Metro Jacksonville

The Jaguars - What Does the Future Hold?

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It's one of the most talked about topics at the water cooler - the Jaguars - and their ticket sales woes. It seems every national media outlet has had at least one writer take a shot at Jacksonville for the lack of ticket sales. Today, Metro Jacksonville concludes its seven part series discussing the Jaguars and the Jacksonville Market, and how they compare to other NFL cities.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-feb-the-jaguars-what-does-the-future-hold

Go Jags

I signed up in early Feb for the 30/30 plan for 2 season tickets, It's an awesome deal and I wanna do my part to keep our Jags where they belong...here in Jacksonville!!

Calling my shot.

Jags by 7 in the Superbowl.

Relocation possibly to LA if the fans don't start to get behind them and/or they start winning more games.

"HU"

Go out and buy season tickets! I did. Let's keep it going. We have to support the team.

Quote from: fsujax on February 24, 2010, 11:25:47 AM
Go out and buy season tickets! I did. Let's keep it going. We have to support the team.

Exactly, We are the only hope The Jags have to stay in Jax, Go out and support them!, Buy Season Tickets!!

IMO the issues of lower ticket prices and the collective bargaining agreement are related.  Since there is no salary cap or salary minimum this coming year the team can spend less on player compensation and pass that savings on to their customers.

Also, great series Steve.

It's a passing league and unless your defense is stellar, a one dimensional offense is not enough.

Jags need both consistency and playmaking at WR and QB. They absolutely need a veteran WR to take the pressure off Walker so Thomas can be in the 3rd WR role. On many teams, Thomas would be a 4th WR!

We're certainly renewing - our year to shine is coming, and we'll have our season tickets when we do!

I bought the 30/30 this year.  These prices wont last past this year and now is the time to lock in.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/9704/jags-o-line-needs-better-balance

QuoteJags' O-line needs better balance
February, 25, 2010 Feb 254:41PM
By Paul Kuharsky


If the Jaguars' offense is to become more balanced next season, Vince Manuwai and the offensive line have to be better pass-protectors for quarterback David Garrard.The most unbalanced offensive line in the AFC South belongs to the Indianapolis Colts.

But it's a group whose superiority in pass protection fits with the AFC champion's design, which is first and foremost “do no harm to Peyton Manning.”

Following similar logic, Jacksonville’s offensive line could understandably be very good run-blockers and below average pass-protectors, considering that Maurice Jones-Drew is the Jaguars’ centerpiece.

But as the Jaguars broke in two rookie tackles in 2009, the melding of the group wasn’t always smooth and the line’s play sometimes felt disjointed.

Yes, Jones-Drew had an excellent season with 1,391 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. But the Jaguars still had six games in which their run game averaged less than the league average of 4.2 yards per carry. And David Garrard was sacked 42 times, more than any quarterback in the league besides Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Jason Campbell and Matt Cassel.

For a team that craves a physical identity, it wasn’t good enough.

Offensive line coach Andy Heck has installed his offseason theme, and it’s “finishing.”

Offensive line coach Andy Heck wants his players to improve on finishing their blocks.“All the guys in our line are tough guys. I think we can all work to finish better,” Heck told me this week. “Play to the whistle. Our run game is something we’ve taken a lot of pride in down here, and while our blocking has been good, we can’t just assume because it’s been good it’s going to continue to be good.”

And the pass protection must be significantly better.

All offensive linemen would like to be equally good in both departments. Heck estimated 70 to 80 percent of starting linemen in the league can say they are, with young players or players in an offense that overemphasizes the run or pass accounting for the others who are not as balanced.

His left guard, Vince Manuwai, said he thinks 70 percent of NFL linemen are better run-blockers than pass-protectors.

At Farrington (Hawaii) High School, Manuwai was in a run-heavy scheme. At the University of Hawaii, he was part of a pass-happy team. So he felt like he came into the league well-versed in both and ready to be versatile. He still rates himself as a better run-blocker.

“Run blocking is a lot easier,” he said. “With run blocking, a lot of the time you just have to move the guy maybe a couple inches, a couple feet and if you have a good running back, he makes you look good. You can miss a block and a lot of times he will break arm tackles from the guy you’re blocking. Pass blocking is a lot tougher. …You’ve got to be so patient, you’ve got to be prepared for so many moves. You can’t really be aggressive trying to dominate on the line. Run block, you can be aggressive and go full speed and come out looking good.”

Manuwai said the finishing theme is often a matter of “football awareness,” starting with quicker adjustments as things unfold.

