 |
|
|
The 53 man roster becomes a little bit more clear today as the first round of cuts begin. Today the Jaguars trimmed their roster down to 76 players, with a few surprises amongst the camp fodder. As I've grown up to understand and appreciate the game of football, I've learned that it is futile to grow attached to an individual player, especially over many seasons, because of the nature of player movement.
That being said, I still get a little bummed out when good players that are loved in the community are cut. Safety Nick Sorenson was among the players released. Nick was heavily involved in the community and an outstanding special teams player. His days on the team were numbered however when the Jaguars spent two draft picks on the position, in Reggie Nelson and Josh Gattis. The team just doesn't have the roster space with all the wide receivers and running backs that are playing strong, as well as the dearth of talent we have on our defense. I'll be sad to see him go, but again, that's the nature of the modern NFL.
There were some other surprises. Tight End Jermaine Wiggins, acquired as a free agent, was also cut, though his performance against Green Bay might have justified that. He signed a nearly 1 million dollar contract with us, but I don't recall how much of that was a signing bonus. Regardless, it makes our tight end roster a little more clear.
Our Tight Ends are now: Richard Angulo, Greg Estandia, Marcades Lewis, Isaac Smolko, and George Wrightster. I'm ok with the youth movement, but I'm curious how many we end up keeping.
Other players released today include: Running backs Derrick Wimbush and D.D. Terry. Linebacker Jorge Cordova, Wide Receivers Jimmy Farris, D'Juan Woods and Roosevelt Kiser, Defensive End Jeremy Mincey, Offensive Tackle Andrew Carnahan, and Quarterback Lester Ricard. Carnahan was a 7th round draft pick.
Wide Receivers remaining: John Broussard, Matt Jones, Charles Sharon, Mike Walker, Ernest Wilford and Reggie Williams. I expect one more WR to visit the turk, and I'm still betting that it's Reggie Williams.
You might be curious as to why everyone is cutting down to 75 players and the Jaguars have 76. This is because Offensive Tackle Sam Gutekunst does not count against the roster because of his NFL Europa exemption.
I've restrained myself from commenting on the Quarterback "situation". That's because I understand and accept that Byron Leftwich is the starting quarterback, and that for the team to excel, they have to commit early and hard to their starter. Anything else gives us a "rebuilding year", and I'm not willing to see our running game and defense suffer another mediocre season while we guess which quarterback is better.
If you're waiting to buy tickets until you see the quarterbacks, you might want to reconsider your understanding of how the NFL actually works. Once the fans and ticket sales determine what the front office and coaching staff does, I'm out. That's the worst possible outcome.
-Chris