But the history of the Jacksonville front office seems to indicate that this was just the latest in a long line of egregious personnel snafus.

Jag fans better pray, cross their fingers, or rub their lucky rabbit’s foot, hoping that David Garrard stays healthy this season.

Because if he misses any significant time, this season is OVER.

Could Rashad Jennings Be a Hidden Gem for Jacksonville Jaguars?

When the Jacksonville Jaguars made Rashad Jennings their second-to-last pick of this year’s NFL Draft, there wasn’t a lot of fanfare.

The average Jag fan didn’t know much about Jennings, who spent the last three years at Liberty, a Division I-AA school.

But there is much more to Jennings than just being a seventh-round draft pick or a D I-AA running back.

Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union recently did a profile of Jennings, who actually began his college football career at Pitt. There have been a number of successful running backs who came out of that school, including Tony Dorsett, Curtis Martin, and Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

The most recent one was LeSean McCoy, who was taken in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles.

As a freshman at Pitt, Jennings ran for 411 yards and one score on 86 carries. That included a 100-yard performance against Cincinnati.

It certainly looked like the future was bright for the young man from Forest, VA.

But when his father’s leg was amputated due to complications from diabetes, Jennings decided it was more important to be closer to home than it was to continue his football career at a high profile school.

So he elected to transfer to Liberty and put up very impressive numbers. Some people might argue that he accomplished these heights against sub-par competition, but you can’t argue with the production.

2006: 179 carries, 1,020 yards, nine touchdowns.

2007: 191 carries, 1,113 yards, 15 touchdowns.

2008: 264 carries, 1,507 yards, 17 touchdowns.

Jennings hoped he would go earlier than he did. The fact that he was one of the last players taken in the draft serves as motivation for the 6’1″, 230-pound RB.

Another running back who felt slighted on draft day, Maurice Jones-Drew, has taken Jennings under his wing. The two actually trained together before Jennings became a member of the team.

The Jacksonville staff has been very impressed with what Jennings has done in OTAs. While the real test will come when Jennings puts the pads on, don’t be surprised if he grabs the No. 2 spot behind MJD.

If Rashean Mathis Doesn’t Step Up, Jaguars Will Struggle

In this decade, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been very successful finding quality players after the first round of the NFL Draft.

Perhaps no player exemplifies this trend more than Rashean Mathis.

A second-round pick in the 2003 draft, the Bethune-Cookman alumnus has been a lock-down corner for essentially his entire career in Jacksonville. But in recent years, his productivity has slipped somewhat.

From 2004-06, Mathis’ production was up there with any corner in the league. In the three-year span, he recorded 39 pass deflections and 13 interceptions.

In 2006, he pulled down eight interceptions and earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Since that year, Mathis hasn’t looked like the same guy.

In 2007, he only had one interception and six pass breakups. He did have a great game in the playoff game against Pittsburgh, snagging two interceptions and returning one for a touchdown.

Last year, his numbers were better (nine pass deflections, four interceptions, one for a TD), but he just hasn’t seemed as dominant.

There could be a number of reasons for this. Jacksonville’s pass rush has basically been non-existent for the past two years, which puts a great deal of pressure on the defensive backfield.

Maybe the fact that he went to a Pro Bowl in 2006 convinced offensive coordinators and quarterbacks that they should shy away from No. 27.

He’s also had some minor injury issues that may have contributed to the decline. After playing in all 16 games his first four seasons in the league, he has missed six games in the last two seasons.

Whatever the reason is, the fact remains that Mathis is the most talented player in Jacksonville’s secondary. His presence will be more important than ever this season, as Reggie Nelson tries to find his way and Sean Considine adjusts to his new teammates.

The defensive line is still unproven, especially when it comes to putting pressure on the quarterback. If the guys up front can’t make things uncomfortable for the opposing QB, then the secondary will be put in a difficult position.

At the end of the day, Mathis will either key the defense’s resurgence, or be a key reason for another lackluster season.

The Tennessee Titans’ Top Five Draft Diamonds in the Rough

While I enjoy every aspect of writing for b/r, I’ve had the most fun constructing slideshows dealing with the NFL Draft.
In the past, I’ve written slideshows about the best second-round draft picks of the last 10 years, San Francisco’s biggest draft blunders, and a “What If?” scenario for the Jacksonville Jaguars, to name a few.
I was eager to do another slideshow, but wanted to go in a different direction. So I thought I would break down the top five “Diamonds in the Rough” for the Tennessee Titans.
The only restriction for this list is that no one drafted in the first or second round could be considered. Anyone selected in the third round or later was fair game.
Enough with the chit-chat. Let’s get to the list.

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