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.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a few moves during the off season that led many to wonder whether they may once again contend for the playoffs in 2009.

David Garrard seems to improve a bit with each season, the team acquired pro bowl wide receiver Torry Holt, and despite the absence of Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the finest talents at the running back position in the NFL, and this would be his year to fully shine. A few other key acquisitions bolstered a roster that looked like it was ready to contend.

The team headed to Indy in week 1 of the NFL season. While the team usually plays some pretty good football against the Colts, beating the Colts on their own turf is a tall order, especially in week 1 while emotions are running high.

The Jaguars nearly came away with a win despite the challenges, falling by only two points to the Colts in a 14-12 loss. The team seemed to play efficient football, and limited the effectiveness of Peyton Manning, one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the game.

Week 2 was somewhat disappointing after the solid week 1 effort. The Cardinals, who had fallen to the 49ers in week 1, visited Jacksonville and ripped apart the Jaguars defense at the seams, winning by a 31-17 margin. Kurt Warner was 24 of 26 at quarterback, and such a high completion rate raises some serious questions about the defense in Jacksonville. Can this team turn things around? Week 3 at Houston will be another tough test, so the Jaguars may find themselves in an unpleasant hole from here.

Quarterback

Tom Brady- While there were some other great performances from week at the quarterback position, Brady easily had the best week. He actually had the best week of anyone this whole season. He simply tore apart the Titans secondary. He through for 380 passing yards and 6 touchdowns, almost all of which came in the first half. Oh and not to mention, it was below freezing and snowing. I expect to see this Brady more often.

Wide Receiver

Randy Moss- This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone considering the game Brady had. Someone had to be catching all these passes. Wes Welker, another one of Brady's wide receivers, was the runner up. Moss had 129 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Maybe this duo will be back to their 2007 form. That would be great for fantasy owners.

Running Back

Maurice Jones-Drew- Most expected him to have a good performance this week, mainly because he was playing the Rams. The Rams have one of, if not the worst teams in the NFL. Jones- Drew was unstoppable in game that was much closer that most expected. He carried the ball for 133 yards and all three touchdowns. He also caught the ball for 45 yards. He has become a work horse since Fred Taylor has left and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Tight End

Zach Miller- He had a great game for the first time all season. He caught his first touchdown of the season as well. As all fantasy owners know, touchdowns are golden. He was targeted 11 times by quarterback JaMarcus Russell, which was 6 more than any other Oakland receiver. Miller had 139 yards and a touchdown. 86 of his yards came on a passing play where he broke several tackles in order to take it to the house. I wouldn't expect games like this from Miller often but maybe this is what Russell needed to get his feet under him.

Matt Messel

As the season winds down for the remaining NFL's regular season i have noticed that the rookie of the year award candidates are very much up for debate, I personally think the leading candidate is Marques Colston of the New Orleans Saints. He continues to be productive week after week he's currently the leader in receiving yards for rookies at 869 yards, that's over 300 yards more than the runner up in this category. Marques Colston is also the leader in receiving touchdowns for all rookies with 7, and he's also second in receptions for all rookies trailing his teammate and preseason favorite for the rookie of the year honors Reggie Bush.

Let's talk about some of the other very talented rookies, such as Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans he is beginning to emerge as a playmaker now that his playing time has increased. Vince is currently second among all rookies with touchdown passes at 8, he's currently third in passer ratings among all rookies at 63.9%. Vince also remains in third in passing yards among all rookies with 1323 yards. Let's not forget about Matt Leinart the Left Handed gunslinger from the Arizona Cardinals, Matt became the fulltime starter a couple of weeks into the season. Matt seems to be catching on quick to the NFL's aggressive style of play; Matt currently is the leader among all rookies in passing yards with 1753, second in passer ratings at 69.6 and third in passing touchdowns with 7. Lets take a look at Reggie Bush and his impact he has had on his team, Reggie currently leads all rookies in receptions with 64. Reggie also has over 431 yards receiving which is fourth among all rookies, and he is currently second among all rookies in punt return average with 9.2 .

Take your pick and cast your vote I've made mine.

Other Players to Watch:

Bruce Gradkowski, Joseph Addai, Maurice Jones-Drew, Santonio Holmes, & Laurence Maroney

Are the best years of the Jacksonville Jaguars behind us? The Jaguars were the talk of the NFL in the late 90s but in recent years these cats have fallen on hard times. When new coach Jack Del Rio came aboard however, things started to change slowly but surely. In 2006, the Jaguars finished with a record of 8-8, and one year later they peaked with an 11-5 season record and a trip to the playoffs. Could 2008 be the year that the Jacksonville Jaguars finally commands respect and makes a serious play for the championship?

