SB Nation User Blog: FBT

Camping with FBT 2008: where do Jags stand in key areas of focus?

FBT — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:43:37 -0000

Training camp is quickly coming to an end with practices closed to the public. The Jacksonville Jaguars will now begin to shift their focus to preparing for the 2008 campaign.

This year, they are not only carrying the burden of being considered one of the top teams in the talent rich AFC, but they are also fighting for their playoff lives in what could be considered to be the best division in the NFL. Success or failure could be determined by one win or loss.

For a team that is regularly mentioned among those with a legitimate chance of making the short trip to Tampa to play in the Super Bowl in February, there is a great deal of anticipation for things to come.

After spending the majority of the past week attending training camp and watching the 2008 iteration of the Jaguars going through the process, it is clear to see that this is a team that is poised and ready to take on the challenge ahead. As they stare down the barrel of a difficult schedule, how the roster is configured to handle the haul will be a critical decision that could make all the difference this year.

At the start of the off season, Jacksonville identified three key areas that required attention with enhancements to the personnel. This included the defensive secondary (cornerback and strong safety), wide receivers, and fixing the pass rush (defensive end). Through the process, a fourth target was added to the mix with the tight end situation being what it is in Jacksonville.

These areas were expected to be the most interesting position battles to keep an eye on during training camp, particularly with regard to the strong safety position in the defensive backfield, and more importantly, wide receiver. The competition at these spots certainly did not disappoint. But, after nearly two weeks in training camp, how have things panned out for the Jaguars so far?

Let’s take a look.

Strong Safety:

This position has been contested since the Jaguars made the decision to add Drayton Florence to the roster, essentially plugging him in as the bookend starter at cornerback opposite Rashean Mathis. By signing Florence, the team had to determine where they would put Brian Williams, the starting cornerback since signing with the Jaguars two years ago.

The simple logic indicated that he would move to strong safety, replacing Gerald Sensabaugh, who was coming off of double shoulder surgery. Sensabaugh struggled with his play making ability last season. The shoulder issues certainly came into play as far as why that would have been the case. However, prior to the injury, all indications were that the team was not overly enthusiastic about what they were seeing recently from the fourth year player after a promising start to his career.

Enter Brian Williams.

During organized team activities (OTAs) and mini-camp, Brian Williams was being touted as the new strong safety. It appeared that he had the job locked up.

However, because Del Rio opted to keep that competition open into training camp, there was a glimmer of hope for Gerald Sensabaugh that he could retain the starting job, pushing Williams to the nickel position. As training camp wore on, the players spent an equal amount of time filling the role for the first team, taking turns as the starting strong safety. However, in the last few days of training camp, it appeared that Gerald Sensabaugh was starting to regain the level of play that had the team eager to plug him in as the starter replacing Donovin Darius three years ago.

Sensabaugh is an athletic specimen with good speed, strong ball instincts, and solid tacking technique. While he is not a banger in the same mold as Darius, he is more of a prototypical strong safety for the modern NFL. His ability to maintain a high level of performance whether he is in coverage or containing the run makes him an ideal option. Unfortunately, he was labeled unfairly as a soft tackler, but that tag was attached to him because people were not aware of the fact that he was dealing with significant shoulder issues in 2007.

Brian Williams has proven to be a very capable tackler. He is more than capable of handling the coverage duties that are associated with playing the strong safety position. However, he does not have the same level of athleticism that Gerald Sensabaugh possesses, and because of that, he lost his advantage late in training camp. As a result, it appears that he will slide over to the nickel back position.

While this is not necessarily the type of news that a player would normally embrace, the Jaguars defense spends nearly three quarters of their time in nickel because of the teams they face each year. For all intents and purposes, the nickel position is a starting slot on this roster.

Tight End:

There did not appear to be a real competition developing at the tight end position until training camp began to wear on, and one of the key players in the rotation was still rehabilitating a knee injury on the sideline.

With George Wrighster still not back on the field fighting for a roster spot, this left the door wide open for shuffling the depth chart.

Marcedes Lewis is clearly at the top of the pecking order here, and he has looked solid throughout training camp. He comes in looking bigger and more polished with his blocking skills. His ability to provide a big, reliable outlet for David Garrard has been readily on display throughout camp. While he is not necessarily a burner, he has a good sense for finding an opening over the middle in coverage. He quickly gained the trust of his quarterback by making the difficult catches over the middle. He still has the occasional issue with dropped passes, but it is not at such a level that there is a real concern at this point.

Greg Estandia is another player returning from off-season shoulder surgery. Prior to the injury, he had shown up quite nicely last season as a reliable pass catcher. Losing him to the injured reserve list last season hurt this offense because of his ability to get open deep in the seam, exploiting mismatches because of his outstanding size and decent speed. Upon his return, he appears to have returned to form by providing this offense with another big, reliable target for David Garrard. He had a solid training camp, and appears to be set as the second tight end on the roster.

Behind Estandia, things get a little difficult to determine.

Richard Angulo and Isaac Smolko both return to the mix, but neither player had a remarkable training camp. Angulo appeared to fight the ball on occasion, especially on the bread and butter plays like crossing routes in traffic. He had a tendency to struggle at times during camp, allowing balls that were put right on target, squarely in his hands to fall incomplete. Where Angulo does have an edge is with his blocking skill. He is a solid blocker, although that requirement would not seem to be a driving force in keeping him on the roster.

Smolko has proven to be a more reliable pass catcher, but this is a player that the Jaguars cut, and only brought back late in camp after Anthony Cotrone was lost to an ACL injury. The odds of him making the roster are long. However, the Jaguars did bring him back during the season last year when a need arose, so having him as a player that you can bring in quickly to fill a role in the case of an emergency is encouraging.

The player that made significant strides, and benefited greatly from the Wrighster absence was Charles Davis. The behemoth tight end had arguably the best training camp of all tight ends, showing solid blocking skills, but more importantly, having extremely reliable hands in the passing game. He is certainly a big guy, but he shows a skill for finding the crease in the defense. His size helps in making him an easy target to spot, and he caught just about everything thrown in his direction during training camp.

Because George Wrighster has yet to cross the stripes and participate in drills, it seems very unlikely that he will be able to wrestle a roster spot away from one of the other players. With his injury history over the past few years, it makes the likelihood of him being on the opening day roster minimal.

Defensive End:

One of the key targets for improvement this off-season was fixing the pass rush.
Translation: an upgrade was needed at defensive end.

Entering the 2007 season, a major question mark surrounded Reggie Hayward. Originally, he was the man that was brought to Jacksonville four years ago to fix the pass rush issues. His impact was immediate, and fruitful. However, a ruptured Achilles tendon brought him back down to earth during the 2006 season. So, with 2007, expectations were tempered as to precisely what his impact would be on the defense. While the veteran defensive end was clearly still somewhat hampered by the injury, he was able to contribute more than expected. As he returned this year, all eyes were on him after the Jaguars spent their first two draft picks to sure up the pass rush at the defensive end position, sending the message that they were going to get younger, healthier, and hopefully more productive at the defensive end position.

When Reggie Hayward took the field for training camp for 2008, he showed no signs of difficulty with his Achilles tendon (he actually had both tendons operated on when the rupture occurred in an attempt to prevent the same thing happening with the other one), showing good quickness off the line, and decent power with his pass rush. A minor hamstring tweak slowed him late in the first week, but it is clear that Hayward intends to step up his game to do his best to hold off the competition.

That turns out to be a good thing because the competition is coming quickly up behind him. Already on the roster, James Wyche continues to make significant strides compared to a year ago in training camp. His technique has improved, and he is becoming a very disruptive force in the backfield. During the scrimmage last week, Wyche was routinely going up against Tony Pashos at right tackle, and the defensive end was doing a good job of walking the bigger tackle back into the pocket to force the quarterback to speed up his decision to get out of there.

Kenny Pettway started training camp on the slow side, but as the first week concluded, and week two began, Pettway was beginning to make his move. He was responsible for bringing significant pressure from the end position, and batted down several passes during practice sessions.

Paul Spicer, the “old man” on the defensive line, is not letting his freshly inked deal go to his head. Spicer has continued to impress with the way that he has not missed a step from his career year in 2007. If he remains healthy, Spicer could set another benchmark for his career in 2008.

Jeremy Mincey has been rehabilitating his wrist/hand injury, and has not participated in practices during training camp. This could have a negative impact on his ability to earn a roster spot, especially with two new draft picks poised to fill those spots on the depth chart.

Quentin Groves looked like a rookie during training camp. At times, he was rock solid with his combination of speed and strength. Groves training camp could be encapsulated in his performance during Oklahoma drills where he went head-to-head with Khalif Barnes. On the first attempt, Groves was stuffed and mounted by the bigger offensive tackle. However, with the second attempt Groves showed his dynamic side, side-stepping the tackle, and shaking off his attempt to contain him with the flick of an arm as he stuffed the running play at the pylons. When Groves is good, he is very good. When he is not, there are others there to take up the slack.

Where the lingering doubt continues to be an issue is with Derrick Harvey. The first round draft pick is now the lone holdout among all first round draft picks for 2008. The Jaguars have made the decision to stick to their guns and not bow to the pressure to get a deal done.

Perhaps it is because they are fully intent on keeping their cap situation under control?

Maybe it is because they have seen enough from the defensive scheme to feel that the team could weather a protracted holdout, waiting for Harvey and his agent to blink?

Or, maybe it is a combination of the two?

Regardless, the Jaguars will have to get a deal done with Harvey on their timetable in order to keep their financial house in order. Having a pass rush that appears to be schematically capable of weathering the holdout certainly has to strengthen their case.

Harvey will be a factor in the future of the Jaguars pass rush. But, as this hold out continues, that future is being pushed further out as the Jaguars shift their focus to what is needed right now.

Wide Receiver:

The wide receiving corps was one of the areas where the Jaguars focused a considerable amount of energy over the off season. With the addition of Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson, the Jaguars added significant speed to a unit that was struggling to stay healthy, and finding it difficult to gain the respect of opposition defenses in 2007.

Porter was almost instantly inserted as the number one receiver. However, hamstring issues that began with OTAs, and got worse with mini-camp, prevented Porter from participating in any manner during training camp, and required surgery to help speed up the healing process. Reports indicate that Porter will return to the lineup at the beginning of the regular season.

While Porter is on the mend, Reggie Williams and Mike Walker were expected to take their turns at the number one spot along with Dennis Northcutt. Reggie threw a wrench in those plans by suffering an MCL strain that required arthroscopic surgery to clean up the cartilage in that knee. The surgery will sideline Williams until the start of the season.

