SB Nation User Blog: River City Rage

Sunday Morning Off-Topic: Sports Writing Legend Jim Murray

River City Rage — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:38:40 -0000

This week's "off-topic" reading comes from a legend in the field of sports writing. Jim Murray. This piece was composed after Murray lost his vision due to a detached retina. It's a wonderful piece, but sad at the same time.

Join us after the jump for the story.

-Chris

OK, bang the drum slowly, professor. Muffle the cymbals and the laugh track. You might say that Old Blue Eye is back. But that's as funny as this is going to get.

I feel I owe my friends an explanation as to where I've been all these weeks. Believe me, I would rather have been in a press box.

I lost an old friend the other day. He was blue-eyed, impish, he cried a lot with me, saw a great many things with me. I don't know why he left me. Boredom, perhaps.

We read a lot of books together, we did a lot of crossword puzzles together, we saw films together. He had a pretty exciting life. He saw Babe Ruth hit a home run when we were both 12 years old. He saw Willie Mays steal second base, he saw Maury Wills steal his 104th base. He saw Rocky Marciano get up. I thought he led a pretty good life.

One night a long time ago he saw this pretty girl who laughed a lot, played the piano and he couldn't look away from her. Later he looked on as I married this pretty lady.

He saw her through 34 years. He loved to see her laugh, he loved to see her happy.

You see, the friend I lost was my eye. My good eye. The other eye, the right one, we've been carrying for years. We just let him tag along like Don Quixote's nag. It's been a long time since he could read the number on a halfback or tell whether a ball was fair or foul or even which fighter was down.

So, one blue eye missing and the other misses a lot.

So my best friend left me, at least temporarily, in a twilight world where it's always 8 o'clock on a summer night.

He stole away like a thief in the night and he took a lot with him. But not everything. He left a lot of memories. He couldn't take those with him. He just took the future with him and the present. He couldn't take the past.

I don't know why he had to go. I thought we were pals. I thought the things we did together we enjoyed doing together. Sure, we cried together. There were things to cry about.

But it was a long, good relationship, a happy one. It went all the way back to the days when we arranged all the marbles in a circle in the dirt in the lots in Connecticut. We played one-old-cat baseball. We saw curveballs together, trying to hit them or catch them. We looked through a catcher's mask together. We were partners in every sense of the word.

He recorded the happy moments, the miracle of children, the beauty of a Pacific sunset, snowcapped mountains, faces on Christmas morning. He allowed me to hit fly balls to young sons in uniforms two sizes too large, to see a pretty daughter march in halftime parades. He allowed me to see most of the major sports events of our time. I suppose I should be grateful that he didn't drift away when I was 12 or 15 or 29 but stuck around over 50 years until we had a vault of memories. Still, I'm only human. I'd like to see again, if possible, Rocky Marciano with his nose bleeding, behind on points and the other guy coming.

I guess I would like to see Reggie Jackson with the count 3-and-2 and the series on the line, guessing fastball. I guess I'd like to see Rod Carew with men on first and second and no place to put him, and the pitcher wishing he were standing in the rain someplace, reluctant to let go of the ball.

I'd like to see Stan Musial crouched around a curveball one more time. I'd like to see Don Drysdale trying to not laugh as a young hitter came up there with both feet in the bucket.

I'd like to see Sandy Koufax just once more facing Willie Mays with a no-hitter on the line. I'd like to see Maury Wills with a big lead against a pitcher with a good move. I'd like to see Roberto Clemente with the ball and a guy trying to go from first to third. I'd like to see Pete Rose sliding into home headfirst.

I'd like once more to see Henry Aaron standing there with that quiet bat, a study in deadliness. I'd like to see Bob Gibson scowling at a hitter as if he had some nerve just to pick up a bat. I'd like to see Elroy Hirsch going out for a long one from Bob Waterfield, Johnny Unitas in high-cuts picking apart a zone defense. I'd like to see Casey Stengel walking to the mound on his gnarled old legs to take a pitcher out, beckoning his gnarled old finger behind his back.

I'd like to see Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali giving a recital, a ballet, not a fight. Also, to be sure, I'd like to see a sky full of stars, moonlight on the water, and yes, the tips of a royal flush peeking out as I fan out a poker hand, and yes, a straight two-foot putt.

Come to think of it, I'm lucky. I saw all of those things. I see them yet.

4th of July Head to Head: Patriots vs. Patriots

River City Rage — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:16:22 -0000

Head to Head: American Patriots vs. New England Patriots

With the 4th of July saving us from an otherwise boring day, it's important to remember the accomplisments of our founding fathers. What better way to admire their greatness than to compare them to the "Patriots" of today.

Head Coach: George Washington versus Bill Belichick

George Washington led the upstart but under armed American Army to a dramatic victory over the British at Yorktown. Bill Belichick led the upstart but under armed 2001 New England Patriots to a dramatic victory of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Winner: George Washington. Both were upstarts, but the British were a little less one diminsonal than the Rams. Besides, Washington dealt with vicious winters, the Rams played in a dome.

Leadership: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams versus Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi

This is a tougher battle than it looks, if you're willing to discount the incredible significange of the former for the football skills of the latter. Thomas and John were the intellectual backbone of the American Revolution, the sparing between the Massachusetts farmer and the Virginia Plantation owner would define the revolution itself. Jefferson and Adams would struggle over the years, but their friendship and embodiment of the philosophical side of the revolution still ring today. Sorry Tedy and Tom, no matter how good you guys are on the field, there's no way you stack up here.

Wild Card: Samuel Adams versus Rodney Harrison

One is the leader behind Boston's protests to the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party, the other is the "dirtiest" player in the NFL. Both have a larger reputation than they deserve, but the scale is on Samuel's side. Unless Rodney starts a brewery, then it might close to a draw.

Conclusion: Patriots Win!

By that, we mean the real patriots, the ones that signed the Declaration of Independence, the ones that stood up against the largest empire in the world and declared in one voice that they would not stand for imperial tyranny, that these United States would stand together and unite against oppression.

