Category Archives: Jacksonville Jaguars
Justin Blackmon lands in Jacksonville, oh no!
Of all the places a star receiver could have landed the Jacksonville Jaguars were not the ideal location. A top defensive unit their offense is less than desired.
Moving up to the fifth overall pick the Jacksonville Jaguars selected the top receiver in the 2012 NFL draft, Justin Blackmon.
Now the question becomes is Blaine Gabbert going to be throwing the ball to him?
Members of the media and draft analysts may want to say Justin Blackmon isn’t the total package, but like many other receivers he will have a chip on his shoulder when he signs with the Jaguars.
Jaguars missed out on a golden opportunity with Tebow
Why didn’t the Jacksonville Jaguars go all-in for Tim Tebow? Jacksonville is an abysmal NFL franchise with a lethargic fan base, can’t sell tickets and flat-out stink. As an NFL team they’re not going anywhere anytime soon so why not throw the kitchen sink at the Denver Broncos to bring Tebow back to Jacksonville? Talk about a second coming, the guy played his college and high school football there. On a scale of 1 to 10 his popularity is a 15 in the Jacksonville area and he would have been the perfect shot of adrenaline for a franchise that’s on life support.
2012 NFL draft: Possible selections for the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars were unable to improve on an 8-8 record and in Week 3 of the 2011 NFL season Luke McCown would be replaced with the 10th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Blaine Gabbert.
2012 Mock Draft: AFC South edition
The mock draft journey in the NFL lands us in the AFC South today where things took a turn that nobody saw coming. The Indianapolis Colts have dominated the AFC South for a long time but thanks to Peyton Manning’s neck, found themselves almost going 0-16 before turning it around and finishing 2-14. Not only did the Colts finish 2-14, but they also cleaned house as they fired Bill Polian and Head Coach Jim Caldwell. They are now ready to go in a new direction under new General Manager Ryan Grigson and new Head Coach Chuck Pagano, all led by Andrew Luck. The Jacksonville Jaguars had a ok season but they got a new Owner during the season which is leaving some to speculate if they are going to move to Los Angeles. The Tennessee Titans under first year coach Mike Munchak had a pretty good year finishing 9-7 and coming close to a playoff spot. The big winner of it all, the Houston Texans finished 10-6, and not only hosted a playoff game but also won their first playoff game before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. How can each team look to build or rebuild off last season?
Indianapolis Colts
Round 1, Pick 1: Andrew Luck QB Stanford: The Colts did their best this past season, it sure had to be tough beating the Titans & Texans late in the season but hey they lost to Jacksonville and secured the # 1 pick in the 2012 Draft. Just how ironic is this, last year Peyton Manning advised Luck to stay at Stanford for another year and what do you know, Luck is about to be drafted by the Colts. Luck is the best QB prospect to come out since well, Peyton Manning and no doubt will be replacing Manning as the Colts look to start a new era in Indy. Out of all the times for the Colts to struggle, it just happens when Peyton has neck surgery, maybe Peyton should have advised Luck to stay in school for another year once again.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Round 1, Pick 7: Whitney Mercilus DE Illinois: The Jaguars love drafting defensive lineman, in fact they have drafted defensive lineman every other year in the first round since 2008. So since they took Blaine Gabbert last year, it’s time for another defensive lineman. Whitney Mercilus will be this year’s Aldon Smith and shoot up the draft boards by April. Whitney led the nation in sacks and forced fumbles last season with 16 and had 22.5 tackles for loss, and that will upgrade the Jaguars pass rush and improve the defensive line.
Tennessee Titans
Round 1, Pick 20: Devon Still DT Penn State: Still is currently BPA for the Titans at the moment as they get lucky he falls to them. The Titans haven’t had a real force on their defensive line since Albert Haynesworth. Still ended the season with 55 tackles and 4.5 sacks as he was a true dominant force on Penn State’s defensive line. Standing at 6’5, Still has amazing power and speed to be a true play maker in the NFL and the Titans are lucky he drops to 20 in my mock.
Houston Texans
Round 1, Pick 26: Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina: There were so many concerns about Jeffery heading into the combine that he was one of the players guaranteed to have a draft night fall. His slide ends at 26 as he gets to go play opposite of Andre Johnson in Houston. Jeffery had a down year compared to his 2010 season but is ready to show teams that he can be a number one receiver in the NFL. The Texans offense gets much better with the pick of Jeffery at the bottom of round one and should make Matt Schaub one happy quarterback.
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Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepresley64.
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5 teams that won’t pursue Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning has been medically cleared to play and teams are now scrambling to figure out how to acquire the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Here’s a look at five teams that won’t have anything to do with Peyton in 2012.
1. Dallas Cowboys
Peyton Manning is an upgrade over Tony Romo, make no doubt about it. Who wouldn’t want a future Hall of Fame quarterback throwing to Dez Bryant and Miles Austin?
