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Quick Bytes

Quick Bytes: Jerry Porter's got a Hamstring, Jason Taylor's got a new team

 
Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

Hamstring_medium

: This, as you can tell, is a Hamstring.  Jerry Porter recently had surgery on his after hurting it during mini-camp.  People panicked.

: The Jaguars have four significant injuries to follow during training camp: defensive end Jeremy Mincey (wrist), safety Chad Nkang (wrist) and tight end George Wrighster (knee). This means that James Wyche probably gets the final roster spot at DE, someone else will have a chance to step up on special teams, and the tight ends behind Marcades are a muddled mess of potential and injuries.

: The Jaguars Jason Taylor saga is over.  He's now a member of the Washington Redskins after they suffered the worst opening of training camp in NFL history.  Nothing scares me more than early training camp injuries, they ruin teams.  No matter what happens during camp, I want nothing more than our roster to make it to opening day without getting hurt. 

:ESPN did a good thing.  Paul Kuharsky wrote the most fair-minded and accurate article on the state of the Jaguars and ticket sales that I've ever seen in the traditional media.  I'd love to think that he stumbled across some of the articles I've penned here on the subject, but I don't have the ego to think like that.

: This week is full of excitement as the Jaguars end their offseason hibernation and begin actual football-like-behavior.  It's been a rough few weeks, filled with nonsense like Matt Jones, Cocaine, and talks of LA and ticket sales, but it's about to turn into Oklahoma drills, roster cuts, and talking about practice

: I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves will sign contracts this week.  The Jaguars typically announce one at a time, thus giving the player (and their agent) a day to enjoy the media cycle, so that's something to look out for.  Word on the street is that Harvey is close, though there's nothing official to confirm that.  As soon as I know something concrete, it'll be posted here.

Enjoy your Monday, I'll be back throughout the day with updates and other things!

-Chris

 

Poll
Are you going to Training Camp?
  • Yes
  • Yes, and I'd love to post my observations here at BCC
  • Nope

  118 votes | Results

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Quick Bytes: Scott Starks goes Bowling, Albert Haynesworth signs nothing

  
Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

: Cornerback Scott Starks is working with the Clara White Mission to "strike out" homelessness at the Stars and Strikes Celebrity Charity Bowling on Saturday, July 19th.  The event is at the Jax Lane Bowling Center, and will have Rashean Mathis, Maurice Williams, Reggie Nelson, and Gerald Sensabaugh as well as "many more".  More information about the event can be found here.  Kudos to the Jaguars for participating and showing the good side of the team!

:Your humble narrator, me, did an interview with the Pigskin Podcast.  If you think I've got a face for radio, do yourself a favor and give it a listen.  I make a very funny pun about Matt Jones.  Well worth the download.

: Tennessee Titans defensive tackle and face stomper Albert Haynesworth did not come to a long-term contract extension before yesterday's deadline.  Haynesworth and the Titans were hoping to work out a contract and remove the franchise tag, but terms were not reached.  According to league rules, all the Titans can do is extend a one year deal and try again next offseason. 

: The Houston Texans over at Battle Red Blog smell blood in the water in the AFC South, just like we do with the Peyton Manning surgery.  Sure, the Texans also think they'll split the series with the Jaguars this year, but there's no shame in a little irrational exuberism.

: Stampede Blue, our somewhat annoying but generally friendly Colts fans, have a good take on the Packers and Brett Favre.  Why are the Colts talking about Brett?  Because it's (sadly) the big story in football right now. 

: Alex Marvez of Fox Sports writes about the importance of the pass-rushers first step.  Derrick Harvey and Jack Del Rio are interviewed.  Good Stuff.

I'll be back in the morning with a closer look at the defensive line, some Jaguars news, and other exciting things!

-Chris

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Quick Bytes: AFC South Injuries Edition


Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

:The Colts offseason of great concern continues. They've been hit hard by the injury bug, and it isn't even August yet.

Strong Safety Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney will probably be starting training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
Colts LB Tyjuan Hagler also will be on the PUP list after a recent pectoral injury he suffered during strength training.

