Jacksonville Jaguars Season Preview

(Courtesy of My Sportsbook) - It all came apart pretty quickly for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2004. Jack Del Rio's team looked to be cruising towards a playoff berth following Week 7, when they stunned the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24, on the road to run their record to an AFC South-best 5-2. Surely, any team that could go into Indy and win was more than a mere pretender. Strange how an injury can separate the wheat from the chaff. During a 20-6 loss to Houston the following week, quarterback Byron Leftwich sustained a partial tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee. Leftwich was never quite the same thereafter, and neither was his team. The loss to the Texans began a 1-4 stretch for the club, a run that included a demoralizing 18-15 home loss to the lowly Titans and a 17-16 home defeat at the hands of the Steelers in primetime. When those pesky Texans came into ALLTELL Stadium in Week 16 and blanked the Jags, 21-0, a once-promising season was officially on the skids.

Avoiding a similar fate will be the Jaguars' objective in 2005. Leftwich is healthy, and the league's 29th-ranked scoring offense is expected to receive a jolt following the hiring of offensive coordinator Carl Smith. Smith has installed a vertical-style passing offense, one meant to take advantage of his quarterback's strong right arm. On the other side of the ball, the Jags signed a much-needed pass rusher in Reggie Hayward, who should combine with Pro Bowl tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson to make up one of the league's most formidable defensive lines. With a more substantial foundation in place, Del Rio and company are counting on not coming apart for a second straight year. Below we take a capsule look at the 2005 edition of the Jacksonville Jaguars, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

RB: Running back Fred Taylor (1224 rushing yards, 36 receptions, 3 TD) enters his eighth NFL season facing plenty of questions about his health, after the Jags' all-time leading rusher missed the final two games of 2004 with a knee injury and had arthroscopic surgery in January. Even if healthy, the 29-year- old Taylor will have to show improvement over a 2004 campaign that saw him find the end zone a scant three times, 14 fewer than he had as a rookie in 1998. LaBrandon Toefield (169 rushing yards, 28 receptions, 1 TD) will have to be ready if Taylor struggles, but might face a stiff test from fourth-round draft choice Alvin Pearman (Virginia) in the quest for the No. 2 job. Former tailback Greg Jones (162 rushing yards, 3 TD) is expected to shift permanently to the fullback position. Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (69 rushing yards, 1 TD), a hard worker and fan favorite, can back up either the tailback or fullback positions.

WR/TE: On paper, the Jaguars' starting receivers on opening day will likely be veteran Jimmy Smith (74 receptions, 6 TD) and 2004 first-round draft choice Reggie Williams (27 receptions, 1 TD). But it is inconceivable that the team will hold 2005 first-rounder Matt Jones (Arkansas) out for long, and will likely find a way to get his athleticism on the field. Jones was a quarterback for four seasons at Arkansas, but is being converted because of the matchup problems that his 6-6, 242-pound frame and 4.5 speed will undoubtedly cause down the field. In the mix as backups for the second straight year will be Troy Edwards (50 receptions, 1 TD), Ernest Wilford (19 receptions, 2 TD) and Cortez Hankton (9 receptions, 2 TD). Sixth-round draft choice Chad Owens (Hawaii) projects as a return man. At tight end, the Jaguars need Kyle Brady (14 receptions, 1 TD) to shake off an injury-plagued 2004 and return to form. If he can't, George Wrighster (10 receptions, 1 TD) and Todd Yoder (14 receptions) will both get a chance to win the job. There was speculation that Jones could be moved to tight end at some stage, but he likely lacks the requisite blocking skills.

OL: Left guard Vince Manuwai, center Brad Meester, right guard Chris Naeole, and right tackle Maurice Williams each started all 16 games for the Jaguars last season, and all four should have little trouble re-claiming their spots in the starting lineup. As a unit, the group gave up just 32 sacks in 2004. The major change in the trenches could come at left tackle, where Mike Pearson is attempting to recover from a knee injury that limited him to four games a year ago. Ephraim Salaam did a credible job filling in for Pearson, but both players will have to contend with the threat of second-round draft choice Khalif Barnes (Washington). The two odd men out in that battle will have a chance to stay as backups, and 2004 reserve Mike Compton is also a good bet to stick. Brent Smith, who started one game with the Jets in '04, is also vying for a backup job at both tackle and guard.