That’s where the dream stops. It will never happen because of the salary cap.
To trade Tony Romo or even cut him would carry huge salary-cap implications and would stop the Cowboys from making any other moves.
Let’s also not forget the offensive line allowed 36 sacks last season. Something Peyton Manning might not be able to handle.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
Despite what many fans think Jacksonville isn’t the answer for Peyton Manning.
Yes, a 6th ranked defense and Maurice Jones-Drew are enticing, but pieces are still missing to make them a Super Bowl contender right away.
Sure Peyton has the ability to make average receivers look like superstars, but this is Jacksonville.
Jacksonville should be at least interested in him and not Tim Tebow.
3. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have one of the worst offensive lines in football.
Manning wouldn’t last more than a month taking the types of hits we saw Kevin Kolb and John Skelton take.
Arizona also lacks weapons other than Larry Fitzgerald and has no running game to speak of.
Peyton is set to have dinner with Fitzgerald who was an impact in recruiting Kevin Kolb last season, but it’s just dinner.
4. New York Jets
Both Manning brothers in New York…forgettaboutit!
The Jets are mess and it’s possible that signing Manning would only make matters worse.
All signs point to the Jets sticking with Mark Sanchez, but Manning would be a huge improvement and give the Jets the consistency they have been missing.
Peyton has spent his entire home career inside a dome in Indianapolis and the New York weather might not sit well.
5. Washington Redskins
Not only do they lack the offensive line they also lack the talent.
More importantly Peyton would never go to an NFC East team as there is no chance he would want to play his brother Eli twice a season.
It’s already hard enough when they have played the few times during both their stellar careers.
See Peyton Manning: 5 Teams that should take a chance to win it all
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Jaguars Mascot in a Speedo Trying to Tan His Cheeks
The Pro-Bowl is a fun NFL event for everyone. Even the NFL mascots are asked to attend. Jaxson de Ville, the Jacksonville Jaguars team mascot was there to cheer on Maurice Jones-Drew, but known for his crazy antics he had to tone it down a bit due to NFL regulations.
Initially asking the NFL to streak down the field, Jaxson de Ville decided to wear a speedo during an extra point attempt.
He’s sexy and he knows it…
Jaxson is known for his crazy antics and has self-proclaimed himself as the best mascot.
According to wikipedia, He is very interactive with the crowd and the Jaguars (if they’re not too busy), and sometimes interacts with the opposing team’s players as well. He often mocks and jokes with the other team’s mascot, if they are present.These acts got him into trouble in 1998 and stemmed the changing of the NFL’s mascot rules, and also caused him to calm down. However, Jaxson was still seen, by some, as a mascot that gets in the way during the game. After the October 22, 2007 game against Indianapolis, Colts President Bill Polian complained to the NFL, and Jaxson was reprimanded again.During the November 18, 2007 home game Jaxson spent a good portion of the game in a make-shift “cage”, but was released for short periods so he could interact with fans and also to give him an opportunity to ride his scooter.
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Khan Job: New Management, Same Old Jaguars
I can’t begin to feel what Jacksonville Jaguars fans are feeling right now but I know it can’t be good. New owner Shahid Khan promised them that things would get better and for a couple of weeks things looked as if they might.
I guess change is a relative state of mind to Khan. Khan has kept General Manager Gene Smith and he also kept defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. While retaining both of those guys wasn’t the worst of moves Khan could make, Jaguars fans were expecting the organization to receive more of an overhaul.
That would include management, the coaching staff and the product on the field. From the looks of things fans will see little change in either one of these areas.
Khan did make a head-coaching change. The Jaguars also have a new offensive coordinator but as Jaguars fans will see in the coming months these moves will create little change in the team’s on-field performance.
That is because the Jaguars made somewhat of a lateral move in their hiring of Mike Mularkey as head coach. Mularkey ran the Atlanta Falcons conservative offense the past four years with mixed results. Mularkey does emphasize the run which will at least make Maurice Jones-Drew happy but don’t expect a whole lot after that.
And Jacksonville’s new offensive coordinator? Well that is no other than Bob Bratkowski, Mularkey’s quarterbacks coach from Atlanta and longtime friend.
Khan and Smith probably looked at how quarterback Matt Ryan developed in Atlanta and were hoping that Mularkey and crew would be able to do the same for Blaine Gabbert but maybe they should have taken a deeper look into Ryan’s “progress” before they decided on Mularkey as coach.
Ryan had his best season in terms of total yards and touchdowns last season but those numbers aren’t that great when put into perspective. Despite passing for nearly 500 yards more than the previous season, Ryan only threw one more touchdown while throwing three more interceptions. His average-yards-per-pass improved from the previous season also but it was still lower than what he averaged his rookie season.