Said Heck: “Being a good pass-blocker you’ve got to have some God-given talents, some agility, some foot quickness and athleticism. To be a good run-blocker, it’s good to have all those things, but really all you need is the right mindset. And to be a really good run-blocker, you need strength and leverage and all that. But you can be a decent run-blocker if you’ve got the right mindset, in other words the drive to finish.”

For the Jaguars to make a jump next season, they need to keep Garrard far cleaner. Coach Jack Del Rio talked about how the team needs to be good around Garrard for him to be good. That starts with him having better protection more often.

The one change could come at center, where 32-year old Brad Meester slipped and the team can use a talent upgrade at the cost of leadership and experience.

Here is our look at Jacksonville’s starting five. Heck, Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson and ProFootballFocus.com, a site that grades a player on a scale of minus-2 to plus-2 on every play and offers totals based on his cumulative play over the season, provide assessments.


Left tackle Eugene Monroe

Heck: “I see him doing some things athletically and in terms of balance that few people in this world can do. He had unbelievable God-given talent to be a great pass-protector. Things that will help him as a young player will be more awareness of defenses and situations, which comes with experience. Especially as a tackle it’s a process. In pass protection, he’s off to a great start. In run blocking, I know that’s an area he’s looking to improve, and I think I can help him with some leverage things and always working to finish.”

Williamson: Far better run-blocker.

ProFootballFocus.com: Minus-12.4 in pass blocking, plus 7.1 in run blocking.


Left guard Vince Manuwai

Heck: “This year he came off a knee injury. Just before his injury, I think it would have been hard to find many guards who run blocked as well as he did. He’s got so much leverage and strength. I look forward to getting a healthy Vince back, not that he wasn’t healthy last year, but he was working his way back. I think he can be a dominant run-blocker. Vince can be a very capable pass-protector. He’s got one of the strongest punches that you’ll find anywhere.”

Williamson: Better run-blocker.

ProFootballFocus.com: Minus-3.1 in pass blocking, plus-7.1 in run blocking.


Center Brad Meester

Heck: “We got strong veteran leadership from him. I’ve never been around a player that was more dedicated to his craft than he is. He’s really outstanding at communicating and getting us all going in the right direction and is the leader of our group. I’d say Brad is a very well-balanced player. The thing that he has that the young tackles don’t have is the benefit of a lot of experience. There is not a lot that he hasn’t seen. He’s able to sort out difficult looks and play smart football.”

Williamson: Better pass-protector, “but he was a liability in all regards this past season.”

ProFootballFocus.com: Minus-3.0 in pass blocking, minus-13.7 in run blocking.


Right guard Uche Nwaneri

Heck: “He’s shown some steady improvement in all areas of his game. I think that he can be a very good run-blocker and is athletic enough and smart enough that he can be good as a pass-protector as well. At times he’s looked very good at both, and at times you can see where he needs to improve.”

Williamson: Slightly better pass-protector.

ProFootballFocus.com: Plus-4.0 in pass blocking, minus-2.6 in run blocking.


Right tackle Eben Britton

Heck: “He’s a guy that’s got great heart and desire. He’s similar to Eugene as a young player. He’s going to look to improve his awareness. Every one of those games from the personnel to the looks he’s going to see, all those things will help him kind of sort out some gray areas. I think that will help him in his pass protection as well, an area I think he can improve and will improve.”

Williamson: Far better run-blocker.

ProFootballFocus.com: Minus-14 in pass blocking, plus-3.0 in pass blocking.

Any OL will struggle if you cannot put pressure on the defense with the passing game.

The Saints OL is average in run blocking, but because their passing game is so scary, it pushes defenses back as they must respect the deep ball at all times.

Great analysis.  I think the guy hit it right on the head.  Garrard is a better passer than this season has shown, he just needs protection!

IMHO This young team is going to better and better and if the o line can but a few more milliseconds Garrard will remind everyone why he got that big contract 

I say 9-7 at best....and that is with another 4th place schedule.

Quote from: devlinmann on March 01, 2010, 03:33:22 PM
IMHO This young team is going to better and better and if the o line can but a few more milliseconds Garrard will remind everyone why he got that big contract 

exactly

any gator-jags fan that wants to complete his/her life right now should click on this link: http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/nfl/index

yes, tebow in jags uni. now you can rest in peace.

That just doesn't even look right.

Tebow should have been featured in the epic motion picture 300.

We will see though where he will end up very soon.

