2007 Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars took a big step backwards in 2006 winning four fewer games than they did in 2005. The drop off should not be attributed to the defense which remained a top five dominant unit despite a host of injury problems. The offense, however, is in need of a makeover. Get ready to see a lot more of Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield and a little less of the familiar Fred Taylor. At QB, Del Rio has settled on Byron Leftwich, but these two do not have a good relationship and Leftwich’s injury-prone nature has kept him from maturing into an elite signal caller. I think this offense can make every change possible, but what it all comes down to is that Leftwich just doesn’t seem like the right guy for the job.

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The defense alone has the Jags within inches of a return visit to the postseason, but the offense is going to have to hold up on its end of the bargain if Jacksonville doesn’t want to be watching the playoffs from the couch.

Jack Del Rio took out the dirty laundry, clearing out his offensive staff in favor of ex-Arizona State head man Dirk Koetter and ex-Alabama head man Mike Shula. He is confident that these college boys will be able to step right into the NFL game and find success and he should be as his butt will be on the line in 2008 if the Jags take another step in the wrong direction. Koetter runs an “old school” system using a up-the-middle power running game to set up down the field passing opportunities. The Jags solid running back duo and Leftwich’s strong arm give him the tools to work with. However, a big play wide receiver is missing from the mix, but I am optimistic that Matt Jones could bet that guy.

Although it didn’t help in the short term, last season’s injuries may have benefited this defense in the long run. Youngsters stepped right in last season and kept the Jaguars a dominant top five unit. Now they’ll be pushing for starting jobs improving the level of competition and making this one of the deepest defensive units in the league. The Jags boast Pro Bowlers at every level making defensive coordinator Mike Smith look like a genius.

Some are calling this a do-or-die campaign for Del Rio, but I feel he gets another year regardless unless Jacksonville somehow sinks to the doldrums. He has his defense in place, but he and his college play callers are going to have to come up with a scheme that works because this team just doesn’t have the speed to play offense like a Cincinnati or Indianapolis. Leftwich is going to have to be healthy for the offense to be consistent, which could be too much to ask from the outset. The linemakers have this team pegged in our estimation setting the number at 9 wins so we’ll likely avoid action on this wager.

By Jeff Alexander – 7/9/2007

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