Hagler was expected to be a starter this season, and his injury stings, however, the more telling story is Dwight Freeney. He still isn't healthy enough to perform, and although all the Colts' are saying he'll be back for the season opener, I have my doubts. One thing is for certain, he won't be the same beast this year.

:Joe Jurevicius may need microfracture surgery in addition to his recent June 30th clean up surgery. Matt Jones may be looking a little bit better to the Browns now, so perhaps the Jaguars could find interest in Cleveland.

: According to the NFL Network, Grady Jackson still wants to play this season and may lower his asking price to find a suitor.

: The 2009 Supplemental Draft has been canceled for next year due to a lack of applicants. Jared Gaither was the lone gem to come out of last year's supplemental draft and was snagged by the Ravens for a mid round pick (4th-5th rd), which was subtracted from the Ravens draft earlier this year. He may be Ogden's successor and is looking like a steal, some of you may remember that there was a brief debate as to whether the Jags should pursue Jared, but his off the field issues ultimately led the Jags to pass on him.  

:The Pittsburgh Steelers are for sale... Unlike a bad Twilight Zone episode though, this is for real.

The storied Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise has been secretly shopped to potential buyers amid continuing divisions among the five sons of the team's founder, Art Rooney Sr.  

Some of the brothers and younger third-generation family members are asking whether a better deal can be put together, if there is to be an ownership change.

-Collin

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Quick Bytes: 25 Days till Training Camp


Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

Today is the first day of July, which means the Jacksonville Jaguars are a mere 25 short days until opening training camp!  This also means that there is 25 long days where there is very little Jaguars news, updates, or anything else to hear as far as official reports.  But that certainly does not mean that there's nothing to talk about, just that the reguar media is basically on vacation for the next three weeks or so.

: Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline has two articles of note.  His first, the "Breakout Players of 2008" feature is a typical "dead zone" article where potential and speculation reigns over fact.  Facts, of course, are few and far between right now, but whatever:
26. Troy Williamson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: He was considered a flop in Minnesota after his selection in the first round of the 2005 draft. He had 79 catches in his first three seasons, just 24 in 2007. That's why the Vikings traded him to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. During the Jaguars' offseason work, Williamson was outstanding. He didn't drop a pass. If that carries over to camp, his speed will be a big addition to the Jacksonville passing game.
What I meant by typical is that Prisco starts with #30, and is listing 10 a week for three weeks.  So we'll have 20 more days until we know who he picks at the top.  Williamson is an interesting pick though, he's shown lots of potential in Jacksonville so far, but the team will know nothing until he does it in a real honest game.

: Prisco also does another typical "dead zone" trick by listing his Top 50 Players by Position.  It's fundamentally impossible to rate players across teams and positions because each have a completely different value.  Technically, the top 32 of the 50 should be the Quarterbacks, since they have more value to a team than any other position, but that's not how this works.  Here are the highlights:
1. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: Can he do any more than he did last season? The scary thing for the rest of the league is, yes he can.
Ugh.  I see where this is going.

6. Mario Williams, DE, Houston Texans: Williams is making the Texans proud for passing on Reggie Bush and Vince Young to take this pass rusher. He might have been the league's best defensive player in the final eight weeks of 2007.
I'll admit, I admire what the Texans are doing on defense.  By that I mean I respect how they are creating an "anti-Colts" defense in the same way the Jaguars tried in the early Del Rio era.  Mario Williams was a vastly better choice than Reggie Bush.  Give them credit, they made a good choice here.

49. Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Taylor finally got his due last season with his first Pro Bowl appearance. At 32, he remains one of the biggest home-run threats in the league. His 5.4 per-carry average was second best among the league's best rushers to Peterson (5.6).
Yup, that's number 49.  Fred Taylor is the only Jaguar to get a mention, and even then it's 2nd from the bottom.  David Garrard, Rashean Mathis, and Maurice Jones-Drew are forgotten.  Kellen Winslow, Drew Brees, and Braylon Edwards all made the list though.  I understand that there's no point in complaing about meaningless stuff like this, but there's something to be said about a guy who spent a long time covering the Jaguars to remember one player drafted since he left town. 

