Kaspers Korner

The Jacksonville Jaguars were burned in free agency last year, which makes it most likely that their one glaring weakness, the wide receiver position, will be addressed in the draft.  With it being revealed that wide receiver Michael Crabtree has a stress fracture in its foot will the Jaguars take him?

According to ESPN’s Scout Inc. Crabtree is the highest rated overall prospect of the 2009 National Football League draft going into the combine.

The question will be come April are the Jaguars that desperate to get a talented wide receiver that they will take Crabtree even with the stress fracture?

If the Jaguars value Crabtree that much they will have to stay in their spot at number eight to get him, becuase the San Francisco 49ers are at 10 and have a need for a wide receiver with their top receiver being the aging Issac Bruce.

Many people make a big deal of the 40 yard dash time at the Combine.  However, the key to a good wide receiver is the actual running of the route.

The reason is that wide receivers will tip their hand a little too early in their body language.  That was pointed out to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans when he was a rookie being mentored by cornerback Troy Vincent, which he then told the media.

A good example of this is fellow Bills wide receiver Josh Reed.  Reed has become a huge part of the Bills offense, because of his precise route running.

The fact is that it is not the skills themselves that make a player, but it is how the player uses those skills on the field.

Kalif Barnes OT unrestricted signed with Raiders one year deal
Milford Borwn OG unrestricted

Brian Iwuh LB restricted resigned with team three year $3.5 million
William James CB unrestricted

Omare Lowe DB unrestricted

Calvin Lowry FS unrestricted

Brad Meester C unrestricted resigned with team four year $10 million
Chris Naeole G unrestricted

Montell Ownes RB restricted resigned with Jaguars four years $4.2 million one million signing bonus.
MIke Peterson LB unrestricted signed with the Falcons two years
Pierson Prioleau S unrestricted

Tutan Reyes OT unrestricted

Gerald Sensabaugh S unrestricted signed with Cowboys one year
Charles Spencer OT unrestricted

Scott Starks CB unrestricted resigned with team two year $2.6 million
Reggie Williams WR unrestricted

James Wyche DE unrestricted resigned with team
Joe Zelenka TE unrestricted

The Jacksonville Jaguars thought that defensive tackle Marcus Stroud was washed up. and then traded him to the Buffalo Bills for a couple of draft picks.  The decision was a costly mistake by the Jaguars.

The move by the Jaguars was without a shadow of a doubt costly as the Jaguars are giving up seven more yards rushing per a game from averaging 100 last year to 107 this year.  Passing defense is giving up 11 yards more passing averaging 224 yards per a game from 213 last year.  Also, they have recorded eight fewer sacks this year finishing the year with 29 from 37 last year.

Some of the defenses poor play does fall on to the fact that the Jaguars were missing both starting guards, and its center for pretty much all the season.  That had a great affected the running game, which averaged almost 40 yards less per a game this year at 110 per a game, when they averaged 149 last year.

Simply, whoever was the person that decided to trade Stroud should be the one being fired, and that includes head coach Jack Del Rio.  You never trade a talented defensive tackle if there is any possiblity of the talent still being there.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were thought of to be a contender for the Superbowl.  The reason for the mess is simply a lack of chemistry.

The lack of chemistry is lacking so much that running back Fred Taylor has called this years Jaguars one of the worst teams he has been on, according to an interview on Sirius Satelite radio. 

Chemistry is a huge part of a football team, because you always find yourself in the right spot at the right time.  That is due to being together for so long that you know what each other is going to do in each situation.

The Jaguars have a buch of free agents, and players they traded for.  Their wide receiver core is especially full of these type of players.

If the Jaguars do not learn their mistakes, then it is going to be a long time before they see the playoffs again.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were a team coming into this season with very high expectations.  That has fallen apart just like the team as Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio sent starting lineback Mike Peterson home from practice.

The move is troubling to say the least.  Peterson is their leading tackler with 85 tackles, and also is a captain.

It is the first time I have ever heard of a player in the National Football League being sent home before practice.  As well as players lockers being moved around in midseason.

So, what is Del Rio trying to accomplish with the move?  Players themselves stated that they do not know of the reason for switching lockers around. 

According to the Jaguars official site Vic Ketchman written on Jaguars.com that Del Rio did not like the way that they conducted themselves during, and after the game. 

Also, Peterson is upset with the lack of a new contract.   Now, add them to together, and you have a big arguement most likely Wednesday that resulted in Peterson being sent home.

Simply, Del Rio is losing his lockerroom, and very fast.  If he does not find a way to get it back it will result in him beind shown the door soon.