No matter how important football may seem, nothing can be more significant than what the Founding Fathers of this great nation did in 1776. On this day, we insist that everyone takes a few minutes and reads the declaration in its entirely. It's worth the time. You can read it below the fold.

We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday! Please remember our Armed Services as they're deployed around the world.

-Chris

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

A Conversation with Jaguars.com Editor-in-Chief Vic Ketchman: Part Two!

River City Rage — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:46:36 -0000

Our interview with Jaguars.com Editor-in-Chief Vic Ketchman continues

Chris: On a more serious note, my expectation for the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars is to eliminate the "yeah, but" from the team. By that I mean casting off the "yeah, but they couldn't beat Indianapolis" or "yeah, but they didn't win the division", when discussing the team in comparison to the top tier of the NFL. What are your expectations for the 2008 Jaguars? Do you think the Jaguars will seriously contend for the division and give Indianapolis a challenge?

Vic: Yeah, I do and in fact I not only think they can, I think the expectation is that they will. That should be the expectation. In my opinion the goal going into this season as we sit here in June is win the division. I know, the goal is always win the super bowl, but there is plenty of time for readjusting the goals heading into the postseason. They'll be plenty of time to readjust the goals based on new circumstances that present themselves along the way. You're going to have injuries, you're going to have a surprise sleeper team come from nowhere, you're going to have a situation heading into the postseason that you didn't expect. There's going to be surprises. So there will be plenty of time to readjust the goals, or not so much readjusting the goals, because it's always "win it all", but there's plenty of time to reorder our thoughts when the regular season comes to an end and this team heads into the postseason, if in fact it's going to make the playoffs.

At this point in time there is no doubt in my mind a very crystal clear goal is win the division. I say that not only because this is a pursuit that has eluded this team for all these years while Indianapolis has dominated the division, but I say that because mostly because if you look at the schedule, you'll see that three of the first four games of the year are against the Jaguars opponents in the AFC South.

Chris: We'll know where we are in the division race before October 1st.

Vic: Exactly. The bottom line is that if at the end of september the Jaguars haven't won at least two of those three games, it's a bitter disappointment.

Chris: We'll know if the Jaguars will be a wild-card or a division contending team by that point.

Vic: Well, no. I don't want to suggest that the season will be decided by the first of october. What we'll know is if this team will disappoint us as far as it's performance against teams in the AFC South. This team does not have a good record against AFC South teams and that's why it hasn't won the division.

So in my opinion the goal has to be to beat division opponents and win the division. I think that the immediacy of what the schedule presents makes that goal very obvious. You've got to win division games, and you've got half the games you're going to play in the division in the first four weeks of the season. So what does that tell you? If that doesn't scream out that the goal is "win a division title", then I think you have to be trying to ignore it.

Chris: Huge topic shift here, if you don't mind. What writers would you say influenced you in your development as a Journalist?

Vic: The honest answer there is that there are too many to name. Here's why. For just about all the years of my career I have been an editor. Which means that I'm reading all the stuff of the guys on my staff, which means that I'm reading a lot of guys. Guys on my staff, guys on other newspapers staffs, all the Jim Murray's, all the syndicated guys, and all of that stuff. Everything I read impacts me. Jim Murray would be the trendy answer for someone from my generation because he was such a dominant writer when I was at the most impressionable age. His column on Woody Hayes is immortal.

Jim Murray's column about losing his best friend, his eyesight, is something I'll never forget. Clearly Jim Murray is one of those guys and one of those names I could throw at you that people would recognize, but there are a lot of guys whose names you wouldn't recognize that have had major impacts on the way I wanted to write.

One of the things I really liked about re-reading what I wrote from 1981, and I haven't read anything that I wrote from that far back until I read that recently on your website, but the thing that hit me from reading that was that my style hasn't changed. You know what style is another word for? Personality. You are what you are. You can't make a style. You can't sit down and say "I like Jim Murray style, I'm going to write Jim Murray style". You can read Murray and get an appreciation for how he perceived the same thing that you've seen, but you can't write according to someone else's style. Style is unique, it is your own, and if I got something from the Jim Murray's of the world it was inspiration. I never felt that I was capable of imitating them, but I was clearly inspired by them.

I would urge everyone who has an appreciation for sports-writing to somehow look up or find the Jim Murray column on how he lost his best friend, his eyesight and read that column on what those eyes had seen. It's a beautiful piece of sports-writing and it's what we don't do enough of these days. We give too much of our time to the Chad Johnson's of the world who just blather and blather and tell the people nothing that they didn't already know. Which is to say that it's all about them. We don't have enough guys who give us real prose, who give us real literature, some real drama, some really worthwhile writing.

Chris: One of the hot issues in journalism and sports-writing is the rise of the internet and the role of Blogging in sports coverage. Specifically the tension that is growing between people like me, on the outside of coverage, and those on the inside in traditional journalism.   The debate recently embroiled Buzz Bissenger, author of Friday Night Lights, and Will Leitch of Deadspin.com in a very public fight. What do you think of the rise of new media and how it relates to what you do?

Vic: Whatever you're going to ask, I can answer it this way. I have one great advantage; I'm too small, too insignificant, and I'm too thick skinned to care. Also, I believe, very very strongly in freedom of speech. It's number one of all of our freedoms, it's number one. I'd rather not be called dirty names, and there are probably more distinguished of expressing dissent, but if you want to rip me, that's OK, go ahead.

Chris: It's the readers right to choose what they read?

Vic: Yeah, I'm OK with it. I'm too small and too insignificant to think I'm too big to be criticized. I am clearly not above it.

Chris: If you had to identify something to watch out for as a potential problem for the 2008 Jaguars, a problem area or position, what would you keep an eye on as we get into Training Camp?

Vic: I have tried to answer that question. While alone, I'll be driving down the road and I'll think to myself "What's the trouble spot on this team?, come on Ketchman, every team has one, you're missing it". And I can''t come up with an answer.

