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With the public sessions of camp winding down to the final few, the Jaguars have been adding new wrinkles to the practices in an effort to continue to adding layers to their play book. 

The team took the field shelled tonight, but contact was still kept to an absolute minimum.  The humidity was up a bit, and the practice was a little bit more spirited than we have seen in recent days, with the blitz packages and defensive schemes becoming more complex and aggressive as they prepare for the upcoming pre-season game against Atlanta.

The players that did not participate in practice tonight included the usual list of suspects: Chad Nkang, Jeremy Mincey, George Wrighster, Jerry Porter, Reggie Williams, Derrick Harvey, and Brad Meester. 

Porter did some running and stretching exercises before heading back to the locker room.  Meester was in a sling, and appeared to be in pretty good spirits, agreeing to talk to the press after practice tonight.  Reggie Hayward did not participate tonight, more than likely to allow him to rest the hamstring that has been giving him some issues over the past few days.

Clint Ingram was carted off with a left ankle or foot injury before the team even started stretching.  It did not appear to be too serious, but they took every precaution in order to get him back to the locker room quickly to evaluate the injury.  The same thing happened with Theo Horrocks later on in the practice session as he rolled his right ankle during 7 x 7 drills.

After all that set up, let’s get to the drills.

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The practice this morning was a very light session lasting about an hour.  The players were in baseball caps, shorts, and shirts, so any expectation of real action was tossed out the window the minute they walked out of the stadium. 

The players that did not participate in the drills this morning included Jerry Porter (on sideline with the bulky ice bags in tow), Jeremy Mincey, George Wrighster, Chad Nkang, Brad Meester, Reggie Williams, and Derrick Harvey.

The one interesting thing to note is that the rookie barbershop was open for business, and several of the newbies on the roster were sporting new hairstyles as they took part in practice.  Some were more creative than others, but all were rather entertaining. 

Quentin Groves had one of the more unique styles.  Someone took the time to cut a spiral in his hair that encompassed his entire head. 

Theo Horrocks was also given a pretty special cut, having rings shaved around the circumference of his noggin. 

Thomas Williams was sporting an off-centered Mohawk. 

Alex Boston had racing stripes cut into his hair. 

Several of the rookies were given the “old man” cut where they had the entire tops of their heads shaved and the sides and backs were left alone.  It was certainly good fun for the team, and entertaining for the fans to see. 

Now, let’s get to the drills.

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It rained most of the afternoon at the stadium.  The clouds began to part around the time that the Jaguars were making their way out to the field for the second practice of the day.  Conditions on the field were certainly a concern because of the weather, particularly on the field turf where any rain can create quite a slick surface.  The field did not disappoint in that regard.

The team was back on the field in full pads.  The players that did not participate in the evening session included Jerry Porter, Brad Meester, Jeremy Mincey, Chad Nkang, and George Wrighster.  Reggie Williams and Mike Walker both participated in the evening session, and there may be some consequences as a result.  There will be more on that later in the report.

Let’s get straight to the drills:

9 x 7:

The Jags initiated their first 9 x7 drills tonight to work on the running game against the defense.  This is the first time they have ramped up the drill in training camp this year.

A couple of highlights came from the drill. 

Fred Taylor is really looking quick.  Rain or shine, he is clearly the class of the group even at his age.  His ability to cut on a dime, even on a wet field, still amazes after all these years, and he showed both his great cutting ability and his rapid acceleration on one play in particular where the ball started to the left outside of the tackle.  The defense was blitzing from the inside gap, and Fred picked this up as he took the ball.  He quickly cut back into the gap once he had cleared the blitz and turned a short gain into a first down run. 

Maurice Jones Drew clearly wanted to leave his mark on the drill, bouncing to the outside of the right tackle, kicking in the burners, and outrunning the defense to the outside, turning the ball up field and winding up in the end zone.  It was a pretty run by MJD.

Montell Owens showed some nice burst as well, finding a hole in the line inside the left tackle off the guard, punching through the gap.  Once he cleared the line and got into the secondary, he made one cut and drove for a touchdown. 

