Jacksonville Jaguars: Do or Die for Reggie Nelson
by Alfie Crow on Aug 27, 2010 3:28 PM EDT
in Jacksonville Jaguars News
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Jacksonville Jaguars safety and former first round pick Reggie Nelson is going to get the start on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
You know what that means.
Judgement Day for Reggie Nelson.
Reggie Nelson came into the NFL highly touted with Ed Reed-like skills. His first season with the Jaguars, he didn't do much to dispel that nothing, recording 5 interceptions his rookie year and looking like the ball-hawking safety the Jaguars were looking for.
Then 2008 and 2009 happened. Reggie Nelson played abysmal the years following his rookie season and netted only two interceptions in both seasons combined. While interceptions are not the measure of how good or bad a safety is, I bring it up because that was a big selling point of Reggie Nelson, he was a ball hawk.
What it really turned out to be, was Reggie Nelson was a player with all of the physical tools you want in a safety that could be easily taken out of the play with a simple play-action fake. Nelson was picked on repeatedly in the following two seasons which led to his benching after the incident known as "paddy cake" against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night last season.
In the two previous pre-season games Reggie Nelson hasn't come onto the field until late in the game, and last week against Miami didn't come in until after the half and played out the football game. Generally, if a player is poised to make the football team as anything more than a special teamer/3rd string player, you're not playing them deep in the fourth quarter of the second pre-season game. Nelson played the entire second half and his only real play of note was assisting on not allowing a kick to be returned for a touchdown.
With Reggie Nelson getting the start this weekend against the Buccaneers, it's a "Prove it!" game for Nelson. The coaching staff wants him to prove he's tough enough, as some in the building question his toughness. The coaching staff wants him to prove his hours of watching film are going to pay off. Gerald Alexander, who was previously thought to be slated as the starter at free safety has a poor outing against the Dolphins and blew some coverages. Nelson needs to stand out, in a good way, if he not only wants his starting job back, but if he wants to make this roster.
If Reggie Nelson can't show anything on Saturday, I feel he's not going to be on the Jaguars final 53. As I mentioned before, sure he's cheap, but is he worth keeping on the team? He's been a starter for three seasons and has been woefully disappointing for the last two, ending the season benched. This is a team in the rebuilding process on the defense and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see Nelson jettisoned in favor of a combo player such as Tyron Brackenridge.
Also Note:
Eben Britton is expected to return to the line up Saturday. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be with their "starting five" on the offensive line for the first time this pre-season.
Maurice Jones-Drew, Daryl Smith, John Estes, Kynan Forney, and Kirk Morrison are not expected to play on Saturday.
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With all the respect to Reggie
I think it will be die…He is not good enough.
By the way if he is done here- is any chance that the Jags can trade him for a 7th rouinder?
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by Zoltan from Budapest on Aug 27, 2010 3:48 PM EDT reply actions
yeah
if you’re honest – you have to label him as a bust. I think Alfie makes sense, if there’s really no big difference from one of these guys to the next – keep the guy who can play multiple positions. That would leave Nelson holding the pick slip.
i dont think so cuz most team would see were just gunna cut him so no trade
by rhettchrystal on Aug 27, 2010 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions
With the front five together this game
Has an air of do or die for Garrard as well, insofar as it concerns “the wolves”
Garrard should light up the Bucs
by Alfie Crow on Aug 27, 2010 4:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think
it will be a good test for him. If there is anything worth from this Tampa team; is the secondary. We will see how effective David with a really good secondary.
Life without knowledge is death in disguise
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by Zoltan from Budapest on Aug 27, 2010 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Tampa's
Secondary is pretty weak. Aqib Talib is alright, but other than that the other three are either old or not very good.
If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
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This may sound strange, but i hope he doesn’t make it, simply because i don’t believe he’s good enough to be on the team. He could have one good night but this won’t tell the whole story. Im ready for a bad season on safety position, but i’m sure with him out there it will be more like a nightmare.
"Do I need to be liked? Absolutely not! I like to be liked, I enjoy being liked, I have to be liked. But it's not like this compulsive need to be liked...like my need to be praised." Michael Scott
BY the way an interesting question
If Smilery not plays well- does that mean that he is out?