I have some candidates: for whatever reasons my instincts tell me that the defensive line is still an issue. You've drafted two guys, but I think it's unfair to expect them to be Bubba Smith and Deacon Jones in their rookie seasons. We've counted on Rob Meier for so many years to be the answer at defensive end or defensive tackle whenever we've needed him, but we've never counted on him to be a starter. That's a new role for him. It's not like coming off the bench for a play here and a play there or a game here and a game there. John Henderson was up and down last season, was that just a departure from what he has been in previous years or is it something to be concerned about. I don't know what the answer to these are, but if there was one place I could put my finger on as a place of concern, it would probably be the defensive line.

Can Rob Meier be an every down, every game player? Will John Henderson play like he did at the end of last season or will he be like he was at the beginning of the season? Can Paul Spicer do it again? Can Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves do it right away? Those are a lot of questions. That's why I would point my finger at the defensive line. But remember, the answer to those questions could be on the positive side?

Chris: Do you think Defensive End Reggie Hayward could be a "surprise cut" through training camp? Looking at the roster it seems unlikely that the Jaguars would carry as many players as the have on the Defensive Line. It's almost like Hayward is competing less against the rookies at defensive end and more against how many players the Jaguars want to carry on other positions like offensive line, etc.

Vic: He's competing against Harvey and Groves. They drafted two defensive ends, figure it out.

Chris: Yes, Reggie is obviously competing against the rookies, what I mean is that Reggie's future with the team could depend on how many players they want to keep at other positions.

Vic: Chris, they didn't draft defensive ends with their first two picks because they liked the depth they had. Clearly the intent is to upgrade defensive end. Reggie is being challenged. We know about his Achilles injury and that's why he's being challenged. Before that injury, if he was the guy he was before he got hurt, they'd never of made those picks. These were need draft picks and the Jaguars jockeyed themselves to into position to fit themselves where the player was.

You betcha, he's facing a big challenge. He's a great guy, he's a guy I'll rooting for him every step of the way. I love the guy. he's a sensational interview, he's a real reporters dream.

Chris: On Matt Jones. There were some reports that there an element of punishment as to what was happening to Matt Jones and OTA's. Specifically that the team was going to hold onto Matt for as long as possible and then release him after most teams have set their rosters.

Vic: I have no information along those lines. I will tell you this, that I watch very closely for these kind of indicators. I don't try to play scout, I try to play reporter. I know what a reporter should be looking for. What I saw during OTA's was Todd Monken, the Wide Receivers Coach, working with Matt Jones individually before and after every practice every day, throwing him ball after ball after ball trying to improve his catching skills. Working with him in an individual capacity day after day after day. Why would a coach dedicate all that extra team if a decision has already been made to release him. Those are things that a reporter looks for. Forget all that cover 2, cover 3 crap, I'll leave that for the experts, the ex players and their analysis. I'm not a scout, I'm not an ex player, I'm a reporter. When I go out to practice, I look for little things that will tell me what the truth is.   The truth is that Todd Monken gave more of his extra time during spring practices to Matt Jones than any other wide receiver on the team. That's a fact. That's an opinion of what I believe is a fact.

It's up to Matt, they haven't quit on him, it's up to Matt. He'll decide based on what he dose during training camp what his position and place with the team will be.

Chris: Do you think placing a guy like Mike Walker on the PUP list is an option for buying the Jaguars a little more time to figure out what to do at receiver?

Vic: I'm not clairvoyant. I know that he's got an issue with his knee and that he has to prove to Jack Del Rio that his knee can hold up to the daily regimen of training camp. If they see that he's the same guy day after day after day that will indicate that the knee is ready to take the punishment. If he's not as good tomorrow or the day after and they see that there is a decline then they have to react accordingly, whatever that means.

In the last week of OTA's, he was better every day. That's the good thing right now. He only practiced for the last 8 or nine days of spring practices, but he was better every day and really, really, had an eye-popping practice on the final day. All the indicators there are good. They'll be watching closely.

Thank you Vic for taking the time to talk with us!

A Conversation with Jacksonville Jaguars Editor-in-Chief Vic Ketchman: Part One

River City Rage — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:16:33 -0000

A Conversation with Vic Ketchman: Part One

I was fortunate enough to talk to Jaguars.com Editor-in-Chief and leader of the Ask Vic Community Vic Ketchman in a long conversation. Vic and I discuss everything from the end of the Byron Leftwich era to the expectations for the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars. Vic, if you're not familiar, can be read every day at Jaguars.com. This is part one of three of our chat.

Chris: What are your thoughts on the hyper-intense coverage of OTA's and Minicamp? Do you think it the scrutiny over what are in essence underwear practices become harmful?

Vic: It's a matter of keeping it in perspective. Achieving perspective makes it all worth while. Achieving perspective is the important thing. I don't think that the coverage is nearly as important as the reading of the coverage because there's just not a lot to write. The spring practice season is, other than if a news event occurs (someone gets hurt, a particular news issue that can be featured such as a change in offensive philosophy, a change in the quarterback position), other than for real news items such as that, it's a benign reporting time. The onus is on the reader to make sure that he, in my opinion, reads the information for what it's worth instead of trying to read into the information. You're just not going to get depth chart decisions, you're just not going to get long term impact from what happens in the spring practices.

We saw that a year ago. All of the 2007 spring OTA's were dedicated to the reestablishment of Byron Leftwich as the teams starting quarterback. All of the 2007 OTA's were dedicated to Dirk Koetter reclaiming Byron Leftwich's career. By the end of the preseason, he was gone. Whatever happened in the OTA's period, as it related to Byron Leftwich was meaningless. That's the critical thing, keep it in perspective. The reader has to keep spring in perspective.

Chris: The Byron Leftwich situation: Was that one of the more surprising events you've covered with a team?

Vic: You know, I don't want this to sound self-serving in any way, but the answer is no, and here's why. We, and when I say we I mean the sports writers that cover the team, were given several little hints and indications along the way, going all the way back to the end of OTA's in 07. We were given several little nudges that should have let us know that this wasn't written in stone.