Chauncey Washington looked solid out there tonight as well, showing that he is also capable of putting on the speed when necessary.  He has an interesting combination of size, speed, and decent enough cutting ability to make him an interesting prospect.  He found a crease inside the right tackle and shook off a defender driving through the hole and turning what was a stuffed play into a solid gain.

2 x 1:

The players in the 2 x 1 drills were pushed to the field turf for their drills.  Because of the rain earlier in the evening, the turf conditions were slick to say the least, and receivers had a real problem with keeping their footing. 

Mike Walker ran a little slant route and immediately slipped on his cut.  He got up and did not appear to be suffering from any problems with the knee, but he was clearly frustrated. 

On the next play, Troy Williamson also slipped on a curl route, falling on the play.

It was up to Matt Jones to run the first route on the field turf that did not end with a player sprawled out on the field.  Jones ran a little out pattern very cautiously, grabbing a Cleo Lemon pass on the sideline before being forced out of bounds.

Ryan Hoag struggled to hang on to the ball on a curl route when Cleo Lemon delivered the ball on target.  Hoag appeared to be fighting the ball, and the end result was an incomplete pass.

When Mike Walker took the field for his second run, he fell again on a slant.  This time, he did not get up quite as quickly, and was clearly focusing on his repaired knee.  After getting up slowly, and as he walked off the field, it looked a lot like when he fell on the field turf earlier this week.  He stretched it out, did some sprints, and made his way back to the drills.

John Broussard ran a deep post route with Isaiah Gunter in coverage.  Broussard streaked by Gunter and David Garrard launched a bomb down field that came up just a little short.  Broussard was able to slow up enough to come back to the ball, and Gunter was right there in coverage.  The receiver won the battle, nabbing the pass and finishing up in the end zone.

Todd Bouman attempted a deep pass to Jeron Harvey who was running a post pattern.  Trae Williams was right on the receivers heels all the way down the field, and when Bouman’s pass was short of the mark, it bounced off of Harvey’s helmet.  When it did, Williams showed great concentration and snagged the ball off Harvey’s lid, intercepting the pass, and turning the other way to get some return yardage.  It was a nice heads-up play by Williams.

Dennis Northcutt beat Rashean Mathis on a slant route, getting an angle on the Garrard pass and making the play in front of Mathis before he could get a hand in to knock the ball away.

Later in the same drill, Northcutt ran a curl route on Mathis, and Rashean was able to get in and bat the ball away.

Troy Williamson made an outstanding adjustment on a David Garrard pass that was thrown short on a post route.  Williamson was able to cut back and make a diving catch in front of Scott Starks. 

6 x 4:

David Garrard hit Mike Walker squarely in the chest on the play.  Walker allowed the ball to get into his body, which made it difficult to hang on to.  The ball wound up popping out and falling incomplete. 

Reggie Williams made a nice jumping grab on the sideline on a pass delivered high by David Garrard.  However, after the play was over, Reggie appeared to come up lame.  After walking away from the sideline, Reggie summoned one of the trainers over.  After talking to him for a few moments, Mike Ryan came over and removed the wrap from his injured knee.  After looking at his knee for an extended length of time, they brought the cart over and took Reggie off.  He never left his feet, so he was standing the entire time that he was being evaluated.  He did walk to the cart on his own, but his facial expression was a clear indication that he was in distress.  Initial reports from the field indicate that his injured knee was just sore.  We will see if that report remains consistent.

Montell Owens had trouble hanging on to a couple of passes, including a quick out route where Todd Bouman put the ball in his hands.  He was already turning up field before he had control of the pass, and the end result was an incomplete pass.

Paul Smith continued to struggle with his accuracy, missing on a couple of plays during this drill.  On a pass intended for Clyde Edwards along the sideline, Smith overthrew him by five feet. 

Mike Walker looked to have shaken off his scare earlier in practice, making a nice diving grab on a pass from Smith that was a little too low and a little too far ahead of his receiver.  Walker was able to pull the ball in before hitting the ground, hanging on to it afterward.

Charles Davis continues to impress with his ability to catch the football and turn the ball up field for a nice gain.  Todd Bouman hit him on the sideline for a 7 yard pass that Davis turned up field and managed to get another 10 yards before being pushed out of bounds.

