The 2011 Off-season...

Here's what I was thinking yesterday: In any movie or TV show where someone grows either tiny or huge, the bigger person always moves really slow. Why is that? It doesn't make any sense at all. A person wouldn't move slower just because they're giant. It would make sense if your brain actually processed movement faster when you're small, but anyone who's studied neurobiology (or thought about it for more than a second) will tell you that's ridiculous.

Why was I thinking about this? I can't rightly say... I guess there's nothing else to think about. Why am I telling you this? Because there hasn't really been anything else to think about, especially as it relates to the NFL and the Jaguars. In my opinion, this has been one of the more boring off-seasons I've ever been through.

Sure, the lockout has been generating some interest, but by day 35 of the lockout without any results, I've grown tired of hearing about it. There's been no free agency to talk and wonder about, no big-money signing to gush about. All in all, I'm not sure what there is besides the draft. The lack of free agency has put the NFL on hold in my mind. It has been a challenging offseason for all of us who like to follow the NFL throughout the entire year. It has been difficult to figure out what to write, but it's led my mind to some very interesting places.

For example, I was wondering today what we actually know about the Jaguars plans going into the draft. The best information we have is pretty much speculation. When asked by Tania Ganguli about the QB position in late February, Gene Smith said, "Certainly you've got to have young players developing at every position... And there's no guarantee on draft day that we'll be able to get the quarterback. But going into it, it looks more promising just because of the numbers at the position."

When asked about improving the pass-rush, Smith was equally vague: "...we would not be out of the realm of possibility of adding a pass-rusher at any point in the draft. I think that's a premium position. I think we need to still improve in that area." So again, Smith remains non-committal. Guesses on who will be the Jaguars' first round draft pick range from a "tweener" pass rusher like Brooks Reed or Justin Houston, to QB Christian Ponder, Center/Guard Mike Pouncey, to a list of 3-5 other defensive ends. Everyone has their opinion, and all we've heard from Gene is the company line:

"We will take the Best Available Player..."

Wonderful... Fortunately, the draft is fast approaching. In only two weeks, we'll know who the Jaguars will be adding to the team. I can't wait.

...

Really, I can't wait.