Hint number one was Jack Del Rio's voluntary admission of interest in Daunte Culpepper. The moment he voluntary expressed his interest in Daunte Culpepper, and the operative word is voluntary, you had to know. You had to be really thick not to know that this wasn't a done deal. At that point in OTA's, there was like a week left, it wasn't going well. When the coach comes out and expresses in a quarterback, another quarterback in the league, that's a very strong indicator that the coach is not satisfied

That was one indication. Then we came forward into training camp and at about the one week mark David Garrard started throwing the ball like Sammy Baugh. Coaches, People started saying little things. I would have a coach say this to me or say that to me, that's the way it's supposed to be. Sportswriters are supposed to be on the inside and they're supposed to have relationships with people in the know and in the decision making arena, and they tend to try and help the writers understand that something is happening, in case you missed it. I didn't miss it because you had to be blind to miss this one. It was so completely out in front that you had to be absolutely blind not to see. I don't want to say that, I don't want to offend people who are sight challenged. You had to turn your head not to see what was happening. The guy was throwing the ball, as I said, like Sammy Baugh and when he carried that into the preseason and did it over and over and over, there was no question in my mind that there was an issue involved and nothing was written in stone.

I can say that will all confidence because if you go back and find a tape of the pregame radio show that brian, jeff and I did for the game in Green Bay, what you'll hear me say is that in my opinion, Byron Leftwich was facing a crossroads game, was facing a critical game as far as his future with the team. I don't think I came out and said it, that his career was on the line, but I was sending every possible hint I could in this pregame radio show that he was under the microscope that night. When it went as bad as it did for him that night, there was no doubt in my mind what was going to happen. Guys making his salary, guys in his position don't go to the bench, they get cut.

What happened there, it shouldn't have been as dramatic as it seemed. It should have been something that we saw coming.

Chris: I remember being a fan and a writer during the end of the Leftwich era and treating all the obvious signs as something other than the end of Byron. The Cullpepper announcement was Jack sending a message, nothing more. I fell into a delusion that Byron was the guy and no matter what I saw, myself and a lot of other people wouldn't process what our eyes saw with our brains. Hindsight, of course, is 20-20, but for every obvious sign, I'll admit to a big sense of denial.

Vic: Chris, I was harshly criticized for telling people there was a quarterback competition, for suggesting that Byron's status with the team wasn't written in stone. I wanted people to know the truth.

Chris: I can only imagine the deep-seated nastiness you received in the Ask Vic mailbox for implying that Byron was on the outs and David was coming in.

Vic: Oh yeah, the Byron versus David thing was a hot potato, there was a firestorm of opinion, both ways. Immediately I was perceived as coming over to the David Garrard camp. I was only in one camp, the camp of the truth. Of respecting my readers enough to provide them with the truth. It was more obvious than anything I've ever covered. It was written on the practice field on training camp, it was written on the faces of the coaches, it was etched on their lips, it was muttered in the hallways. There was no question that there was an issue at quarterback, and the issue was very clearly David Garrard's blockbuster performance in preseason games and on the practice field versus Byron Leftwiche's less than satisfactory performance. There's really no other way to put it. I just wanted people to know what was going on because I was sure of my information.

Chris: Not to jump topics too quickly, but I've got a tongue-in-cheek question from Collin: He, and all our readers would like to know more about your relationship with Mr. Snoop Dogg.

Vic: Ha ha, You're really not going to ask me that question.

Part Two: Expectations for the Jaguars! To be Continued!

-Chris

Quick Bytes: 25 Days till Training Camp

River City Rage — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:21:44 -0000

Quick Bytes: The daily digest of everything you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars (and other things).
Today is the first day of July, which means the Jacksonville Jaguars are a mere 25 short days until opening training camp! This also means that there is 25 long days where there is very little Jaguars news, updates, or anything else to hear as far as official reports. But that certainly does not mean that there's nothing to talk about, just that the reguar media is basically on vacation for the next three weeks or so.
: Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline has two articles of note. His first, the "Breakout Players of 2008" feature is a typical "dead zone" article where potential and speculation reigns over fact. Facts, of course, are few and far between right now, but whatever:

26. Troy Williamson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: He was considered a flop in Minnesota after his selection in the first round of the 2005 draft. He had 79 catches in his first three seasons, just 24 in 2007. That's why the Vikings traded him to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. During the Jaguars' offseason work, Williamson was outstanding. He didn't drop a pass. If that carries over to camp, his speed will be a big addition to the Jacksonville passing game.

What I meant by typical is that Prisco starts with #30, and is listing 10 a week for three weeks. So we'll have 20 more days until we know who he picks at the top. Williamson is an interesting pick though, he's shown lots of potential in Jacksonville so far, but the team will know nothing until he does it in a real honest game.
: Prisco also does another typical "dead zone" trick by listing his Top 50 Players by Position. It's fundamentally impossible to rate players across teams and positions because each have a completely different value. Technically, the top 32 of the 50 should be the Quarterbacks, since they have more value to a team than any other position, but that's not how this works. Here are the highlights:

1. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: Can he do any more than he did last season? The scary thing for the rest of the league is, yes he can.

Ugh. I see where this is going.

6. Mario Williams, DE, Houston Texans: Williams is making the Texans proud for passing on Reggie Bush and Vince Young to take this pass rusher. He might have been the league's best defensive player in the final eight weeks of 2007.

I'll admit, I admire what the Texans are doing on defense. By that I mean I respect how they are creating an "anti-Colts" defense in the same way the Jaguars tried in the early Del Rio era. Mario Williams was a vastly better choice than Reggie Bush. Give them credit, they made a good choice here.

49. Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Taylor finally got his due last season with his first Pro Bowl appearance. At 32, he remains one of the biggest home-run threats in the league. His 5.4 per-carry average was second best among the league's best rushers to Peterson (5.6).

