The Jacksonville Jaguars

[blizz01]

Wow.  While I do anticipate some splash/shock in free agency, I couldn't even dream this stuff up:
Peyton Manning will be a Jacksonville Jaguar in 2012

With rumors spreading of Peyton Manning’s impending release from the Indianapolis Colts, theories have been abound on where he will call home next season. While the bigger markets always take the limelight, Manning’s most realistic landing spot will be with the Jaguars. Here’s why:
THE AFC SOUTH: Next to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning is as competitive as they get. He is renown for his work ethic and borderline obsession with studying film to the point many have questioned if he even has a social life. We know Jim Irsay has not handled the all but likely departure of Peyton well and if anything has been confrontational at times. Their social media disputes have dominated the post Super Bowl media and there does not seem to be a middle ground these two can agree on. Given Peyton’s competitive nature, where else would he rather play than within the same division where he would have the opportunity to stick it to the Colts twice a year. Not only that, the AFC South is possibly the weakest division right behind the NFC West. Though the Texans are sure to be the team to beat, with a few moves to aid Manning, the Jaguars would instantly become the top contenders. It may seem like much to ask, but the Jaguars finished 8th against the pass and 9th against the run. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon are both likely to test the market as well and could potentially follow their captain down south. Think it’s still too much of a stretch? Take a look at the money…
45 MILLION DOLLARS IN CAP ROOM (Projected):
Most news outlets put the Jags at about $45 million in cap space which ranks them among the top 5 teams in the league. The others are the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos and Buccaneers. While the Chiefs could decide to make a run at Manning, the only other possibility would be the Redskins whom are sitting on a projected 41 million in cap space. The question is if anyone other than Dan Snyder would be willing to outbid the rest of the teams. Enter Shahid Khan, the Pakistani born businessman who built an empire out of just $66,000 dollars. After purchasing the Jaguars for a reported $760 million, Khan has stated he intends for the Jaguars to be competitive. He has even stated he is not in love with Blaine Gabbert and would have opted for Tim Tebow instead. He has 100% control of the team and has stated he does not plan on moving the team. Presuming we take him at his word, what better way to put backsides in the seats than signing a future Hall of Fame quarterback who the fan base is very familiar with? Money won’t be an issue given their cap room and Manning’s willingness to structure a contract which helps the team bring in weapons. If Manning was willing to do it to stay with the Colts, think he won’t do it if it brings Wayne, Garcon or some other top tier receiver like Vincent Jackson into the fold? Shadid Khan will want to make a splash which earns him returns quickly and is not going to make a joke of himself after becoming the first ethnic owner of an NFL Franchise.
WEATHER:
While it might sound like a very weak point, take into consideration Peyton’s recent history. After a rumored 4 neck surgeries which are said to have  involved anterior and posterior cervical fusion, he is not likely to ever play to his elite level again. That doesn’t mean with the right rehab and environment he can’t come close. I have a close family member who has undergone several spinal fusions so know first hand the affects weather has even decades after the surgery was performed. Visit some chat rooms and speak with some doctors about just how much weather matters to a person with this type of fusion and you will find cold weather is enemy number one. Since the spinal cord and it’s nerves are so instrumental in total body function, large fluctuations in temperature can wreak havoc. From the months of August through December, the average high in Jacksonville starts at 91 degrees and lowers to an average high of 67 degrees in December. The average lows run from 73 degrees to 44 degrees during that same period. Washington’s average highs are from 67 degrees in October and drops to 47 degrees by December. While Peyton would have to deal with constant rain storms in the south, the overall conditions are far better as it pertains to keeping any flare up’s at bay. There is a reason the elderly move down south for retirement. There is less of a toll on the body and Peyton is sure to at least take this into some consideration. Not only that, his doctors are likely to already have informed him of the potential pitfalls of playing in cold weather climates. While the Miami Dolphins also fit the criteria here, Manning would have to visit New England, New York and Buffalo during less than comfortable conditions. In Jacksonville he is guaranteed hospitable environments.
MAURICE JONES-DREW:
When Manning won the Super Bowl, Dominic Rhodes rushed for 641 yards on 187 attempts and had 36 catches for 251 yards. Some of Manning’s best seasons came before that, during the Edgerrin James era. A time which Manning had a back rushing for 1,000+ yards and receiving 300+ yards out of the backfield. By moving to Jacksonville, he gets a back nearly exact in production and versatility. The combination of Manning and Jones-Drew would help one another thrive, allowing MJD some running room while taking the load off Manning and allowing him to be more efficient. Both players have been victims of being keyed on by defenses and had the burden of offensive production rest on their shoulders alone. The tandem would immediately rocket this offense from the bottom of the barrel to the top. The same cannot be said of Washington and Miami. Though Roy Helu did have a solid season, he is far from a proven commodity and the Redskins defense would have Manning playing catch up far too often. Miami may have the defense, but Reggie Bush is not the work horse, dependable back Jones-Drew has proven to be. The days of Manning throwing 550+ plus times are likely over and MJD helps to compensate that fact. It is worthy to note that Peyton had his best overall statistical year in 2004 when he threw only 497 times (2nd fewest attempts in his career) but had 49 touchdowns, a QB Rating of 121, and a completion percentage of 67 percent. That also happens to coincide with Edgerrin James’ presence.
Teams will likely be throwing themselves at Peyton Manning during the courting process and the decision will be a tough one. Though only a few teams are realistic potentials, none set up such a perfect scenario for Manning as the Jaguars do.