There have been some notable transactions in the office thus far, including the trading of wide receiver Troy Williamson to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 6th round draft pick. The team also lost Ernest Wilford, Marcus Stroud, Bobby McCray and Sammy Knight. The team did receive a few extra draft picks as well as acquisitions like wide receiver in Jerry Porter of the Oakland Raiders, cornerback Drayton Florence of the San Diego Chargers and quarterback Cleo Lemon of the Miami Dolphins. However, Jacksonville fans were far more interested in the team's draft selection for 2008.

Some of the notable draft picks include defensive end Derrick Harvey, defensive end Quentin Groves, linebacker Thomas Williams, defensive back Trae Williams and running back Chauncey Washington. Harvey's draft pick was met with some hesitant response due to his size though his pass rushing ability is unquestioned. Groves recently had heart surgery but has been cleared to return at 100%, while Washington received some negative attention for his blocking abilities.

It's obvious to see that the Jaguars are beefing up their defense, which concerns some experts but actually strengthens the confidence of Jacksonville fans who remember that the Jaguar's offense in 2007 was exceptional. Fans and management credit Del Rio with the Jaguars' dramatic turn around-in fact he has already been extended to 2012! The Jaguars may be clawing their way to the Super Bowl soon enough and in 2008 they are surely one of the most important teams to watch.

David Garrard has definitely stepped into his roll as starting quarter back with the confidence of a seasoned veteran. With a tag-team duo of running backs in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew tearing down the field, their is plenty of hope for a post season. Although the Jacksonville receiving core lacks the luster of some of the established air shows, they are all talented enough to move the chains 10 yards at a time. There is no question that this team revolves around the strength of the running game. If their running duet can stay healthy, they will unleash a ground and pound attraction that will explode on the highlight reel week after week.

If you want to catch the Jacksonville Jaguars in action then contact Direct TV, the satellite television provider. They offer Jacksonville Jaguars coverage through a variety of channels and special features. For instance, the Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket and channels like the NFL Network, NFL Sunday Snap or Highlights on Demand give you %100 complete coverage. You can watch over 200 games in a season, with 14 games outside your local area every Sunday. You can watch special enhanced games that provide detailed scoreboards as well as a Player Tracker that gives you all the latest statistics on teams and players.

Coming off a 5-11 season in 2008, not much was expected of the Jacksonville Jaguars last season and many thought it would be the final year on the sidelines for Coach Jack Del Rio and his staff. But after starting 0-2 last season, the Jags started playing over their heads - yet would also throw in an occasional stinker.

For example, the Jags won division games against Houston and Tennessee to get back to.500 but then got blasted 41-0 by a bad Seattle team. A close win versus the Rams followed that, but then the Vince Young-led Titans crushed the Jags in Week 8. So at 3-4 the playoffs looked unlikely, but then Jacksonville lost only once in the next five games to get to 7-5 and pretty much became in charge of its own destiny. However, the wheels fell off in the final month, with the Jags finishing on a four-game losing streak to miss the playoffs once again.

This season could be franchise-altering in many ways. Certainly Del Rio will be a goner if the Jags suffer another losing season - he nearly took the USC job. In January, Del Rio said quarterback David Garrard was in the "middle tier of quarterbacks in the league." And he's probably right considering Garrard has thrown 30 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions the last two seasons and been sacked 84 times. Also, owner Wayne Weaver questioned Garrard's leadership skills. This could very well be the QB's final season in Jacksonville.

This season Del Rio wants to open up the offense more after it ranked 24th in the league in scoring last year. The problem is that the Jags have an iffy offensive line at best and possess no real weapons on offense other than Maurice Jones-Drew and emerging wideout Mike-Sims Walker.

The defense was by far the bottom of the league last year with only 14 sacks (fifth-worst in NFL history) - a few individuals had more than the Jaguars in 2009. The team hopes it helped solve that problem by drafting Cal's Tyson Alualu at No. 10 and signing Packers free agent Aaron Kampman. Of course, many panned the Jags for picking Alualu too early and Kampman is coming off major knee surgery. Jacksonville will shift from a 3-4 to a 4-3 in an effort to get more pressure.

And the franchise's north Florida future could be affected this year. A lousy season and more empty seats - the Jags face blackouts for every home game - means we could see the team moving to Los Angeles very soon.

