Better Know the Jacksonville Jaguars

Cornerback/Returner Brian Witherspoon

[Note by River City Rage, 06/16/08 1:44 AM EDT ]: Once again, Clodknocker has gone above and beyond the call of duty.  He's interviewed Jaguars UFA Brian Witherspoon, who's certainly got the speed to play in the NFL.  BCC gives a hearty thanks to both Brian and Clodknocker for the hard work!

Get to know Brian Witherspoon:

Brian was born and raised in the small town of Butler, Ala. He ran track and played football for Stillman College in Tuscaloosa. Stillman is a Division II college in the Southern Intercollegiate Conference. Rashod Moulton (Fort Valley State) and Drayton Florence (Tuskegee) are the only other players on the team to play in that conference.It is ironic that all three are competing for the cornerback position.

At Stillman he had the honor of becoming the college's first track and field NCAA Division II All-American in 2006 for running the 100 meter dash in 10:31 seconds at the national championships. In August of 2007, he was named to the pre-season first-team All-American Football Team by d2football.com. That made him the school's first two-sport All-American.

A player scouting report says that he is a natural athlete with blazing speed, and terrific hands with the ability to be a playmaker. To not have played against top competition, with the need to add weight, become stronger, and become a better tackler were other concerns. One report said he might be more of a track star playing football rather than the other way around. One said that he would be  'an intriguing developmental prospect who might be a perfect candidate for the practice squad'. That idea does not suit him at all. He was upset when he wasn't drafted and he will be upset again if he doesn't make the team. He feels his best chance is on special teams.

I asked how the OTA's had been going. He said the speed of the plays was not a problem as it is with other players, but the terminology was. I asked who was the most helpful. He named all the veteran backfield players. I asked who impressed him the most. The answer was Rashean Mathis. He said Rashean is a great playmaker, a great student of the game, and has fun doing it. He didn't know that Rashean was a co-host on a weekly Jaguar TV sports show. It is on Channel 4 (3 on cable) during the season

Why did he choose the Jaguars? First; He feels this is the team where he has the best chance to make the team. Second; He likes his position coaches; Donnie Henderson (backfield) and Joe Camillis (special teams). Three; The team is close and family-like and he enjoys playing golf and fishing with the guys.

Notable Quotables:

On reaching the NFL:

All the hard work I've put in, and coming from a small area, my parents and all my friends are happy for me. I'm proud of myself. Realizing I actually have the chance to play in the NFL is pretty exciting.

Stillman Head Coach Greg Thomson on Brian's Speed:

"When I first got here, I didn't feel comfortable with the speed of our team. So I started testing the kids' speed. Our staff timed everyone on the team. When Brian ran his, I thought something was wrong with my clock. He ran it again, and the clock read the same thing. At that moment I told our coaches, ‘This man is fast.'

On being named a first team All-American despite missing games due to injury:

"It feels great getting this type of recognition, considering I missed the majority of the season because I was hurt. It just lets me know that all of the hard work has been paying off and this will definitely motivate me to work even harder this season."

Statistical Medley: (note: I only have numbers for 2007 and 2005)

2007 Kick Returns:
14 returns, 388 yards, 27.7 average, 1 TD, longest return 90 yards

2007 Punt Returns:
14 returns, 153 yards, 10.9 average, 1 TD, longest return 68 yards

2007 Interceptions:
2 Int, 18 ards, 9.0 average, 0 TD, longest return 13 yards

2007 defensive results
11 games played, 25 solo tackles, 6 asst, 2 passes defended, 7 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and THREE blocked kicks.

2005 Punt Returns:
2 returns, 61 yards, 30.5 average, 1 TD, longest return 51 yards

2005 Kick Returns:
7 returns, 148 yards, 21.1 average, 0TD, longest return 41

2005 Interceptions:
3 INT, 28 yards, 9.3 average, 0TD, longest return 17 yards

2005 Defensive results:
4 starts, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist,

Scouting Report:

Positives:

A smooth natural athlete...Blazing fast with rare timed speed...Has an outstanding burst to break and recover when beat...Very fluid hips and flips them well....Great leaper...Terrific hands and can be a playmaker...Lots of potential as a return man.

Negitives

Did not play against top competition...Isn't very strong or physical....Needs to bulk up and add weight...Sub par tackler...Struggles to get a jam at the line...Lacks top instincts and awareness..Is raw in terms of technique and will need a ton of work.

You Tube!

Contrary to other reports , the Jacksonville Jaguars have used the 2008 offseason to announce to the division that they are the team to beat in the AFC South.  While the Indianapolis Colts deserve the respect due to a six-time division winner, there is no reason to assume that the reigning champs have done enough to hold their position at the top of the South.

Yes, this article intended as a bit of Counter Battery fire toward my good friend and Indianapolis Colts writer over at Stampede Blue.  Big Blue Shoe, as he calls himself, delights in mocking our Jaguars whenever possible, in what can only be a defense mechanism to the pain and suffering that Jacksonville is going to give their team in 2008. 

And we can forgive him, it's merely one step in the Kubler-Ross "Stages of Grief ": In this case, our fellow Colts fans are deeply in denial of the changes and progress made by the Jaguars during this offseason.  Denial manifests itself in peculiar ways in a fanbase,  the Colts will find their evidence in attacking statistics from last season that make the Jaguars look like an Arena League team and hope that the trend continues.