Mike Walker did get a chance to showcase his abilities, and he did not disappoint. Walker is still not quite back to 100% healthy, but he is getting close. He did suffer a minor setback with a mild ankle issue, but he has worked through this in camp and has missed only minimal practice time since returning to full duty.

Troy Williamson was much maligned coming into Jacksonville because of his suspect hands. Reports from Minnesota gave the clear indication that any camp success that Williamson might enjoy will be erased by the critical drops that he will leave in his wake. Based upon his camp performance to date, Williamson has been a nice surprise, although not perfect. There have been minor issues with route running, and there is the occasional dropped pass to contend with. However, Williamson has shown well in training camp. The true test will come during the preseason when he is facing the first real live contact of the year.

John Broussard, the speedy but twig-like receiver with great hands had another good training camp. It is difficult to find players with his speed, but much like the concern about him was durability last year (which was realized after he suffered a couple of injuries that left him deactivated for multiple games), the same worry lingers over him in 2008. There is little question that Broussard can play. He has decent route running skills, great hands, and a willingness to put himself in harms way in order to make the play. However, that disregard for his well being at this level can lead to additional abbreviated seasons.

Dennis Northcutt enters 2008 as the receiver that David Garrard trusts most of any on the depth chart. However, to some fans, he enters the season as the guy that dropped the pass that could have been the knife that ended the New England Patriots perfect run. During training camp, Northcutt continued to imbed himself as the receiver who has the best rapport with the quarterback. He continues to be a reliable pass catcher. With the additions to the roster, Northcutt can move back to the slot where he was expected to have an impact last year before being thrust into the number one slot. His ability to exploit the middle of the field will serve him well, especially in the short to intermediate range passes that David Garrard prefers.

Matt Jones entered the off season as a player that was on the bubble. After a disappointing performance in 2007, the Jaguars were reportedly souring on his ability to be a productive weapon for this offense on a consistent basis. Jones was going to get a shot to earn a roster spot, but all speculation surrounded the fact that he was more than likely done as a Jaguar. That sentiment grew exponentially when Jones was arrested in July on felony charges of alleged possession of six grams of cocaine. Jones has his first court date on Monday, August 11th, at which time the bigger picture will become clearer for the troubled receiver.

During training camp, Jones has stepped up his effort, showing heart, and play making ability that has always been a teaser for coaches and fans alike. He was expected to have a letdown during training camp in order to remain consistent, but all Matt did during the first two weeks was perform at a high level, forcing the coaching staff to make a difficult decision instead of making it a no-brainer for Shack Harris and Jack Del Rio. Jones seems to have flipped a switch and decided to step up his game in an attempt to salvage his career.

A couple of camp bodies showed well during training camp, but none of them have a realistic chance of being on the final roster. D’Juan Woods, the practice squad returnee, took on the role of Charles Sharon / Cortez Hankton as Mr. August. Woods has decent speed and hands. However, on a roster that is so loaded with talent, he is pretty much an afterthought.

Jeron Harvey is a Ernest Wilford clone on the field. Wearing number 19, Harvey is very similar in stature, and in the way that he plays the game. He does not have deep speed, but he is very reliable in the short and intermediate passing game. He is not a disciplined route runner, but he could be coached to be a strong possession receiver if the team is willing to invest the time. In all likelihood, he winds up on the practice squad if they see the potential and feel that they can develop it in a timely manner.

Ryan Hoag played pretty well during camp. Still, the journeyman was somewhat inconsistent, dropping passes at critical points in drills, and running somewhat undisciplined routes at times. He has become a fan favorite because he is the quintessential underdog, but there is not a spot for him on the practice squad, and there is no room on the active roster to keep him around.

Final Camp Impressions:

The Jaguars stand at the cusp of a special season.

There are certainly issues with injuries to contend with.

There are certainly players that have difficult times to deal with off the field that could have an impact on the configuration of this roster.

However, as a whole, the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars are the best positioned group to earn a trip to Tampa of any Jaguars team since 1999. The difference this time around is that they are more balanced, and focused on the task at hand.

Better buckle up!

Camping with FBT: 8/5/08 p.m. camp report

FBT — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:09:38 -0000

The conclusion of what had to be the least taxing training camp in franchise history was certainly a fitting end. With the heat and humidity still hovering heavily over the practice grounds for the evening session, the Jaguars took the field in full pads.

The list of players that were not participating this evening was the longest of training camp. The non-participants included Chad Nkang, Jeremy Mincey, George Wrighster, Reggie Williams, Brad Meester, Clint Ingram, Jerry Porter, Derek Landri (right knee), Troy Williamson (groin), and Clyde Edwards. Reggie Hayward was dressed out and participated in individual drills, but then stuck to the sideline for the remainder of practice.

The practice was pretty much a non-event compared to the session last night. The Jaguars were in full pads, but the only contact drills were toward the very end of practice when they went to red zone drills in the final 11 x 11 round of the evening.

Let’s get right into the drills.

11 x 11 (Part I):

This was a running drill. The units were split up into two groups. The other group did passing drills on the other side of the field while the running backs worked on their game.

The most notable back from this drill was clearly Fred Taylor, who looks in mid-season form. It does not matter if he is running off tackle, or between them, he is showing a burst that you just would not expect from a 32 year old set of legs.

Maurice Jones-Drew is also looking solid and ready to go. He is quicker this year than he was last season, and he is getting more opportunities to get the ball, whether it is out of the backfield as a running back, or as a receiver, the team is working on a variety of ways to make sure that he can put his play making ability on display.

Greg Jones got an opportunity to carry the ball during the drill. He looks to be just about back to his pre-injury form. Whether it is carrying the football, catching it, or simply blocking for one of the other backs, Jones is looking solid, and showing good acceleration at the line.

Chauncey Washington appears be climbing up the ranks, giving a guy like Montell Owens a serious push for a roster spot. Washington has a nice combination of speed, solid ability to make one cut and commit. He has good vision and does not hesitate once he sees a crease to run through.

Montell Owens is a solid receiver out of the backfield, and certainly has the ability to be a contributor on special teams. That may be his saving grace on this roster.

2 x 1:

Cleo Lemon connected with John Broussard on a nice pass over Brian Witherspoon, hitting the receiver in stride for a deep touchdown pass.

Dennis Northcutt caught Rashean Mathis completely off guard. It appeared that he was running a post route when he stopped. At first it looked like he was going to run a curl, but as quickly as he stopped, he took off on the post route again. Mathis bit on the move anticipating the curl, and when he did, Northcutt ran right by him. All David Garrard had to do at that point was play pitch and catch with him for a deep touchdown.

On the next play, Garrard had Matt Jones open deep on a corner route, but he came up short on the pass, and it wound up falling incomplete.

Ryan Hoag made a couple of great catches during the drill, including one in particular on a Todd Bouman pass on a deep out pattern. Jamaal Fudge was in coverage, and was tight with Hoag. Bouman’s pass was slightly in front of his intended target, but Hoag made a nice falling grab to haul in the pass.

Garrard targeted Mike Walker on a deep pass down the sideline with Drayton Florence in coverage. The ball came up slightly short of the goal, but Walker was able to adjust while keeping Florence at arms length, pulling the pass in for a long gain.

4 x 4:

David hit Fred Taylor streaking over the middle on a crossing route. Taylor showed great acceleration after making the catch, turning the ball up field for a long gain.

Marcedes Lewis showed his athleticism, snatching a Cleo Lemon pass along the sideline that was slightly overthrown. Lewis was able to go up and get the ball, getting his footing before he went out of bounds.

David tried to go to D’Juan Woods on a deep crossing route in front of Rashean Mathis. His pass was too far out in front of the receiver, and fell incomplete.

Brent Hawkins made a solid defensive play, batting away a pass that Todd Bouman intended for Greg Estandia on a curl route. He was not fooled by the route, and was able to jump the pass and knock it down quickly.

Cleo Lemon tried to connect deep down the sideline with Ryan Hoag. Brian Witherspoon and Gerald Sensabaugh were in tight coverage on the play, but Hoag was able to get behind them. As the ball was coming down, Sensabaugh was able to close the gap enough to knock it away.

11 x 11 (Part II):

Garrard connected on a dump off with Greg Jones along the sideline. On the play, Paul Spicer had beaten Maurice Williams, and if the contact was permitted, he would have registered a sack.

Matt Jones showed some great handiwork on a bullet from Todd Bouman. He was running a deep post pattern. It was a nifty little timing play. As soon as Jones came out of his break, he looked up and the ball was right there. He was able to get his hands up and make the catch despite the fact that Brian Witherspoon was right there in coverage.

Brian Witherspoon had one of his better practices tonight. During this drill, he was able to hang tight with Mike Walker on a deep post pattern, sticking with him stride-for-stride. The pass was thrown well, but Witherspoon made a terrific diving effort to knock the ball away.

Cleo Lemon hit John Broussard going over the middle in traffic for a twenty yard gain. Broussard was able to use his speed coming out of his cut to exploit a gap in the coverage, and Lemon put the ball right on target.

On one running play during the drill, the outcome was fairly unremarkable. Montell Owens carried the ball for a four yard gain off the left side behind Richard Collier. On the play, Quentin Groves was lined up against the mammoth tackle and Marcedes Lewis. I wanted to watch the match-up to see how Groves would do. Lewis ended up peeling off, but his contribution to the play did not compare to what Collier did to the rookie. Groves buckled like a cheap tent when Collier just came down on top of him. Pancakes anyone?

Lemon hit Matt Jones to finish the drill on a deep crossing pattern. Trae Williams was solid in coverage, but he was unable to get an angle on the bigger receiver. Jones juggled the pass, but held on to make a big play.

7 x 7 (Part I):

The first part of the 7 x 7 drill was focused on the short passing game. During the drill, Garrard hit Marcedes Lewis on a little curl route in front of Daryl Smith, and then came back and nailed Matt Jones between Reggie Nelson and Scott Starks. Again, Jones had to contend with Scott Starks trying his best to knock the ball out, but he held on this time.

Cleo Lemon threaded a pass in to Ryan Hoag with Gerald Sensabaugh tight enough to wear his jersey. Hoag’s slant pattern gave him the angle on the pass, but Sensabaugh almost got a hand on the pass. The receiver showed a nice bit of concentration in staying with the play.

D’Juan Woods ran a short crossing pattern and snagged a short pass from Cleo Lemon. Lemon went back to him on the next play on a little out pattern along the sideline, but Woods could not haul the pass in despite being on target.