The NFL picks list Jacksonville's 'over/under' for NFL season win totals at 7. Let's break down the 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars schedule:

Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 12, Denver, 1:00 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sep. 19, at San Diego, 4:15 PM
Week 3: Sunday, Sep. 26, Philadelphia, 4:05 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 3, Indianapolis, 4:05 PM
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 10, at Buffalo, 1:00 PM
Week 6: Monday, Oct. 18, Tennessee, 8:30 PM
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 24, at Kansas City, 1:00 PM
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 31, at Dallas, 1:00 PM
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 14, Houston, 1:00 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 21, Cleveland, 1:00 PM
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 28, at NY Giants, 1:00 PM
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 5, at Tennessee, 1:00 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 12, Oakland, 1:00 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 19, at Indianapolis, 1:00 PM
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 26, Washington, 1:00 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 2, at Houston, 1:00 PM

This ranks as the fifth-toughest schedule in the NFL with an opponents' 2009 winning percentage of .535 (137-119). There are five games against playoff teams.

The Jags start with three of four at home, which sounds nice, but that is easily their toughest stretch of opponents this season, including three in a row against potential Super Bowl contenders and the two teams with the best records in the AFC last year. Jacksonville has won four of the past five against Denver, so starting 1-0 is likely. Winning at San Diego seems unlikely because the Jags clearly don't like traveling to the West Coast: they were outscored a combined 61-3 in two games on the left coast last year. On the positive side, the Jaguars have won nine of their past 13 September games under Del Rio.

Following that Colts game comes arguably the easiest three-game stretch of the season and the time when the Jags must capitalize with a minimum of two wins before facing Dallas prior to the bye week. And while Houston should be good, the Jags certainly are capable of winning those back-to-back home games out of the bye. And they better do just that, considering four of the final six are on the road. Jags backers better pray for unseasonably warm weather in New Jersey (Giants) and Tennessee. Why? The Jaguars are 1-8 all-time in games played in temperatures of 27 degrees or colder. By comparison they are 24-10 in games played in 81 degrees temperatures or higher. The NFL betting line says don't rule out an upset at Indy, as the Jags won there in 2008 and nearly did again last year. Indy has won five of six in the series, but Jacksonville usually gives the Colts trouble.

Jacksonville should be able to win six games at home, so can it get two road wins to exceed the WagerWeb total? Obviously those games at Buffalo and Kansas City stand out as excellent chances for NFL Power Rankings matchups. This looks like an 8-8 team, which may or may not save Del Rio, so take the 'over'.

The Draft can be intense, grueling, and a little intimidating at times. But there are always multiple opportunities to harass your friends and co-owners over some draft day mistake they make. Just make sure you do not commit one of these very common, almost inevitable Draft Day Blunders. Someone will almost certainly pull off the following bloopers.

Here we go, in no particular order. Someone will ...

draft a player who has retired. (Years ago we had two guys fighting over Barry Sanders TWO YEARS AFTER he retired because they heard some ridiculous rumor.) unknowingly draft a player who is seriously injured. (If you read my other articles, you know that I did that my rookie year in a league many moons ago. Oh well, it happens to us all.) draft a QB RB and WR from the same team. (Don't you just love these morons?) take the maximum amount of time to make a selection in the first round. (I realize you have only had 6 months to prepare, so by all means, take your time. After all, I know your first round pick is a difficult decision.) show up late for the draft, hungover, with zero research, and draft a monster team. (I hate these guys. It is easier to hit the lottery 3 times in a row, but there is someone every year that accomplishes this.) draft players according to their abilities in some scoring system that exists only in their head, vehemently deny they were ever told the rules, complain when someone reminds them they wasted a pick, or picks, and cry allll yeearrr looonnnggg. (Nothing needs to be said here. You know who you are.) not take notes, not look at the draft board, and REPEATEDLY try to draft players that were taken rounds earlier. (This has got to be my pet peeve; these guys are usually blistered drunk by round three. Do they honestly think Terrell Owens is still available in Round 6?) mispronounce every player's name that they utter. (I realize Houshmandzadeh is a mouthful, but you hear it pronounced by sportscasters all the time. And the Chicago RB's name is pronounced "Matt For-tay" not "Matt 40", LT is not LanDainlium, and Maurice Jones-Drew's full name is NOT "Drew Jones, that guy for Jacksonville.") show up with no money, bring no food, (we always bring a covered dish each) bum beer from everyone, blow smoke in your face from borrowed cigarettes, borrow your cheat sheets and research (and then lose them) because $8 is evidently more than they could save up in six months to buy a guide, and generally attempt with every opening of their pie hole to prove themselves a bigger idiot than they were 10 minutes ago. (Don't be that guy. Really.) pay for their smoking hot girlfriend to play, and then spend the entire day picking for her. (No conflict of interest here, huh?)

These by no means are the only faux-pas committed on Draft Day, but are some of the more memorable.
If you would like to share some draft day horror stories with me, I will be sure to use them in future articles. Just contact me at the Email address below. Good luck on draft day, and remember, don't be that guy.