http://www.rantsports.com/clubhouse/2012/03/01/peyton-manning-will-be-a-jacksonville-jaguar-in-2012/

[BridgeTroll]

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/02/28/khans-patience-could-be-tested-early-in-jacksonvil

Khan's patience could be tested early in Jacksonville.About the Author Arthur Arkush

By Arthur Arkush

It's a new dawn for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Owner Shahid Khan has begun shaking things up for an organization and fan base that have had little reason for excitement over the past decade. Khan has big plans for the club, and he hasn't pulled any punches on his expectations â€" he intends for the Jaguars to win on the field and at the ticket gate.

Khan recently called the tarps at EverBank Field, used to lessen the seating capacity by nearly 10,000, a sign of underachievement. While it remains to be seen what, if anything, he can do to energize the fan base and replace the tarps with thousands of new and loyal Jags fans, one thing working in his favor is that it doesn't appear he will be overly patient or tolerant of losing, like his predecessor, Wayne Weaver.

The same likely will hold true for poor ticket sales. Khan has said repeatedly that he wants to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville, but there is an out in the club's tricky stadium lease. If the Jaguars are in the red for three straight years, Khan can take his investment elsewhere.

While Weaver inexplicably dragged out the Jack Del Rio era, Khan, by all accounts, will not give GM Gene Smith and new head coach Mike Mularkey the same luxury. Before ownership of the team was transferred to Khan, Weaver worked out a new three-year deal for Smith and his staff. Of course, Khan wisely signed off on the move, keeping continuity and giving Smith the opportunity to handpick his coaching staff for the first time. Smith now has his coaching staff, his QB and his players in place. He is officially on the clock â€" and expecting three years to turn the team around would be naive.

Last offseason, Smith pushed all the right buttons in free agency, turning the Jacksonville "D" from punch line to packing a punch in just a matter of months. This offseason, the offense needs a similar makeover, with free agency preceding the draft. Few teams in the league have more money to spend than the Jaguars, and the team's greatest weakness, wide receiver, is an area of strength in this year's free-agent crop. It is likely Smith will add multiple weapons in the passing game for QB Blaine Gabbert, as well as potentially acquiring the final piece to the defense: a feared pass rusher. Smith could even weaken a division rival in the process if he can lure Mario Williams from Houston or Robert Mathis from Indianapolis.

Of course, the issue at hand and the reason the Jaguars aren't further along entering Year Four of Smith's rebuild is the team's previous shortcomings in the draft. Smith has repeatedly missed on receivers and offensive linemen, and although Tyson Alualu was an off-the-radar find who looks like a difference maker, no one is mistaking him for Jason Pierre-Paul or Maurkice Pouncey, both of whom were picked just after Alualu.

Could Smith be feeling buyer's remorse on QB Blaine Gabbert, the guy he traded up to select last April? How could he not, after watching Gabbert's performance as a rookie, while seeing the constant accolades for Cam Newton and Andy Dalton. But what would be the point? The Jaguars aren't making another bold trade this April to nab RG3. Jacksonville likely won't crack the top 10 on Peyton Manning's list of preferred destinations. The Jaguars will have a better contingency plan in place than Luke McCown, but it will still be just that, a contingency plan.

For better or worse, the fate of the Jaguars' future, as of now, rests on the big right arm of Gabbert, which is at least more comforting than counting on his happy feet.

Smith didn't win any popularity contests with the hiring of Mularkey or his staff, which includes offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and QB coach Greg Olson, but they have all had success working with young QBs. They also would have been unlikely to come on board if they didn't think Gabbert could show dramatic improvement over his putrid rookie campaign.

It will be interesting to see how Khan feels about Gabbert. Although I don't expect any bold moves on Draft Day, Khan obviously isn't married to the QB the same way Smith and Mularkey are. In fact, Khan is on record as saying he would have drafted Tim Tebow. Not exactly a glowing endorsement for Smith or Gabbert from the new owner.

If Gabbert is going to be successful, it is imperative that he becomes a more courageous pocket passer. We heard last year, until we were blue in the face, that "the kid needed better coaching and weapons, as well as a full offseason to grow."