7 x 7 (Red Zone):

Garrard targeted D’Juan Woods in the end zone on a little crossing patter. Drayton Florence was able to get a hand on the pass and knock it away.

David then went back to his reliable outlet, Dennis Northcutt, on a similar slant pattern. Garrard’s pass was delivered with some zip, but Northcutt let the ball come into his body instead of catching it with his hands. The ball hit him in the numbers and fell incomplete.

Cleo Lemon tried to connect with Mike Walker on a fade route, but overthrew him badly.

Lemon went right back to the fade, targeting the behemoth tight end, Charles Davis in the corner of the end zone over Scott Starks. Davis hauled in the pass with relative ease.

Todd Bouman tried to hit Matt Jones on a post route, but the pass was too far out in front of him to make the play. The timing was disrupted when Drayton Florence and Jones tangled up as he was making his break.

David tried to hit Dennis Northcutt again in the end zone. Justin Durant and Rashod Moulton were in tight coverage on the play, and managed to knock the ball down.

11 x 11 (Two Minute Drill):

David connected with Fred Taylor on a little hitch route with the blitz coming. Taylor took advantage of having an open secondary and turned the play into a big gain.

David ran a play similar to the fourth down run in the Pittsburgh playoff game. The defense was prepared, and the offensive line did not get the opportunity to hold, so the gain was a short one.

Todd Bouman dropped a screen pass off to Maurice Jones-Drew. The speedy back got behind his blockers and ripped off a long reception on the play as he got lost in the mix with the bigger players.

11 x 11 (Goal Line):

In the final drill of the night, Chauncey Washington got the first two shots at running the ball up the middle in an attempt to punch it in against the first and second team defensive lines. In the first instance, he was stuffed at the line by Paul Spicer and Rob Meier. On the next play, Tony McDaniel blew up the middle and stopped Washington short of the line of scrimmage.

David connected with John Broussard, who was covered by Gerald Sensabaugh. Broussard was right at the goal line, but Sensabaugh prevented him from turning it into a touchdown.

Garrard then came back to his favorite target, Dennis Northcutt, who had come open on a slant pattern hauling in an easy pass from David.

Lavarus Giles tried to punch one up the middle, but in the final play of the practice session, Brian Iwuh stepped in to plug up the hole and stop the back short of the line of scrimmage.

Final Impressions:

As I commit yet another notebook to the shelf, pack away my pens, and stow my binoculars for another year, I have had a great opportunity to get a feel for the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars.

In years past, I have always come out of training camp with a high level of confidence in the fact that the team was moving in the right direction. Despite the injuries this season, I think that the team truly is poised to take the next step in their progression.

While training camp was certainly less rigorous than in years past, the reality is that it did not need to be a new Bataan Death March. This team came into training camp only needing to work on timing, and to develop chemistry. That appears to be progressing nicely.

The first thing anyone will notice when they see the Jaguars is how fast the defense looks compared to years past. The new adjustments made by Gregg Williams in the scheme really blend well with the very athletic players that the team puts on the field. The defense is much more aggressive, and the attacking style is clearly designed to constantly harass the quarterback. This was the Achilles heel for this team in 2007, and even with Derrick Harvey not on the field, the pass rush is noticeably improved.

It is also crystal clear that the pass rush is not just about the defensive ends. There are bodies coming from any possible direction on any given play. It is going to be a fun defense to watch. They do a great job of masking what they are brining, and then adjusting quickly before the ball is snapped.

We have seen some minor wrinkles over the past few days above what we already know about the blitz happy nature of Gregg Williams’s defensive scheme. While the defense is certainly a base 4-3, there are going to be many opportunities to see the defense throwing any number of combinations out there as they work to confuse the offense to gain an advantage.

On offense, it really does not matter which receivers are on the field. The offense will continue to be first and foremost about the running game. With the horses we have in the stable of backs, the Jaguars can pick from guys that will elude tackles, run right by them, or simply blow them up. The style runs the gamut.

The passing game will take the next step. It is difficult to get a good sense for just how different things will look, but after watching this offense for almost two weeks now, it is obvious that the passing game is going to be more vertical than it was last year.

The success of the passing game, and just how vertical it will be depends upon David Garrard gaining enough confidence in his receivers to get open, and in his own ability to hit them deep. I have no doubt that this will be a real emphasis over the next four pre-season games, as well as the remainder of training camp. The team is going to push hard to build his confidence in the deep pass. As the injured group of receivers makes their way back to the field, I have no doubt that we will start to see the offense really take hold.

It may not start out of the gate as an offensive juggernaut, but I do believe that it will probably start to click very early on in the season.

2008 is going to be a very special year for the city of Jacksonville, and for their hometown Jaguars.

I'm out!

Camping with FBT: 8/4 p.m. camp report

FBT — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:36:38 -0000

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.

(More behind the fold!)

2 x 1 passing drills (Red Zone):

Mike Walker showed uncharacteristically suspect hands during the drill, dropping the first pass, and allowing Gerald Sensabaugh to reach in on another one to bat the ball away. Once he got the yips out of the way, he stepped up his efforts and had a solid practice.

David continues to have consistency issues with throwing an effective fade route. He was not alone in his struggles as Cleo Lemon also had sporadic difficulty with the fades as well. Garrard and Lemon did hit a few, but the level of consistency was not where it needs to be for either player.

Troy Williamson looked solid in the drill, making a great adjustment on one particular play where he was covered by Rashean Mathis. It was one of the good fade passes that Garrard threw, putting the ball up and over the top of coverage. It was to the wrong shoulder, but Williamson made a great adjustment to go up and get the ball over Mathis.

Garrard also hit Matt Jones on a couple of fades, including one that was identical to the touchdown that Matt caught in the scrimmage on Friday night. Drayton Florence must have thought he was living through one of those déjà vu moments. He was tight in coverage, but the ball was up and over his back shoulder where only Matt was going to catch the ball.

John Broussard showed some nice route running when he cut hard on a slant over the middle, getting enough separation from Brian Williams to catch a touchdown pass from Garrard.

Ryan Hoag showed some nice route running skill during the drill, but on a team that is as deep as this one is when healthy at the wide receiving spot, it does not seem likely that he is going to get an opportunity to make the roster. He will get plenty of time to get some good film during the preseason though. During this drill, he made a nice catch on a little post route from Cleo Lemon, taking the pass in front of Rashod Moulton for a TD. Later, he made such a good cut going across the middle in the end zone that he shook Brian Witherspoon, causing him to stumble.

Cleo Lemon was victimized on several plays by the defense. So was David Garrard as the defensive backs really stepped up in the drill to try to limit the receptions. During the drill, Trae Williams, Gerald Sensabaugh, Scott Starks, Reggie Nelson, Brian Witherspoon, Michael Grant, Rashod Moulton, Brian Williams, and Drayton Florence all batted away passes in the end zone. Gerald Sensabaugh topped all of them by snatching a quick interception against Cleo Lemon on a fade route that Lemon overshot his intended target, Mike Walker.

The receivers also managed to get their fair share of nice catches during the drill.

D’Juan Woods made a nice corner grab with Rashod Moulton in tow, tight in coverage.

Troy Williamson hauled in two more touchdown grabs, one on a fade route thrown by Cleo Lemon over Rashod Moulton, and the other a Garrard pass on a quick slant in front of Drayton Florence, who was blanketing Williamson.

Matt Jones showed some of the old, going over the middle on a slant in front of Scott Starks, and then snatching a well thrown pass from David Garrard. Once he caught the ball, Starks stuck a hand in and knocked it loose before Jones could bring the ball into his body.

11 x 11 (helmet free):

This was more or less a running drill where we saw the first wrinkles of the night.

If you plan on watching the Atlanta game on Saturday, pay close attention to where your receivers are, especially if they are the fleet footed guys on the roster.

End-arounds were being practiced pretty heavily, especially with Troy Williamson and Dennis Northcutt as the recipients of the handoff.

In each instance, the play went for solid yardage as the speedy receivers were able to get around the corner on the defense and turn the ball up field.

11 x 11 (2 minute drill):

Cleo Lemon struggled with the sideline out patterns in the 10-15 yard range with the blitzes coming hard. On three occasions when he went to the sideline, twice to John Broussard and once to D’Juan Woods, he overthrew his targets pretty badly. It probably had something to do with the fact that Gregg Williams was throwing some pretty interesting formations at Lemon. During this drill, the defense displayed wrinkle number two, running a 3-3-5 defense and blitzing from just about everywhere. The pressure was constant, and really got to Lemon at times, especially when the pressure came from outside of the guards and the pass was intended to go outside.

He did hit Clyde Edwards, Jeron Harvey, and John Broussard on short slant patterns that did move the ball and generate a couple of first downs. However, when he tried to force a pass to Charles Davis, he was picked off by Gerald Sensabaugh on the play. The defense lined up in the 3-3-5 for the play, but instead of blitzing, they kept eight guys back in coverage and only brought three on the rush. Lemon tried to force a pass into the middle of the field where Davis was running a crossing pattern, and Sensabaugh jumped the pass.

When David Garrard took over the offense, he immediately went to Maurice Jones-Drew on two swing passes that went for short gains.

He then hit Marcedes Lewis going over the middle in front of Isaiah Gardner for another short gain. Lewis made a great play in traffic to haul the pass that was thrown slightly behind him in, and then generate a couple of extra yards after the catch.

David went deep to Mike Walker on a nicely run route by the receiver. Walker appeared to be running a straight up post pattern, but cut off his route and headed to the outside about 20 yards down field. Garrard went over the top of Drayton Florence in coverage with the pass, and Walker went up and caught the ball, getting both feet in bounds before falling away.

After making a few more short receptions hitting Fred Taylor, Matt Jones, and Fred again, David missed on an out pattern to Troy Williamson.

D’Juan Woods then took a nice one away from Garrard, dropping a pass over the middle that hit him in the hands.

Matt Jones came back on the next play and snagged a touchdown grab in front of Jamaal Fudge.

Field Goal Drills:

Josh Scobee got an opportunity to boot some field goals during practice, going 5/6 during the drill. Josh hit from 34, 41, 49, 31, and 39 yards, but missed from 50 yards.

7 x 7:

David missed Jeron Harvey on a deep corner route, coming up short on the pass play.

Ryan Hoag struggled to hang on to a couple of passes during the drill. On one play, he muffed a Cleo Lemon pass that would have gone for a short gain over the middle.

Cleo Lemon hit Dennis Northcutt on an out pattern that went for about 20 yards. Northcutt made a nice catch before being shoved out of bounds by Scott Starks.

