Quick Bytes: Monday Morning Minicamp Miscalaney!

by River City Rage on Jun 9, 2008 6:00 AM EDT in Jacksonville Jaguars Quick Bytes

Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).
What a melancholy weekend for Jaguars fans. We anxiously awaited the start of minicamp on Friday, and now that it's Monday morning all that is behind us. We will never be further from seeing our Jaguars on the field than we are today. It's 65 days until the Jaguars host the Atlanta Falcons for the first preseason game. Fewer than that are between us and the opening of training camp, but it's still the end of July, and what feels like an eternity away. The coaches and players have only three more OTA sessions before their "summer break" begins.
Have no fear though, Big Cat Country will be there through it all.
All these unpleasing thoughts aside, let's take a quick look at what the rest of the sports media world is saying about the Jaguars after their camp.

: ESPN's Pat Yasinskas spent some time in Jacksonville this weekend. His first article examines the expectations surrounding Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves:

If Groves and Harvey can share a few more encounters standing around fallen opposing quarterbacks, the Jaguars might be a lot better than OK.

: Yasinskas also looks at Jaguars Quarterbacks Coach Mike Shula and his up-and-down experience as a coach:

Fans in Tampa Bay and Tuscaloosa might not want to hear it or believe it, but Shula is a very good coach and he's finally landed in a great situation. As Jacksonville's quarterbacks coach, Shula has been a driving force behind the emergence of David Garrard.

: Michael Wright of the Florida Times-Union writes about the uniqueness of the Jaguars minicamp :

The Jaguars' two-day minicamp began Friday, their latest start under coach Jack Del Rio. The team hopes that will result in fewer injuries (by giving players more time in offseason conditioning) and allow rookies to adjust to NFL life.

: Wright also looks at the struggles of Cleo Lemon, the ones that were painfully obvious this weekend. Lemon shall be referred to from here on out as the "three million dollar man":

Brought to Jacksonville in February with an $8.1 million free-agent contract, Lemon has struggled most with picking up the nuances of the offense, which features passes down the seams and in the intermediate to short areas.

Because the team is installing approximately 150 plays during minicamp, No. 3 quarterback Todd Bouman - who spent time last season with the Jaguars - appears to be more comfortable with the offense.

: Gene Frenette exposes some problems with Jaguars ticket sales in a well-timed piece that is sure to continue the national media's obsession with Jacksonville's ticket woes. I implore everyone to help stop this by buying tickets:

No doubt it's a tough economy, and people must make difficult choices with their entertainment dollars. But with the NFL angling to put an existing team in Los Angeles in the next five years, the last thing Jacksonville wants is to give an impression that this market has trouble filling the low-priced seats (51,000) when the Jaguars' football arrow is pointing up.

: Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com takes a closer look at the quietest first round draft pick in recent history, the critcially important but media shy Derrick Harvey:

At least initially, that won't be the case in Jacksonville. Del Rio said he plans to use "waves" of pass rushers and expects Harvey to contribute.

Asked his personal goals as a rookie, Harvey's aspirations are as simple as his interview responses.

"Get on the field, get my first sack and help this team win," he said. "That's it."

That would give opposing offenses something to talk about.

: Unfortunatly, the live broadcasts were shut down from "technical concerns", but Robb and Charlie of JagNation do have a recording of their post-camp thoughts . I'm not in it, but they give us a nice shout-out anyhow.

: Troy Williamson's rise and fall and hopeful rise again was a popular story during minicamp. You can read various articles about him here , here , and here.

IMPORTANT!

If, while at minicamp, you purchased one of the Parkersburg Iowa Relief Hats, please read this and participate in the FatHead giveaway contest! By submitting a picture of you in your hat, you could win a Jaguars Helmet FatHead! Help out a good cause and possibly win a fantastic prize!

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