SB Nation - Ernest Wilford

Laurent Robinson Follows Familiar Path with the Jaguars

DownerJagFan — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:50:16 -0000

The Jacksonville Jaguars have always had to search for wide receivers. Laurent Robinson is one of the latest subjects in this ongoing quest. Some fans are disappointed that the team's top free agent acquisition is going into the final week of the preseason with only one reception for 7 yards. That is understandable. How many times before this season have fans asked, "Why have the Jaguars always struggled finding wide receivers?"

To this point in franchise history, the drafting of the position has been an unmitigated disaster. The most prolific receiver drafted by the Jaguars was Reggie Williams. His 189 receptions and 2322 yards lead all of the other players drafted at the position. Reggie, Matt Jones, and R. Jay Soward are commonly thought of as draft busts. Mike Thomas and Cecil Shorts are still working on their legacy. Others such as Mike Sims-Walker, Ernest Wilford, Reggie Barlow, and Alvis Whitted failed to distinguish themselves during their careers.

However, Justin Blackmon drafted 5^th overall in this year's draft, has been impressive so far this preseason and fans already are hoping he will turn out to be the best of the bunch.

Free agent wide receivers have had more mixed results.

Without a doubt, Jimmy Smith is the greatest Jaguars receiver. He was a street-free agent trying to save his career when Tom Coughlin signed him in 1995. His 862 receptions and 12,287 receiving yards dwarf the rest of the team's receiving leaders. Other street-free agent receivers have made the team without much success.

Unrestricted free agency has brought in many other contributors, but only one long-term, productive option - Keenan McCardell. Signed in 1996, McCardell's 499 receptions and 6393 yards set the mark that all other unrestricted free agents have tried to match, but have fallen woefully short of realizing.

Robinson is the latest of the unrestricted free agent receivers that will try to justify his own signing. Frankly, it won't take much in the way of prolonged production to rise on the all-time list.

Here is a list, after Smith and McCardell, of the other free agent receivers all Jaguars fans hope Robinson will surpass:

Player	From	To	Games	Receptions	Receiving Yards
Dennis Northcutt	2007	2008	29	88	1146
Troy Edwards	2003	2004	29	85	1020
Torry Holt	2009	2009	15	51	722
Bobby Shaw	2002	2002	16	44	525
Andre Rison	1996	1996	10	34	458
Ernest Givins	1995	1995	9	29	280
Kevin Johnson	2003	2003	6	17	253
Sean Dawkins	2001	2001	16	20	234
Matthew Hatchette	2003	2003	6	15	203
Patrick Johnson	2002	2002	9	9	187
Jerry Porter	2008	2008	10	11	181

A look at the list above makes it clear why fans are worried. When Northcutt is your number 3 all-time free agent wide receiver you have learned not to expect too much from that breed. Northcutt signed a 5-year $17 million contract with the Jaguars in 2007.

None of the free agents lasted more than 2 years with the team. If Robinson can stay on the team until 2014 he will be the biggest free agent wide receiver success in 16 years.

Robinson’s deal this March was a 5-year, 32.5 million deal so clearly the Jaguars expect him to rise to the top of this list quickly.

Last year was Robinson’s break-out year with the Dallas Cowboys. He recorded 54 receptions, 858 yards and 11 touchdowns made him a top free agent target for the Jaguars. So before we start giving up hope, let’s remember where Robinson was at this point last year.

Signed as a free agent to the San Diego Chargers, Robinson had only had one reception for 18 yards through the first 3 preseason games.

Sound familiar?

Even though he had a great fourth preseason game where he caught 6 passes, he was cut by the Chargers. Dallas then signed him on September 7 and then cut him 6 days later after a hamstring injury that he sustained in his first practice with the Cowboys. It wasn’t until September 20 that they signed him again due to mounting injuries suffered at the wide receiver position.

Robinson almost missed out on his chance to shine last year because of his poor showing in the first three preseason games.

Robinson is definitely following a familar path so far this preseason. Let's hope it's the path of his outstanding 2011 season instead of the path taken by so many other Jaguars free agents.