Todd Bouman attempted to hit Jeron Harvey on a deep sideline pass, but Gerald Sensabaugh and Brian Witherspoon both were in tight coverage. Sensabaugh was able to make an athletic play, getting a hand up to tip the pass away.

Cleo Lemon dropped a pretty pass deep down the sideline between Michael Grant and Isaiah Gardner, hitting Greg Estandia in stride as he was exploiting a hole in the coverage.

Estandia and Todd Bowman connected a few plays later on another post route where he made a solid catch in traffic.

Maurice Jones-Drew showed that he is indeed human, rolling out of the back field and streaking down the sideline, getting open over Brian Iwuh. Todd Bowman threw the ball to the inside, and when Maurice tried to adjust for the ball, momentum would not allow him to make the catch cleanly, allowing it to fall incomplete.

11 x 11 (Part III):

David went back to the short game, hitting Maurice Drew on a swing pattern to the left. Once Drew had the ball, he hit the burners and took an otherwise short pass and made a big gain on the play.

Matt Jones was victimized once again by Scott Starks, who had a great practice tonight. Jones and Garrard connected on a deep crossing pattern. Matt made a nice grab on the play, but Starks was able to sneak a hand in and knock the ball out, forcing a fumble that the defense recovered. When the play ended, there was a short shoving match involving Jones and Starks, but it ended as quickly as it began.

David ran a fake end-around that set up a screen pass to Maurice Jones-Drew that went for a big gain as the second team defense bit on the fake.

Garrard connected with Troy Williamson on a deep slant with Brian Iwuh in coverage. Williamson made a nice play to pull the pass that was thrown slightly in front of the intended target.

Final Impressions:

With a few new wrinkles and the defensive players getting a little more aggressive, it is clear that the Jaguars need to hit someone. The first preseason game against Atlanta will almost certainly debut the more attacking style defense, and without a doubt, there will be a lot of happy players. They clearly want to start hitting, and this will be their first opportunity to go all out with their contact against the Falcons.

For the offense, I'm sure that the quarterbacks are looking forward to not having to deal with a defense that is constantly coming at them from every possible angle.

More later!

Camping with FBT: 8/1/08 p.m. scrimmage report

FBT — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:22:17 -0000

The Jaguars took the field inside the friendly confines of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium tonight before a crowd of 12,109 eager fans wanting to get their first glimpse of the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars in a scrimmage environment.

Most people came expecting to see a scrimmage similar to years past, but Jack Del Rio decided to shuffle things up a bit, changing the format from what had been done previously. Instead of a scrimmage, the fans were treated to the garden variety practice inside the stadium. There was no scoring, no real hitting, and a lot of fun for football fans.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was terrific. There was a new stadium announcer. Hopefully he is only a temporary patch as he is even worse than the regular guy.

It takes a lot to achieve that, but when the announcer actually refers to the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars as David Jerrard, you know that there might be a slight problem in the booth.

It only got better when Quentin Grooves got a sack during practice. Yes, Grooves.

Chad Nkang, Jeremy Mincey, Brad Meester, George Wrighster, Jerry Porter, Reggie Williams, and of course Derrick Harvey were non-participants in the evening “scrimmage” inside the stadium. Reggie Hayward came out looking to be ready to participate, but after stretching, he headed over to the bench and had an ice bag applied to his left hamstring and he stuck to the sideline for the remainder of the evening.

During practice, Anthony Cotrone suffered a knee injury (left knee) and had to be carried off the field by the training staff. The fact that he did not put any weight on the leg and was carried off after Mike Ryan did a stability test on the knee is probably not a good thing for the rookie fighting for a roster spot. We will wait to see what the team reports on his injury.

Now, let’s get to those drills. There was plenty of action during the “scrimmage” for the fans to enjoy. I will try to cover the play-by-play instead of just cutting to the highlights so that those of you that were unable to attend will get a feel for what went on during the practice.

11 x 11 (Part I):

The drills were split up into units. Each unit is headed up by a quarterback. The first grouping to take the field was lead by David Garrard.

The drill started with David Garrard having a pass batted down by John Henderson.

Fred Taylor ran off the left side behind Khalif Barnes. Daryl Smith stopped Taylor after a four yard gain.

David Garrard connected with John Broussard on a slant pass in front of Rashean Mathis. Mathis stopped Broussard for a four yard reception.

Since the offense did not convert, they were pulled and the second team came in.

On the first play from scrimmage, Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball up the middle. Quentin Groves and Tony McDaniel wound up stopping Drew after a four yard gain.

Cleo Lemon connected with Matt Jones on a short sideline pass that went for three yards before Rashod Moulton forced the receiver out of bounds.

Lemon hit Montell Owens on the sideline, but Owens bumped into Greg Estandia and got knocked out of bounds short of the first down.

Since they failed to convert, the first team stepped back in to try again.

Fred Taylor was held to a two yard gain after running up the middle and getting caught by Rob Meier and Gerald Sensabaugh who came up to support the from the Strong Safety spot.

Garrard connected with Richard Angulo who was running a short out pattern. Scott Starks took the much bigger Angulo and forced him out of bounds after a three yard gain.

Garrard went to Troy Williamson on what appeared to be an out pattern at the marker. The only problem with that play was that Williamson was running a slant. When Troy went back to the sideline, it was clear from the hand gestures that Monken was using as he grilled the receiver that he ran the wrong route.

The second team took over again after the first team failed to convert. Cleo Lemon went deep down the sideline trying to hit D’Juan Woods on a go route. Woods had separation, but the pass was slightly overthrown and fell incomplete.

Lemon attempted to connect with Dennis Northcutt on a little curl route. The ball fell incomplete. However, there was a flag thrown for pass interference on the play.

Chauncey Washington took a run up the middle for a five yard game before Gerald Sensabaugh was able to step in and end the run.

Garrard returned again trying to move the offense. He connected with Troy Williamson on a nice sideline pass between Gerald Sensabaugh and Rashean Mathis, converting it for a first down.

Garrard then connected with Maurice Jones-Drew on what was one of the better plays of the night. Drew used the referee in the middle of the field to shield himself from the defender, and then turned the ball up field for a huge gain.

Garrard then tried to connect with Dennis Northcutt on a deep sideline route. On the play, Northcutt tried to do a little subtle bump to shake Gerald Sensabaugh, but it wound up drawing a flag for offensive pass interference.

Todd Bouman took over the offense and immediately threw an errant pass behind Chris Brown who was running a little slant pattern over the middle. The ball was thrown badly behind and short of the tight end, and fell incomplete.

Lavarus Giles had a nice run off the right guard, racking up seven yards, and showing some nice physical running.

Bouman hit Montell Owens on a nice little hitch route. Daryl Smith was able to bring Owens down, but not before he had converted a first down.

Special Teams (Field Goals):

Josh Scobee was perfect on the night. During the field goal drills, he nailed kicks from 30, 34, 41, and 30 yards again.

7 x 7:

Garrard hit Richard Angulo on a little dump off that went for a nice gain.

He then came back and tried another short pass to Maurice Jones-Drew that was stuffed for a short gain by Daryl Smith.

Garrard hit Marcedes Lewis over the middle for a five yard gain that was stopped by Mike Peterson.

Cleo Lemon hit John Broussard deep down the sideline with Drayton Florence in coverage. Florence forced Broussard out of bounds, but not before they receiver had a big gain.

Todd Bouman hit Greg Estandia on a crossing route. Jamaal Fudge threw a shoulder to stop the play after a solid gain.

Fred Taylor took a Bouman dump off for a three yard gain.

David Garrard connected with Mike Walker on a curl route in front of Michael Grant. Walker was able to peel out of the curl and get a nice gain after the catch before Grant put two hands on him, ending the play. On the play, Troy Williamson was streaking down the sideline wide open on the other side of the field.

Cleo Lemon went deep again, targeting Lavarus Giles. He overthrew the running back who had gotten behind the defense and was open.

David Garrard hit Dennis Northcutt on a deep post route that went for a big gain before Gerald Sensabaugh stepped in to bring it to an end.

Cleo Lemon went over the middle to Maurice Jones-Drew but the play was shortened when Daryl Smith stepped in and ended it prematurely.

Garrard attempted to go deep down the sideline to John Broussard. However, Broussard and Drayton Florence got tangled up and the ball fell incomplete.

Garrard then went to Greg Estandia on a seam route that went for a short gain before Brian Iwuh stopped the tight end.

Todd Bouman finished the session by hitting Richard Angulo in the seam for a short gain.

11 x 11 (2 minute drill):

Garrard hit Maurice Jones-Drew on a crossing route that went for six yards before Daryl Smith ended the play.

Garrard missed Matt Jones on an out pattern that would have been close to a first down. The ball was thrown short and behind Matt. He was able to get a hand on it, but he was not able to hang on. It would have been a great catch if he had pulled the ball in, but it was not meant to be.

David put a pass on the money on a quick cross by Marcedes Lewis. The play wound up being just a four yard reception because he was in traffic at the time.

Garrard then hit Maurice Jones-Drew on a quick out that went for a short gain before Mike Peterson pushed him out of bounds.

David then hit Mike Walker on a crossing route for a decent gain. Walker made a great diving catch on the play. If the quarterback was not wearing his red jersey, he would have been planted by Mike Peterson on the play.

Garrard came back and hit Dennis Northcutt on a big gain with Brian Williams in coverage on a crossing route. The reception set up a field goal for Josh Scobee, who nailed the 50 yarder with plenty of leg to spare.

Cleo Lemon hit John Broussard on a deep post pattern right in the hands. Broussard was unable to hold on to the pass as Brian Witherspoon was on him as soon as the ball got there, and he made enough contact to break the receiver’s concentration.

Lemon tried to force a pass to Greg Estandia. He was forced to rush his pass because Scott Starks and Clint Ingram were coming hard on the blitz, and because of that, the pass was off target and fell incomplete.

Lemon came back and hit Clyde Edwards over the middle. Edwards made a nice diving catch on the play.

Lemon tried to dump off a little slant pass to Greg Jones. However, Jones did what has become a vintage move for Fred Taylor in this situation, looking up field before he actually had the ball under control. It bounced off of his hands and wound up being incomplete.

Lemon went to Charles Davis on the next play on a sideline route, but overthrew the big tight end and the ball fell incomplete.

Lemon hit Greg Jones for a short gain before being driven out of bounds by Isaiah Gardner, stopping the clock.

He then hit Charles Davis on another out that wound up being forced out of bounds by Clint Ingram, stopping the clock again.