: There's a new Jaguars blog on the FanSided Network.  The fine folks at "Black and Teal" are just starting out, and it's a pretty good read.  They already picked a fight with some Cowboys fans, which is a good way to earn some respect.  It's like they play by prison rules and beat up the biggest guy in the yard on the first day.  I look forward to keeping up with them as they get started!

: Charlie Bernstein of JagNation, Brendon Sonnone of Jaguars Journal and I did a podcast last night.  If you're interested in seeing me painfully cop out on a question about the 1999 Jaguars vs. the 2008 Jaguars and other good commentary, you can download it for your listening pleasure here.

There's your Tuesday Morning dose of Jaguars goodness.  We have a very long interview with Jaguars.com Editor Vic Ketchman coming up later today, so stay tuned for that!

-Chris

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Quick Bytes: Only four more Tuesdays till Training Camp, edition.


Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).
Happy Tuesday!  I hope you're enjoying the "dead zone" as much as I am.  With all this time on their hands, the sportswriters who decide to not go on vacation (I'm talking to you Peter King) tend to start speculating about the 2008 season.  Some go as far as Dr. Z did and pick the Vikings to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, which is crazy. 

Now before we get to the "bytes", there's some stuff in the pipeline for Big Cat Country that you should be aware of.  First off, we're going to have a follow-up interview with Quarterback Paul Smith with his thoughts on minicamp, preparing for training camp, and perhaps an insiders perspective on what's shaking at wide receiver.  There's also going to be some "meta"-Jaguars discussion with a few of the primary journalists who cover the team.

Of course, you're also going to see our breakdown of who makes the roster, some head to heads, and some surprises.  I'll spoil one of them, Big Cat Country will host it's first podcast/radio show sometime in the next week!  I just have to get over my microphone fright and see how it works out.

On to the links!

: Is the end of the Jason Taylor drama near?  There are rumors that Taylor could go to Green Bay.  Adam Schein of Fox Sports thinks this is a good idea.  If it cost a 3rd round pick, I'd still trade for him.  Call me crazy (seriously), but if he's still around into training camp, I'd strongly consider making another phone call.

: Speaking of Fox Sports, Alex Marvez writes up a nice article about David Garrard.  David's done a nice job creating an image around dressing well, because that's typically the lede of any story written about him.

With the trust of coaches and teammates now secured, the Jaguars rewarded Garrard this off-season with a six-year, $60-million contract extension that included $20 million guaranteed. The windfall has provided financial security for Garrard's family, which now includes a nine-month-old son, and the luxury of buying more custom-made suits. He owns 12, with several on order from a Jacksonville tailor for the 2008 season.

"I always have been into clothes," Garrard says. "I haven't always been able to afford the things I like to do but now it's a little different."


: ESPN's "Scouts Inc" did a roundtable about the AFC South.  Sadly, most of it is behind the subscription wall, but here's a sneek peek:

(On the best Offense in the AFC South)
Jeremy Green: The best offense in the AFC South does not belong to the Indianapolis Colts, but rather the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last season the Colts finished No. 3 in scoring, and the Jaguars No. 6. The Jaguars did this without a receiver or tight end you could even classify as a great No. 2. With the additions of veteran WR Jerry Porter and WR Troy Williamson who has looked excellent in the OTAs, along with a maturing tight end in Marcedes Lewis, all of a sudden this is an explosive offense. The Colts have the better quarterback in Peyton Manning, but David Garrard is a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.

(On the best Defense in the AFC South)
Matt Williamson: The Colts are an underrated group, but with Freeney's and Sanders' injury concerns, I am going to give the slight edge to Jacksonville, especially with Gregg Williams now leading its defense. Under Williams, the Jags should be more aggressive coming after opposing quarterbacks with the additions of DEs Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves through the draft. Tennessee cannot be overlooked in this discussion either, but I am going with Jacksonville.
: John Clayton has concerns about the Jaguars Offensive Line:

Lots of questions remain along the offensive line. Maurice Williams, Uche Nwaneri and Dennis Norman are in a three-way battle for the starting right guard spot, although Williams should be considered the favorite because he signed a four-year, $12.5 million extension. Left tackle is another question mark. Richard Collier is battling with last year's starter, Khalif Barnes, for the starting job.