Yup, that's number 49. Fred Taylor is the only Jaguar to get a mention, and even then it's 2nd from the bottom. David Garrard, Rashean Mathis, and Maurice Jones-Drew are forgotten. Kellen Winslow, Drew Brees, and Braylon Edwards all made the list though. I understand that there's no point in complaing about meaningless stuff like this, but there's something to be said about a guy who spent a long time covering the Jaguars to remember one player drafted since he left town.
: There's a new Jaguars blog on the FanSided Network. The fine folks at "Black and Teal" are just starting out, and it's a pretty good read. They already picked a fight with some Cowboys fans, which is a good way to earn some respect. It's like they play by prison rules and beat up the biggest guy in the yard on the first day. I look forward to keeping up with them as they get started!
: Charlie Bernstein of JagNation, Brendon Sonnone of Jaguars Journal and I did a podcast last night. If you're interested in seeing me painfully cop out on a question about the 1999 Jaguars vs. the 2008 Jaguars and other good commentary, you can download it for your listening pleasure here.
There's your Tuesday Morning dose of Jaguars goodness. We have a very long interview with Jaguars.com Editor Vic Ketchman coming up later today, so stay tuned for that!
-Chris

Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Philosophy: The Buddy Ryan Effect

River City Rage — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:03:43 -0000

Buddy Ryan, Gregg Williams and Jack Del Rio: Will their defensive philosophies create conflict or championships?

The Buddy Ryan Effect:

Last week, we discussed the history, philosophy, and possible effects of introducing Gregg Williams to the Jacksonville Jaguars. One name that comes up with any research into Gregg Williams is his tutelage under Buddy Ryan. Ryan is best known for developing the defense that would define the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 46 defense. Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Oilers, and Arizona Cardinals might disagree with that statement, of course, but the legacy of Ryan is in his approach to defenses. Gregg Williams is considered a disciple of Ryan, though he only technically worked under Ryan in 1993 with the Oilers. Though their time together was short, Williams defensive career is centered on emulating and developing the concepts established by Buddy Ryan. The "attack style" reputation of the Jaguars new defensive coordinator is ripped straight from the playbook of Ryan.

To better understand what Williams is going to bring to Jacksonville, we must first look at Buddy Ryan's contributions to Gregg's philosophy and how to translate that to the Jaguars.

On Attacking the Quarterback:

"Buddy Ryan said it best. It's hard for a quarterback to throw with tears in his eyes. We brought the whole house. We left our two corners back. Bledsoe went hot and got the ball out quickly. Terry Glenn caught it..."

The point of emphasis of a Buddy Ryan defense is to attack the pass protection in as many different ways as possible in order to shut down the quarterback. The object, simply put, is to expose the protection and eliminate the passer. It is not a senseless throwing of players at the offensive line in an act of desperation, but the specific and methodical attack of the offensive line in order to expose weaknesses in protection. Crudely put, it's a pack of velociraptors testing the fences in Jurassic Park, rather than the overwhelming but clumsy Tyrannosaurus Rex knocking down the towers with brute force.

While blitzing is nothing new to the NFL, Ryan took things to a whole different level with the development of the 46 defense.

This formation is named for Doug Plank's jersey number. Plank was a hard-hitting, hard-nosed, and nasty storung safety that allowed for the development of this formation. Notice all the players on the line of scrimmage. J and C are the strongside and weakside linebackers, (Jack and charlie in Ryan's system), with the mike or middle linebacker lined up between and behind the charlie linebacker and the defensive end. One defensive end is lined up directly over an offensive guard, one defensive tackle is directly over center (like a nose tackle), the other defensive tackle is right over the offensive guard, and finally there is a defensive end just outside the right tackle.

You'll notice that the strong safety is as close to the line of scrimmage as the middle linebacker. The strong safety would play the role of a run-stuffing linebacker or blitzer, leaving the free safety and cornerbacks in largely man-to-man coverage. Ryan could very easily shift his blitzers and cover men based on down, distance, and the offensive in front of him. The jack, charlie, or mike linebackers were fast enough to cover as well as blitz, though the latter was clearly preferred. What was important for Ryan was to probe the pass protection and identify weaknesses that could be exploited later. If linemen were making their blocks based on certain reads or looks, Ryan could call a blitz that took advantage of that reaction and find a way to leave a man unblocked.

To fully understand what Buddy Ryan developed, remember that
Bill Walsh would develop a short drop and well timed passing offense as a reaction to the blitz packages developed by Ryan. The "west coast offense" is seen by some football academics as a reaction to the aggressive attacks of defenses like the 1985 Chicago Bears. It is a slight oversimplification to say that it is only because of Ryan, but it is without doubt a factor.

On the Philosophy:

While the 46 defense is a major part of Buddy Ryan’s defensive toolbox, his philosophy is much broader than a personnel grouping. Much like when Gregg Williams claimed during a press conference that the Jaguars were going to use every defensive system ever created, Buddy Ryan used just about everything. In his 1993 Houston Oliers playbook, Ryan schemes a 4-3, 4-4, 46, 3-4, and everything in-between. Again, the crux of his philosophy is to probe the offensive pass protection and exploit a weakness, using one base defense all the time would be ineffective at exploiting the vulnerabilities and would remove the element of surprise and confusion from the attack.

To explore the Ryan and Williams philosophy further, we excerpt from the 1993 Oilers Defensive Playbook.

"Our defensive philosophy is simple. We will do anything and everything it takes to win, within the rules. We can only control what we do on our side of the ball, therefore we will approach every game with the plan of winning the game with defense"

Coachspeak, of course, but just the introduction:

"We will keep constant pressure on our opponent and their offense. Our multiple defensive scheme will hamper their ability to identify our intentions by giving them an ever-changing picture on defense."

"A quarterback has never completed a pass when he was flat on his back. We must hit the QB hard and often. QB’s are over-paid, over-rated, pompous bastards and must be punished. Great pass coverage is a direct result of a great pass rush, and a great pass rush is simply a relentless desire to get to the QB"

If Gregg Williams can bring this to Jacksonville this fall, we will be in for one hell of a show.