Finhead's Musings: Overreaction Edition

Brian Cole — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:00:02 -0000

Watch out South Florida! In case you haven't heard by now, the sky is falling and the reported impact site will be the Miami Dolphins facility in Davie. Word on the streets is that Jeff Ireland is the primary target and Stephen Ross is Plan B. Never mind that Ireland disappearing would completely wreck any immediate plans in Miami's future and that there is nobody available to adequately replace him. After all, nobody thinks Ireland's plan will work and everyone on this site is just as capable as running a franchise as he is.

Now what caused this recent outburst that will even lead to a protest at the Dolphin facility this afternoon? Well, you have Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn to thank for that. Why? Because it is what many people wanted. It's strange to think that a month ago many people didn't want Manning or Flynn. Manning was old and damaged goods. Flynn was a former 7th round pick with only two good games and was about to be another overpaid QB like Kevin Kolb of the Arizona Cardinals.

The fact that Manning chose not to meet with Miami official at their facility was damning evidence he didn't want to go to Miami. He went to Denver and it is Ireland's failure. Never mind that Manning has been to Miami's facility before, but not the facilities in Tennessee, Denver, or San Francisco. Never mind that if Manning was truly uninterested in Miami, he'd turn them down outright like he did for Seattle. After all, the Seahawks even flew to Denver to visit Manning while he was there and he still refused to meet them. Never mind that most believed if Manning avoided the Dolphins it was likely because of Ross' style of running the organization. Never mind that Manning even said he enjoyed talking to the Dolphins.

Flynn was then signed to the big contract, but it wasn't Miami that signed him. That put an immediate bullseye on Ireland because he failed to land Plan B, even though the thought of Flynn in Miami on a $8 million per year contract scared many fans. It isn't taken into consideration that Miami may not have thought highly enough of Flynn to offer that much money. The simple matter is Flynn isn't in Miami and it's Ireland's fault.

Let's take some other complaints commonly seen about Ireland.

Complaint: Jeff Ireland has failed in hiring coaches and coordinators! Fact: Ireland didn't hire Tony Sparano. That move was made solely by Bill Parcells less than two weeks after he hired Ireland. GMs often leave the assembling of the staff to their head coach as they need them to work closely together. Still, Parcells picked Paul Pasqualoni as Miami's defensive coordinator within two weeks of naming Sparano as Miami's head coach. He hand picked Dan Henning, his good friend, a few weeks later. The two eventually failed and were fired. The next two coordinators in which Ireland at least played a role in the hiring process turned out to work better than the previous two. Brian Daboll was heavily criticized upon being hired by Miami, but he eventually got the Dolphin offense into a groove in 2010 under Matt Moore. Mike Nolan quickly turned Miami's defense around.

Complaint: Nobody wants to play for Miami! Fact: The Dolphins do receive a lot of scrutiny. Some of it goes towards Ross and some to Ireland. Still, the Dolphins signed Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett in free agency. Miami never would've been able to trade for Reggie Bush if they weren't able to get him to negotiate a new contract. If Bush didn't want to be in Miami, he wouldn't be there. The Dolphins also convinced Cameron Wake to sign with them instead of going to other suitors like the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, and the New York Giants. Never mind that the Saints and Giants were coming off recent Super Bowl victories. Never mind the Giants had consistently churned out great defensive pass rushers. Instead, Wake said he chose Miami because of the coaching staff and the organization. Yes, the Dolphins were spurned by players like Manning and Flynn. Again, Manning said he enjoyed the visit with Miami. We have heard consistent reports Flynn was interested in Miami, meaning it is unlikely Ireland himself changed his mind. Jeff Fisher did spurn the Dolphins, but he spurned Stephen Ross because he wanted more power. Any problems with him and Ireland was simply Ireland being in Miami and having the power Fisher wanted.

