25-year old RB Maurice Jones-Drew will be the main man on offense for the Jaguars once again in 2010.  Drew played in 16 games (all starts) in his first season as the main man and he carried the ball 312 times for 1,391 yards (4.5 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  He also caught 53 passes for 374 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  The Jaguars must make sure they keep the offense balanced so that Drew will have room to work.  Drew has now played in 63 games (20 starts) in his four years with the Jags in which he has carried the ball 842 times for 3,924 yards (4.7 ypc) with 49 TD runs.  He has also caught 201 passes for 1,782 yards (8.9 avg) with 5 TD grabs in his career with the Jags. 

Rashad Jennings was solid as a rookie last season and he will likely get more work in 2010 in a attempt to keep Drew healthy and fresh.  Jennings played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Jags last year and he carried the ball 39 times for 202 yards (5.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 16 passes for 101 yards (6.3 avg) last year. 

Rookie 6th round pick Deji Karim out of Southern Illinois will be #3 in line for carries in Jacksonville in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE JAGUARS RBs in 2010:  A

I seem to be in the minority but I think that 32-year old David Garrard is a pretty good QB.  He is nowhere near elite but he’s a guy you can win with.  Garrard played in all 16 games last season for the Jaguars and he completed 314 of 516 passes (60.9%) for 3,597 yards with 15 TD passes and 10 INTs (83.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 77 times for 323 yards (4.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs last year.  Garrard has now played in 72 games in his career with the Jaguars and he has completed 1,170 of 1,915 passes (61.1%) for 13,269 yards with 66 TD passes and 39 INTs (84.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 314 times for 1,467 yards (4.7 ypc) with 12 TD runs in his career.  Garrard is 31-31 in the regular season as the starting QB of the Jaguars.

28-year old Luke McCown will be the Jags’ #2 QB again in 2010.  McCown played in 3 games for the Jaguars last season and he completed 1 of 3 passes (33.3%) for 2 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs (42.4 QB Rating).  He has now played in 15 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 143 of 241 passes (59.3%) for 1,619 yards with 9 TD passes and 10 INTs (74.7 QB Rating).  McCown has also carried the football 21 times for 157 yards (7.5 ypc) in his NFL career.  I think he would do a decent job if forced into duty due to a Garrard injury.  He has a career record of 1-6 (14.3%) as a starting QB but in his defense those starts came for the Bucs & Browns.

Undrafted Trevor Harris out of Edinboro will be the #3 QB for the Jags this season and if they need him to take any snaps they are likely already in deep water.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE JAGUARS QBs in 2010:  B-

The Jaguars need David Garrard to play like it’s 2007 again when he was one of the better QBs in the NFL.  Not many QBs offer Garrard’s skill set of a good arm and fast feet.  The problem is that the Jags’ never got Garrard much help at WR but that may be changing with the addition of Torry Holt.  Cleo Lemon will be Garrard’s backup again in 2009 and he’s a lot like Garrard with a little less arm and he’s not quite as fast.  Still, the Jags would have a significant drop in offensive production if Lemon were pressed into service.  Veteran Todd Bouman gives the Jaguars a third option at QB as he like Garrard and Lemon has some experience starting in the NFL.  Paul Smith will likely be on the practice squad in 2009 if he makes the team.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B

26-year old Josh Scobee had his most accurate season ever kicking for the Jags as he only missed two kicks all year.  The problem with last season is that Scobee missed half of the season due to injury.  Scobee played in 8 games last season for the Jags and he was 12 of 13 (92.3%) on his field goal attempts.  Scobee also converted 26 of 27 extra point tries last season for the Jags.  Look for Scobee to have a really good season in 2008 for the Jaguars if he can just stay on the field.  Scobee has now played in 56 games in his NFL career and he has made 85 of 106 (80.2%) field goal attempts.  Scobee has also converted 126 of 128 extra points (98.4%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Jaguars have a set of tight ends who do a good job of blocking in the running game and they make their fair share of tough catches over the middle of the football field.  24-year old Mercedes Lewis is a huge target at 6’6″, 265 pounds and he has enough speed to get down field.  Lewis played in all 16 games for the Jaguars last season and he caught 37 passes for 391 yards (10.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Lewis to catch more passes than that in 2008 for the Jags.  Lewis has now played in 31 games in his NFL career and he has caught 50 passes for 517 yards (10.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

27-year old George Wrighster also is a dependable type of tight end.  He can catch what’s thrown to him and he can block as well.  He played in 11 games for the Jaguars last season and he caught 17 passes for 123 yards (7.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Wrighster is clearly the #2 TE for the Jags now so don’t expect him to put up big numbers in 2008.  Wrighster has now played in 62 games in his NFL career and he has caught 92 passes for 815 yards (8.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.