They still more threats at WR to compete. If they don't add one this offseason, they're still third fiddle to both Tenn and Indianapolis and barely on par with rising Houston!

Jags need D-line and 0-line improvment. upgrade QB in the future.

I cannot wait until Tebow is on another team, far far away and we can have a Jags thread that doesn't say a word about him.

Unfortunately Mandy that may never happen. Since he is a local boi and what ever team he plays on will eventually face the Jaguars. Now that should be interesting.

apparently the future holds Aaron Kampman

Quote from: tufsu1 on March 07, 2010, 09:52:28 AM
apparently the future holds Aaron Kampman

Another good player and needed in pass rushing

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/86732907.html

QuoteKampman reportedly agrees to deal with Jaguars

Mark Hoffman
Aaron Kampman will be back in a 4-3 defense in Jacksonville.
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: March 7, 2010

The Aaron Kampman free-agent odyssey apparently has ended.

The Florida Times-Union reported late Saturday night that the Jacksonville Jaguars had agreed to terms on a contract with the former Green Bay Packers linebacker.

Kampman made an official visit to the Jaguars Saturday and for awhile it appeared he would leave without a deal. But the Times-Union quoted a league source that said the Jaguars had agreed in principle on terms of a contract.

It did not have any details of the deal.

The agreement ends an era in Green Bay that lasted eight seasons. Drafted in the fifth round in 2002, Kampman started six games as a rookie, 10 in his second year and then ever game he played in through the 2009 season. His 54 sacks rank fourth in team history, just one behind No. 3 man Tim Harris.

The beginning of the end for Kampman began when coach Mike McCarthy decided to switch to a 3-4 defense prior to the 2009 season. The change meant that Kampman had to move from left end to left outside linebacker, a position he had never played in the pros.

Kampman said all the right things, but it was clear he was not thrilled with the move, although his work on the field never reflected it. His transition to the 3-4 was halted nine games into the season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The Packers didn't show any urgency to retain Kampman, probably understanding that if he got a chance to move to a team that plays a 4-3 defense, he would do it. If he was going to come back to play linebacker it would be because he wasn't getting any satisfactory long-term offers from 4-3 teams.

The Jaguars definitely have a need for pass-rushing defensive linemen and, according to reports, were also interested in Detroit Lions defensive end Jared DeVries. Like any other team interested in Kampman, the Jaguars wanted to see how far along the 30-year-old end has come after undergoing surgery three months ago.

Kampman's close friend, former Packers linebacker Bryce Paup, played two seasons in Jacksonville and might have put in a good word for the Jaguars. Either way, it could wind up being a huge signing for Jacksonville if Kampman can return to the form that resulted in him totaling 37 sacks from '06-'08.

The risk the Jaguars are taking is that Kampman develops complications with the knee and isn't ready for the start of training camp. However, Kampman said the day after the Packers' season ended that he was way ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation process.

Because he's an unrestricted free agent the Packers will receive a compensatory pick in the 2011 draft, the position of which will depend on how much money Kampman earns and how well he performs. It can be as high as a third-round pick and as low as a seventh.

In his final season with the Packers, Kampman had 55 tackles and 3 ½ sacks. Rookie Brad Jones filled in for Kampman after he got hurt and impressed the coaching staff enough to remain in their plans this year. However, it's a good year in the draft for pass-rushing 3-4 linebackers and the Packers will probably take at least one.

Kampman's quick signing in Jacksonville sheds some light on the two-day process that occurred after he become an unrestricted free agent Thursday night. There were reports that both the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles were making a push for Kampman, but that may have been information generated by Kampman's agent, Neil Cornrich.

It would not be surprising given the lack of multiple-team bidding there has been in the first two days of NFL free agency that Cornrich was trying to drum up more interest in Kampman with Seattle and Philadelphia. There have been rumors Kampman had made visits to both places, but in both cases they turned out to be false.

According to an NFL source, the Eagles showed some interest in bringing Kampman in, but were frustrated they could not get a commitment from him for a visit. It did not necessarily mean the Eagles were hot to sign Kampman.

Several reports said Kampman changed his mind about visiting.

The Seahawks, a source said, were told Kampman was definitely going to visit the Eagles, then found out it didn't happen. They hadn't shown a sense of urgency to sign him since free agency began.

Aaron Kampman should add alot to the Jags.  Great locker room guy... high motor... great guy for the community.  When GB shifted to the 3-4 defence he was a fish out of water.