Complaint: He's not a good evaluator and can't assemble a team. Fact: Strange that people say this team is only a QB away from being a Super Bowl contender. It's not like Miami had an overly talented team in 2007 before Ireland. The players didn't magically appear despite Ireland's presence. Has he been perfect? Obviously not. Nobody ever hits on everyone. That includes Bill Belichick. The same that are ready to crucify Ireland for picks like Pat White in the second round, who was chosen by Parcells, point to Belichick's success with New England even though he's had plenty of second round busts like Darius Butler, Ron Brace, Terrence Wheatley, and Chad Jackson. Butler and Brace even came in the second round. But Ireland can't even get a decent role player in the third round? Patrick Turner is already out of Miami. That is true. New England's 2009 third round picks, Brandon Tate and Tyrone McKenzie, are already out of New England. While Ireland hasn't been perfect, you can't expect him to be. Still, Parcells was calling the shots until the summer of 2010. While Ireland was given more power during that spring, he gets blame for some moves that weren't his call. One positive thing to note about Miami's front office over the past few years is that while they haven't hit on every player they acquired, they have been quick to move on and haven't tried to make the move work. Many front office executives would try to convince themselves a big free agent like Ernest Wilford or Eric Green would work or would hole on to a second round pick like White to try and make them the player they envisioned he'd be.

Complaint: Ireland made a fool of himself by asking if Dez Bryant's mother a prostitute. Fact: It wasn't a smart move by Ireland. The question was a follow-up up by Ireland during a pre-draft interview when Bryant said his father was a pimp and his mother had worked for his father. Ireland foolishly tried to add two plus two and found that it equaled controversy. Bryant later came out and denied he said his father was a pimp, but said many of his pre-draft interviews with other teams also included another curious question. Other teams were asking if his mother was still using crack cocaine, a drug she had served prison time for dealing on the streets. That question wasn't as scandalous and was discovered after the media already blew Ireland's question out of the water. Was it stupid of Ireland? I think so. Was it overblown by the media? I think so.

Complaint: He embarrassed the team by going after Jim Harbaugh and he even failed at doing that. Fact: That was the decision of Ross, not Ireland. If Ross goes to Ireland and tells him to get on the plane because he wants Harbaugh, what would Ireland be expected to do? He can't force Ross to not hire Harbaugh. The fact that Ross' good friend and the man many believed would take Ireland's job, Carl Peterson, was boarding the plane was enough of a reason for Ireland to go as well. It'd be a terrible personal move to not board the plane with his boss and the individual who is lining up to take your job.

The bottom line with Ireland? There are players out there that don't like them. He does appear to rub people the wrong way with an arrogant attitude. Ireland also hasn't built a terrific team. Miami still hasn't found a franchise QB under Ireland's watch. All of that are valid reasons for concern. I don't expect people to read this and all of a sudden support Ireland. I would just like those that criticize Ireland and Miami's move, something I even do on occasions, to at least get their facts straight.

Rams release WR Mike Sims-Walker, should the Jaguars bring him back?

Adam Stites — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:00:24 -0000

It appears the Rams are set to release WR Mike Sims-Walker after an extremely disappointing stint with the Rams. In five games with St. Louis, MSW had a game in which he dropped four balls before halftime and was even ruled inactive in week six despite being completely healthy.

The Rams are now looking to newly acquired Brandon Lloyd, who they reportedly traded for this morning, to give Sam Bradford the threat they thought Sims-Walker could be. Meanwhile, MSW is without work less than three months after signing a one year, $3.7 million contract.

There was plenty of speculation as to why the Jaguars chose not to re-sign Sims-Walker who accumulated 14 touchdowns and 1431 yards receiving in 2009 and 2010 combined. Many felt as though it was due to the money he would demand on a new contract, while others felt the team just decided to move in a different direction.

Now the Jaguars should be looking for any direction except the one they're currently going at receiver. Their receiving corps struggle to get open and have been a weak spot, if not the weakest spot, on the roster. The opportunity to upgrade the position is something Gene Smith almost surely has to be on the lookout for and the possibility of bringing back a player that has had success in Jacksonville in the past could be the right move.

A similar move was made in 2009 when the Jaguars re-signed Ernest WIlford after he was released by the Dolphins, following a disappointing and short stint.

Re-signing Sims-Walker would be a cheap move that would allow a player that is familiar with the way things work in Jacksonville to provide a patch for a team that desperately needs to inject some life into its offense.