Well, that time is now. The coaching staff has been secured. The weapons are soon to follow. From there, we can begin to find out what difference it will make for a player who did not look as though he belonged on an NFL field last season. For an owner whose intentions are clear, a guy who is not going to be afraid to rock the boat, it will be fascinating to see how the dynamic between Smith, Khan, Mularkey and Gabbert plays out. It wouldn't shock me if Gabbert blossoms into a fine NFL passer. It also wouldn't shock me if he quickly fizzles out, unable to better handle the pressure, sometimes there, sometimes not.

One thing is certain: There will be plenty of pressure in Jacksonville this season, from the owner all the way down to the dormant fan base

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I agree with most of what was said.

I would like the author to tell us which WRs and OL he thinks we missed on? 

I really appreciate the complimentary backhand at the end about the "...dormant fanbase".   

[urbanlibertarian]

Good points, but also let's see what Lamping can do on the business side of the organization.

[BridgeTroll]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/05/jaguars-franchise-josh-scobee/

Jaguars franchise Josh Scobee

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 5, 2012, 10:29 AM EST

The Jaguars have placed the franchise tag on Scobee, as first reported by Tania Ganguli ‏of the Florida Times-Union.

Scobee has said previously that he doesn’t want to be franchised, and Ganguli reports that he has no plans to sign the one-year franchise tender, which for kickers is expected to be a one-year guaranteed salary of about $2.6 million.

So Scobee will hope to sign a long-term deal, and the Jaguars may go through the offseason without Scobee locked down. The reality, however, is that it’s highly likely that if Scobee doesn’t sign a long-term deal, he’ll eventually sign the tender in time to be there Week One. And a steady kicker like Scobee, who went 23-of-25 on field goals last season, should be able to miss training camp and step in at the start of the season without missing a beat.

   

[kells904]

Not that I have any say in it, but for a guy who's had more responsibility for this team's fortunes than a Kicker ever should, they should make Scobee at least among the top 3 highest-paid Kickers in the game.  The fans heart that dude.

[duvaldude08]

Being that Scobee has been playing for us forever, its kinda like he has a long term deal. LOL I understand players not wanting to be franchised though. He's been around for 6 or 7 years now. Its time for his pay day. And its not like paying a kicker will break the bank, so they better do it or he will hold out. They'll get something worked out eventually.

[copperfiend]

I agree with most of what was said.

I would like the author to tell us which WRs and OL he thinks we missed on? 

I really appreciate the complimentary backhand at the end about the "...dormant fanbase".   

The offensive line isn't as bad as some would make it out to be. If Britton can stay healthy (a big if, I know) the line could be among the best in the NFL. Monroe, Meester and Nwaneri played very good last year. Rackley was playing at a high level by the end of the year. The issue was the right tackle spot after Britton went down. Haslam would have been the backup but got hurt. Guy Whimper was awful. And Cameron Bradfield played admirably but he isn't a long term answer. It's all on Britton.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Rackley was playing at a high level by the end of the year.

POP QUIZ:

Choose the greater of the two:

# of season ticket families (minimum 5 tickets) entering Everbank through Gate 3.

# of whiffs by Rackley ending with Blaine on the ground.

[duvaldude08]

Rackley was playing at a high level by the end of the year.

POP QUIZ:

Choose the greater of the two:

# of season ticket families (minimum 5 tickets) entering Everbank through Gate 3.

# of whiffs by Rackley ending with Blaine on the ground.

Dont be that way! 

[copperfiend]

Rackley was playing at a high level by the end of the year.

POP QUIZ:

Choose the greater of the two:

# of season ticket families (minimum 5 tickets) entering Everbank through Gate 3.

# of whiffs by Rackley ending with Blaine on the ground.

I guess you and I saw two different things. Unless you meant Guy Whimper.

[duvaldude08]

Rackley was playing at a high level by the end of the year.

POP QUIZ:

Choose the greater of the two:

# of season ticket families (minimum 5 tickets) entering Everbank through Gate 3.

# of whiffs by Rackley ending with Blaine on the ground.

I guess you and I saw two different things. Unless you meant Guy Whimper.

Rackely was awful at the beginning of the season.. I believe we benched him for a few games. But he got MUCH better as the season went on. I dont know if I can call it playing on a "high level", but he did improve alot.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Yep, the Rackley whiffs were primarily at the beginning of the year, though IIRC he missed his block on the first of the two goal-line plays at the end of the Cleveland game (the one where Mojo carried from the 3 to the 1). 

He did get benched for a few games - Britton started at LG for three games, leaving Whimper at RT, before Britton got re-injured.  That forced Rackley back in the lineup, and he improved noticeably and substantially. 

[ben says]

Peyton manning will be cut tomorrow, per ESPN and CNNSI.

[duvaldude08]

Peyton manning will be cut tomorrow, per ESPN and CNNSI.

I just read that. Theres no way he could have played. One bad hit and he would have been toast.