Jacksonville Jaguars News

Jaguars news roundup 7/6

Jacksonville Jaguars news around the internet you may have missed.

By MikePrice Jul 6, 2013, 8:00am EDT

2013 NFL training camp preview: Jacksonville Jaguars - CBSSports.com
Coach Mike Mularkey lasted one season in Jacksonville, going 2-14, the worst record in team history. Owner Shahid Khan wants to make the Jaguars relevant again and unlike some of his counterparts, he's happy to hire the football people to see that vision through. New general manager David Caldwell and new coach Gus Bradley have been tasked with revitalizing a franchise that came into the league in 1995 and then proceeded to make the playoffs four straight years from 1996-1999, including two AFC Championship appearances. In the 13 years since: Two trips to the playoffs and nine seasons of less-than-.500 football. One thing those early Jags teams had that the current version doesn't: A franchise quarterback. Jacksonville drafted Blaine Gabbert 10th overall in 2011 but the results have been mostly disappointing. Like his AFC South counterpart in Tennessee, Jake Locker, the 2013 season will be a make-or-break one for Gabbert.

Justin Blackmon has groin surgery | jacksonville.com
Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon recently had groin surgery but could be ready for the start of training camp in three weeks.Blackmon did limited work during last month’s mini-camp and was held out of the final session June 14. He is the third Jaguars player to have groin surgery this spring/summer – rookie quarterback Jordan Rodgers and defensive end Jason Babin underwent the procedure in early May and early June, respectively.

Continuous RedZone could make for awkward crowd noises | ProFootballTalk
At first blush, the possibility of using more than 16,000 square feet in video-board space for non-stop RedZone coverage at EverBank Field made a lot of sense. As the NFL tries to make the in-stadium experience better than staying at home, the league needs to at least make it as good. But there’s a potential problem. If fans are watching what’s going on elsewhere, they inevitably will react to what’s going on elsewhere. And that will make for sounds that don’t mesh with what’s happening on the field.

49ers Schedule Preview 2013: Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 8) - Niners Nation
Apologies, Jacksonville, but let's be real. Your ball club has been pretty lackluster as of late. The Jaguars finished at the bottom of the division in three out of the last five seasons. Last year, the team limped past the finish line with a record of 2-14. That's the worst in franchise history. But change is coming. At least team owner Shad Khan hopes so.

O-Zone: This crazy mixed-up world
No question the offensive line must play better than it has the last few seasons. In their first draft together, General Manager David Caldwell and Head Coach Gus Bradley addressed that pretty pointedly with the selection of Luke Joeckel. It stands to reason that with the addition of Joeckel at right tackle, the pass protection should improve. A tackle of his caliber not only makes that position better, it means the guard next to him and the tight end have less help responsibility, which in turn should make those positions better. As for the running game, it should be helped by Joeckel’s presence, too, particularly if Maurice Jones-Drew returns to health by early in the season. This is maybe the primary storyline of the Jaguars’ 2013 season – after, of course, quarterback. Stay tuned in a month.