All in all, the offensive line doesn't look as stable as it was a year ago. The team released guard Chris Naeole, who was perhaps the line's most consistent performer. Right tackle Tony Pashos remains a work in progress. Even though the team has more options than it did a year ago at this time, the blocking might not be as good. Still, there is plenty of competition, which could be a good thing.

: Vince Young wants to throw the deep ball.  I ask, to whom will you throw said deep ball?  I imagine Gregg Williams salivates when he hears things like this about the Titans offensive coordinator:

And he's more of a stretch-the-field guy than Chow. Heimerdinger will call for a deep ball on third-and-1.

I'd love to see the Titans commit to poor play-calling on 3rd and 1.  Though in all fairness, calling a deep ball on third-and-1 is really just calling a shotgun spread option, where Vince Young would run for it. 

: Undrafted Free Agent Receiver Derrick Richards was released this week.  While I never thought he'd make the roster, he certainly seemed talented.  I hope another team takes a look at him. 

-Chris

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Quick Bytes: Monday Morning Minicamp Miscalaney!


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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Quick Bytes: Podcasts, OTA Reports and More!


Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

This is a pretty exciting week here at Big Cat Country.  We've got Clodknocker interviewing the Newest Jaguars, a battle with Colts Fans over at Stampede Blue, and of course Minicamp this weekend!  Remember, if you're going to the practices and would like to report your observations, please drop me a line at BigCatCountry@gmail.com!  

:  I participated in two podcasts this week.  First, the great guys at Football Guys had me on to talk about the Jaguars. (of course).  Thanks again to Cecil and Sigmund for having me on.  You can download the podcast here .

:  If you liked that, you'll love the full hour I did with JagNation last night on their weekly talk show.  Charlie Bernstein, Alfie, and myself debate and discuss just about everything you can think of about our Jaguars.  I won't toot my own horn here, but I think this is a pretty good show.  Download it here for your  listening pleasure!

: The Wide Receiver picture might have gotten a little more clear today.  Mike Walker was cleared by the medical staff to practice!  He even came back a day earlier than he planned.  Director of Scouting Gene Smith had this to say:

“He made a nice first-day impression. He looked both fast and quick. That’s a good sign for where he’s at. The one thing about Mike is he has a nice catching radius. Everything looks easy,” Smith said. “I think Mike can be as good as he decides to be, if he sustains his health.

OTA Report 6.3 and 6.4:

: David Garrard is getting ready to put on a show for the Jaguars fans this weekend.  Monday and Tuesday's OTA's were, according to Vic Ketchman, "fantastic".  He's "relaxed, throwing with ease" and most importantly, doing what star starting quarterbacks do.  He's going to show the fans and the media that he's worth every penny.

: D.D Terry had a day of ups and downs.  He's showing quickness and power in a third-down running back sort of way.  Unfortunately, there's not much of a chance he'd see any time in the regular season in that role, but there's nothing wrong with developing some future talent.  Terry put himself in a bad spot by missreading a blocking assignment and fumbling a ball.   Remember, the Jaguars have a tight competition for the final RB spot, so one fumble, one missed assignment, and it's game over.

: Gregg Williams is giving a variety of defensive looks on every single snap.  It's so intense that it's hard to measure the progress of Cleo Lemon and Paul Smith because of all the zone blitzing, safety blitzes, corner blitzes, etc.  Williams is going to make sure that our quarterbacks are never surprised by anything. 

: Reggie Williams, who I've heard very little about so far this OTA season, is looking "like a polished veteran receiver".  I want nothing more than to see Reggie prove to the world that 10 touchdowns was anything other than a fluke season.

: Safety Jammal Fudge is back from Clemson after finishing classes!

: Gerald Sensabaugh is not accepting that Brian Williams took his starting spot lightly.  Gerald deflected a few passes and looks completely recovered from his injured shoulders.

