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Quick Bytes: July 2nd, 2009
by FSBlueApocalypse
on Jul 2, 2009 12:27 PM EDT
in Quick Bytes
3 comments
Men's Health 100 Best Sports Cities
Jacksonville was ranked as the 6th best, while our fair weather neighbors to the South in Miami were ranked dead last.
Northcutt 'excited' about trade | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Northcutt's thoughts on his trade to Detroit.
Jags LB Williams purchases high school's uniforms | Jacksonville.com
Second year linebacker Thomas Williams purchased brand new uniforms for his high school's football team.
Rookies attending symposium have many fresh examples of what not to do
More on Eugene Monroe and other rookies at the symposium
Jaguar Fans Can Rest Easy with Torry Holt | The Jacksonville Observer
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"Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, chosen No. 8 overall, said hearing Wiley and others speak bluntly about their personal choices, regrets, anxieties and temptations sent a better message than deciphering media reports about Vick, Burress and other players. Even so, Monroe said he has followed the demise of Burress, Vick and Stallworth and that the opportunity for redemption is a 50-50 deal that could be prevented, even if there is nothing more to redeem than a missed block that resulted in a sack.
"A lot of times, guys end up in the wrong situations, whether it's being in the wrong place at the wrong time or making poor decisions," Monroe said. "Seeing those things play out here and in real life lets me, and hopefully others, realize that you really don't want to get caught up with those things."
Another reason why I loved this pick over Crabtree, BJ Raji, and others.
1 day ago
FSBlueApocalypse
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Live Chat with Muarice Jones-Drew at 3pm
Live chat with MJD about his offseason and the Jaguars in 2009
1 day ago
FSBlueApocalypse
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Revelations! John and I track the trajectory of the NFL
by Tkopa
on Jun 30, 2009 10:36 PM EDT
in Meta-Jaguars
16 comments
What I am about to relate to you is true, although the details from that evening fade in and out, like trying to remember a dream after you wake up. I took as many notes as I could while the memories were still fresh. What I write now is as factual as I can recall, but still, never having experienced what I am about to report leaves me questioning what actually happened.
It started when I received a text from my friend John, "Let's ponder some big questions, come on over" it said. To the new readers, my friend John is a mystic guy who dwells in a world I can't fathom. Sometimes I think he only visits this reality while he lives in another dimension. All I know is the air is charged with excitement and the sense of being connected to the truth exists around him. I had never been to John's place before and to now see it, I could only imagine.
It turns out John lives over by Riverside Park, his place overlooking the park pond. The living area looked extremely well lived in, with well worn but wonderfully exotic furnishings, sort of like seeing a tour of the world in one look. There was a wonderful picture on the wall of some ancient Bedouins crossing a mountain pass with a quote "There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way" written on it. Books were everywhere, "Being Nobody, Going Nowhere", "Cutting through Spiritual Materialism", "The Imitation of Christ". John saw me looking them over and handed me one. "If you want your head straightened out, read this one" he said. "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" was the title; I got shivers just holding it. "No thanks" I said handing it back. "Come on, let's go where we can think" he said.
John ushered me into his study. It was lined with bookshelves and the chair was facing the wall. He called it his thinking chair. On the wall was a white poster board with writing on it. I looked closer and in the center of the board was the name Johnny Unitas. From the name came lines and other names, such as Frank Gifford, and Pat Summerall. Another line connected the three into a box labeled national TV. Another line connected to Joe Namath. Other lines and names were listed and the title of the poster board said "Was Johnny Unitas the savoir of football?"
John spoke, "Terry, you are always asking me my thoughts on things, I thought we could work on meditation techniques so you can get to your own answers". It sounded interesting so I encouraged him. "OK, here is the premise", he said, "Your brain absorbs an incredible amount of information, most of it you are unaware of. If you just sit still and ask your mind to pull it all together, it can draw on all that knowledge and give you incredible answers, just ask the question, relax and follow the answer".
"I'll make some tea", he said, "You think up a question, a big question". So I pondered what I really wanted to know. Will the Jaguars move out of town? What is going on in the NFL? Then I had it, "What is the NFL planning in the next ten years", I shouted. "Good question", he answered as he returned with the tea. "But, sometimes to see the future, we must visit the past and plot the trajectory" John said. "Have a seat" as he pointed to the well worn thinking chair. I sat and he handed me a cup of tea. "Now, ask your mind to show you the path the NFL is on" he said, "And whatever thought comes to you, follow the thread".
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Jaguars vs Cardinals on the PS3 version of Madden 10
1 day ago
FSBlueApocalypse
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Quick Bytes: June 29th, 2009
by FSBlueApocalypse
on Jun 29, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
in Quick Bytes
12 comments
Jaguars get safety for Northcutt | Jacksonville.com
Simply confirming that the Jaguars dealt Northcutt from what they saw out of the rookies during OTAs.
T-U 2: Taylor leads list of outspoken ex-Jaguars players | Jacksonville.com
Fred Taylor in a Pats uniform, MJD on the NFL's "Media Bootcamp", and other interesting tid bits.
Mailbag: The best of what you wrote - AFC South - ESPN
Best of Paul Kuharsky's (ESPN's AFC South blogger) mailbag
Ex-Jaguar LB Peterson still loves to "Bring It" | Jacksonville.com
Mike Peterson held his annual "Bring It" football camp in Jacksonville last week. It's great to see he's doing this despite all that happened in the off season.