On the penetrating style of defense:

"In our penetrating defense the purpose of the defense is to force mistakes and throw our opponent for a loss and place great pressure on the passer. We will use penetrating type of defense a maority of the time in all positions on the field. The penetrating defense requires ability to read on the move. We must have great effort in getting into proper pursuit patterns. We feel, with the speed and ability of our team, we can achieve great success with these defenses."

What does this mean for Jacksonville?

This look back at Buddy Ryan is a healthy mix of speculation and optimism. The 46 defense is rarely used in the current NFL, Gregg Williams used it on occasion in Tennessee and Rex Ryan will experiment with the formation in Baltimore from time to time. It's unrealistic to expect Williams to completely undo everything from Jack Del Rio and Mike Smith in one season. This is why we distinguised between scheme and philosophy in the breakdown of Buddy Ryan and Gregg Williams' approach.

While it should not be surprising to see the Jaguars come out in a 46 at least once during training camp, it's implimentation as a serious part of our defense is very much in doubt. The Jaguars lack a serious contender at nose tackle, though situationally it might work with Henderson or McDaniel. The Jaguars will instead embrace the methodical attack of a Ryan defense, allowing the team to attack the quarterback through carefully measured pressure rather than overwhelming blitzing.

Much of this depends on the development of our pass-rushers. Should Quentin Groves and Derrick Harvey show promise in their first season, the amount of attacking should be very high. If the rookies are slow to develop or were injuries to mount, Williams will adjust accordingly and become a bend-don't-break defense.

Either way, there will be a visible change from the Mike Smith defense to the Gregg Williams defense. Smith was unafraid to attack when he had the ability, though the chess game of the Buddy Ryan/Gregg Williams system is different by degree than what the Jaguars had previously. Frankly, we have a great deal to be excited about. Whatever happens, it'll certainly be uncomfortable for the Mannings, Brady's, and Cutler's of the AFC.

Poll

Harvey and Groves will combine for how many sacks?

Paul Spicer Signs Contract Extension!

River City Rage — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:52:37 -0000

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer signed a contract extension today. According to a league source and posted on Pro Football Talk, Spicer signed a two year, eight million dollar extension. Paul led the Jaguars in sacks last year and served as a leader on the field and in the locker room. There was some worry that Spicer could be a problem as he missed part of the Jaguars offseason training activities.

The Jaguars approach training camp with the idea of having Paul Spicer the clear starter at left defensive end and a position battle on the right side. The extension of Spicer is going to send a message to Reggie Hayward that if he's not 100% as we go into training camp, he could find himself off the team. The Jaguars have a crowded field on the defensive line, and if you work through the guys that are nearly assured roster spots, it's clear that someone like Hayward could be cut. If Spicer, Harvey, and Groves are locks at end, and Meier, Henderson, and McDaniel are set at tackle, there are only 2 or 3 spots available for other defensive linemen.

Locking up Paul Spicer is a good thing for the players because it shows that the Jaguars are a team that rewards leadership and solid play, even for an older veteran. Should Spicer have as good of a year in 2008 as he did last season, the Jaguars are well on their way to a top ranked defense.

Will the Jaguars have trouble signing Derrick Harvey? (NO)

River City Rage — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:47:59 -0000

From the department of misleading statements:

Two "news" items caught my attention this morning. The first comes from Vito Stellino at the Florida Times-Union. In this article, Stellino explains some of the contract nuances surrounding Running Back Chauncey Washington, explores his roster possibilities, and takes a look at what it will take to sign Derrick Harvey.

ProFootballTalk, a site that trends toward negative stories in general, but especially toward the Jacksonville Jaguars, linked to the Times-Union story, under this headline:

Will the Jaguars have trouble signing first-round draft pick Derrick Harvey?

No.

Because Stellino speculated that Harvey would be the most difficult pick to sign, based on his draft spot in the first round and the rarity of 2nd round or later picks to hold out, PFT implies that the Jaguars will somehow fail at signing their pick. Stellino, whether he intended it or not, leads his readers to believe that Harvey is likely to hold out based on the top ten pick and being represented by CAA and Tom Condon.:

Harvey is represented by Ken Kremer of CAA football, an agency that includes Tom Condon, who represented former Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich when he was a holdout in 2003.

This is misleading. Condon and Kremer represent several current Jaguars, none of which are mentioned. Clint Ingram, Vincent Manuwai, Mike Peterson, Tutan Reyes, and Maurice Williams are CAA clients and have been quiet as far as contracts are concerned. Williams even received a new contract withiout too much headache.

Instead of implying that Harvey would holdout like Byron Leftwich did five years ago, he could have just as well said this:

Harvey is represented by Ken Kremer of CAA football, an agency that includes Tom Condon, who represents Jaguars offensive lineman Maurice Williams who received a contract extension in 2008.

Connecting Harvey's current contract negotiations with those of Byron Leftwich lead the reader to believe that there will be problems in getting the player signed before training camp when there is no reason to believe that could happen. Signing a franchise quarterback is always more complicated than signing a defensive end, no matter where the player was drafted. Joe Flacco will have a more complicated contract than Harvey even though Joe was drafted later inthe first round.

To imply, however thinnly, that because Harvey is with CAA, and CAA held a player out in the past is a poor way to create a story out of nothing. Even if Harvey did holdout for a week into training camp, it's much different than what happens with a quarterback. Harvey does not have to get into a comfortable relationship with receivers, linemen, and running backs, he just has to be ready to rush the quarterback. Paul Vance, who negotiates for the Jaguars, has a good record of getting picks signed and into camp, so there's really no reason to worry.

The only reason I even bring up this bit of media nitpicking is that PFT has an uncanny knack for setting the national tone of coverage. For better or for worse, people in high places read PFT, and when things are quiet like they are now, suddenly questions could be rasied about Harvey, and I'd like to cut off any worry as quickly as possible.

So shame on you PFT for running with the negitive take on a non-story, and shame on you Vito Stellino for leading your readers to a misleading conclusion.