Specifically:

Now before I get flamed, hear me out. The Jaguars are a very good team at shutting down an opponents running game. However, against the pass, the Jaguars flat out suck. They can't pressure the QB and their secondary is highly suspect. The Jaguars defense in 2007 allowed opposing playoff QBs to complete 78% of their passes for 599 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs.

In the modern NFL, that is a sucky defense.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is simply no way the Jacksonville Jaguars field anywhere close to that poor of a pass defense in 2008.  The Jaguars secondary in 2007 featured a rookie tossed into the starting role with Reggie Nelson,  a 33 year old Sammy Knight playing a fill-in role with Gerald Sensabaugh on Injured Reserve, an Injured Rashean Mathis, and a healthy but out-of-position Brian Williams rounding out the starters. 

Secondary Concerns:

There was a reason that Sammy Knight often led the team in tackles week in and week out, that's because he could not cover a tight end to save his life and would get targeted every single week.  That the Jaguars held together any sort of defense with his inability to cover is still remarkable.  Sammy Knight is now a New York Giant, and we won't have to worry about him again.

In his place the Jaguars will feature Brian Williams, a former Cornerback that is a natural at Safety.  In fact, he's a bigger version of the Colts safety Bob Sanders.  Williams is going to move to Strong Safety and be used all over the field by Gregg Williams, both in run support and in pass coverage.  Where tight ends ran right by Sammy and were wide open, they'll have a guy that shut down Randy Moss running side by side.

Let's not also forget that our Free Safety, Reggie Nelson, will have another year under his belt.  Gregg Williams and Donnie Henderson will demand that Reggie steps up the intellectual side of his game, especially considering that he'll be playing a lot more center field with the Jaguars likely emphasis on pressuring the quarterback.

Finally, add in a healthy Gerald Sensabaugh, who struggled in September because he was playing with a torn labrum, and went on injured reserve when he tore the other one, and Florence/Mathis on the outside, and you've got a recipe for a huge improvement in our secondary.

The Quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard:

Before we discuss our changes at defensive end, lets take a moment consider the messages sent from the front office about our defensive line.  The Jaguars, I will admit, have made mistakes with their draft picks.  Where they are batting .1000 are in resigning and extending their players. You simply do not hear about the Jaguars offering their players big extensions and then having the player fail to perform.  The Jaguars sent Marcus Stroud to Buffalo and extended the contracts of Rob Meier and Tony McDaniel, both of which will be critical in the new "Teal Curtain".  It's to be expected that the Colts disregard Tony McDaniel as a threat, they've never really seen him.  Let's just say that Peyton Manning will have a 6-7, 310lb beast in the middle, just like Stroud used to be.

The outside, of course, is going to be manned on occasion by the rookies, Derrek Harvey and Quentin Groves.  It's completely fair to assume that because they are first year players that their impact will be minimal.  The problem with that reasoning is that both of these players will be used as pass rushers, an area where physical gifts are more important than experience.  When Quentin Groves takes the field on 3rd and 7, it will not be terribly hard for him to figure out what he's supposed to do.  Harvey has it a little tougher, as you'll see him playing the run and the pass more frequently.

In either case, it's not as though they'll be all alone on the ends.  Reggie Hayward will be two years removed from his injury, Paul Spicer will eventually be extended, and the group will have a good shot at being this years New York Giants in regards to attacking the quarterback.

Absolute Nonsense:

I hate to nitpick, but this is the most deranged thing I've ever read:

There is not one single area where Jacksonville is "better" than Indy. Maybe their special teams coverage units. Maybe. Everything else is a clear advantage for the Colts. Indy's QB, WRs, o-line, d-line, TEs, CBs, safeties, LBers, kicker, and punter are all better than Jacksonville's. Even the running back position favors Indy.

I'll grant Quarterback, I'll even concede the offensive line and Tight Ends.  But to say that the Colts have better Linebackers, Defensive Line, and Secondary than the Jaguars is an ignorant statement.  The Jaguars use their linebackers a little differently than the Colts do in the "Dungy 2", and really can't be compared directly.  The combination of Durrant, Ingram, Peterson, and Smith give the Jaguars three guys who can play every combination of linebacker spots, the speed to play sideline to sideline, and a nasty hard hitting attitude.  I'd take our bench linebacker over any of the Colts starters.  Remember, the biggest knock on the Jaguars pass rushers is that they're young.  None of our guys are coming off of a Lis Franc, like Mr. Freeney.

And the Running Backs?  Are you serious?  I don't care who the third and fourth running backs are on the Colts roster, Fred and Maurice are enough to do the trick.  Call me crazy, but were something terrible to happen, Greg Jones would surprise a lot of people with his ability to run the ball. 

It is absolute absurdity to assume that a team is completely and utterly the master of another.  The Jacksonville Jaguars of 2008 will be unlike any the Colts have ever seen.  While it's easy to write the team off because they've not proved anything on the field yet, the Jaguars have made all the right moves to overtake the Colts in the AFC South.

Enjoy the Homerism for now Indy, in a few months we'll give you a reality check...

-Chris