Talking with Canal Street Chronicles
Sorry for the lack of content recently. I’ve been really busy with other projects. Anyway, Jon Banks from Canal Street Chronicles asked me a few questions about the Jaguars and I wanted to share my answers with you.
1. The Jaguars gave the Colts a run for the division, what kept them from moving in for the kill?
1. December collapses are nothing new under Jack Del Rio. 8 seasons, the Jaguars have entered December 6 times with a solid chance of winning the division or a Wild Card. The Jaguars have had 2 playoff seasons in those 8 years. This year, the team simply wasn’t that good particularly in the secondary and QB position. The Colts regressed and the Jaguars were seemingly the only team in the AFC South that didn’t regress as well.
2. Name an MVP and LVP of the Jaguars.
2. The Jags MVP is without a doubt Maurice Jones-Drew. The man played on a bum knee all year and still almost won the rushing title. The LVP is a tie between David Jones and Don Carey (Surprise two secondary players.) According to Football Outsiders, a hole in zone coverage does a better job defending a WR than David Jones did. As for Carey, he was the subject of an infamous roster move GM Gene Smith made. To put it lightly, Carey was terrible and wouldn’t start for any other team in the league.
3. The Jaguars pass defense was one of the worst in the league, was this on coaching, players, or execution?
3. For now, I’ll go with talent. The Jaguars secondary was a revovling door of DBs and they were all varying degrees of bad. Rashean Mathis is still a solid starting corner, but clearly not the elite corner he was from 2004-2007. Derek Cox managed to play well after getting out of Del Rio’s dog house. However, the safety position has to be addresses quickly. Courtney Greene is a solid SS from a run stuffing standpoint but leaves something to be desired as a pass defender. If the Jaguars don’t make a play for Eric Weddle, alot of people will be disappointed.
Also, the Jaguars LB corp shares some responsibility for the terrible pass defense. Kirk Morrision and Justin Durant were consistently being targeted by teams with good receiving TEs.
4. What were your preseason expectations? Did the Jaguars meet, surpass, or fall short of them?
4. 8-8 was my expectation and the Jaguars played to that level. However, obviously, no one figured the Colts would regress like they did and the Jaguars would enter December leading the AFC South. In that regard, the Jaguars fell short yet again.
5. What is the biggest need for the Jags this offseason?
5. The Jaguars need to get a QB for the future. We know what David Garrard will give you and he’s already 32. The Jaguars haven’t drafted a QB since taking Byron Leftwich in 2003 (the longest current streak in the NFL.) The current QB crop isn’t the blockbuster class many anticipated, but I still believe several quality starters can be found in this year’s draft.
6. What is the biggest hope for the Jaguars moving forward?
6. The biggest hope is the continued support from the community. Former Jaguar Tony Boselli led the Team Teal efforts that resulted in every Jags home game being on TV. The team and the city can’t afford to rest on those laurels. The next step has to get the regular seats sold out on a season ticket basis and (more importantly) getting the Jaguars club seats filled.