-Chris

Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Pick Signed: RB Chauncey Washington

River City Rage — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:45:35 -0000

[Note by River City Rage, 06/27/08 12:28 AM EDT ] Salary Information is found! Washington got roughly $60,000 to sign along with minimum base salaries of $295,000 this season, $360,000 in 2009, $440,000 in 2010 and $550,000 in 2011.

The Florida Times-Union is reporting that the Jacksonville Jaguars have signed 7th round draft pick Chauncey Washington to a contract. Chauncey is the first of the Jaguars five draft picks to sign a contract. The Jaguars recently released five players to ensure room for the draft picks under the 80-man roster limit.

The Jaguars have a strict policy to not release terms and conditions, including signing bonus and duration were not released, though for a 7th round player it's not much of a concern.

Washington is one of four running backs currently on the Jaguars roster, including Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, and UFA Lavarus Giles. Given the competition, it seems very likely that Chauncey is the 3rd running back on the depth chart.

The other Jaguars draft picks are yet to be signed, but given the release of the other players, it seems likely that others will sign up in the next few weeks.

-Chris

On Gregg Williams: Character, Attack, and other things

River City Rage — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:05:03 -0000

These are actual Blitzes from a Gregg Williams defensive playbook. Not the Jaguars, of course, this is from the 2002 Buffalo Bills.

Who is Gregg Williams?

When Mike Smith left for the Atlanta Falcons, the Jaguars were faced with a dilimma as to who would lead their defense. Internal hires were considered, but eventually the former defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins would take the helm of what was a generally dissappointing Jaguars defense. With Gregg Williams, the Jaguars would inherit a man with high standards, huge expectations, and a fair share of emotional baggage from his engagements with other teams. This was the coach who created a number one defense in Washington in 2004, this was the same coach who felt that his system was so above the players that he dissuaded Dan Snyder from resigning key players like Antonio Pierce. Gregg Williams brought a terribly aggressive man-to-man defense to the 1999 Tennessee Titans but went on to be a numbingly timid play-caller in Buffalo from 2001-2003. He is a man of dichotomy, a man of great confidence, and one who's whole story is marked with contradictions. Some players love him, others would rather leave the team than stay under his watchful eye.

Coaching the hard way:

When Gregg Williams was hired by the Buffalo Bills in 2001, he was asked to bring a hard-line disiplined approach to a team that needed it. A dissappointing loss in the 1999 playoffs (to the Titans, no less) and a mediocre 8-8 season in 2000 forced Wade Phillips out. When replacing the very player-friendly Phillips, the Bills front office insisted on creating a change in culture within their team. Gregg Williams had already established a hard-line reputation with the Titans, the Bills asked him to intensify his approach and turn it to results on the field:

He already had a reputation for being a taskmaster with the Titans, but in the new job he was supposed to be extra brutal. "They wanted me to be hard," he recalled.

Reading about Gregg's first months in Buffalo reminds me of the first Jaguars training camp in 1995. Rules, yelling, intensity, all the things we look back on with Coughlin stand out when looking at Williams:

He barked out orders, swore profusely, laid out a list of rules and had everyone awakened at training camp to the blasts of a bullhorn. He made everyone run laps when somebody made a mistake. "Gregg did everything that was asked of him. He was a team player," said Tom Donahoe, who was the Bills' president at the time and hired Williams.

This was the dream job for a guy who wanted nothing more than to be an NFL Head Coach, yet when he got there, it was nothing like he expected. Within a month of moving to Buffalo he was accused by his neighbors of being drunk and fighting with his wife at a welcome to the neighborhood party, a charge that Williams completely denies :

In his hand, he said, he held a can of beer from which he insisted he took no more than about two sips. He stayed for close to three hours, never leaving the corner. Nonetheless, two days later on sports radio, he said, it was reported that he was drunk, embarrassed himself, got into a fight with his wife and fell into a nearby pond.

This, according to Williams is why he shut himself off from the City and the Fans. Despite nearly taking the Bills to the playoffs in his second season, Gregg would find himself on the hot-seat, accused of being arrogant and difficult to work with. There was, of course, the 20 million dollars in dead cap money that Gregg inherited, which qualifies as a "mitigating situation", according to Donahoe, the man who both hired and fired Williams.

Attack Style Defense:

As the Jaguars dance with Gregg Williams began, no phrase was more overused than "attack style". The images of blitzers began dancing in our heads as we slept off the hangover of Tom Brady's playoff pass completion percentage that ruined our January. Gregg Williams would be the antidote to an otherwise vanillia defense fielded by Mike Smith.

Scouts and sports-pundits would explain that Gregg liked to attack, that the Jaguars would be more aggressive, and that 2008 would look light years away from 2007. What is unclear, as far as I'm concerned, is what exactly that will look like. The actual history of Gregg's defenses reads differently than what we're told. Reading through the history, I see a defensive coordinator who makes the most out of what he's given, but despite the "system", he still builds a defense around his players:

"My motivation comes from knowing how to place athletes in the best possible positions. I work at putting my defense under heavy stress in practice. Producing under stress is the best measure of a person."

The defense fielded by the Tennessee Titans under Williams should be very familiar to Jaguars fans, it's the one that ruined the 1999 season, twice:

The Titans play a hybrid version of Buddy Ryan's old 46 defense but with a lot more intelligence, probably as much quickness and not quite as much recklessness. Their comers talk about wanting to be left man-to-man, but rival coaches say most times at least one corner gets safety help... Guess wrong and put the ball into double coverage, and that is when the Titans pounce.

This is a frustrating defense, with its movement and quickness and willingness to try to force mistakes. "They did a good job of mixing up the blitzes, putting the pressure on," Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell said after Sunday's loss. Brunell's first lesson came in the second quarter, when he thought he had tight end Damon Jones open in the end zone only to have Robertson step in front of the 6-yard throw for an interception.