2 x 1 (Part II):

Marcedes Lewis dropped a pass on a deep slant delivered on target from Paul Smith. 

Fred Taylor made a nice catch on a pass thrown a little high by Paul Smith.  Fred went up and pulled the ball down along the sideline, then showed a nice burst up field after making the catch.

Paul Smith tried to go to Maurice Jones-Drew on a slant pattern.  Justin Durant made a great move to get the inside track, batting the pass away.

When Smith tried to go back to Marcedes Lewis, he threw another stray pass that wound up hitting Durant in the back instead of reaching the intended target. 

Paul Smith tried to connect with Chris Brown on a slant pattern.  Lamar Myles was able to get in and knock the ball loose, forcing an incomplete pass.

Smith overthrew Greg Estandia on a nice out and up.  Estandia had gained separation from Lamar Myles, and was open on the play.  Unfortunately, Smith’s pass fell about 2 yards in front of him.

Chauncey Washington put an exclamation point on the misery that Paul Smith was experiencing during this drill, dropping a pass that was on target and hit him squarely in the hands along the sideline. 

11 x 11 (Part I):

Marcedes Lewis showed a great deal of concentration on a little dump off pass from David Garrard.  The pass was thrown way too high because of an oncoming blitz.  Lewis made an amazing effort to go up and pull the ball down with one hand.  He had to fully extend just to get his hand on the ball.  How he managed to pull it down is beyond me. 

David tried to go to Matt Jones, but Rashean Mathis made a solid defensive play, batting the ball away on a slant route.

Justin Durant came on a blitz, flying into the backfield and flushing Cleo Lemon out, chasing him to the sideline for a very short gain.

Cleo Lemon connected with John Broussard on a deep crossing route.  The pass was threaded into double coverage.  If they were in full contact, Broussard more than likely would have been separated from his head as Brian Iwuh was standing there ready to put a hit on him.  Still, it would have been a long gain.

7 x 7 (Goal Line):

David had Mike Walker open in the back of the end zone, but forced his pass and overthrew his target badly. 

Garrard nailed Marcedes Lewis on a pass over the middle with Clint Ingram in pass coverage.  Lewis made a nice move to shake off Ingram to make the play.

Matt Jones made yet another really athletic grab going over the middle in traffic and pulling the pass down between two defenders.  Lemon’s pass was put up high enough that Jones was able to go up and grab it between the defenders.

David tried to hit Marcedes Lewis on a post route in the end zone.  The pass was thrown short of the target allowing Rashod Moulton to knock it away incomplete.

Cleo Lemon attempted to go to Mike Walker in the corner of the end zone.  Walker had been bumped out of bounds by Rashod Moulton, and then Moulton got a hand on the pass knocking it away.

Todd Bouman connected with Lavarus Giles on a quick slant that resulted in a quick six. 

David Garrard connected with Marcedes Lewis for a touchdown.  Lewis made a great play on the ball after Pierson Prioleau was able to get a hand in and knock it loose.  Lewis managed to keep his concentration and snatch the ball back to complete the play.

Cleo Lemon hit Greg Estandia on a short post pattern.  Estandia appeared to be headed for the end zone when he was stuffed by Pierson Prioleau and Brian Witherspoon, preventing him from breaking the goal line.

David Garrard had Troy Williamson wide open in the end zone after he shook off Prioleau when he broke for the corner, but Garrard overthrew him on the play.

11 x 11 (Part II):

Fred Taylor showed his veteran wiles on one play, allowing a blitz to develop, sidestepping it, and then blowing right through the hole that Pierson Prioleau had just come through.  Fred turned the play into a big gain.

Garrard went to his favorite target, hitting Dennis Northcutt on a deep sideline route with Drayton Florence on his tail.  Garrard was pressured by Paul Spicer, who had come free into the backfield, but stepped away from the pressure and found Northcutt for a big gain.

John Broussard made a wonderful diving grab on a deep post route.  Todd Bouman’s pass was a little low, but Broussard fully extended and nabbed the ball, holding it up and avoiding contact with the ground as he rolled on the turf. 

