VERSUS  

Ingram and Durant: Proven Performer or Up-and-coming Upslide

The Jaguars are a mere month away from opening training camp.  Unlike years past, this year the most interesting battles will be with the defense.  Whether its the effects of introducing Drayton Florence into the secondary or replacing Marcus Stroud at defensive tackle, all educated eyes should be watching the defense.  While the more obvious position fights will be with the rookies and free-agent signings, the most interesting battle is for the left outside linebacker position. 

Clint Ingram and Justin Durant had excellent seasons in 2007.  Both would see extensive time, though not entirely according to plan.  Durant was largely expected to be a situational backup player as he worked his way through his rookie year, but with the injury to Mike Peterson, he was quickly put as a starter on the right-side. 

Durant, despite playing well, was playing out of position.  The Jaguars see Justin as the long-term starter at LOLB.  Ingram is good, don't get me wrong, but Durant is a faster, more instinctive, pure player than Ingram.  If it's not this season, it will be next year.

But there I go again, tossing my opinion into the introduction. Honestly, this is a problem of riches, putting either player as the starter means that a fantastic linebacker is on the field.  Ingram and Durant bring something to the table that Jack Del Rio and Marc Duffner love, that's the ability to play wherever and whenever they're asked.  While both might be unknowns to the rest of the world, the Jaguars know they've got two talented players in a wide-open competition.  As usual, we'll do this in two parts.  Collin will take Mr. Ingram, I'll cover Durant, and you, the reader, will decide.  For the Jaguars, there is no loser.  Durant gives us one of the most athletic linebackers in the NFL,  Ingram a solid-hitting hard-nosed, insert cliche here outside linebacker.  Both are in the "Jack Del Rio" style.

On to the breakdown

Clint Ingram: The Experience Candidate

Clint Ingram was selected with the 80th overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft in a trade with the Cowboys that cost us our 92nd and 125th picks that year. Clint was the last linebacker on the board whom the Jaguars felt could start his first year and the Jags moved aggressively to grab him. He began starting for the Sooners mid-way through his junior year, and by the end of his senior year he was known as an instinctive hitter with exceptional pass defense capabilities.

Ingram's nickname in the locker-room is "Country", which he was given for both his southern-drawl and laid-back personality. Clint was raised in Texas and claims his work ethic comes from laboring on his Grandparents farm during his youth; he was mowing yards at age six. Clint has always been dedicated to whatever he's been involved with. He hasn't caused any off the field problems and had this to say about the sudden change of becoming a NFL player.

"I'll stay grounded," he said. "I have a good foundation; good morals."

Football, however, is won on the field. The camp battle between Clint Ingram and Justin Durant is going to be the most interesting defensive battle of the summer. So far, Clint's been hampered by an ankle injury which should be healed by the beginning of training camp.

Ingram is known for being a studious LB who is both aggressive and instinctive. He'll be entering his third season and isn't going to give up his starting role to Durant without a fight. Ingram's advantage in experience isn't as pronounced as it was last year when Durant was a rookie. Ingram has a clear advantage over Durant in pass defense, while it seems that Durant is a marginally better pass rusher due to a slight edge in quickness. Both are excellent tacklers. Clint has been known for making interceptions and pass defenses since his college days, and that's an invaluable trait for a defensemen. Here's what Mark Duffner had to say about Clint coming out of college.

"Real good movement skills, suddenness, burst. You could see the explosiveness. He was probably as good a hitter as I saw on film," linebackers coach Mark Duffner said of Ingram.

There's no question that Ingram has got some catching up to do. Durant has established himself well during the time Ingram's ankle has kept him sidelined. However, the Jaguars have an entirely new playbook to learn, so there is just as much studying to be done off the field as there is play to be done on it. Ingram is known to be a student of the game and his dedication to the sport has hastened his development.

In 2006, Clint started 11 of 14 games he played in and recorded 117 tackles, second-most on the team. He was shoved into the starting role full time when Mike Peterson was injured and the team hardly missed a beat. He showed he was able to handle the speed of the NFL game and even snagged an interception from Eli Manning that year. He came out of college an accomplished pass defender and has done nothing but improve in that regard.

The Jaguars are lucky to have 4 potential starters at linebacker and it is arguably our strongest position. Durant is clearly going to have to start at some point. He's amazing and his skill will likely prevent Mike Peterson from getting an extension after this season. However, I believe Clint is going to retain his starting role this year because he'll come to camp with a better grasp of the defense than will Durant. If Durant claims the starting job, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ingram come in with the nickel defense at the very least, as his edge in pass defense is unquestioned.

Justin Durant: The Change Candidate

“I played my career with a little chip, a little edge, and I plan to carry that chip into the N.F.L.,”

These are the words of Justin Durant on what he would bring to the NFL.  Justin, as we know came from the Division 1-AA (Non-Bowl Subdivision) school of Hampton University.  Hampton, for those of you without a close familiarity to Virginia schools, is on the Eastern seaboard, and somehow sent more players to the combine in 2007 than USC. 