Bartkowski and Mularkey tried to implement the no-huddle to Atlanta’s offense last year but Ryan never seemed to master it. Atlanta’s offense would stall at the most inopportune times, none more notable than in their 24-2 Wild Card loss to the New York Giants.
That’s not saying that the Jaguars won’t be a little better than they were under Jack Del Rio. Not so much because Mularkey is a better coach, because he isn’t. More so because Del Rio’s message and routine had grown old and the team needed a fresh face that will bring a different approach to how they do things.
But it won’t take long for Mularkey’s act to wear thin in Jacksonville. The guy only lasted two years in his lone previous stint as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and couldn’t retain his offensive coordinator duties for more than a year when he was with the Miami Dolphins.
So Jaguars fans can expect incremental improvement over the next couple of years while we await the day until Mularkey gets fired. Sure Gabbert will play better and the team will win a few more games but both were bound to happen regardless of who the Jaguars installed as coach. With that being said, the countdown on when Mularkey faces the wrath of Khan begins. Anyone want to place bets on how long that will take?
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.
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5 teams that should turn to Packers’ Matt Flynn in 2012
Matt Flynn made himself a ton of money with a standout performance including a Green Bay Packers’ record 6 touchdown and 480 yards passing. Flynn was drafted in the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft and is now a free agent moving into 2012. Unlikely to stay with the Packers, as no one will be replacing Aaron Rodgers anytime soon, here are five teams that should turn to Flynn to find success in 2012.
Free Agents Who May Regret Leaving Their Original Teams
As the Playoffs get closer as each week goes by, there is a few things that fans and even the media like to talk about way ahead of time. Even if it’s week one, people are talking about who will draft Andrew Luck, of course who will win the Super Bowl, but they also like to talk about Free Agency. Now that we are back to a normal, regular off-season the new league year will begin in March which is when Free Agency begins. This past shortened off-season was one of the craziest Free Agency periods we have seen. There were big deals like Nnamdi Asomugha signing that big contract from the Philadelphia Eagles and Kevin Kolb being traded to the Arizona Cardinals, but other players took just one year deals to ensure they will be back on the market next off-season.
It’s Week 13 and by now teams and players probably have regrets that they had just stayed where they were or some players who are happy to be with a new team. In part 1, I have compiled a list of 5 Free Agents who wish they stayed where they were playing and not signed with a new team. In part two, I will list Free Agents who are glad they re-signed with their current teams.
Free Agents Who May Regret Leaving Their Original Teams:
Nnamdi Asomugha: Drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 2003 Draft, spent his whole career in Oakland up until this season. Years of the Raiders not making the playoffs and being contenders finally got to him and he decided to leave for a contender. On July 30th, he signed a 5 Year $60 Million deal and what has that got him… a 4-7 Philadelphia Eagles team who are on their last legs in terms of making the playoffs. The Raiders meanwhile are 7-4, sitting atop the AFC West and as long as the Tebow train derails at least a few times, will be heading for their first playoff appearance since 2002 where they finished 11-5 and were the AFC Champions.
Paul Posluszny: He was drafted in 2007 by the Buffalo Bills, and seemed to be underrated as he was really the only star the Bills had on Defense. He was named the Bills defensive MVP in 2008. With his rookie contract up, he left to sign a $42 Million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are now are in a mess after firing Jack Del Rio, while the Bills have turned the corner as they are 5-6, have beat the Patriots, led the AFC East during the early parts of the season and could very well earn a Wild Card Spot if they can get back to their winning ways.
Reggie Bush: Now I know that this wasn’t a Free Agent signing but I’m wondering if Reggie wishes he took that pay cut to stay with the New Orléans Saints and not forced them to trade him. The Saints, who are coming off a very impressive victory over the New York Giants, are sitting 8-3 and in the thick of the NFC Playoff hunt. The Dolphins meanwhile, started off 0-7 and now sit 3-7. The Saints will be marching to the playoffs while Reggie Bush will be at home watching his former team wondering what could have been if he had just took that pay cut.
Cullen Jenkins: Most people are asking why the Green Bay Packers’ defense isn’t the same as the one we saw in the Super Bowl run last season. Look no further than the departure of Cullen Jenkins who was a staple on the defensive line since 2004. He still contributed and played well during the switch to the 3-4 defense where he moved to DE. He left Green Bay to sign a 5 year, $25 Million deal with the Eagles. Well could we say that this was a win-lose-lose for both the Packers and Jenkins. While the Packers are chasing a perfect 16-0 season, the Eagles are 4-7 and may not even make the playoffs. It’s also a loss for the Pack as Jenkins left a hole on a defense that was ranked fifth overall last season, and clearly misses him as they rank 30th in defense this season.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com.
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Del Rio’s Out, Who will be the Next Coaching Casualty?