: Paul Smith is looking like a rookie quarterback, moments of brilliance, moments of frustration.  Pay attention to #12 at Minicamp.

That's all for now.  More exciting things coming down the pipeline!

-Chris

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Quick Bytes: Monday Morning Media Maddness


Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).

This is a weird quick bytes.  There is a bit of an absence of Jaguars news in the rest of the sports-news-o-sphere, but that doesn't mean there's nothing worth reading.  Today's edition attempts to highlight some of the better pieces out there.

If you're dying for Jaguars commentary, I implore you to come back at 12:30 EST, where we'll start a new series here at Big Cat Country examining the state of the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars Roster!

:  I almost wrote an entire post today about my frustrations with SI's Peter King and his Monday Morning Quarterback.  This week's incarnation epitomizes my love/hate relationship with Mr. King as he quickly brushes off the nuggets of gold in his article, while spending far too much time spewing nonsense.

This, for example, deserves more research and a full article
...I remember talking to San Diego GM A.J. Smith the night of the draft. "We got our corner,'' he said happily, referring to first-round pick Antoine Cason. You might wonder why Smith was so focused on getting his corner, with two good starters -- Jammer and Cromartie -- in house, even after losing Florence in free-agency to Jacksonville. "I'm a firm believer in this game today that you need three starting corners to win.'' Amen
Yes, absolutely, I've not seen one major sportswriter address the emerging trend of predominant nickel defenses in the NFL.  I've yet to see someone talk about the rise of the 4-2-5 as a defensive philosophy rather than a situational formation.  Peter, in his defense, did say more than this excerpt, and he even made a handy chart, but he struck on something legitimately interesting and relevant to the game itself. 

But rather than stick to what Peter knows, which really is football, he instead moves on to his standard format of underdeveloped thoughts, pop culture references, and Andy Rooneyesque references to the current state of affairs. 

Yes, the price of gasoline is high, the Office is a little off-kilter since the writers strike ended, and people get frustrated when they travel.  But Peter, and I know you read this, nobody reads MMQB to hear about your thoughts on these issues. * You've got A.J. Smith, Brett Favre, and the Manning Family in your cell phone.  You text message players.  Tell us about football, please.  The Mike Tomlin story is great, but I know I'm not alone in wanting you to stick with what you do best.  I've met you in real life, you're not hip there, you don't need to act hip on Mondays.

* Peter King probably does not read Big Cat Country, but if he did, I'm sure he'd listen to me.

:  Rick "Goose" Gosselin might be the hardest working reporter I've ever seen.  When he goes to the combine, his goal is to talk with every single prospect.  You don't see this on TV, but there are times when there are up to ten prospects in the media room at a time, and some only stay for less than five minutes.  To meet all of them, Rick must sprint between tables just to keep up with it.  It's quite remarkable.

His column for the Dallas Morning News, while Cowboys-centric, is worth reading, simply for his perspective on the game.  He also picks the Jaguars to go to the Super Bowl, which I've not heard said seriously in awhile:
Let's go with the Cowboys and Jaguars. The Cowboys improved in the draft on special teams, selecting elite college returnmen Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins, and the Jaguars improved their pass rush. I thought there were four elite edge rushers in this draft, and Jacksonville landed two of them in Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves
I'm going to be freaking out during Training Camp when I start seeing the Jaguars as the "trendy pick", just like the Carolina Panthers were a few seasons ago.

:  Sticking with the "big shots", SI's Don Banks explores the consequences of the 80 man roster limit and how the loss of NFL Europa is going to hurt teams.
The potential ripple effect that will be spawned by the simmering controversy threatens to impact everything from the amount of throwing starting quarterbacks may be forced to do in camp, to the elevated playing time and risk of injury for veterans this preseason, to the decreased opportunity that rookies will receive in their bids to make an NFL regular-season roster
In a nutshell: Quarterbacks will throw more, veterans will get more snaps, injuries will rise, players will have less in the tank going into the season, and both older veterans and undrafted free-agents will find themselves unemployed as a consequence.

