My Maurice Jones-Drew Blog

Since a pair of strong seasons in 2005 and 2007, the Jacksonville Jaguars haven't been able to get out of the AFC South basement. They'll find themselves there yet again in 2010 if they can't do a better job against the pass. Last season, Jacksonville finished dead last in the NFL in sacks and 27th in pass defense, allowing 235.9 yards per game. That's just not going to get it done in a division with talented quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub.

In this article, I'll take a look a brief look at the offense and the defense. Then, I'll make my prediction on Jacksonville's finishing position in the AFC South.

Offense: Led by Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jags boasted a top 10 rushing attack last season. Jones-Drew rushed for 1,391 yards and 15 touchdowns. In all, he tallied 16 scores, running his career total up to 54 in just four seasons.

The Jaguars will come with a heavy dose of Jones-Drew again in 2010, but an offense which only averaged 18.1 points in 2009 will continue to struggle if quarterback David Garrard can't return to his 2007 form. His completion percentage and touchdowns have been down each of the last two seasons while his interceptions have been way up.

To Garrard's credit, he hasn't had the strongest of wide receiver corps to work with. Jacksonville's wideouts don't get many headlines, but Mike Sims-Walker showed that he can get a few when he is healthy. Finally healthy, the fourth-year pro hauled in 63 passes for 869 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 starts. The Jags will need him to be an explosive playmaker in 2010 to keep defenses honest.

Defense: The Jags signed ex-Packer Aaron Kampman to help bolster their non-existent pass rush. Kampman tallied 36.5 sacks in the 2006-2008 seasons before struggling last year as an outside linebacker in Green Bay's new defensive scheme. On the line, with a hand in the dirt, Kampman is pretty good. He will certainly be an upgrade for the Jags. With teams paying a little closer attention to Kampman, Derrick Harvey will finally have the opportunity to live up to hype he brought with him to the league.

While Kampman's presence should improve the pass rush, I can't see it doing enough to keep Manning and Schaub from picking apart a secondary that still needs time to mature. Cornerback Rashean Mathis is star-caliber, but his play hasn't been as strong the past couple seasons. Fellow cornerback Derek Cox put together a strong rookie campaign with four interceptions, but he still has work to do. The Jaguars especially need better play from their safeties, who were very inconsistent performers in 2009.

Prediction: 4th AFC South - While Jacksonville has a quality running game, the NFL is a quarterbacks league. Unless Garrard can play like he did in 2007, the Jags will likely bring up the rear in their division again. NFL odds makers have listed the Jags as a +1000 long shot to win the AFC South.