Anybody who was paying attention saw this coming. I even wrote a couple of stories about Jack Del Rio being fired before the regular season even started. Now eleven games later the Jacksonville Jaguars have made Del Rio the first coaching casualty of the season.
Owner Wayne Weaver said before the season started that Del Rio would have to make the playoffs or he would be fired. With the Jaguars now 3-8 it was apparent that Jacksonville would not be making the playoffs this year so Weaver pulled the trigger and relieved Del Rio of his coaching duties. Weaver also took the time to announce that he would be selling the team.
So as the Jaguars are in the process of changing ownership and begin the search for a new head coach, one has to wonder who the next coaching casualty will be. There are a few more coaches on the hot seat that may be receiving pink slips between now and the first week of January.
Norv Turner has been receiving a lot of heat for the poor play of the San Diego Chargers. They are tied last in their division with the hapless Kansas City Chiefs after losing six straight games. The Chargers are way too talented to be playing as badly as they have been playing.
But the Chargers aren’t the most disappointing team; that distinction goes to the Philadelphia Eagles. After spending so much money during the offseason on big name free agents, the Eagles are also tied last in their division. Fans were calling for coach Andy Reid’s head as his team was being manhandled by the New England Patriots last Sunday.
With Peyton Manning out due to a neck injury, the Indianapolis Colts were expected to struggle this season. They weren’t expected to be winless eleven games into the season though. The ineptitude displayed by this team has many wondering if Jim Caldwell will be around in 2012.
Miami Dolphins’ coach Tony Sparano was rumored to be on the hot seat before his team was able to reel off three wins in a row. He’s still not in the clear with his team sitting dead last in the AFC East with a 3-8 record but he may have done enough to at least be allowed to finish out the season.
The last coach feeling the heat is also sitting at the bottom of his respective division. Steve Spagnuolo has the St. Louis Rams sitting last in the NFC West at 2-9. This is Spanuolo’s third year coaching the Rams and he only has ten wins to his credit. He has one more year left on his contract but the Rams may feel the need to go in another direction.
Although he was the first you can best believe that Del Rio won’t be the last coaching casualty this season. If Vegas set odds on coaches being fired the odds on one or more of these coaches being fired by season’s end are pretty high. Care to place your bet on who’s next?
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag and can be contacted at RHall@ThePenaltyFlagBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @rhall_tpfb.
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Could the Jacksonville Jaguars Move to L.A.?
Normally when a Breaking News story hits the NFL, we only hear a little of it then the rest comes out later. This morning, it’s all coming in at once with no need for other parts to come out later. First, Jack Del Rio, who has coached the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2003, is the first Head Coach to be fired this season. Del Rio is leaving Jacksonville after posting a 68-70 coaching record, long overdue if you ask me. The Jaguars extended General Manager Gene Smith 3 years all a while selling the Jacksonville Franchise. Del Rio really put himself in this position when he out of nowhere cut David Garrard, just days before their week 1 game against the Titans. I know a couple years back, Garrard was the beneficiary of a similar move that was made when the Jags released Bryon Leftwich and went with Garrard as the starter. This was a move that paid off as the Jaguars were able to make the playoffs in 2007 and win a playoff game as they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round but lost to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.
Fast Forward to 2011 and the Jaguars are 3-8 and out of a job, now as questions will swirl all around about who their next Head Coach will be, there is a more better question to be asked. As I said the Jaguars were sold and they were sold to Shahid Khan, who originally tried to buy the St. Louis Rams after the passing of Georgia Frontiere but was blocked by Rams minority owner Stan Kroenke. The Jags have a new owner, who doesn’t have any ties to the Jacksonville community and could very well move the team to Los Angeles.
Former Owner, Wayne Weaver is standing by the fact that the Jaguars will be staying in Jacksonville during the press conference. The thing that makes it interesting is that EverBank, who sponsors the stadium where the Jaguars play, only signed a five year deal that began in 2010, leaving the 2014 season being the final year EverBank is the sponsor of the stadium. The Los Angeles stadium won’t be ready until 2013 at the earliest, one year before the EverBank sponsorship ends. So with new ownership in Jacksonville, the city of Jacksonville may be enjoying their last few years of having a football team before new ownership decides to head to Los Angeles and the Jacksonville Jaguars become the Los Angeles Jaguars.
Mike Presley is a NFL Featured Journalist for The Penalty Flag. He is a graduate of the Carolina School of Broadcasting and hosts a weekly NFL show on the schools radio station 89.3 The Storm entitled “The Front Seven.” Mike also writes for the racing website www.hardcoreracefans.com.
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Rubbing It In: Jones-Drew Does LeBron Imitation in Cleveland (Video)
Just when you thought the city of Cleveland had moved past LeBron James, Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars pulls them right back in.