Poll

Should the Jaguars re-sign Mike Sims-Walker?

Yes they should

417 votes

Yes they should, but it'll never happen

396 votes

No, he's been terrible in St. Louis

171 votes

No, it's time to move on

399 votes

1383 votes | Poll has closed

Jaguars pick up UDFA WR Armon Binns.. and a punter.

Alfie Crow — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:26:38 -0000

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't slowed down their UDFA pick ups now that they can officially begin negotiating with unrestricted free agents. According to sources, the Jaguars have reached an agreement with Cincinatti wide receiver Armon Binns.

Binns has good size for the receiver position at 6'3 and about 210 pounds. He's not overtly fast, but he is very fluid catching the football and knows how to use his body to make catches. He has very good ball skills, knowing how to time his jumps and go up for the football. He was very productive for the Bearcats, being the less "flashy" of their wide receivers. He reminds me a bit of a faster Ernest Wilford, but better hands.

Hopefully Adam Stites and Armon's mom can make up.

The Jaguars also picked up former All-ACC punter from Virginia Tech, Brian Saunders. LOOK OUT ADAM PODLESH HE'S COMING FOR YOU.

Seriously though, team usually carry two punters in camp.

The Case for Letting Mike Sims-Walker Walk

Brian Levenson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:23:04 -0000

A lot of Jaguars fans are concerned about the Jaguars' receiving corps now that Mike Sims-Walker has been allowed to walk. That is a completely understandable, and I see why people are concerned, however, calling wide receiver a "need" like Alfie did earlier today might be an overreaction. Wide Receiver is a "want" certainly, but I feel like the decision to let Sims-Walker leave does not force Gene's hand as much as some might think. In my opinion, there are plenty of valid reasons for allowing MSW to leave in free agency. Here are a half-dozen reasons I see for letting Sims-Walker go into free agency without fear:

1) Jason Hill: I know many of you Jags fans aren't sold on Jason Hill. After all, he managed only 11 catches in 6 games. Well, let's look at those six games. Hill was signed off the street directly onto the roster, so his 6 games actually was not really six games. He was thrown on the field for a couple of plays week 12 when he was signed and made one catch. That was without ANY knowledge of the playbook or anything. He was simply plugged in as the third receiver on a few plays. He also flashed the ability to make the long reception with a tiptoe-ing, back corner, one-handed catch he made just out of bounds. He caught a 48-yard bomb two weeks later against Oakland, and after that the Jaguars started inserting him more into the game. In the last three games, he had 9 catches for 185 yards, and more importantly, he could get open deep down the field. Mike Sims-Walker, for all his ability, never showed me that he could get up and bring down a deep pass and the team tried often. Having a deep threat at wide receiver is incredibly important, because it forces the safety to play on their heels for the pass, rather than getting up on their toes to make plays in the running game. Hill is undoubtedly a better deep threat than Mike Sims-Walker.

2) Zach Miller: Miller was an excellent draft selection. He has breakaway speed, good size, and according to the Jaguars' coaching staff, his blocking ability has been improving every year. I like seeing Miller on the field, because he is a clear match-up problem. He'll toast linebackers, he's stronger than most corners, and he could be flexed out into the slot to draw another person off the line to make room for Maurice Jones-Drew. Miller can really run, has solid hands, and is consistently improving as a blocker. I'd like to see Miller on the field more. Instead of using three receivers, the Jaguars could just go single back, two TE's and have the threat to run and throw equally well from the same set. Is Zach Miller as good as a wide receiver? The number one goal on offense is to create mismatches. A guy like Miller can do that. He's not exactly as good as a wide receiver, but he is definitely an asset to the Jaguars offense that could be used more and to greater effect.

3) Jarret Dillard: I have the tendency to forget about Jarret Dillard myself, but when we drafted him, he was one of the quickest, shiftiest wideouts in the draft. It remains to be seen exactly how good Dillard is, but every offseason I hear "Dillard looks good" so I'm willing to go with that. Keep in mind that Sims-Walker, who everyone is clamoring to keep missed his first two seasons with the Jaguars with injuries as well.