With time running out on the drill, Josh Scobee was called in to try a field goal. He nailed it with plenty of leg to spare on a FIFTY SEVEN YARD FIELD GOAL. The ball would have cleared from 65 easily.

11 x 11 (Red Zone):

Fred Taylor pushed one up the middle for four yards before being stopped by Brian Williams. On the next play, he ran the same route, and got stuffed by Williams again at the line of scrimmage.

Garrard went to the air and hit Fred Taylor right in the belly on a deep sideline pass at the goal line. However, Taylor could not hold on to the ball as he and Daryl Smith were bumping at the line and the ball bounced out.

Maurice Jones-Drew bounced a run outside to the right side and converted a first down after getting around the corner on the defense.

Drew tried to go up the middle on the next play, but he was stuffed at the line by Paul Spicer. On the next play, he tried again and got stuffed again by Spicer.

David Garrard hit Dennis Northcutt on the hands at the goal line. Northcutt made a diving attempt and had to come out of the end zone to try to make the play. However, it bounced off of his hands. On the play, Matt Jones and Marcedes Lewis were both on the outside. They were probably the more preferable targets, but Garrard has developed a tendency to lock in on Northcutt.

David’s drive ended when Paul Spicer came into the backfield after making a nice move on Pashos to get to the quarterback for a sack.

Montell Owens ran one off the right side behind the guard and managed a three yard gain.

Todd Bouman connected with Richard Angulo for a sixteen yard play over the middle.

Bouman then pitched a little swing pass to Montell Owens who made one nice move and took the ball into the end zone.

They attempted a two point conversion, but John Broussard could not hang on to the pass as Michael Grant had him covered like a blanket.

Cleo Lemon hit Charles Davis over the middle for an eight yard gain that was stopped by Justin Durant.

Chauncey Washington ran won up the middle, but was stuffed for a one yard loss by Brent Hawkins.

Washington came back and ran behind the right guard for a solid gain that converted a first down.

Lemon then hit Ryan Hoag on a post route for a touchdown. Hoag was wide open as nobody picked him up coming off the line.

On the PAT, Chauncey Washington was stuffed at the line by Michael Grant.

David Garrard hit Dennis Northcutt on an out pattern that went for nine yards.

He then hit Mike Walker on a curl route that converted a first down in front of Rashean Mathis.

Fred Taylor took one behind the right guard but was stuffed at the line.

Garrard then hit Taylor on a little hitch route and Fred kicked in the burners and converted a first down and went for fifteen yards on the play.

Garrard missed on a little dump off to Maurice Jones-Drew, putting the ball short and behind the intended target.

Matt Jones had one of the better plays of the night. He ran a little fade route to the sideline in the end zone. Garrard put the pass up over the left shoulder of Drayton Florence who had Jones covered perfectly. Jones went up and snatched the pass from over Florence for a touchdown.

Todd Bouman tried to hit John Broussard on a slant, but the ball was behind him and fell incomplete.

Bouman was then sacked by Quentin Groves, who had a great night.

He then came back and hit Chauncey Washington on a little hitch route that went for a decent gain before being forced out of bounds by Pierson Prioleau.

He then tried to hit Broussard again on a slant, but Rashod Moulton dove in and knocked the ball away. Unfortunately, he might have gotten there a touch early, and as a result drew a pass interference flag for good measure.

The final play of the practice session was a thing of beauty as Chauncey Washington took one behind the right guard, got into the secondary, and then laid a stiff arm on Jamaal Fudge that flattened him. Washington showed great speed and obvious power as he ran over the safety on his way to the end zone.

Final Impressions:

The injury to Anthony Cotrone looked bad. It would not surprise me in the least to hear that he sustained an ACL injury and is done for the year. It is a shame because he was one of those underdog players that you want to see succeed. He had an uphill battle ahead of him to make the roster, but he was doing everything he could to make that happen.

The defense is clearly going to be blitzing early and often, and from any possible direction. The speed of the defense is the first thing that you really take notice of as you watch them flying around out there. The thing that is interesting is that you rarely see them over-pursuing a play despite their speed. They are going to find a way to get to the quarterback if they have to throw the kitchen sink at him.

The offense did not have a lot of highlight plays tonight. The few that were worth noting were the Jones-Drew play, the Matt Jones touchdown, and the Washington score. Garrard is looking sharp, but he is going with the low risk passes almost exclusively. I know that Dirk Koetter has said that they are working with David to take more risks in order to get more verticality out of the offense, but he still prefers to go with the more comfortable outlets. There is nothing really wrong with that, but with all of the added speed that the team has brought in to compete for roster spots, David needs to at least attempt to stretch the field. His deep passes have been floating, but with practice, he should be able to get beyond that.

More later!

Camping with FBT: 8/1/08 a.m. camp report

FBT — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:02:07 -0000

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.

(More behind the fold)

11 x 11 (Hurry Up):

The team worked on their hurry up offense running two plays back to back to work on getting them back to the line as quickly as possible. It was interesting to watch as the guys would run two plays then rotate to the next unit.

During the drill, Matt Jones made a really nice grab on a deep crossing route. David Garrard hit him in stride for a big gain.

Garrard came back later in the drill and hit Fred Taylor coming out of the backfield on a screen pass that Fred turned into a big gain.

Greg Jones got a couple of touches at running back, and showed good cutting ability and acceleration. He appears to be back to the point where he was prior to the last knee injury. Hopefully he can stay healthy out there because the 1-2-3 punch that this running game could have with him in the rotation would be the best in the league.

Greg Estandia and Cleo Lemon connected on a nice little out pattern that Estandia showed good hands making the play over the top, keeping his feet in-bounds until after he had full control of the pass.

Chauncey Washington also showed some nice burst up the middle hitting the hole quickly and muscling through for a solid gain on a play that looked to be stuffed at the line.

Cleo Lemon and Mike Walker connected on a deep post pattern that was perfectly timed. Walker seems to be fully back in stride, showing no ill-effects from the practice the other night where he was falling and hobbling all over the place. He glides out there when he is running well, and he was gliding in a big way today.

7 x 7:

One interesting note during this drill was that Tutan Reyes was actually rotating in at center along with Dennis Norman, Uche Nwaneri, and Drew Miller.

For those interested in the defensive depth charts, the linebackers participating in the majority of the snaps as the number one unit included Daryl Smith, Mike Peterson, and Clint Ingram. In the defensive backfield, Brian Williams and Gerald Sensabaugh continue to split time at Strong Safety with neither one taking the majority of the snaps.

David Garrard connected on a deep sideline route with Mike Walker. Walker had gotten behind Drayton Florence and Reggie Nelson, and Garrard got the pass over the coverage and into Walker’s hands. The ball was ever so slightly under thrown, forcing Walker to break stride somewhat. This allowed Nelson and Florence to close the gap quickly, and force him out of bounds. Had the pass been out in front of Walker, neither defender would have caught Walker on the play.

Dennis Northcutt continues to have a solid camp, running a quick post pattern out of the slot. Garrard picked him up about 20 yards down field and nailed him in front of Reggie Nelson, who had gotten over to cover Northcutt, but did not stop the pass. Had there been contact allowed, Northcutt would have been dropped right there, but the play still went for better than 20 yards.

Reggie Nelson was getting a lot of work in this drill. On the next play, Garrard hit Greg Jones on a little screen pass. Nelson flew in from his free safety position to force Jones out on a short gain. Nelson’s closing speed on the play was extremely impressive.

Dennis Northcutt found a gap in the zone coverage and took a deep corner route to exploit it. Cleo Lemon spotted him breaking to the hole and dropped the pass right into the gap for Northcutt, splitting Brian Williams and Justin Durant in coverage and converting another big gain for Northcutt.

Scott Starks made a nice defensive play stepping up to stuff Anthony Cotrone on a little dump off to the right side. Starks was able to force the much larger Cotrone out of bounds almost immediately after making the catch.

Clyde Edwards and Todd Bouman connected on a deep sideline pass with Jamaal Fudge in coverage. Fudge was able to get a piece of Edwards, forcing him out of bounds, but not until after a big gain on the play.

David Garrard went to Mike Walker over the middle in traffic. Walker made a great move on his cut to create separation from Brian Iwuh as he went over the middle. He froze Iwuh with a little hip swivel before making his cut, and got enough separation in traffic to make a nice gain on the play.

Fred Taylor showed surprisingly soft hands on a pass from Todd Bowman on the sideline. The ball was over the top, and Taylor maintained his concentration, hauling the pass in from overhead, and then turning it up field getting a few extra yards after the catch despite tight coverage.

Matt Jones and David Garrard connected on a nice crossing route with Trae Williams in coverage. Williams was right on Jones, and had him pretty much blanketed. But, the pass was slightly out in front of Jones, away from coverage, and Matt as able to haul it in and get a few extra yards out of the reception against the smaller rookie.

Daryl Smith made a strong defensive play, coming back on a Marcedes Lewis curl route to bat down a pass from Cleo Lemon.

Dennis Northcutt burned Gerald Sensabaugh on another curl route. When Northcutt made his cut, Sensabaugh got caught on his heels. Dennis then made the grab, and spun away from Sensabaugh to pad the yardage on the pass.

Todd Bowman hit Troy Williamson going over the middle. Williamson had to slow up a bit to make the reception, but then kicked in the afterburners as he blew through the secondary taking what would have been a modest gain and turning it into a big one. His acceleration is almost jaw dropping when he kicks into gear.

David Garrard showed good touch on a deep seam pass targeting Lavarus Giles, who had rolled out wide on the play. Garrard put the pass over the top of Daryl Smith and Reggie Nelson, and Giles caught the ball in stride, taking it to the end zone.

11 x 11 (Part II):

The team was running plays to get out of the shadow of the end zone during the drill. Each unit was given an opportunity to get out of the hole and advance.

On the first play, Fred Taylor carried the ball straight up the middle. Rob Meier and John Henderson held point and Taylor ran right into the teeth of the defense for a short gain.

On the next play, Garrard tried to go to Troy Williamson on a deep post, but Drayton Florence made a nice defensive play to tip the pass away.

On the final play, David tried to connect with Matt Jones on a quick slant, but the pass was too far out in front of the receiver, and the ball fell incomplete.

The second group started their grouping with a run up the middle by Maurice Jones-Drew. Tony McDaniel swallowed him up and stopped him at the line of scrimmage.

Greg Jones tried to bounce the ball outside, making a nice cutback on the play. However, he was unable to get outside, and only got a couple of yards.