Justin Durant, in theory, will eventually be the Jaguars starting middle linebacker. Mike Peterson is pushing his middle thirties, is a free-agent next season, and despite the relative minorness of the injuries, has missed significant time in the last several seasons.  This, of course, is irrelevent to our current discussion.  It would take a serious change of events for Durant to overtake Mike Peterson this year, though it's not completey impossible. 

No, the Jaguars have a problem of having four starting linebackers and for 2008, the odd man out is between Ingram and Durant.  Ingram's strength is that he's more experienced and is an absolute known quantity at linebacker.  This is without a doubt a huge advantage over Durant, if the Jagaurs are going to be more conservitive on defense. 

But that's not what I see happening.  Clint Ingram gives us a solid linebacker.  Justin Durant is by far the fastest player of the four, and with the expected solidness of Peterson and Daryl Smith, he is also the best player for an attacking style of linebacker play.  When Blitzes are called, more often than naught Gregg Williams uses a combination of linebackers (obviously).  If Durant is used in blitz-packages, his value is still strong, but for the attack style defense that we assume Williams will use, keeping Durant on the field as often as possible increases his flexiblity. 

Durant may be a liablity in coverage sometimes, but he has the speed and increasing experience to compensate for errors.  He can "lay the wood" as a hitter and his speed alows for a margin of error in his aggressive style of play.  Collin makes a very good point that having Gregg Williams means that both linebackers are learning a new system, if it were Mike Smith, I'd say leave Ingram in and let Durant ease his way in.  But with a clean slate so to speak, Durant brings speed and physicality to the table that Ingram lacks.

These are the sort of problems that you want a team to have.  There is no real "loser" other in terms of playing time.  I believe strongly that the injury to Clint Ingram that has sidelined him so far from practicing with the first team will give Durant the edge on opening day.  His speed is what puts him over the top.  It gives him the tools required to make up for any defencies in his abilty to understand the scheme.

We Debate, You Decide!

Pick who you think will start on opening day and explain why in the commments!

The Jacksonville Jaguars completed their offseason training activities yesterday with a final practice.  With this, the Jaguars now have 45 days until the opening of training camp on Saturday, July 26th.  Most players and coaches will take a vacation and spend time with their families as what promises to be a very long season.(February, perhaps!) It's time well deserved, as there's very little idle time between the end of the season and the start of draft season. 

Interestingly, I'm less morose about the beginning of the "dead zone" than usual.  I typically dread the end of OTA's and minicamp because it's the end of any real Jaguars news and other sports are either ending (basketball) or mind-numbing (baseball).  This time, I feel anxious about the start of training camp and the season, but there's something reassuring about all this time away from the team.

Maybe it's all the questions that I need to sort out.  Questions about the roster, questions about the playbook, questions about the state of the team.  The 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars are in so many ways a different team than we're used to.  While the Jaguars always suffered from roster shifts, free agency, etc, I can't recall a year of such a drastic remaking of the team, from the coaches to the players than this offseason.  I think that's why I'm ready for a few weeks to make sense of it all. 

During the next six weeks, Big Cat Country is going to take an exhaustive look at our roster, our coaches, and what we project to be the playbook.  They'll be an interview here and there, some special guests, and hopefully the best Jaguars coverage you can find.  We'll have some fun, of course, but we'll be keeping a close eye on the calendar.  July 26th, so close, yet so far away.

Let's take a quick look at what we know after OTA's and what is still uncertain:

We Know:

1. David Garrard is on his game.  Recent Jaguars history has shown us that our passing game is slow to develop.  Not this time, David's throwing freaking lasers, our receivers are catching passes, and things are on track.

2. Gregg Williams is experimenting with the attack.  The Jaguars "new" defense, so far, is blitz heavy.  It's unclear if this is a way for Gregg Williams to figure out what his players can do or if it's a sign of things to come.  It's obvious that the defense we fielded against the Patriots in the Playoffs is dead and gone.

3. Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are fast.  It's hard to measure their impact in their shorts and t-shirts, but speed is obvious.  In fact, the entire defense reeks of speed from top to bottom.  Can you find a faster defensive group than Harvey, Groves, Mathis, Durant, Peterson, and Nelson?

4. Richard Collier and Justin Durant are rapidly replacing Khalif Barnes and Clint Ingram at their respective starting positions.

We Don't Know:

1. Our wide receivers: I can tell you for sure that Porter, Williams, and Northcutt will be our X, Y, and Slot receivers accordingly.  I can tell you with a strong degree of probability that Troy Williamson and John Broussard will be one of the two remaing roster spots.  Matt Jones, Mike Walker, and the rest of the bunch are competing for one remaining spot, as carrying six receivers is foolish.

2. Can Troy Williamson keep on catching when the pads are on and it really matters.  Yes, Troy has excelled during practice, but he's looked pretty good in Vikings OTA's as well.  In fact, we've got questions about all the first round reconstruction projects.  Is Jimmy Kennedy going to turn it on at defensive tackle?  Will Matt Jones turn his career around and finally take the next step?

3. Will the Jaguars actually bring the heat?  Yes, our defense looks fast, but how will it translate in the pads on environment of camp and the preseason? 