4) Good teams do it: I know that sounds like a silly heading, but I have a point to make. Think about Brandon Stokley. In 2004, he was the hottest thing since sliced bread. The Colts fed him balls like Hungry Hungry Hippos and his YAC numbers were insane. Then what happened? He went to Denver where he basically busted, and now he's on Seatlle, where he started zero games and was essentially a waste of space. Think of Deion Branch. Tom Brady made him from a decent receiver into a great one, and what do the Patriots do? They let him go. They deal him for picks to Seattle where his best year he caught 53 balls for 725 yards. Santonio Holmes is an inconsistent receiver who flashes the ability to make the big catch, and what do the Steelers do? They trade him. Good teams are good teams because they know when their players have reached the end of their usefulness and are willing to part with them. And good teams consistently lets other teams overpay for their players. That's what the Jaguars are doing now.

5) Mike Sims-Walker: Let's be honest here, if you look at MSW's career, would you pay him? He did not play in his first year in the NFL because of injury. In 2008, he had 16 receptions over nine games. He only made catches in 6 of those 9 games. Of course, eleven of those catches game in two games against the Steelers and Texans early in the season. In 2009, Sims-Walker finally got a full season under his belt and he played well. 63 catches for 869 yards. Of course, for the record, he had seven games in his best season where his stat line was less than 2 catches for 28 yards. In 2010, he was playing through an ankle injury. Ok, that's all fine and good, but he still only had two great games. 10 for 105 mostly in garbage time against the Chargers and 8 for 153 against Dallas who were just an absolutely terrible team at that point in the season. Remove those two games and Sims-Walker made 25 catches for 304 yards over 12 games. Most importantly, in his four year career, MSW has 1,648 yards. I don't want to pay Sims-Walker to be a number one receiver.

6) There's a sucker born every minute: Someone will want to pay Sims-Walker to be a number one receiver. I would bet that some team is going to look at Sims-Walker's 2009 season and offer him a lot of money. They won't realize that he has the tendency to disappear in games, or that he struggles at times holding on to the ball, they'll just see a receiver with good physical talent and want him. We would have to compete with those teams to keep Sims-Walker on the field, and I don't see him as being worth #1 WR money. Right now, the Redskins, Bengals, and Rams are all desperately looking for wideouts, and if the Redskins are in the market, you can bet they'll throw a whole lot of money around. Also, the Jaguars receive compensation in the form of draft picks based on the contracts that their free agents sign. Let someone else sign Sims-Walker to a huge deal, and use the compensatory pick you'll get from it to take some late round WR next year.

There are reasons to keep Sims-Walker around, but as you can see, there are plenty of legitimate reasons for letting him go. I think that all in all this is the right choice for the Jaguars. I wouldn't mind at all if Sims-Walker went on to have a great season somewhere else, I would still consider this a reasonable move by Gene and the Jaguars' front office, and I still don't see much reason to doubt the ability of the Jaguars offense just because MSW is gone. Also, for those of you with short memories, the Jaguars made the playoffs in 2007 with the following receiving corps: Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Dennis Northcut, and Ernest Wilford...

Yeah, I feel a lot better about the guys we have now.

Jaguars plan to re-sign Gerald Alexander today

Alfie Crow — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:24:51 -0000

Per Adam Schefter, the Jaguars plan to re-sign safety Gerald Alexander today.

So, why'd they release him in the first place?

Just sayin'.

Tight end Ernest Wilford was released to make room on the roster. The team also dropped quarterback Brett Ratliff from the practice squad.

Jaguars will sign TE Ernest Wilford tomorrow

Alfie Crow — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:40:10 -0000

As previously mentioned, the Jacksonville Jaguars will sign tight end Ernest Wilford tomorrow, per a report by Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union.

The announcement has yet to be made official, and it's unknown who will be released to make room.

Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the Jaguars will release wide receiver John Matthews to make room on the roster for Wilford. While this is plausible, it would be an odd move and leave the Jaguars will four tight ends and four wide receivers.

Also to note, the Jaguars officially announced the signing of wide receiver Clarence Denmark to their practice sqaud making it unlikely John Matthews would be re-added to it.