Cleo Lemon showed that he is very good on the move, rolling to his right to allow a receiver to get open.  Greg Estandia managed to pull away from coverage in order to create an outlet for Lemon, who did a nice job of dropping the pass safely in his hands for a first down.

The drill ended on a sour note as Todd Bouman had a pass stuffed at the line by Tony McDaniel.

Final Impressions:

There was a lot going on at the practice because of the wet field.  Many of us were questioning the logic of putting players into a situation where they run the risk of injury on the field turf when it is wet.  While there are certainly going to be game situations where this is beyond their capacity, they do have control over this in a training camp environment.  With the money invested in these players, it is imperative to reduce the exposure that the players have to potential injury.  Several receivers had trouble maintaining their footing, and when they are slipping on the turf at full speed, there is the serious risk of injury. 

Reggie Hayward had a solid night, and is showing good push off the line and a quick first step.  The pass rush will be dependent upon him remaining healthy and productive, especially if the goal is to keep the pressure on the rookies to a minimum.

Tony McDaniel must stay healthy this year.  He is really starting to become a force on the line, getting consistent penetration and putting pressure on the quarterback.  Against the run, he is much improved in his ability to stuff the gaps.  On more than one occasion during practice, McDaniel was holding point against our running backs, preventing them from getting beyond the line of scrimmage.

Hopefully, the situation with Reggie Williams is not severe, and that the actions taken were simply a precaution. 

More later!

On the morning after the Jaguars had their first contact drills, the practice session this morning was a little lighter on intensity.  The team took the field in shorts and shirts, leaving their helmets in the locker room.  It was hot, so baseball caps were probably a great relief for the guys.

The crowd was pretty thin this morning.  Only a few hundred fans came out to deal with the heat as the Jaguars took the field this morning.

There are a few injury notes to mention.  First, Reggie Williams has been cleared to participate. He was on the field for the morning drills despite the fact that his knee was heavily wrapped.  It was good to see him back on the field.

With all of the media reports last night and this morning centering on the fact that Brad Meester was supposed to be heading to Birmingham this morning to meet with Dr. Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon that operated on his other bicep two years ago.  Imagine my surprise when he was out on the field this morning.  He is not participating, but the fact that he is still in Jacksonville was an interesting twist in the story as it is being reported locally.

The other usual suspects on the injury list included George Wrighster, who has been running with the trainers and looks to be on target with his recovery.  He is not limping or laboring at all, and is doing sprints to strengthen up the knee. 

Jeremy Mincey, Jerry Porter, and Chad Nkang were also non-participants in practice this morning as expected.

With Meester out of the lineup, the new offensive line depth has been shuffled somewhat.  Right now, it looks like Dennis Norman is running with the first team along with Khalif Barnes, Maurice Williams, Vince Manuwai, and Tony Pashos.  Uche Nwaneri and Drew Miller split time with both the second and third teams.

During stretches, the professionals showed that they are not immune to catching a little heat from the coaching staff.  Apparently, a group of players was singled out for something that they had done, and they were forced to run a lap around the practice facility during stretching.  The guys that were doing their lap of shame included Chauncey Washington, Antony Cotrone, Uche Nwaneri, Daryl Smith, and Isaiah Gardner.

Despite the fact that the team was missing helmets, they did run through drills and there were a few highlights to mention, so let’s get to them.

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Oklahoma!  Where the hits come sweeping into play!  The Jaguars finally put on the pads and took the field looking to blow off a little steam.  After spending the first few days of practice with their hands tied, the guys were ready to get down to the business at hand.

First, the injured players who were not participating during practice included a new visitor, Brad Meester.  He did not look to be suffering from anything serious.  No wraps, ice, crutches, or boots.  No limp or dragging arm to report.  He just did not participate.  The rest of the injured players that were on the shelf tonight included Chad Nkang, Jeremy Mincey, George Wrighster, Reggie Williams, and Jerry Porter.  Dennis Northcutt returned to practice tonight and looked to be just fine.