Plus if he is out; the Jags still mugt give away that 7th round pick; or it will return because Smiley didn’t make the final roster?
Life without knowledge is death in disguise
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by Zoltan from Budapest on Aug 27, 2010 4:23 PM EDT reply actions
unless that guy is just a complete animal
and blows away everyone for the staters job – his propensity for injury is to big a risk
I agree
I hope Vinnie stays.
Life without knowledge is death in disguise
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by Zoltan from Budapest on Aug 27, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm thinking
that Reggie plays lights out and shows a vast improvement from the past 2 seasons.
Of course, I also believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy….
But I really want him to succeed. The other guys have had just as much of a chance to succeed as he has, Alexander, Constandine and Smith just failed with other uniforms on.
DG is the best we have and help is not on the way. I realize he's not perfect, but I feel a lot better about him at QB than I do the O-Line, DB's and LB's ability to cover a TE.
Don't you have to blame the coaches?
I mean the guy has sick physical skills, and from all accounts he’s also a good kid and has the desire to be a great player. If in two years he can’t be taught how to not bite on play action, I put that on coaching. And good tackling takes confidence. We know he’s not afraid to hit, he’s just playing scared, and it shows in his tackling. I for one hope he plays great tomorrow and turns his career around.
That's a good question.
But at the same time, I don’t think the Jags changed there coaching staff so drastically from his standout rookie year through his last two abysmal ones to affect his play that much. It’s obvious he is lacking in the mental department and it’s hard to tell if that is him or the coaches. He can study all the film he wants, but if the coaches don’t tell him how to dissect in the right manner, then it is all pointless. Truthfully, I think he can be successful in this league. Maybe it won’t be with the Jags, but; either way, we’ll find out soon enough.
How do you know.....
i mean, everyone learns diffrently, they all know hes got the tallent….to be outstanding……maybe they just havnt explored the right way, to teach him….some are hands on, some learn from books, som learn from film…..
Mess With the Best Die like the Rest
Trust me, it’s not the coaches fault.
by Alfie Crow on Aug 28, 2010 11:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He's never shown outstanding in the NFL
He showed good with promise, but that fizzled out. He is said to be giving it his all to be better this year, so we’ll see, but you can’t put that on coaches. He’s a grown man now, this isn’t pop warner.
WTF IS THE INTERNET?!?
What we've got here is.....failure to communicate
Some men you just can’t reach .So you get what we had here last year, which is the way he wants it… well, he gets it. I don’t like it any more than you men.
You can't reason with unreasonable people.
You know whats funny....
The guy has had 2 bad seasons…..last i checked a certain someone else that everyone holds in high regards has had 2 bad season, and it dosnt seem like his heads as high on the choping block…..And we all know whom im talking about, hes been defeneded more then anyone for his poor performance…..I personaly hope that Nelson turns it around….
Mess With the Best Die like the Rest
is this the only post you've read on this site ?
DG gets criticized plenty on here. And it’s not like he’s had 2 bad years, just 2 down years and that’s as much the teams fault as his. In 2007 he was sacked 21 times, in 2008 & 2009 he was sacked 42 times each year. He threw for 1000+ more yards in each of the last 2 seasons as well.
He also hasn’t been benched the way Reggie Nelson has and there’s no one better available right now or he too would be gone.
And I think we’re all in agreement that the Jags will draft a new QB next year. We just have to hope he’s an upgrade at the position.
DG is the best we have and help is not on the way. I realize he's not perfect, but I feel a lot better about him at QB than I do the O-Line, DB's and LB's ability to cover a TE.
Heres the problem Mathis would be an immediate upgrade over anyone thehy have safety wise……….he was a FS in 03 and 04 in many circumstances……….however it is obvious the rest of the CBs, none could be a #1 (even Cox, he’s about a year from that skill set)……….basically i see the jags secondary is a giant mishmosh of two CBs, 1 defintely safety and a whole bunch of others that can be either #2 CB, dime, nickel or Safety
Waber-Jaguar
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