We seem to be doing well in the FA right now, and hopefully that carries over into the draft in April. If we can get good players there, and build upon last year's young team, we could beat expectations solidly IMO.

Our other FA signing, Kassim Osgood, also sounds like a guy who is dedicated to charitable service in the community and loves interacting with fans.

Also, you have to love a guy who announces his signing here with a tweet that says "The black and teal Man of Steel is for real!"

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/tag/_/name/free-agency-2010

QuoteKampman to Jax alters plan at No. 10

March, 7, 2010 Mar 79:16AM

By Paul Kuharsky

Gene Smith is very much a best-player-available drafter, and the Jaguars' ability to land free-agent prize Aaron Kampman means Smith won’t be nearly as predictable with the 10th pick in the draft as mock drafters have previously believed.

Michael Wright reports the Jaguars have agreed to terms with Kampman.

I can’t wait to hear from Kampman about the Jaguars’ sales pitch, because word has been teams like Philadelphia and Seattle were seriously interested, too. He played like a cover operative, keeping quiet about where he’d visit, so much so that there were several mistaken reports and his mom told me she was sworn to secrecy.

But the Jaguars got him to North Florida and got him under contract.

Kampman is coming off a torn ACL and a down year with the Packers who changed from a 4-3, in which he’s best, to a 3-4. After Julius Peppers, Kampman was one of the two best pass-rushers available in free agency, and so the Jaguars pursued him the way they expect he will pursue quarterbacks.

So I pledge that if for some reason he doesn’t work out, the Jaguars won’t take heat from me. If you go get the best guy to help at your biggest weakness, and things don’t go as hoped, you still went for it.

The starting defensive line should now be Derrick Harvey on the left, John Henderson and Terrance Knighton in the middle and Kampman on the right -- a quality group.

Smith is still likely to draft an end -- at No. 10 he will be able to take the player he likes best -- not the player he likes best that addresses the team’s biggest need.

Cue the applause.

With Kampman and receiver/special-teamer Kassim Osgood, the Jaguars have already done better in free agency than I imagined they would or could. If they do nothing else but wait for the draft now, that’d be fine.

Though locking up their own defensive end free agent, Reggie Hayward, who was also hurt last year, would be another good move.

Wow - that's 2 multi-appearance Pro-Bowlers - impressive.

I saw Wayne and Delores at starbucks today in riverside, he was reading the article about Kampman. I didnt realize they were out in the public so freely like that.

Quote from: Keith-N-Jax on March 07, 2010, 09:04:20 PM
I saw Wayne and Delores at starbucks today in riverside, he was reading the article about Kampman. I didnt realize they were out in the public so freely like that.

Of course they are, and they frequent the Publix there since they live just down the street in Villa Riva.

I saw Joey Zelinka at the kiddie carnival in jax beach a couple years ago.

It was an awe inspiring event.

I also once met Eric Wilbur: future Pride of the Jaguars inductee.

Please, support this team, it means so much to the city in so many ways and its loss would be devastating.

But it should be more integrated more involved more attuned to the city and its needs.

It is all possible we just need the willing... from the players, the organization, and the fans!

Quote from: Keith-N-Jax on March 07, 2010, 09:04:20 PM
I saw Wayne and Delores at starbucks today in riverside, he was reading the article about Kampman. I didnt realize they were out in the public so freely like that.

They live over there, and I've seen them out on quite a few occasions (Riverside European Street, walking on King Street, Riverside Market Square area to name a few)

I have seen them at Art Walk more than once... :)

I saw David Hasselhoff at a club in Kansas City. He was sporting aviators and a fu man chu.

Quote from: buckethead on March 09, 2010, 10:10:05 AM
I saw David Hasselhoff at a club in Kansas City. He was sporting aviators and a fu man chu.

and you didn't kill him?

Don't you know you can't kill the Hoff.  ;D

You are correct, Jason. One cannot kill the Hoff.

Wanna bet? :P

Quote from: Sportmotor on March 09, 2010, 06:51:25 PM
Wanna bet? :P

Yes

Quote from: buckethead on March 09, 2010, 07:16:42 PM

Quote from: Sportmotor on March 09, 2010, 06:51:25 PM
Wanna bet? :P

Yes

What are the Stakes?

They are the things that you tie the tent lines to.

Quote from: buckethead on March 09, 2010, 07:22:59 PM
They are the things that you tie the tent lines to.

...that was a stretch XP

It may hold CJ Spiller, the prized player from Clemson.

http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2010-04-11/story/cj-spiller-potential-target-jaguars-must-balance-need-and