: Even ESPN will get some love from me today.  This article, by Elizabeth Merrill, follows a 6th round pick, Xaiver Omon, from draft day to his rookie minicamp with the Buffalo Bills:
His girlfriend, Lauren Williams, suggests they go outside and shoot some hoops. He sinks the first shot, misses the second, then Ludacris bounces on his cell phone. It's a 716 area code, and Omon wonders if it's a prank. The man on the other end is an exec with the Buffalo Bills. Omon doesn't have time to think it's strange, that the Bills weren't at his pro day, and now they're calling. He falls to his knees. Within a couple of minutes, he'll start to cry.
.
: Charlie Bernstein of JagNation brings us a great quote from Jack Del Rio on our new pass-rushing missile in Quentin Groves.  Charlie, who's both an gentleman and a scholar, does a great job over at JagNation, and if you're not reading them you're only getting half the story on the Jaguars.  (If you can't tell, we're a pretty tight fraternity of Jaguars writers
Jack Del Rio:
"He can play some end of the line 'Sam' but the way a 3-4 team might use him, you can do some of that if you're going to play a reduction front with that. But we didn't draft him with that in mind," Del Rio said. "We drafted him to be a right end, a pass rusher and a guy that if he shows he's capable of stacking the point and fending off tight ends, then we'll put him in position to make plays. We saw enough of that on tape, that he can stack the point. He did do 30 reps on the bench, he does roll his hips and when his hand placement is good, he has plenty of strength at the point.
There you go, Peter King got me going and it turned into a media love-fest with next to no Jaguars news.  Sadly, that might happen more frequently as we get deeper and deeper into the dead-zone.

Have no fear though, if you come back in a few hours (12:30 EST), we'll start a new series examining the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars Roster!

Stick around

-Chris




 

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Quick Bytes: Midday Thursday Edition


Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars.


:  Let's start with another walk down memory lane.  In this piece from deep inside the Sports Illustrated Vault we learn about the life and development of  Tony Boselli and his road to the Jacksonville Jaguars.  This will surprise you, as a youngster, Tony loved to eat:
Despite earning minimum wage, he never complained about his paycheck because he was close to the action and close to the food. On his breaks he would devour Big Macs, french fries, milk shakes and apple pies. "One of my managers called one day and said, 'I can't afford him. He's eating more than he's making,' " Tony Sr. says. "So, I transferred Little Tony to the landscaping crew."
:  If you don't mind a little math, Big Cat Country favorite NFL Stats breaks down the Ellsberg Paradox and why coaches should go for it more on fourth down.  While the Jaguars are not mentioned directly, the shadow of Jack Del Rio is everywhere.

: The Football Professor has done the math and made their 2008 season projections .  They have the AFC South finishing like this: Indianapolis Colts 11-5, Jacksonville Jaguars 10-6, Houston Texans 7-9, Tennessee Titans 7-9.  I'd be OK with that outcome, though the road to a Jaguars Super Bowl must run through a division title.

: Believe it or not, there's actually a little bit of drama at the running back position for the Jaguars.

: I'll never understand how the writing is so terrible at ESPN.com, but ESPN the Magazine does fantastic work.  Are they so terribly divided that they can't share the talent?  Anyhow, David Garrard is the subject of a fantastic article, though it leaves me with some questions about his wife:

"Jack took a chance on him," says Garrard's wife, Mary, sitting next to her husband on the couch. She pauses, purses her lips. "It would have been really hard for me to hitch my cart to a guy who ended the season like Dave did in 2006."

And this, after the Jaguars win over Pittsburgh in the 2007 playoffs:

Garrard says. "I'd had a few turnovers, and I needed to step up. That play changed the way people saw me. It changed the way I saw myself." Garrard adds that when he called Mary after the game, she just kept screaming into the phone, "Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Ka-ching!"
Hmmmnnn....

: A list of 2009 free agents , courtesy of Adam Schefter of NFL.com.  Let's go ahead and spread a rumor that the Jaguars are targeting T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  And yes, I had to copy/paste that.



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