I find it hard to believe that the Jaguars would roll into San Diego with only four wide receivers. I'm hopeful this doesn't mean there is a player who will land on injured reserve and leaves me a little worried about tight end Zach Miller, given his injury history. I'd lean more towards someone being moved to injured reserve or a player like Michael Coe, Brock Bolen, or Zach Potter being released before John Matthews.

EDIT: Someone mentioned to me on Twitter it's possible the Jaguars are comfortable using Kassim Osgood more as a wide receiver, which is certainly possible. He got a good amount of playing time last Sunday.

Jaguars NFL Roster Cuts: Could Zach Potter Push?

Alfie Crow — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:44 -0000

While I was creating my early 53 man roster, I thought about cutting Ernest Wilford for Zach Potter. I decided to go with Ernest Wilford, but as we get closer to the final pre-season game I keep feeling that Zach Potter is going to do something to make Wilford expendable.

Wilford has had a fantastic training camp, but has kind of disappeared in the pre-season games.

Jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman recently wrote a piece on Zach Potter than renewed my belief he's going to push hard for a roster position.

For those who don't know, Potter played defensive end at Nebraska. He's a mammoth tight end, in the mold of Marcedes Lewis. For now, Potter is considered a blocking tight end but has made strides in the passing game.

"The blocking tight end is a dying breed in the NFL. He knows his future is more at the tight end position than it ever would’ve been at the defensive end position. I saw a guy with a big frame that could block defensive ends. He embraced the role when given the opportunity to do so," Gene Smith told Ketchman.

The fact that Potter is such a good blocker strengthens his chance to make the final 53. The other tight ends, Zach Miller and Wilford, are primarily pass catching tight ends. Wilford is adequate blocking in the open field, but on the line he still struggles. Potter on the other hand can block on the line and also in the open field, he just lacks a bit in the passing game. Currently Marcedes Lewis is the only tight end on the roster who really doesn't tip the offenses hand on if it's running or passing, everyone else does. Potter has the potential to offer that same versatility.

Potter spent last season on the Jaguars practice squad after being released by the Jets as a defensive end. Potter was called into action last season in Cleveland against the Browns while Marcedes Lewis was out with a broken face. Potter ended the day with only 1 reception for 3 yards, but he got the start and played well in his role. With a full season and off-season under his belt with the Jaguars, it's very possible he's evolved enough to make a fight for that roster position.

Jacksonville Jaguars Roster Cuts and Predictions

Alfie Crow — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:38:02 -0000

By five-o'clock this afternoon the Jacksonville Jaguars will need to cut four players to trim their roster down to 75 players. They only need to cut four because third round pick defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith will hit injured reserved due to the achilles injury he suffered during training camp.

So, what do I think the final roster will look like?

Click the jump to find out.

This is my pre-4th pre-season game roster prediction. It can change quite a bit depending on how Game 4 goes. I'd also like to note that I believe the Jaguars will make moves and have 2-4 players on the roster who are on other teams right now.

Special Teams:

P - Adam Podlesh
K- Josh Scobee
PR - Scotty McGee
KR - Deji Karim
LS - Jeremy Cain

Quarterbacks:

Backs:

Wide Receivers:

Offensive Line:

Tight End:

Defensive End:

Defensive Tackle:

Linebackers:

Cornerbacks:

Safety:

In all honesty, I expect the Jaguars to pick up a linebacker or two and a safety or two, be it by either trade or waiver wire.

I chose four tight ends, because outside of Lewis the blocking from the tight ends is lackluster. I thought about forcing Brock Bolen on the roster, but a team can't carry 3 RB/FB players and I still feel Greg Jones is the better player and helps the team out more, despite his salary, for this season. It's very likely Bolen winds up on the practice squad.

I believe Reggie Nelson falls in the same boat as Justin Smiley, he's starting or he's cut, and I think both will be cut and/or traded if a team feels like offering up a ham sandwich.

I've been told by some people that the Jaguars will not carry more than 5 wide receivers, else I would have put Underwood on the roster. In this instance I chose Williamson over him, because Underwood can be placed on the practice squad and brought up later if needed.