Lorenzen Learning Tight End Position With Jaguars - Courant.com
Once again the Hartford Courant provides a great article on a former UConn Huskie. This time it talks about Tyler Lorenzen's switch from QB to TE and how he managed to avoid the first cut.
Will Jacksonville Jaguars Pursue Veteran Options at Wide Receiver? | Bleacher Report
After Torry Holt, the Jaguars WR experience is non-existent. Will they go after another veteran receiver?
ProFootballWeekly.com - Expectations soaring for Jaguars rookies
PFW writes that the Jaguars' rookie class is expected to produce great things. Personally, I'm getting more and more excited about Rashad Jennings.
Another veteran lands in Detroit - NFC North - ESPN
Dennis Northcutt's impact on the Lions
Better Passing Needed | Teal Power
In order for the Jags to compete in a tough division incluidng Tennessee and Indy, they need a better passing attack.
-John
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Better Know Your Jaguars 2nd Round Pick: Eben Britton, Right Tackle, Arizona
by FSBlueApocalypse
on Jun 28, 2009 9:22 PM EDT
in 2009 Scouting Reports
4 comments
Eben Britton comes to the Jaguars out of Arizona. Britton played Right Tackle for the Wildcats in 2006 and 2007 before switching to Left Tackle in 2008. Britton was a 2nd team All-PAC 10 selection in 07 and a 1st team selection in 08. Whether simply a product of being overhyped by the scouting community, or growing concerns over his marginal ability to get off the snap and foot quickness, he slid from his mid first round projection into the second round. Britton will contend for the Right Tackle position as a rookie, where those concerns are marginalized. Just as Jag fans want Eugene Monroe to remind us of Tony Boselli, can Britton remind us of Leon Searcy?
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The Jaguars 2009 Pass Defense
by FSBlueApocalypse
on Jun 27, 2009 3:33 PM EDT
in Camp Battles
14 comments
Here is a quick rundown of Jacksonville's 2008 Defensive statistics against the pass.
| Category | Yards/%/ETC | NFL Rank |
| Completion Percentage | 63.9 | 24th |
| Yards Per Completion | 8.1 | 30th |
| Yards per Game | 224.1 | 24th |
| Touchdowns Allowed | 25 | 27th |
| Interceptions | 13 | 17th |
| 1st downs allowed | 166 | 12th |
| 20+ yard receptions allowed | 55 | 31st |
| 40+ yard receptions allowed | 17 | 32nd |
| Opposing QB Rating | 95.4 | 28th |
I'll give everyone a minute to grab the beverage of their choice to deal with those numbers. The only category the Jaguars pass defense didn't rank in the bottom half was first downs allowed. Call me cynical, but I think that was helped by the fact the Jaguars gave up so many big plays.
The stats that really bother me are the number of 20+ and 40+ yard receptions allowed. Those are the big plays that can change a game around. Jacksonville gave up between three and four of those a game, and one of those was going for 40+. To put that into perspective, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up 23 20+ yard passes and only two went for 40+. The average number of 20+ yard pass plays given up in 2008 was 42.3. The average number of 40+ yard plays given up was 7.7.
Putting things lightly, the statistics show the Jaguar's pass defense was bad last year. That 95.4 QB rating would have been good for 5th in the NFL last year. The question now becomes, how do the Jaguars improve in 2009?
Defensive Line
If Shack Harris wants any kind of vindication, the defensive line needs to make a resurgence in 2009. The Jaguars never generated a consistent pass rush last year, leading to receivers managing to work their way open. It doesn't matter if we had Deion Sanders in his prime, if Peyton Manning has all day to throw, he'll pick the defense apart.
Derrick Harvey needs to step up in a big way. He was given a mulligan last year, as many noted how other now dominant defensive ends struggled their rookie year. However, considering Harvey's reputation for taking plays off and not giving 100%, he'll need to show a lot this up coming year.
Reggie Hayward may finally be all the way back from his ruptured Achilles. Hayward seemed to be a great free agent pick up until the injury has slowed him down through out most of his career as a Jaguar.
Quentin Groves is going to be submitting quite a few samples to the NFL's drug testing personnel. Groves is absolutely massive compared to how he was last year. It's obvious he is set on being an every downs player instead of being simply a pass rusher or a 3-4 OLB stuck on a 4-3 team.
These three players have to provide the majority of the pass rush for the Jaguars. If anyone of these can turn in a 10 sack season that can force a double team off of Henderson, then they'll be doing their job and the Jaguars will improve.
Defensive Backs
As I noted in the first Camp Battle article, the defensive secondary should be improved no matter what. With no Drayton Florence and a hopefully rebounding Reggie Nelson, that area should be improved.
Where the question marks lie are with Derek Cox, Brian Williams, Sean Considine, and new comer Gerald Alexander. Alexander was a solid player before a neck injury sidelined him last year. I believe he is a lock at the strong safety position going into camp.
That now leaves the battle between Cox and Williams at the corner position. Regardless of who wins, I'm sure both will see plenty of action as the nickel back. I believe Williams will win the position in training camp, bumping Cox to play nickel this year.
The Conclusion
Well, the Jaguars pass defense can't get any worse. A now healthy Reggie Hayward and veteran Derrick Harvey have to provide a consistent pass rush for anything to change. If they can, the Jaguars secondary has the talent to take advantage.
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