Todd Bouman tried to hit Troy Williamson deep down the sideline on an out pattern. The ball missed Williamson so badly that it actually hit the chain link fence along the sideline. Williamson never had a shot at making the play.

When the third group stepped in, they did not fare any better. Fred Taylor carried the ball first, getting a short gain up the middle.

Maurice Jones-Drew tried to bounce one outside again, but was stuffed for no gain.

Lemon rolled out to his right and made an attempt to hit Troy Williamson again on the sideline, and his pass was off target by a yard or so, falling incomplete.

Final Impressions:

They kept it light for the morning session in anticipation of the scrimmage tonight. The offense was clearly not crisp in the final drills, and Del Rio did speak to them for an extended period at the end of practice. A lot of guys stuck around to get in some extra work after the session ended.

More later!

Camping with FBT: 7/31/08 pm camp report

FBT — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:26:55 -0000

The weather could not have been more perfect as the team took the field this evening in shorts and shells for what was a relatively light practice session with the scrimmage on the agenda for tomorrow. The rain had cleared out several hours earlier, so the fields were much drier. It was a relatively cool evening with a nice breeze and a small crowd in attendance.

The injury list appears to be holding steady with Chad Nkang, Jeremy Mincey, Reggie Williams, Jerry Porter, George Wrighster, and Brad Meester missing the evening session for well documented health issues.

Porter was at the practice facility for a good portion of the session before heading back to the locker room, happily signing autographs on his way out. He had his leg wrapped heavily from just below the knee to his buttocks region, and with the ice packs that were on the back side of his leg, it was difficult for him NOT to limp, so it is difficult to assess where he is at right now with his progress. The limp is probably being caused by the wrap since it is pretty bulky. When he was on the practice field earlier this week without the wrap, he was walking without any noticeable gait.

Tonight, the practice was almost all about 11 x 11 drills. They mixed in a few variables, but the overwhelming majority was full squad drills.

So, let us get right to the drills because there was plenty of action this evening to talk about.

11 x 11 (Part I):

D’Juan Woods was streaking down the sideline on a go route when David Garrard lobbed up a bomb. Rashean Mathis stayed with Woods stride for stride, and was able to get in when the ball arrived to knock it away.

Maurice Jones Drew took a well set up screen pass from David Garrard and followed his blocks to convert a nice first down.

Dennis Northcutt and David Garrard hit on a quick slant with Northcutt coming out of the slot. It was one of those bang-bang plays that require perfect timing, and the two clearly had it here. The reception went for a big gain.

Greg Jones tried to carry the ball off the right side, but Tony McDaniel showed nice burst, cutting into the backfield and blowing up the play, stuffing the fullback at the line of scrimmage.

Cleo Lemon tried to connect with Greg Estandia on a deep seam route. Estandia had gotten open in the secondary, but Lemon’s pass was slightly overthrown, falling incomplete.

Lemon came back on the next play and hit Jeron Harvey on a post pattern in double coverage. Lemon really had to zip the ball into the receiver to make the connection.

Theo Horrocks found himself locking in on Lemon on the next play. They were trying to set up a screen play, but with the ensuing pass rush closing in fast, Lemon was forced to throw it at the feet of Chauncey Washington.

Fred Taylor showed nice cutback ability, and then hit the burners to run a sweep to the left. Mike Peterson did a great job of getting a good angle on Taylor, then forcing him out of bounds after a nice gain.

Fred tried to bounce one outside again, but Paul Spicer had gotten into the backfield and sniffed out the play, forcing Fred back inside. Had the tackling been live, he would have gotten stuffed for a loss.

Montell Owens tried to run a sweep to the left, but Kenny Pettway got into the backfield and stuffed Owens before he could get to the outside, causing a five yard loss.

The defense continued to flex their muscle when Chauncey Washington attempted to take one up the middle only to run square into Derek Landri, who had gotten solid penetration on the play, stopping Washington for a loss.

Lavarus Giles tried a sweep to the right, but Clint Ingram blew the play up, stopping Giles for a big loss on the play.

The running game finally found some positive gains when Fred took a run off behind the right guard for a modest gain. Unfortunately, the positive gains were short-lived as Maurice Jones-Drew ran a sweep that Gerald Sensabaugh and Tony Gilbert jumped, shutting Drew down for a 3 yard loss.

11 x 11 (Red Zone):

David connected with Mike Walker on a nice post route with Drayton Florence right there in coverage. Walker was able to snag the pass for a touchdown.

Troy Williamson found a hole between Mike Peterson and Justin Durant and hauled in a nice pass from David Garrard going over the middle.

Marcedes Lewis made a great jumping, twisting catch in front of the post with Reggie Nelson, Brian Williams, and Lamar Myles blanketing him. Lemon put the pass up high so that Lewis was forced to go up for it, and he also had to make a terrific adjustment as the ball was thrown to his back shoulder.

Tony Gilbert had his best practice of training camp. Along with blowing up a running play earlier in the session, he also plugged a hole that Montell Owens was attempting to exploit, stuffing him at the line for no gain.

Derek Landri was also enjoying a great evening, finding a push through the offensive line and forcing Cleo Lemon to pull the ball down and head for the sideline, taking a short loss on the play.

John Henderson took advantage of good penetration to slap down a David Garrard pass intended for Dennis Northcutt.

Troy Williamson made a nice move to get open in the end zone on a crossing route. Gerald Sensabaugh recovered nicely and was able to knock the pass from Garrard out, forcing an incomplete pass.

Garrard went back to Williamson again a few plays later on a fade route in the back of the end zone. Williamson was fully extended trying to haul the pass in, and he got both hands on the ball, but the pass was slightly high of the mark, and he was not able to hang on to it with the defender hitting him on the way down.

Garrard came back and hit Fred Taylor on a nice little corner route that wound up being a touchdown.

7 x 7 (Red Zone):

Garrard continues to favor Dennis Northcutt, connecting with him on two plays to start the drill, both of them slants that went for nice gains. On the second play, Justin Durant did a nice job of covering Northcutt, but Dennis was able to get the angle and Garrard delivered the pass right on target to make the completion.

Troy Williamson made a great catch on an out in front of Pierson Prioleau. Prioleau was right there in coverage, but Williamson was able to wrestle the ball away to make the catch on the pass delivered by Garrard.

Cleo Lemon went to Mike Walker on a curl route, but Scott Starks picked up on the route and almost cut the pass off and intercepted it. The ball fell incomplete, but Starks made a nice play nonetheless.

D’Juan Woods had one of his more difficult practice sessions. Maybe it was the fact that the coverage was never far enough away, or maybe it was fatigue. Whatever the reason, he had a couple of dropped passes. On one particular play, he had Rashod Moulton beaten down the sideline by a good yard. Cleo Lemon dropped the ball right in his hands in stride, but the ball bounced right out.

John Broussard made a nice falling sideline catch on a deep pass from Cleo Lemon.

Matt Jones had a couple of nice grabs during this drill, including one post route with Rashod Moulton on the coverage. Jones was able to snap up the Cleo Lemon pass over the top of coverage. Later in the drill, Jones ran a cross in traffic. One of the linebackers went for the pick on a David Garrard pass, but did not get to the ball. Jones proceeded to take the ball into the end zone untouched.

Todd Bouman had a rough practice tonight. Several of his passes missed the mark, but one in particular was so poorly thrown to the sideline that there was not a player within 5 yards of the pass.

11 x 11 (Part III):

Kenny Pettway made a nice play on a David Garrard pass, getting decent penetration, and then batting the ball down.

David had Mike Walker wide open streaking down the sideline. Walker had gotten behind Reggie Nelson and Rashean Mathis. Unfortunately, David overshot his target, missing Walker by a yard.

Matt Jones had what would be considered the highlight play of the night on a crossing route. David Garrard’s pass was thrown high but also slightly behind Matt. Matt was able to tip the ball, then catch it despite the fact that Drayton Florence was on him like a blanket trying to shake the ball loose.

Final Impressions:

The Jaguars had a flare up during practice when Maurice Williams and John Henderson got into a skirmish that wound up with Henderson losing his helmet, and a few punches being thrown.

The Jaguars had several VIP’s and their families on the field when practice ended. These folks got some nice autographs and great access to the team. While that was happening, I got an opportunity to watch our quarterback, David Garrard, interact with his baby. It was fun to watch as David and Mary had the baby on the field and he was horsing around. Then, they tried to get the younger Garrard to walk, and he took a few steps between his parents. Good stuff. Hopefully someone had a camera out there when this happened.

More later!

Camping with FBT: 7/29/08 pm camp report

FBT — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:09:53 -0000

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!

Camp Del Rio 2008: 7/29 am camp report

FBT — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:02:14 -0000

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.

(More behind the fold)

11 x 11 (Part I):

Rashean Mathis started the session with a nice play. Troy Williamson made a nice cut to set up a curl route, but Mathis was able to recover quickly and bat away the pass delivered by David Garrard.

Garrard came back on the next play and connected with D’Juan Woods on a bomb over the top of Mathis. David showed nice accuracy on the pass, although Woods still had to slow up a bit to make the play. It wound up in the end zone when the play finished, so Woods and Garrard had a nice highlight early in the session.

Garrard once again was having some issues with getting his passes right on the mark. He threw a quick out to Richard Angulo with the defense blitzing, and because he rushed his delivery, his pass fell behind Angulo incomplete.

Matt Jones continues to have what has to be considered his best training camp in Jacksonville. He continues to catch everything thrown in his direction, whether it is an easy ball to handle or one that requires him to utilize his athletic ability. On a sideline pass by Cleo Lemon, Jones was able to make a nice jumping grab over Brian Witherspoon for a big gain.

Lemon showed nice accuracy and touch on a deep pass down the sideline targeting Dennis Northcutt. Dennis was sandwiched in between Gerald Sensabaugh and Jamaal Fudge in very tight coverage. Lemon dropped the ball right in between the two defensive backs, and squarely in the hands of Northcutt.

John Broussard appears to have shaken off a tough practice last night as he caught just about everything that was thrown his way this morning. On a mid-range sideline route, David Garrard connected with Broussard with Rashod Moulton in coverage. The pass was a little high, and Broussard had to concentrate to make the play, which he did with ease.

Marcedes Lewis ran a deep post route with Jamaal Fudge in tow. Garrard picked him up and put the ball over the top of coverage, and Lewis made a nice catch to haul it in and turn it into a nice gain.

Maurice Jones-Drew took a little outlet pass from Cleo Lemon and turned it into a big gain after making a couple of moves to shake off his defender at the line of scrimmage.