DL: Back are defensive tackles Marcus Stroud (54 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and John Henderson (75 tackles, 5.5 sacks), a pair of Pro Bowlers who make up arguably the top interior tandem in the NFL. The presence of both players helped mask the problems of a pass rush that was bitten hard by the injury in '04 bug and never achieved anything in the way of consistency. To remedy that problem, the Jags went out and signed Reggie Hayward (43 tackles, 10.5 sacks with the Broncos) and Marcellus Wiley (38 tackles, 3 sacks with the Cowboys) in the offseason, and both will have a chance to win starting jobs at end. Hayward is basically assured of a spot in the starting lineup, but the declining Wiley could lose out to holdovers Paul Spicer (5 tackles) or Bobby McCray (24 tackles, 3.5 sacks). Spicer missed the final 14 games of 2004 with a leg injury. Backups at tackle should include part-time 2004 end starter Rob Meier (22 tackles), and former Bengal Tony Williams (16 tackles with Cincinnati).

LB: There will be no turnover at the linebacker spots for Jacksonville, as Mike Peterson (126 tackles, 5 sacks) is back in the middle, Akin Ayodele (92 tackles, 2 sacks) returns to man the weak side, and second-year pro Daryl Smith (52 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) handles the strong side. Peterson and Ayodele were both 16-game starters in 2004, and Smith got the nod in 13 games. To add depth, the Jags signed former Eagle Nate Wayne (30 tackles, 1 sack with Philadelphia), who should be the first player off the bench in the event of an injury to one of the starting three. Moving back to his natural position of linebacker is Greg Favors (36 tackles, 5.5 sacks), who was shifted to end and tied for the Jacksonville lead in sacks a year ago. Jorge Cordova, a third- round pick out of Nevada in 2004 who missed all of his rookie season due to a knee injury, will be used as a situational pass rusher at the outside linebacker position. Sixth-round pick Pat Thomas (N.C. State) has a chance to make the team as a special teamer.

DB: Back to lead the secondary is strong safety Donovin Darius (87 tackles, 5 INT), who had a monster year despite a public rift with the team about his contract. With a new deal in place, Jacksonville is expecting Darius to be even better in 2005. Lining up next to Darius is free safety Deon Grant (65 tackles, 2 INT), who started all 16 games a year ago. Back to man one cornerback slot is Rashean Mathis (63 tackles, 5 INT), who looks to be a rising star in the league. There will be change at the other corner, however, as Dewayne Washington (76 tackles, 2 INT), a 16-game starter last season, was released in the offseason. The club is hoping that David Richardson, who appeared in just two games as an undrafted rookie out of Cal Poly last season, can win the job, but signed veterans Terry Cousin (49 tackles, 2 sacks with the Panthers) and Kenny Wright (46 tackles, 3 INT with the Texans) in the event that Richardson fails to make the leap. Providing additional depth at corner will likely be 2005 third-round pick Scott Starks (Wisconsin), along with holdovers Kiwaukee Thomas (12 tackles) and Chris Thompson. Backups at safety include Deke Cooper (24 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), special teams ace Nick Sorensen, and fifth-round draft choice Gerald Sensabaugh (North Carolina).

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Josh Scobee (24-31 FG, 21-21 XP) did a steady job during his rookie season of 2004, but will face pressure in training camp from Seth Marler, who kicked for the Jags in 2003 but missed all of last year with a strained quadriceps. Punter Chris Hanson (42.8 avg.) also has competition in camp, from former Viking Eddie Johnson. David Allen (9.6 punt return avg., 19.1 kickoff return avg.) will be given the opportunity to handle both punt and kickoff returns again, but rookie Chad Owens (Hawaii) will have a chance to unseat him. Owens scored five touchdowns off of punt returns during his senior year.

PROGNOSIS: The Jaguars are seen as a team on the rise, but their ascension to what would be the franchise's first postseason bid since 1999 is predicated on a few things falling the right way. First, Leftwich and his receivers have to make a successful transition from Bill Musgrave's west coast attack to the vertical style favored by Carl Smith, who spent last season tutoring Matt Leinart as USC's quarterbacks coach. The Jags were 29th in the league in scoring offense a year ago, and have gone 50 games without breaking the 30- point barrier. Second, either Fred Taylor or one of the rushers will have to give the team a consistent threat out of the backfield. Jacksonville running backs scored just six rushing touchdowns last season (including two by Taylor), and that's not going to cut it. Finally, an otherwise strong defense needs something in the way of a pass rush, meaning players like Hayward, Spicer, Wiley, and Cordova must step up. If the club can make improvements in those three areas, they should finish second in the AFC South and might even throw a scare into the Colts. If not, don't be surprised to see Jacksonville passed by Houston in the division and playoff races.