Jacksonville Jaguars Team Report by Andy Hicks
| Jac Projections (9/3) | Passing Stats | Rush Stats | Receiving Stats | Fantasy | |||||||||||
| Change | Name | Pos | Att | Comp | % | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Pts |
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#fname# #lname# | #pos# | #NumberFormat("#pts#", '__,_____')# | ||||||||||||
| Totals | #NumberFormat("#tot_patt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pcmp#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#evaluate(100*tot_pcmp/tot_patt)#", '_____._')#% | #NumberFormat("#tot_pyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ptds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_int#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ratt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ryds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rtds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rec#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_cyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ctds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pts#", '__,_____')# | ||
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Quarterbacks Starter - Mark Brunell Backups - David Gerrard, Roderick Robinson, Quinn Gray Starting Quarterback: Mark Brunell's off season anger is a pointer to this upcoming season. The loss of Boselli and McCardell will hurt severely, as will Jimmy Smiths continued holdout. Training camp and pre-season have so far indicated Mark Brunell has not got the timing worked out with his other receivers yet. With the season due to start in only a few short weeks, things are looking grim. Brunell has shown remarkable durability considering he has been sacked over 100 times in the last 2 years. With Boselli gone things may get worse, although the free agent signing of Chris Naeole and the drafting of 'Baby Boselli' Mike Pearson is bound to help. The biggest factor to whether Brunell becomes a viable fantasy starter is in none of these factors, but revolves around whether Fred Taylor is fit and healthy. Unlike some teams where a good running back can help a quarterbacks stats, the reverse is the case with Taylor and Brunell. Coach Coughlin will use Taylor as the jewel in the crown, if he is available. Brunell will be used to complement the running game. How's this for a stat to prove what I've just said! When Taylor is healthy Brunell averages about 205 passing yards a game, when there is no Fred his average balloons up to approximately 260 yards a game. Fred Taylor returning to health will be excellent for the Jaguars, but not for Brunells stats. This is something to consider when thinking about a backup QB for your fantasy squad. Backup Quarterback(s): David Gerrard is a 4th rounder out of East Carolina, who at this stage is a better runner, than passer. This has been clearly evident in pre season. He is a work in progress for Tom Coughlin. With Brunell tending to miss a game or 2 every year it will be interesting to see if Coughlin persists in naming Gerrard as the backup. ESPN reported last week that Tony Banks was an imminent signing for the Jaguars, however more recent news is that Banks has signed with the Texans. With Gerrard struggling, the search for a suitable backup continues. At the moment the 3rd spot is being fought out between Quinn Gray and Roderick Robinson, however if Banks or any other veteran signs, they are both expendable and one of them may wind up on the practice squad, at best. Running Backs Starter - Fred Taylor Backups - Stacey Mack, Elvis Joseph Starting Running Back: We will quickly catalog some of Fred Taylor's injuries for those unaware:A sprained MCL, a sprained foot, tweaked hamstrings and a tendon torn off his groin. This last injury kept him out for most of last year and just typing those words brought a tear to my eye. The health of Fred Taylor is critical to any success the Jaguars have this year. He simply is the Jaguars only player of star potential at the moment. How the various nicks and scrapes he has been through affect his running ability, remain to be seen. So far, through minicamp and pre season he looks to have lost none of his skill. Taylor is an electrifying runner, with wonderful hands and great vision. When he is fit, he is worth watching. Taylor himself has been bragging that he will lead the league in rushing. He has been working out much more often than in the past and is keen to have a big year to get that pot of gold. There is no doubt if he were to remain healthy he would be a top 3 back. As usual the most common reservation for all this is, IF he stays healthy. Backup Running Back(s): Stacey Mack filled in admirably at times for Fred Taylor last year, including the FFL playoffs where he recorded 3 100 yard performances in weeks 14-16. At times he ended up in the coaches doghouse with a few fumbles being the major cause, although he always managed to grab his job back. Mack recorded 10 touchdowns with his pounding style of running and the Fred Taylor owner will be looking for a little insurance by pairing him with Mack. Elvis Joseph has