Lemon showed an uncharacteristically errant pass on a deep toss to Dennis Northcutt with Rashod Moulton right there in coverage. The pass was one of the first deep balls that Lemon overshot his target on, missing Northcutt by a good five yards.

7 x 7:

Reggie Williams saw his first action of training camp, taking a quick cross from David Garrard, showing nice speed and decent route running. If the knee is bothering him, it did not have an adverse effect on his cutting on this play.

Marcedes Lewis ran a crossing route about 7 yards off the line of scrimmage. David Garrard picked him up and delivered a pass high but in front of Lewis. Marcedes was able to snag the pass, and then hang on to turn it into a solid gain.

Cleo Lemon connected with Matt Jones on a deep post route. Brian Iwuh had Jones pretty well covered, but Lemon put the ball up high, and Jones made another one of his high grabs over the top of the coverage.

Mike Walker was on the field this morning, participating in practice, and making plays. On a couple of occasions during this drill, Walker showed solid route running with his quick cuts to the outside to shake off coverage. On one pass from David Garrard, Walker got enough separation from Brian Witherspoon to create a gap for Garrard. David hit Walker in the hands, and Witherspoon came in immediately and tried to bat the ball away, but once Walker had it in his hands, he had control and was not letting it leave his grasp.

Ryan Hoag has had a couple of rough practice sessions with more than a few dropped passes between them. His struggles continued this morning as he missed a routine pass from Paul Smith that hit him squarely in the hands on a simple slant pattern.

Garrard targeted Maurice Jones-Drew on a deep sideline pass. Jones-Drew had rolled out wide on the play, and ran right by Clint Ingram. Garrard put the ball over the top and dropped it right in Jones-Drew’s hands. Unfortunately, Maurice dropped the pass as he lost concentration looking back at Ingram, who was closing the gap quickly.

11 x 11 (Part II):

David Garrard is clearly favoring Dennis Northcutt, whether it is on deeper routes, or on the short range passes. During two separate plays during this drill, David went to Northcutt, first on a cross in front of Mathis, and then later on a deep sideline pass in double coverage with Scott Starks and Lamar Myles covering him. In both cases, Northcutt made nice catches gaining further confidence from his quarterback.

Troy Williamson had a ball knocked out by Brian Witherspoon on a little curl route. As soon as the ball hit the target, Witherspoon hit the receiver, and the ball came squirting out immediately.

Todd Bowman and Cleo Lemon both had passes batted down during this drill. On the first play, Bowman had a pass tipped by Kenny Pettway, and then was intercepted by Theo Horrocks.

Cleo Lemon’s pass was simply batted down, again by Theo Horrocks who had gotten decent penetration on the play.

The practice session once again ended on a nice deep pass from Todd Bowman to Jeron Harvey. The pass was a little short of the intended target, but Harvey made the nice adjustment to go back to the ball, at which time he was immediately wrapped up by Michael Grant.

Final Impressions:

It was good to see Reggie Williams back on the field, and to see Mike Walker participating this morning after a contact drill the night before. It was unexpected to see either player practicing this morning, and both looked good when they did get an opportunity to make plays.

The situation with Brad Meester is one that will be interesting to watch. The team has adequate depth at the center spot, and they should be able to deal with the loss without much of a setback.

Both Gerald Sensabaugh and Brian Williams rotated with the first team at strong safety today, so that should be an interesting situation to watch develop. Clearly, the team is trying to feel this thing out on the fly.

Because there was no contact, trying to get much of a bead on how well any of the defensive players looked is practically impossible, especially along the line. Hopefully we will get another dose of what we have on the defensive line tonight.

More later!

Camp Del Rio 2008: 7/28 pm camp report

FBT — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:27:57 -0000

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.

More behind the Jump!

2 x 1:

Matt Jones made a terrific catch on a crossing route with Brian Witherspoon in tow. Jones went up and hauled in the pass that was delivered high over the top of his coverage by David Garrard. It was another example of Matt finally starting to use his athletic ability to make plays.

John Broussard made a nice cut on Isaiah Gardner, shaking his coverage and hauling in a nice pass from David Garrard.

Todd Bouman struggled again with his accuracy tonight. On one play, he missed his receiver throwing it behind and short of his target.

Clyde Edwards ran a great route, shaking Trae Williams in coverage, and then getting open by a wide margin, hauling in a lob from Todd Bouman. However, Edwards did not keep his head in the game, and Williams quickly turned and caught him streaking down the sideline, forcing a fumble and taking possession away from the receiver.

Mike Walker showed some nice route running skills, shaking Rashod Moulton with a quick body fake, and then taking a perfectly delivered pass by David along the sideline for a nice gain.

7 x 7 (Part II):

Garrard suffered another bout of accuracy trouble in the beginning of this session, launching a deep pass over the middle intended for Marcedes Lewis who was in double coverage. Lewis is a big guy, but he would have needed at least another two feet of height to bring in the pass which sailed out of the back of the end zone.

During this session, Gregg Williams started unleashing the blitz packages. On one play, Mike Peterson came up the middle on a blitz. Garrard picked it up, but forced his pass in order to avoid the sack. The pass missed the intended target, D’Juan Woods badly.

Cleo Lemon nailed John Broussard on a deep sideline pass. Broussard made a nice diving grab, then got up and tried to advance the ball. He was immediately put back down, and the hit started a very brief scuffle.

Broussard showed his human side a few plays later when Garrard targeted him along the sideline in front of Brian Witherspoon. The pass was right in his hands, and he simply did not hang on to it, allowing the ball to fall incomplete.

With Meester out, Drew Miller was on point at center. This worked okay for most of the evening, but there was one play during the drill where he missed Garrard so badly that all David could do was chase the ball down and fall on it 10 yards behind the line.

Clyde Edwards ALMOST had the play of the day, diving for a deep pass in the end zone from Todd Bouman. The ball was a little off target, but Edwards made a great effort to get to the ball. Unfortunately, the ball came out after he hit the deck.

Fred Taylor also showed some chinks in his armor again, dropping a pass that was perfectly delivered by Garrard. Taylor went up to catch the ball over the top of Gerald Sensabaugh, but the ball simply bounced off and fell incomplete.

Fred came back a few plays later and made the catch, redeeming himself with a nice play.

Drayton Florence, who had been victimized earlier in training camp when contact was not allowed by those little curl routes made up for those transgressions in one play. When John Broussard ran a curl, Florence did not bite. Florence was able to get back and knock the pass away.

11 x 11 (Part II):

Cleo Lemon showed some really nice accuracy on his deep passes, dropping a ball between Brian Iwuh and Scott Starks, putting the ball safely in John Broussard’s hands for a long gain.

Not to be outdone, David Garrard connected with D’Juan Woods for the play of the night, dropping a bomb in his arms over the top of Trae Williams that went for a 75 yard touchdown.

He connected with Matt Jones on a deep cross on the next play. Jones once again went up and made another outstanding leaping grab on a pass that was thrown high over the top of Brian Witherspoon.

Charles Davis made another solid grab on a deep seam route pass from Todd Bouman. Davis had Jamaal Fudge and Brian Witherspoon in tow, and was able to shake the coverage by using his size to get to the ball.

Garrard came back and connected with Maurice Jones-Drew on a deep sideline pass that went for more than 30 yards with Reggie Nelson and Lamar Myles in coverage. After the play, it was clear that Nelson wanted to make sure that had they been allowed to hit, MJD probably would have gotten the ball rattled loose because Reggie was right there when he made the catch. One hit and that play would not have happened.

This intimidation worked for John Broussard. On a similar play going the other way, Broussard was streaking down the sideline and Nelson had a line on him. The pass was dropped inside, and Broussard clearly saw Nelson targeting him. Rather than cut in to go after the ball, Broussard took a less aggressive angle, allowing the ball to fall harmlessly to the ground.

Matt Jones made his final grab of the night once again going up and over the top of Reggie Nelson on a lob pass from David Garrard along the sideline. Matt is clearly doing everything within his power to salvage something here in Jacksonville as he has suddenly become more focused and aggressive in his approach to his craft. It is good to see.

James Wyche, who once again spent a lot of time in the backfield, finally got a sack on Cleo Lemon, chasing him out of the pocket and out of bounds.

The practice session ended with Fred Taylor showing the rest of the running backs who the centerpiece of the running game really is, cutting, and showing quick burst as he sliced through the defense and blew into the secondary for a big gain.

Final Impressions:

The crowd at the practice started out great, but thinned out quickly once the actual grind of practice began. There were a few hecklers out there aiming their barbs at Matt Jones, but most of the other folks in the bleachers were quick to squelch their nonsense, supporting the guys on the field. With his performance in camp thus far, the naysayer segment of the fan base is going to be struggling for things to bash Jones over. If the legal issues are resolved, he is going to make it difficult for the coaching staff to envision a roster without him in it. Unless he has a sudden return of old Matt, he is going to put the pressure on the coach to make a decision here.

The defense was able to step it up a bit. There were some hits and misses. Groves looked fast, but did have a tendency to get handled when he went up against Khalif Barnes. Barnes pancaked him on at least one play, and walked him around plays on more than one occasion. The rookie has a lot to learn.

The good news is that he may have time to develop because Gregg Williams’ defense may not require all of our pass rush to come from the edge. He is running guys at the quarterback from every possible angle and this is only the first week of camp. He is not hiding much.

James Wyche is also making the case to find a roster spot. If he can stay healthy, he will almost certainly be in a position to have an impact on this roster.

More later!

Camping with FBT: 7/27 pm camp report

FBT — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:34:44 -0000

The Jags took the field tonight under somewhat humid, but cooler conditions than during the early sessions. Still, the humidity claimed a couple of victims on the field in the night session. The boys were in shells tonight as they prepare for the next step as the pads go on tomorrow night beginning the portion of training camp where the defense can finally be heard from.

The players that did not participate in practice included Jerry Porter, Dennis Northcutt, George Wrighster, Chad Nkang, Jeremy Mincey, and Reggie Williams. The good news on Williams is that he did not appear to be limping, and while his knee was wrapped and iced early in practice, he took off all of the wrappings later on and was walking around looking fine.

The team is clearly tinkering with the rotations both on the offensive line at left tackle, and again with the linebacker corps. On the line, Barnes and Collier both spent about the same amount of time with the first and second team lines. And on the linebacker corps, Clint Ingram was in the rotation with Mike Peterson and Daryl Smith this evening.

Let’s get right into the drills because there was plenty of action this evening to talk about.

