Del Rio: Will he pull it all together in 2009

By Bill Lauris

In 2008, the Jaguars had their offensive line blow up in the season opener when both Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams went down. It happened in 17-10 loss to the Titans. Ouch! The Jaguars ran a mere 33 yards on the day. Add to that, starting center Brad Meester, was out the first six games in 08. From the very start it was an uphill battle. Nevertheless, the resilient Jaguars were still in the hunt when they evened their record (3-3) in week six, with a 24-17 road win over the Denver Broncos. Their divisional record stood at 2-1. Considering the circumstances, things didn’t look too bad. However, over the final 10 weeks, disappointments would increase as they would manage to eke out only two more wins.

The Jaguars cut Fred Taylor after 11 seasons. He had 2,428 carries good for 11,271 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry and 62 touchdowns. The Jaguars are moving on with Maurice Jones-Drew being expected to carry the bulk of the load. At 5-7 and 210 pounds, the little fireplug seems ready to do just that. In his three seasons, he has an average of 4.8 yards per carry.

Holt 33, has a reputation of being a good influence on young wide receivers. That is what makes this signing so valuable to the Jaguars. In a conference call shortly after signing with the Jaguars he said, "The biggest thing I can do is lead by example, by the way I work, by the way I prepare and the way I handle myself on a day-to-day basis." Holt went on to say "Most importantly, by the way I demonstrate my seriousness and my passion about being a professional." With Porter and Williams gone the locker room most certainly will have a more positive attitude. The big beneficiary of this should be QB David Garrard. Garrard, who dropped 20 pounds this off-season, was recently asked if it was something he was told to do replied, “No it was something I thought might benefit my career.” Apearently, he was not asked to lose weight. Nevertheless, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio suggested it to him. Garrard told reporters Del Rio observed that (losing weight) would give him more confidence, make him a better ballplayer and bound to serve as an inspiration to his teammates about his dedication. It was last season when the Jaguars inked Garrard to a six year $60 million deal with $20 million of it guaranteed. Nevertheless, with the 08 season being such a bust, there was some speculation that the Jaguars were looking for a franchise quarterback in the 09 draft. That apparently was way off base since they selected zero QBs in this year’s draft. On the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars seem to be a better group from the standpoint of upgraded talent and mindset as they head toward training camp and the start of the new season. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Jaguars defensive unit.

Jaguars release Fred Taylor Torry Holt

John Henderson

In early June of this year, Del Rio’s uncharacteristic outspokenness regarding defensive tackle John Henderson’s reluctance to participate in this season’s volunteer workouts and OTAs raised a stir. Henderson opted out of the practices when he averred that he had sustained a separated shoulder during the first day of the Jaguars OTAs. Even his teammates off-the-record questioned whether the injury was legitimate. Regarding Del Rio’s public reaction, "I'll put my name on it," backup defensive tackle Derek Landri told Michael C. Wright of Jacksonville.com. "Jack did what was right. He's the head coach. As players, we see more than the coaches because we're on the inside. Coaches see a good amount, but only so much. [Del Rio] said what had to be said." Many in the media observed that Del Rio seemed to be using this as an opportunity to have his team --make a better commitment-- to improvement after the disappointing 5-11 season in 08. It seemed to have worked as Henderson had this to say of his head coach.

 "I know where he's coming from," Henderson said. "When he told me, I understood it. He wants me to be that leader, and I understand that. I'm going to do that just for him and for this team. There are a lot of young guys on this team, and they need somebody to follow. I'm ready for it. I'm ready. I'm in. In. Everybody hear that? I've bought in."

All of that remains to be seen. Many questions about this once proud defensive unit still need to be answered. In 08 against the run, the Jaguars remained respectable, but a far cry from being the dominant defense force that was ranked second in total yards allowed in the entire league --only two years ago. Their biggest issues revolve around stopping the pass. In 08 teams loved to attack this defense via an aerial attack. Opposing quarterbacks completed passes at the alarming rate of nearly 64%. Much of that is likely due to a combination of things. First generating a below average pass rush was a problem as the Jaguars mustered only 29 sacks. Having a weak secondary that allowed 25 TDs via the pass. Nevertheless, the most disturbing statistic from last season, is the most important bottom line NFL number --points allowed. Last season the Jaguars ranked 21^st in the league as they allowed nearly 23 per-game.

The most notable off-season move Smith and Del Rio made to help the defense was trading for safety Gerald Alexander, who the Jaguars got from the Detroit Lions for WR Dennis Northcutt. Alexander started all 16 games for the Lions in his rookie season in 07, then sustained a neck injury in 08. The deal became official when he passed his physical on July 2.

The free safety seems to have the kind of attitude Del Rio’s looking for “I’m antsy to start working out because that’s how you earn your respect, working with the guys and letting them see you are a hard worker,” Alexander told Ryan Robinson of jaguars.com.

"I'm directly involved," Del Rio said. "... I feel like the standard that we set has not been met the last year or two, so we're getting back to some of the things we believe in. I think to be good on defense, you've just got to know with certainly where you belong and then go with your hair on fire to get there, and we're going to play that way this year.'' Regarding Tucker his new coordinator Del Rio told Stellino, "He's going to be a great asset for us as a coordinator and strong in the secondary [Tucker's also the secondary coach], and I will be more directly involved with him. But we're excited about what we can do if we pull together."

All-in-all there seems to be a fresh new approach this year, and with all the new faces around it makes a smooth transition a natural consequence. The schedule will provide a challenge. With 4 games against the Colts and Titans along with games against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, all playoff teams from last year, it is not exactly a cream puff list. However, their 2009 schedule features games against the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams, all having had losing seasons last year, it seems it will provide enough opportunities to have some success in 2009.

It will be interesting to see how the Jaguars meet the challange. If the Jaguars want to reassert themselves as a competitor in the AFC South, they will need to win some games against their divisional rivals. Last season they split with the Texans and Colts and dropped both games against the Titans resulting in a divisional record of 2-4. Certainly, they will need to improve upon that. I cannot say this for sure but it’s a good bet if the Jaguars can win the games against weaker opponents and improve to 4-2 in the South they will most likely be in the hunt in January. Will they win the AFC South? Probably not, but they have an outside chance of making the playoffs. If not the Jaguars might be hunting for a new head coach.