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally ended a lengthy holdout with defensive end Derrick Harvey.  Now, the question is how long will it take to get him to speed with the rest of the team.

Fortunately, the defensive end is not a position with a lot of thinking to it.  It is more of a position of physical strength.

The only thing mentally that Harvey needs to do is to get down his terminology of his playbook.  So, that way he knows what to do on each play.

What Harvey will need to improve on is his strength.  A lot of players do not know what really is the right way to take care of your body.  For most rookies it takes a full year to get into the right habits. 

If Harvey settled his contract before training camp, then he could of gotten off to a good start at the beginning of the season.  However, it is more likely that Harvey will struggle to start off the season.

The only person to blame for that is Harvey himself.

The Jacksonville Jaguars in this past draft traded up from the near the bottom of the first round to the top to draft defensive end Derrick Harvey.  Now, they look like fools for the way they are handling contract negotiations.

The Jaguars refuse to let the deals of New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sederick Ellis, and New York Jets linebacker/defensive end Vernon Gholston to set the markey for Harvey.

What they come off looking like is a penny pinching tight wad.  Simply, they want their cake, and eat it too.

What the heck they expect from trading up to the number eight spot.  When you draft in the top ten you have to expect that you are going to pay some crazy money to a person that is not going to play a down.

In the end the end the Jaguars are only hurting themselves by not moving off their point.  The more Harvey misses training camp the harder it is going to be to dethrone the Indianapolis Colts.

The Jaguars last season made the post season as a wild card team, and once again was knocked out of the second round, or earlier.  With free agency pretty much done, and the draft concluded, can their additions get them or the hump.

The Jaguars made significant moves in the two areas that they were weak in.  That being wide receiver on offense, and defensive end on the defense.  The question is now are the moves going to make them better.

On offense the signing of Jerry Porter is a big move.  Porter for the most part has been a number two receiver, untill last year.  Porter caught 44 passes for over 705 yards receiving,  That is pretty good for being on a really crappy team that had a no proven quarterback at the helm. 

Also, the team traded for wide receiver Troy Williamson.  Williamson for has developed a reputation for being the National Football Leagues version of the character Stonehands from the movie “Unnecessary Roughness.”  It would be intersting to see the Jaguars trying to get away with putting sitckum on Williamsons hands like the movie.

On defense the Jaguars made important additions to their defensive end spots as they used their first two draft picks in this past draft to address the position.  The Jaguars traded up into the top ten to get defensive end Derrick Harvey.  Then in the second round they grabbed defensive end Quentin Groves.

However, the key move will be the trade of defensive tackle Marcus Stroud.  Stroud was traded to the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason.  The trade leaves a huge hole there, and will obviously addressed from within the team.   The thing is though will the player be just as good, or better. 

If they are wrong about this then this could be disaster for the team, and could cause them to miss the playoffs.

In todays National Football League it is very hard to come across positive stories in the media.  At the Jacksonville Jaguars official website.  The team announced that safety Jamaal Fudge went back to school, and finished his degree.

According to the Jaguars website Fudge only needs two classes to graduate.  One is an internship that he will complete in the spring semester following the 2008 season.  The other he is taking this summer, and it is two and a half weeks long, which will meet six days a week. 

Fudge went on to get head coach Jack Del Rio’s permission to take the course, because of new coordinator  Gregg Williams, and position coach Donnie Henderson, along with the rest of the team holding a voluntary minicamp when he is taking those course.

It is good to see someone get their heads on straight, and realize that football is not forever.  You will eventually have to do something when football life is over.

 Audio Version:

http://boomp3.com/listen/f2h4h2r/kk-jaguars-april-thirtyt

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been unable to get by the Indianapolis Colts for several years now.  They just might do that with the picks they took.

The Jaguars made the boldest move of the day trading all the way up from number 26 in the first round to number eight to take defensive end Derrick Harvey.  In the process giving up a first rounder next year.

Then in the second round they took defensive end Quentin Groves.  Groves slipped to the second round due to recent heart surgery.  The pick definately solidifies a desperate need, and that being defensive end.

Last year the Jaguars did not have a pass rusher record over 10 sacks last season.  Then with the trade of defensive tackle Marcus Stroud the Jaguars needed all the help they can get.

Unfortunately, it will not be enough this year to get them over the top.  The Colts have a couple more years at the top.  The reason being the great drafting of general manager Bill Polian to fill holes on his team right away. 

If both defensive ends grow into solid pass rusher then that will be the time they will most likely dethrone the Colts.  However, that is a couple of years down the road.