Let's quickly take a look at the Oklahoma drill and how I scored it from my perch:

• Uche Nwaneri and Tony McDaniel kicked off the drill with Chauncey Washington at running back.  On the first play, Washington broke through untouched, but neither McDaniel nor Nwaneri broke containment.  It was a draw on my score card.
• In their second run, Lavarus Giles was the running back.  On the play the back did get through, but McDaniel came on late to make the play.  Because the back cleared the pylons before that happened, I gave the win to Nwaneri.
• In round two, Richard Collier and James Wyche went head-to-head with Anthony Cotrone in the backfield.  Collier pretty much pancaked Wyche on the first run, so he got the nod.
• In their second run, Chauncey Washington was the ball carrier.  Wyche was able to hold point against Collier, forcing Washington into the pylon, so I scored it a win for Wyche.
• Charles Davis took on Clint Ingram.  Davis is a mountain of a man, but Ingram made short order of the tight end.  He quickly shook off Davis and planted Lavarus Giles.  Win goes to Ingram.
• In the second go round, Cotrone managed to get by Ingram initially, but Clint disengaged the tight end and clothes lined Cotrone.  Technically, Davis held point and scored the win, but the highlight was clearly the tackle itself.  
• When Matt Jones was called out, it was something that the crowd sort of expected.  When he was tasked with handling Trae Williams, a guy he has eight inches and 25 pounds.  Jones handled the much smaller Williams in round one, and did the same on the second attempt as well.  It did not require a lot of effort for Jones to dispatch the rookie.
• Drew Miller and Thomas Williams went to work next.  In the first run, with Cotrone at running back, Miller completely blew the rookie out of the way, allowing Cotrone to get through untouched.  
• On their second attempt, Miller stuffed Williams, clearing the way for Chauncey Washington to waltz right through unscathed.
• In what was one of the better match ups of the night, Khalif Barnes took on second rounder, Quentin Groves.  On their first attempt, Barnes made Groves look bad, putting a pancake block on the rookie in short order.
• On the second attempt, Groves came back with a great move to toss off Barnes, and he was able to stop Chauncey Washington from clearing the pylons.
• Chris Brown took on Justin Durant. In their first match, Brown did a solid job of pushing Durant out of the way, clearing the path for his running back, Chauncey Washington.
• With their second head-to-head match, the tight end had his hands full as Durant shook his block and stuffed Lavarus Giles at the pylon.
• Vince Manuwai took on Jimmy Kennedy.  It was pretty ugly on their first attempt.  Manuwai made it look easy against Kennedy, walking him out of the way to clear a path for Cotrone.
• On their second attempt it looked like Manuwai might get the better of Kennedy again, but Kennedy pushed back, rolled off, and actually forced a fumble by Chauncey Washington.

Now, let’s get to the rest of the action in the first padded practice.

11 x 11 (Part I):

Garrard had some issues with his accuracy at times tonight.  During the first bit of action, he overthrew Troy Williamson and was almost picked off by Drayton Florence in the process.  He redeemed himself quickly launching a bomb downfield to Dennis Northcutt down the sideline dropping the ball in over the top of Scott Starks.

Rashean Mathis showed some nice closing speed after Mike Walker attempted to shake him with a curl route.  Mathis came back and batted the pass from Garrard away.

7 x 7 (Part I – Goal Line):

Fred Taylor continues to amaze with his precision, and his explosive burst.  Fred really looks strong out there. 

It is interesting watching him preparing for the practices because while the rest of the team is out doing field drills to loosen up, Fred is by himself going through an extensive stretching ritual that is clearly working well for him. 

Maurice Jones-Drew is looking like he is in mid-season form as well.  His burst is pretty ridiculous as he goes from standing still to top speed in the blink of an eye.

As impressive as Fred has looked, he is not perfect.  On a run up the middle, Paul Spicer clubbed him in the head.  When he did, Taylor fumbled the ball.  He was fortunate that the ball took a favorable bounce, and he was able to recover it.  Spicer seemed more concerned about the fact that he had just bopped our top back on the head.

Chauncey Washington had some issues with getting out of the backfield on a couple of plays, getting stuffed at the line on one play, and then getting caught in the backfield by James Wyche on his next run. 

Maurice showed how quick he actually is when he bounced outside and turned on the burners, flying into the end zone for a nifty little touchdown.

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