2009 Jaguars Preview: Mixed Signals

AFC SOUTH
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Projected Record: 5-11

Offense: C+
Defense: C+
Coaching: C

What’s new: This is a team in transition, so there’s a lot that’s new and there’s a lot that left. Torry Holt, Tra Thomas and several draft picks come in. Fred Taylor, Mike Peterson, Paul Spicer, Marcus Stroud and Matt Williams are out. The balance is negative for Jacksonville. They definitely lost more talent than what they brought in. They also lost leadership with Taylor and Peterson departing.

What’s good: Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the better backs in the NFL, and now he has his chance to be the primary ball-carrier. Check back in at the end of the season to see if the gamble paid off for the Jags. The offensive line, which broke down last season, got reinforcements through the draft.


The Jaguars uniform change goes into the "what's new" category, but not necessarily into the "what's good".

What’s bad: Jacksonville’s defense used to be one of the most underrated in the league. Losing Peterson, Stroud and Spicer in one off-season may be too much for a unit to take. Even though they added Derrick Harvey, the Jaguars won’t be able to count on their defense as much as they used to. In a division with Indianapolis, Tennessee and Houston, that’s not a good feeling going into 2009.

What to expect: It appears that the Jaguars wanted to start dumping salary and rebuilding from scratch. But they only went halfway. They dumped a lot of talent on the defensive end, but they still have Jones-Drew, David Garrard, John Henderson and a rebuilt offensive line. So it was as if someone in the front office started letting players leave, then looked at the roster, and said "wait a minute, maybe this isn't a good idea". However, the defense took too many hits. I’m not sure if I would want to play four games against the passing attack of Indianapolis and Houston, then two more against the running attack of Tennessee without three of the defense’s former star players. The Jacksonville defense won several games in the past, but they are unlikely to do so this season. The offense, while slightly improved, won’t be able to pick up the slack.