The 46 defense is best known for the 1985 Chicago Bears. It is not a four linemen, six linebacker formation, rather it took it's name from Doug Plank's jersey number. He was the Bears safety and would line up as a linebacker (4-4) might be a better description. The defense requires defensive ends that can bring great pressure as it is deigned to quickly collapse the pocket and attack the quarterback. Cornerbacks are left in man-to-man coverage, as there is usually only one deep safety to provide backup.

I highly doubt the Jaguars will use a regular 46 formation, though as a now-and-then sort of thing, it could work. In it's pure form, the formation uses a nose tackle, two defensive ends, two linebackers and a rush backer (designated pass-rusher), all on the line of scrimmage. The Jaguars lack a serious candidate at nose tackle, though something could be improvised for a trick play or two.

The challenge in attacking this defense is getting the ball from the quarterback to the single covered receiver before getting sacked. It's largely a "Dead Defense" now because of the quick timing routes of the West-Coast offense, though the Baltimore Ravens have used it from time to time. Which makes sense, considering that Rex Ryan, Buddy's son, coordinates their defense.

Returning to our subject, Gregg Williams "attack style" defense is typically a reaction to the type of players on the field. Attacking the quarterback when Javon Kearse is in his prime makes perfect sense. When lacking the pass-rushers, Gregg Williams has used the Cover-2/Tampa-2 made famous by Tony Dungy.

What made Williams a defensive legend is what he did in his first year with the Washington Redskins:

"I'll give Williams his credit. A lot of us were surprised by what he got out of them, but there is not a lot of talent there," said one general manager who did not want to be quoted by name because he was speaking about another team. "They kind of did it with smoke and mirrors."

Smoke and Mirrors should sound familar to Jaguars fans, it's what Mike Smith did a few years ago when our defense performed far better than it should have. Greg adapted around the talent and put a season together with less than top shelf talent. With this high bar, Gregg struggled in later seasons in managing talent. Letting players go like Antonio Pierce, struggling to work with the late Sean Taylor, the entire Adam Archuleta debacle. All of these things are indictive of a coordinator that roamed a little to far in his job description.

What will he bring to Jacksonville:

Gregg Williams has dabbled in a little bit of everything. 4-3, 3-4, 46, Cover 2, name drop just about any system and you'll find tape of Gregg Williams running it. It certainly leads credence to the idea that despite his reputation, he's a player not plays type of coordinator. Vic Ketchman describes him like this:

He’s a 4-3 guy who believes in a gap-control scheme, which means he likes his defensive linemen lined up in the gaps instead of head up on the offensive linemen. As I said yesterday, it’s what you do up front that defines a team’s defensive philosophy. What you do in the back in the way of coverages is dictated by your ability to control the line of scrimmage. If you’re dominating up front, you can be as aggressive or as soft as you’d like in the back. In fact, most coordinators would mix aggressive coverages with soft coverages in an attempt to disguise what they’re doing and confuse the quarterback. I repeat: It’s all about what you do up front. If you can stop the run and rush the passer, you can play anything you want in the back.

Williams ran a lot of “46 defense” when he was the Titans’ defensive coordinator. Jeff Fisher, of course, played in the “46” and was the impetus to the Titans’ use of it, but Williams likes the “46” and all forms of getting pressure on the quarterback because he knows that the best pass-defense is a pass-rush.

Of course, Gregg Williams refused to give any hint his his OTA press conference:

What defensive scheme are you going to play?

“We’re going to play everything that’s ever been played in football before,” Williams answered.

Williams needs to sort through a multitude of position battles, identify expectations, and decide what approach to take through training camp. The rookie defensive ends will have to be evaluated as to how much they can handle and to determine if they're situational players or if they're ready to participate fully right out of the gate. No discredit to Derick Harvey, but Quentin Groves seems perfect as a guided missle in a Williams pass rush. Pinching a quarterback between the two ends with a linebacker going up the middle or crashing around one side is a dream play for the Jaguars defense.

But it all depends on how things play out up front. If the Jaguars are unable to show a serious pass-rush, Williams is just as likely to drop into safe and soft zones and play like Mike Smith did in the playoffs. You simply cannot send multiple blitzers into the offensive line if you cannot get to the quarterback. If our defensive line fails to win the battles in the trench, there's no need to send in the Mike, Will, or Sam.

Expectations for our defense should be high. The Jaguars were defined by their defense two seasons ago, now it's a point of critique. While there's nothing wrong with putting the ball in David Garrard's hands and expecting him to win the game, the combitnation of the "Grindhouse" offense with an effective 3 and out defense reduces the times an opposing offense has the ball, and eliminates their gameplan right out of the gate. The only time the Jaguars have stopped Peyton Manning is when they've kept him on the sidelines. Beating Tom Brady requires the same thing.

Conclusions:

Some think that Gregg Williams is a one-and-done defensive coordinator. If the Jaguars do what they're expected to do, and that's compete for a Super Bowl, Gregg might very well receive another phone call inviting him to interview for a head coaching job. Then again, he might recall what happened in Buffalo and the fiasco in Washington and decide to roll with the hot hand in Jacksonville. One thing is clear, the Jaguars have very little contractual leverage with Williams. They are splitting the final year of his Redskins contract with Washington and leaving Gregg as a free-agent next year.

Will he bring the Blitz to the "teal curtain"? I think so. But it will not be from a clever scheme or design, rather it will emerge from identifying what players will excell and putting them in the position to win the battles. Riddled with cliches, no doubt, but the way a tough football team plays. The Jaguars do not need fancy schemes, they need players that can run, hit, and tackle consistantly. They need opponents to feel like they have to tape up twice as much because they know they'll get pounded for 60 minutes. They need the swagger that comes with aggressive play calling, and that play calling can only happen when the defense shows they can do the fundamentals consistantly well.

Remember, above all else, sending the blitz means someone else has to step up in coverage. Calling the blitz means having absoulte confidence in the entire defense to cover the offense like they're a man down. Can the Jaguars put Rashean Mathis on an island with Reggie Wayne? Until Williams feels comfortable doing dangerous things like that, I'd expect a little less attack and a little more careful probing out of our new coordnator.

-Chris