impressed Coughlin during the off season, no mean feat. An injury to Taylor and continued problems by Mack are quite possible, so if you have very deep rosters consider him. Fullback(s): Patrick Washington, Detron Smith: Washington is a solid blocker, whilst Detron Smith comes over from Denver mainly for his special team skills. Neither is expected to contribute much from a fantasy perspective. Wide Receivers / Tight Ends Starters - Jimmy Smith, Bobby Shaw Backups - Patrick Johnson, Damon Gibson Starting Receiver(s): Despite a long contentuous holdout, Jimmy Smith signed a mega-deal that will have him starting in week 1. Since 1996 he has averaged more than 90 catches a year and the consistency shown in his game is amazing. Only once last year did he manage less than 50 yards and that was a 49 yard game. He also hauled in at least 5 catches every game. All this after multiple nasty abdominal surgeries last off season. Its hard to imagine a man who can put up a pro bowl worthy season after that, not being able to repeat the same this year. The loss of McCardell will be significant, for Smith's sake the return of Fred Taylor will help take the pressure off the expected double and triple teams. Bobby Shaw has won the other starting job after a great camp. Darnay Scott was brought in to challenge Bobby, but a poor camp and lingering injuries saw his name on the chopping block as the teams paired down to 53 players. Backup Receiver(s): The team is very thin at this position, but Patrick Johnson could do spot duty if needed. Patrick is a speedster who has had durability problems at Baltimore. He also needs to learn to run sharper routes and show better hands. Damon Gibson has an outside chance to see some time as he has familiarity with the system and had a solid preseason.. Tight End(s): Kyle Brady, Pete Mitchell With the absence of Tony Boselli last year, Brady was called on to do a lot more blocking. Gone are the days of the 2000 season when Brady posted 64 receptions for 729 yards. Not helping matters for Brady is the return to Jacksonville of Pete Mitchell. With the continued struggle of the receivers, Jacksonville is quite likely to employ a few 2 tight end sets. Mitchell will probably see the majority of the passes, but he has struggled with injuries the last 3 years. Mitchell had a good relationship with Brunell from 95-98 and it will be interesting to see if they can relight the fire. Brady on the other hand should reap similar results to the 1999 and 2001 seasons The 4th round pick, Chris Luzar is a definite project. He has the immense size desired (6ft 7), but is dropping the most routine of passes. He will need to improve to make the final roster. Place Kicker Hayden Epstein, Derek Schorejs: This is a definite no go zone at the moment. After Jaret Holmes was cut it became a 2 horse race between Epstein, the 7th round draft pick and free agent Schorejs. Epstein hardly impressed Coughlin by missing 2 field goals against the Bucs, both of them rammed into the backs of the offensive lineman. Whilst Epstein still remains the favorite, this is a battle that will go down to the final roster cuts. It would not surprise to see both cut and a veteran from another clubs roster cuts joining the Jags. The loser of the battle at San Francisco between Jeff Chandler and Jose Cortez could be popular. Defense This is a unit decimated by free agent defections. Gone are Kevin Hardy, Ronaldo Wynn, Aaron Beasley, Seth Payne, Gary Walker and Hardy Nickerson. In comes Marco Coleman and first round pick John Henderson. The plan is to use Henderson and last years first rounder Marcus Stroud to clog up the middle. Tony Brackens and Marco Coleman complete a very good front 4. The linebackers are young and promising, with 3rd rounder Akinola Ayodele in particular turning heads. The defensive backs are likely to be the weakness here, as well as all round depth. It will be a struggle for the Jags defense to be a fantasy factor, but watch how some of the young guys develop for next season. Coaching Coach Tom Coughlin has all but admitted the Jags are in rebuilding mode and is likely to remain in place no matter what happens this season. Wayne Weaver, the owner is fiercely loyal to Coughlin and won't hear of a change. Coughlin will again look after the offense, whilst the defense will be taken over by John Pease, promoted from Defensive Line coach. The coaching should be solid, but even Da Vinci couldn't do justice to a Mona Lisa with crayons. Intangibles The great unknown here is how does all the off season defections affect the team? How does it feel to be on a team with almost no chance of making the playoffs? The biggest task the coaching staff has will be to keep morale high when the chips are down. Jimmy Smith looks like he'll be welcomed back with open arms by the other players, who fully understand his actions. The question remains however, can he perform without McCardell? The most enigmatic question of them all is, can Fred Taylor stay healthy? I think most of us are rooting for him to stay fit. We'll see if he can provide relief for the agonized Taylor owner. |