2nd year man Greg Estandia is a huge target at 6’8″, 240 pounds which helps him catch the high balls.  He played in 10 games last season for the Jaguars and he caught 9 passes for 136 yards (15.1 avg).  Look for his role to expand a little bit for the Jags this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to have a group of #3 and #4 WRs on the roster heading into the 2008 NFL season and that’s probably not a good thing.  The Jaguars did bring in Jerry Porter and Troy Williamson during the off season and while they will inject speed into the receiving corps neither of them can be a true go-to receiver.  30-year old Jerry Porter is a big guy at 6’2″, 220 pounds but he’s always been a #2 type receiver.  Porter played in 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 44 passes for 705 yards (16.0 avg) with 6 TD receptions.  Still, Porter hasn’t played with a QB the caliber of David Garrard in a while so he could surprise.  Porter has now played in 105 games in his NFL career and he has caught 284 passes for 3,939 yards (13.9 avg) with 30 TD grabs.  Porter has also carried the ball 9 times for 17 yards (1.9 ypc) in his career.

Reggie Williams will likely be the #2 receiver for the Jaguars this season and he had a decent year in 2007.  He played in 15 games for the Jaguars last season and he caught 38 passes for 629 yards (16.6 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 8 yards.  Look for Williams to have another solid season but he might not catch as many TDs this season as the Jags might try to spread the ball around more this season.  Williams has now played in 63 games in his NFL career and he has caught 152 passes for 1,958 yards (12.9 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 44 yards (4.4 ypc) in his career.

25-year old Troy Williamson is a speed burner but he doesn’t catch the ball well and that’s a huge problem for a WR.  Williamson played in 11 games for the Vikings last season and he caught 18 passes for 240 yards (13.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 29 yards (14.5 ypc) last season.  Williamson might respond to having a better QB than he did in Minnesota last season.  He has now played in 39 games in his NFL career and he has caught 79 passes for 1,067 yards (13.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 5 times for 57 yards (11.4 ypc) in his career.

30-year old Dennis Northcutt was exactly what the Jags thought he would be.  He’s only 5’11″, 171 pounds but he’s fast and has more courage than a player his size should have.  He played in 15 games for the Jaguars last season and he caught 44 passes for 601 yards (13.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Northcutt also carried the ball 6 times for 27 yards (4.5 ypc) last season.  Look for Northcutt to post similar numbers in 2008 for the Jags.  He has now played in 115 games in his NFL career and he has caught 320 passes for 4,039 yards (12.6 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  Northcutt has also carried the ball 51 times for 357 yards (7.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.

2nd year receiver John Broussard is very fast but he’s on the frail side at 6’1″, 176 pounds.  He played in 8 games for the Jags last season and he caught 4 passes for an amazing 126 yards (31.5 avg).  It will be interesting to see if he makes the roster this season for the Jaguars.

2nd year WR Mike Walker missed all of last season due to a bum knee.  He has appeared healthy early on for the Jags in training camp and  he might be able to make a big impact.  The Jags really like him and he could definately rise up the depth chart with a solid pre season.

25-year old Matt Jones is at a crossroads as his legal trouble off the field likely gives him very little wiggle room if he wants to make the Jags this season.  He has great size at 6’6″, 238 pounds and he has good hands but he has never really made the smooth transition to the receiver position after playing QB in college.  Jones played in 12 games for the Jaguars last season and he caught 24 passes for 317 yards (13.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Looking into my crystal ball I see Jones getting cut at the end of training camp and playing with a different team this year.  Jones has now played in 42 games in his NFL career and he has caught 101 passes for 1,392 yards (13.8 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 36 yards (2.6 ypc) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

6’1″, 254 pound Greg Jones was a halfback in college so he adds good running and receiving skills to the fullback position for the Jaguars.  He also is a very good blocker who likes to blow up linebackers and defensive ends in the running game opening big holes for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.  Jones played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Jaguars last season and he carried the ball 42 times for 119 yards (2.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 11 passes for 99 yards (9.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Jones might be a starting running back for some teams in the NFL instead of a fullback.  Jones has now played in 46 games (27 starts) in his NFL career and he carried the ball 255 times for 856 yards (3.4 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  He also has caught 24 passes for 177 yards (7.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his NFL career.

