Ah reality coming back from a week at sea to the grind of normalcy. I sincerely apologize for not being more active on here, but like I've said a dozen times, it was just too slow and expensive. Big thanks to Brian from Buffalo Rumblings for helping me out. Thankfully it was a quiet few days and nothing of real note happened though there's still a few things that we need to catch up with.
Jason Taylor Watch: Day 12
It's been 12 days since I reported that the Jaguars were interested in Jason Taylor. Since that happened, Jason has come out and said that he wants to stay in Miami. While I'm glad to hear Jason's wanting to remain with the Dolphins, I still call complete and total BS on any report saying that Taylor's not on the trade block. Seriously, I won't buy that Jason Taylor remains a Dolphin until he suits up on opening day in the Aquamarine and Orange.
You know what smells really strange is that Taylor and Bill Parcells have not spoken since he became GM.
Trading Khalif Barnes:
The Fine Folks over at JagNation have a regular live chat with NFL Guru Adam Caplan. Adam rewarded the participants with this bit of insight:
That is a pretty interesting revelation, though not all that unsurprising. Barnes has had a pretty unpleasant relationship with the team and the city since he was drafted, considering that he's only got another year left on his rookie contract it makes sense to move him. I highly doubt the Jaguars would make any investment to keep him in the "so-called" racist city. Trading Barnes has some pretty interesting consequences though. It would immediately put the Jaguars first round eye on either Jeff Otah or Chris Williams, the former will probably be too high for the Jaguars, the latter a bit more of a developmental guy than a day one starter. At 26 we're not going to get a Joe Thomas. The Jaguars would have to have a pretty good confidence in their ability to replace Barnes and get the top end DE that we need, otherwise they're simply pissing away a good off-season.
The more I think about trading Barnes, the more I worry about our ability to address all of our needs in the next few weeks. Adding Left Tackle to our list of needs isn't the greatest way to build for next season, especially when we're in critical need of pass rushers. I don't like having 2 out of 3 most premium positions on the teem to be full of question marks.
Speaking of weird:
The Jaguars had/have interest in DeAngelo Hall. This I simply don't understand. We've got a ton of money invested in our secondary right now, two high dollar free agents in Williams and Florence, a Pro Bowler in Mathis, a top draft pick in Nelson, and a 2.1 million dollar tender on Sensabaugh. If we traded for DeAngelo Hall, a guy who thinks he's the best corner in the league, who would he replace? Even if we use nickel defense 60% of the time as Jack Del Rio recently said, we'd still have too many big contracts in the backfield. I understand that the team would be doing us a disservice to not at least consider the guy, but this is just absurd. There are only two types of players the Jaguars should be considering right now, big offensive linemen and big defensive linemen. That is it.
Draft Notes:
- University of Delaware Quarterback Joe Flacco had dinner with Quaterbacks Coach Mike Shula after his recent pro-day. Other sources are confirming the Jaguars interest in the strong armed but underdeveloped quarterback. This is something that we'll have to follow more closely. If Flacco is a 2-3 year development project, then I think he's an OK guy to consider, but most "scouts" have him as a 2nd round pick, and with all the Jaguars needs, that's just too high for a guy we don't really need right now. I wish we could be a BAP drafter in the second round, but until we do something at defensive end, it's just not going to happen.
- Donnie Henderson visited with Cornerback Leodis McKelvin at the Troy State Pro Day. NFL Draft Scout has McKelvin has their top rated cornerback, and someone who probably won't be available when the Jaguars pick. I'd chalk this one up as "going through the motions", unless Dominique Rogers-Cromarte makes a huge jump up and McKelvin falls.
- University of Washington Wide Receiver/Full Back/H-Back Marcel Reece is visiting with the Jaguars on Monday. Marcel is an interesting prospect because he's got the potential to be a multi-functional threat, but he's unlikely to be drafted outside of the late 7th round. Some have him as a receiver, others a full back, more than likely he'll play some sort of hybrid H-Back role. I'd love the versatility, but this is a long shot guy to make it onto an NFL roster.
- Colorado Linebacker Jordon Dizon met with LB Coach Mark Duffner recently. Is it just me or are we only hearing about the Jaguars meeting with players that are clearly outside our obvious interest. The politics junkie in me thinks there is high-level disinfomation going on right now. Or at least I want to read that deeply into what the team's doing.
-Chris