2 x 1:

On the very first play of the drill, there was a slight scare as the unit that was on the field turf started their portion. As Mike Walker took the field, he slipped on his first cut when running a simple curl route. He appeared to come up somewhat gimpy on the play, walking off to the sideline and looking to be somewhat in distress. However, a few plays later, he was back on the field, and did not show any effects from the incident for the remainder of practice.

The field turf was chewing up the receivers at a nice clip early in the session. Not only did Mike Walker slip and fall, but so did John Broussard and Ryan Hogue. Even Matt Jones slipped, but he was able to keep his footing on the cut.

During the drill, Mike Walker was able to return and show the same crispness in his route running and ball skills that made him such a popular player during camp last season. He also showed great deep speed. Unfortunately, on the one play where he had Rashean Mathis beaten by a full step on a go route, David Garrard delivered the pass a bit short of the mark. The ball wound up bouncing off of Mathis’ helmet. He almost intercepted the pass off the carom.

Walker also went toe-to-toe with Drayton Florence, and on another deep pass from Garrard on the deep sideline route, Florence was able to prevent the ball from being brought in for what would have been a touchdown.

John Broussard is quickly getting his stride in camp. He had a couple of very nicely executed plays during the session, including one route in which he made such a precise cut that when Trae Williams went to cut to stick with his coverage, he lost a shoe. On another play, Broussard had Reggie Nelson beaten by two full steps on a deep pass, but the ball was thrown short by David Garrard, and Neslon was able to knock the ball away.

Troy Williamson showed some nice route running and ball skill as he was able to shake Drayton Florence on a quick curl route that caught the DB off guard. Williamson came back later in the drill and pulled the same move on Gerald Sensabaugh finding similar success on the play.

Clyde Edwards, who has been relatively quiet thus far in training camp, made what had to be the play of the drill. On a deep seam route with Brian Witherspoon in coverage, David Garrard came up a bit short on the pass. That wound up helping the play as Edwards was able to stop his route and come back for the ball, shaking Witherspoon in the process and scoring a touchdown.

Edwards came back later in the drill and showed that he can make the plays over the middle as well, victimizing Trae Williams as he got position on him in traffic. Todd Bowman put the ball right in the spot that it needed to be, and Edwards was able to wrest the ball away from Williams who had the play covered as well as could be expected.

D’Juan Woods showed some nice route running skils as well, faking a corner route, and then going for the post. When he made the fake and then the cut, he got Isaiah Gardner tangled up in his own feet, causing him to fall down on the play, leaving the receiver wide open on the play.

Todd Bowman struggled considerably with his accuracy this evening. On at least a couple of occasions, he missed his receivers badly on simple plays. In one particular instance, he had Ryan Hogue wide open on a sideline route where Hogue had shaken Michael Grant in coverage. The pass was delivered late, and fell short of the mark landing on the field turf.

Later in practice, he was almost intercepted by Grant again when he completely missed Clyde Edwards on a mid-range sideline pass. He was fortunate that the ball fell incomplete.

11 x 11 (Part I):

The session started off with a little bit of Fred Taylor coming out of the backfield and taking a short dump off pass from David Garrard. Fred threw it into high gear and showed that those 32 year old legs have plenty of steam left in them.

Reggie Hayward is quietly starting to step up his game. During the 11 x 11 drills, he was constantly in Garrard’s face on plays. On one particular play, he could have sacked David twice on the play. Garrard was able to run out of the backfield for a short gain, but if there was contact, he would have been done. Hayward showed nice quickness in getting to the quarterback, and then chased him to the far sideline until Garrard was safely out of bounds.

From that point in the first 11 x 11, it became clear that the defense, in shells, was going to step up their game. After completing a pass to D’Juan Woods for a short gain, David Garrard had his next pass intended for Matt Jones over the middle batted down by John Henderson. On the next play, Garrard was chased out of the pocket by James Wyche and Paul Spicer who flushed him out and followed him to the sideline.

Cleo Lemon continues to look fairly solid. He has nice touch on his deeper passes, although he clearly does not possess the same velocity on his fastball that Garrard does. However, he has a feel for putting the pass over the top particularly on the deeper sideline routes. He connected with Ryan Hogue on a deep sideline pass, going over Jamaal Fudge on the play to make a big gain.

Lemon was almost picked off on the next play when he tried to go deep again to John Broussard. Fudge could not get a handle on the ball or it would have been intercepted.

Field Goal Drills:

The team ran a few plays to let Josh Scobee stretch the leg. On 6 attempts, Scobee nailed it from 30 yards twice, 34, 35, 36, and 44 yards consecutively.

7 x 7:

Mike Walker continued to show nice things during the drill, making three strong catches, two of which are worth noting. On one of the plays, Walker was able to haul in a deep corner pass from David Garrard making a nice falling catch. He came back later in the session and pulled in a terrific catch over Rashod Moulton and in front of Gerald Sensabaugh on a pass from Cleo Lemon. The deep pass was dropped perfectly in the gap, and Walker made a great effort at the goal line to get the ball into the end zone. He came up short, but it was still a valiant effort on his part.

Montell Owens found himself in Kennedy Pola’s dog house for a bit this evening. After dropping a routine pass from Cleo Lemon on a short crossing route, Pola had the running back drop and give him 20 right there on the field. The last guy that wound up on Kennedy Pola’s list was cut this spring, so Montell needs to be more attentive to the ball. The message must have gotten through. He went back out three plays later and hauled in the same pass without any trouble, and did not miss anything else for the remainder of practice.

Paul Smith connected with Ryan Hogue on a deep out pattern over the top of Rashod Moulton. Hogue has shown solid ball skills through the first two days of training camp, catching almost everything thrown in his zip code.

Matt Jones showed a little tenacity on a crossing route with Reggie Nelson in coverage. Garrard put the ball in Jones’ hands, and Nelson immediately went for the ball. Jones fought him off and held on to the pass after getting hit twice by Nelson to shake the ball loose.

Marcedes Lewis had an opportunity to make a great play in triple coverage on a deep post pattern from David Garrard. The bullet hit Marcedes squarely in the chest, but he was unable to hold on to the ball. The ball was perfectly delivered into coverage, but it appeared that Lewis had his concentration broken on the play.

Greg Jones showed uncharacteristically bad hands on a little crossing route. Garrard put the ball out in front of him in traffic and Jones simply muffed the catch.

Charles Davis continues to make his case, making another nice grab along the sideline on a deep pass from Cleo Lemon. For a big guy, he runs solid routes and shows some decent ball skill.

Paul Smith once again found a teal jersey when he was intercepted by Brian Witherspoon on a play. Witherspoon showed some nice speed on the return.

Another player trying to make an impression is Anthony Cotrone. He showed strong concentration in double coverage going over the middle on a crossing route. The pass from Todd Bowman was threaded into coverage, and the catch Cotrone made was worthy enough for him to get a congratulatory pat by Kennedy Pola when he returned to the sideline.

Pierson Prioleau made a nice play to bat away a sure touchdown pass delivered by David Garrard and intended for Clyde Edwards.

11 x 11 (Part II):

Reggie Hayward continued to have a solid night, getting what would have been a sack on David Garrard if there was contact allowed. As it was, Hayward was practically dancing with David on the play.

On the next play, Garrard threw behind Matt Jones on a crossing pattern. The ball was low, and Jones tried to adjust to go back after the pass, but momentum would have none of that. Instead, Brian Williams graciously took the ball the other way, intercepting the errant pass.

Before the next play started, the Jaguars had two players that appeared to be overcome by heat and humidity. It must have been awfully funny to Reggie Hayward because he fell down laughing at the line, and when he did, the training staff thought he was hurt. They came running to his aide, but discovered quickly that he was fine. However, the lineman that went down in a heap at the line was none other than the infamous phantom camp injury guy, John Henderson. While that was going on, on the other side of the line, D’Juan Woods was truly overcome by the heat and had to be assisted to the training shed by two members of the training staff. His situation appeared to be more serious as the trainers immediately pulled off his shells, and shirts. He was looking awfully wobbly out there when they were helping him off the field. He was clearly in distress.

When play resumed, Charles Davis took a pass from Cleo Lemon on a slant pattern and turned it into a long gain. He once again showed some nice moves to get to the ball in traffic, and then went through a couple of defensive backs on the play.

Mike Walker made a great move on a deep pass from Cleo Lemon on the sideline. Walker had to turn to try to catch the ball on his back shoulder while trying to shed Gerald Sensabaugh who was blanketing him in coverage. At the last second, Sensabaugh won the battle, and the ball fell incomplete.

Richard Angulo made a nice play on a deep corner route, pulling down a high pass from Todd Bowman on the sideline, keeping his feet in bounds until he had control.

James Wyche has started to step up his game, becoming a fixture in the back field reminiscent of training camp 2007 where he was an absolute terror. On one play in particular, he had a line on David Garrard that would have resulted in a sack. He showed nice speed getting into the backfield and disrupting the play. Garrard was able to get the pass off and Troy Williamson made a terrific diving catch, but the pass never would have happened if the defender was allowed to engage.

Garrard came back on the very next play and threw the same pass to Mike Walker, who also made a very nice grab, staying upright and getting decent yards after the catch to pad the play a bit.

Fred Taylor shows that he still has the ability to shift the entire defense. On his final carry of the night, Taylor went left behind Maurice Williams, but the defense had collapsed that side of the line. Taylor quickly cut to the right, and broke off on a big run the other way as the defense was trying to regain their footing. It was vintage Freddie.

The final play of the night was another nice grab by Troy Williamson. Cleo Lemon launched a deep pass down the sideline, and Williamson made a terrific diving grab in front of Drayton Florence. The coaching staff was clearly pleased enough to call it a night after that play.

Final impressions:

The defense obviously is ready to assert itself. There were several blitz packages being teased out there tonight, and Reggie Nelson was involved in quite a few of them. They are clearly going to be more aggressive in going after the quarterback, and they are going to be coming after the signal caller from all angles. This approach is different from years past. Seeing it in action when the team goes live with contact should be fun to watch.

The receiving battle is heating up quite nicely. With Northcutt now on the sideline, joining Reggie Williams and Jerry Porter, the top three receivers are down with injuries, but the passing game has not really missed a beat. Thankfully, none of the injuries are serious. But, it is encouraging that we are starting to see Mike Walker and John Broussard emerging along with Troy Williamson. Matt Jones is also having a solid training camp. The added repetitions also help bubble guys like Ryan Hogue to try to impress the coaches enough to possibly find their way on to the practice squad at the very worst.

More later!