Montell Owens is undersized for the fullback position and the Jaguars running game would suffer a little bit if Jones were to get injured again.  Owens played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Jaguars last season but he didn’t get a touch.  He has now played in 30 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he’s yet to touch the football.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

By far the best two weapons of the offense of the Jaguars are running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones Drew.  Fred Taylor has stayed relatively healthy the last couple of seasons and he’s still a playmaker.  He does a lot of the heavy lifting in the running game often running between the tackles.  But, when he gets outside of the tackle box he still has enough speed to get down the football field.  Taylor has been kept fresh by splitting time with Jones-Drew.  Taylor played in 15 games (all starts) for the Jaguars and he carried the ball 223 times for 1,202 yards (5.4 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 9 passes for 58 yards (6.4 avg).  Look for Taylor to pad his career totals this season as long as he can remain healthy.  Taylor has now played in 127 games (123 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2,285 times for 10,715 yards (4.7 ypc) with 61 TD runs.  He has also caught 270 passes for 2,263 yards (8.4 avg) with 8 TD grabs. 

Maurice Jones-Drew is basically a little bad ass running back.  He only stands 5’7″ but he’s a solid 208 pounds.  He’s hard to tackle because he’s so short and powerful and he’s a much better receiver than any man his size should be.  He can take the ball to the house on any play because of his speed.  Drew played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Jaguars last season and he carried the ball 167 times for 768 yards (4.6 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  He also caught 40 passes for 407 yards (10.2 avg).  Look for Drew to even handle more of the load in the running game this season to lessen the wear and tear on Fred Taylor.  Drew has now played in 31 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 333 times for 1,709 yards (5.1 ypc) with 22 TD runs.  He also has caught 86 passes for 843 yards (9.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Rookie Chauncey Washington will likely be the #3 RB for the Jaguars this season.  He’s a tough guy who likes to run between the tackles and he played against top competition at USC.  Washington played in 12 games (11 starts) last year at USC and he carried the ball 195 times for 969 yards (5.0 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He also caught 7 passes for 59 yards (8.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He should do a good job if pressed into duty for the Jaguars this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

David Garrard always had the confidence that he would be a good starter in the NFL and he proved last season that he probably should have started over Byron Leftwich the whole time.  Garrard doens’t have the best arm in the league but it’s more than strong enough to make all of the throws he needs to.  Garrard is also great at avoiding the blitz and running the ball as he proved last season when he ripped the heart out of the Pittsburgh Steelers in last seasons’ playoffs.  Garrard played in 12 games (all starts) for the Jaguars last season and he completed 208 of 325 passes (64%) for 2,509 yards with 18 TD passes and 3 interceptions (102.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 49 times for 185 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Garrard should build on last seasons’ success and add to his already impressive career numbers.  Garrard has now played in 40 games (30 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 521 0f 864 passes (60.3%) for 6,052 yards with 36 TD passes and 16 interceptions (87.7 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 164 times for 822 yards (5.0 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  The only thing that could slow Garrard down this season is if he gets injured.

The Jaguars will be in trouble if David Garrard gets hurt as they have replaced Quinn Gray (Texans) with Cleo Lemon.  Lemon has had problems adjusting to the offense of the Jaguars as it’s more convential than the one he played in under Cam Cameron in Miami last year.  Lemon has a good arm and he has enough mobility to avoid the pass rush.  But, he’s not very polished and he throws a lot of passes that have fans scratching their heads trying to figure out what Lemon was thinking.  Lemon played in 9 games (7 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he completed 173 of 309 passes (56%) for 1,773 yards with 6 TD passes and 6 interceptions (71.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 31 times for 102 yards (3.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  The Jaguars will be much better off in 2008 if Cleo Lemon doesn’t add anything to his career numbers.  Lemon has now played in 13 games (8 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 211 of 377 passes (56%) for 2,185 yards with 8 TD passes and 7 interceptions (72.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 34 times for 109 yards (3.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.

Todd Bouman might be able to beat out Cleo Lemon for the #2 job in training camp but it will be a uphill battle seeing how Bouman last appeared in the NFL in 2005 with the Saints.  Bouman has played in 42 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 129 of 230 passes (56.1%) for 1,683 yards with 11 TD passes and 11 interceptions (75.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 21 times for 86 yards (4.1 ypc).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B