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Jaguars news roundup 7/18

Jacksonville Jaguars news around the internet you may have missed.

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Jaguars hope they have an Ace in their hand in return game | jacksonville.com
How much Ace Sanders contributes to the Jaguars offense is far from being determined. But where he can make an instant impact once the preseason games start next month is as a punt returner.And do the Jaguars ever need help in that area.The franchise has only four punt-return touchdowns in 18 years; Sanders had three at South Carolina in three years.The Jaguars have only one in the last 10 years; Sanders matched that in his last game with the Gamecocks.Sanders is a big part of the team’s special teams overhaul, which includes several new — and young — faces.

Winn-Dixie, Jacksonville Jaguars sponsorship deal expires
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.'s sponsorship of the Jacksonville Jaguars has expired and was not renewed, ending a relationship the supermarket chain first kicked off during the franchise's inaugural season in 1995. "The Jaguars enjoyed a partnership with Winn-Dixie for more than a decade, but we will be announcing a new partner in the next few weeks," said Dan Edwards, Jacksonville Jaguars senior vice president of communications, in a statement Tuesday. Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc. sponsored the Jaguars for two seasons in 2001-02, but a spokesman has not commented whether the company is the new partner. "I cannot confirm or comment on any potential or new sponsors until they are announced," Edwards said.

O-Zone: I dreamed a dream
Time will tell, but that could be the case. And that’s wise. You want to build your roster early through the draft, and give young players time to develop. That way, you have a core of players who intrinsically believe in your system and what you do. That’s how you establish a strong foundation and a strong locker room. Once you establish your identity and your core – and once you have good, young players around the roster – then you can add to that through veteran free agency because you know clearly your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Ideally, that’s what you want free agency to be – a tool used sparingly, when necessary and when the time is right. You don’t want a roster littered with guys joining your team on big contracts deep into their careers. Now, could the Jaguars sign a big-name free agent or two next offseason? Sure, but I don’t think huge, expensive forays into free agents will be standard operating procedure, nor should it be.

No Rush For MJD - Black and Teal
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew is still recovering from his Lisfranc injury and foot surgery which ended his 2012 season, and with the Jaguars getting ready to start training camp next week it has been reported that the Jags plan slowly work Jones-Drew back into action. Jones-Drew is the Jaguars best offensive player and best player in general at this point. While Jones-Drew is expected to be ready for the preseason and ultimately start week 1, he is not however ready just yet for a full workload. It seems at this point the consensus among the Jaguars coaching staff is that Jones-Drew should take it easy and make sure he learns his role in the new Jaguars offense.

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