4. Will the Jaguars make it to September without major injury?  No matter how important practice is to developing a playoff team, the most important thing is for the Jaguars to start the season fast and healthy.  The AFC South will be decided in the first four weeks of the season, starting slow and injured greatly effects our ability to win the division.

That's my quick take.  We've got weeks and weeks to flesh this out further, so be prepared for more analysis.

I'd like to know what you'd like to know about the Jaguars during the dead zone?  What would you like to discuss, debate, analyze, etc?  What questions do you have about the 2008 Jaguars?  I'm happy to explore any topic, so let me know what you're thinking!

-Chris

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

On Monday, the Jaguars will begin their third session of Offseason Training Activities (OTA), with eight more practices until their Mini-camp on the weekend of June 6th.  These OTA sessions are critical in building a cohesive and strong football team because there is so little time in training camp to build relationships and put units on the same page. 

Remember, the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars open their season in Tennessee, and then play the Colts and Texans in the first month of the regular season.  Without a strong start, the Jaguars could find themselves hopelessly behind in the critical AFC South division race before Christmas Decorations appear in the Avenues Mall.

Jaguars.com's Vic Ketchman, a writer any Jaguars fan is familiar with, is chafing at the interest in the teams OTA"s, which is terribly off-base.  While yes, these are just "underwear" practices, there is a feeling of importance that cannot be brushed aside, as Vic is wont to do:

If I may, I’ll ask that we not take OTA’s too seriously. We really need to keep this in perspective. We lost perspective on Jason Taylor. We lost perspective on Lito Sheppard. Please, let’s not suffer the same fate in OTA’s. They’re really not that big of a deal.

Don't blame the fans, Vic, it's not our fault.  Just as you implore us to "not blame the media" for reporting what they're told, you certainly cannot blame the fans for paying attention to events of even the smallest importance.  We're all invited to the 24 hour news cycle, the never-ending NFL season, and the renewal of hope that each offseason brings.  Of course we want to know how Mike Walker's looking during OTA's, just as we want to know if Drayton Florence is getting beat deep, or why Brian Smith is relegated to standing on the sidelines.  The NFL fan of 2008 understands far more the effects of contracts, the perils of labor strife in the league, and how champions are made during the "dead zone".  We are far more aware now than ever before, and we expect to know how the practices are going.  Even if it's too far to tell if a player can translate perfect practice into practical performance, it's not too much to ask to start knowing the story before it's written. 

The Jaguars are going to go deep into the playoffs this year.  They've constructed a team with the potential for greatness.  In February of 2009, we'll be looking back to these mere OTA practices as our first glance at what should be a fantastic season.  I see no harm in trying to measure that progress now. 

Enough of that meta-NFL nonsense, let's look at what we've learned:

• Wide Receiver Mike Walker did not practice on Tuesday (5.13), but did take the field on Thursday (5.15).  Mike "sky" Walker is one of the most interesting players to watch as we move closer to Training Camp.  He showed flashes of brilliance, but ultimately spent the year on Injured Reserve as he slowly worked his knee back toward 100%.
• Fred Taylor, as usual, did not attend the first OTA's.  Taylor spends his offseason in South Florida doing his special training regimen, the same one that has him averaging 5.2 yards per carry.  He plans on spending some of his time in Jacksonville, so his absence is noted but not noteworthy.
• Safety Jamaal Fudge missed the first OTA's, but for a wonderful reason.  Fudge is finishing his classes at Clemson University.  With all the talks of holdouts, labor unrest, and Spygate, stories like these tend to slip through the cracks.  Jamaal is doing the right thing as he's a good player, but thinking about life after the NFL is critical for players like him
• Injury Report: Marcades Lewis missed OTA's from a Knee Injury that I suspect might have something to do with being one of the few uninjured TE's in Jacksonville right now.  Mike Walker missed one, as mentioned before.  Tight Ends George Wrightster and Greg Estandia both missed time for injured Knee and Shoulder, respectively.  Both are nursing injuries from last season that should be addressed in time for training camp
• DE/LB Brian Smith is still sidelined from his college injury.  More to come on this later.

Notable Quotables:

David Garrard: On Jerry Porter:

“I think he’s going to be a great receiver here. He’s a receiver who can make spectacular plays,”

Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter: On Installing the Offense:

“We’re installing about 15 pass plays a day. We’re throwing a lot at them,”

Jack Del Rio on Contract Extensions for Rob Meier and Paul Spicer:

"We're happy to have Rob done," said Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio. "We have the possibility of getting something done with Paul at some point. We'll see where that goes."

"From our standpoint, we feel like we've made a fair legitimate proposal to these guys and one guy [Meier] is happy and one guy [Spicer] is out there waiting,".

Linebacker Clint Ingram: On Tackling Fundamentals:

"We want to be fundamentally sound. We want to be better tacklers, better at hustling, all that sense of the game,"

What to Watch For:

Not much, sadly.  The Rookies have their first OTA on Monday, though these are all closed to the public and therefore will only learn how they do based on secondary sources.

Which is not to say that Big Cat Country won't have a story or three in the process.  I have two interviews planned this week with the possiblity, albeit slim, of one that might knock your socks off.

Stay Tuned...

-Chris