28-year old linebacker Daryl Smith really stepped up for the Jaguars this season.  He has played in 15 games for the Jags so far this year and he has 90 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 5 passes defensed, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.  Smith has now played in 107 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 559 tackles, 31 passes defensed, 18 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 5 interceptions.  The Jaguars will need Smith to bring his A-Game this weekend as Arian Foster is really going to challenge the defense.

Whispers were going around that 47-year old head coach Jack Del Rio was going to get canned if he lost to the Cowboys.  The Jaguars responded by beating both the Cowboys & the Texans and now they are 5-4 which has them tied for second in the AFC South with the Titans, 1 game behind the Colts.  Del Rio has a 62-59 record (51.2%) during his 8 years as the Jags’ head coach during the regular season. 

32-year old QB David Garrard is back on the right path.  He has played in 7 games so far this year and he has completed 101 of 149 passes (67.8%) for 1,098 yards with 13 TD passes and 7 INTs (98.8 QB Rating).  Garrard has also carried the ball 25 times for 96 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs this year.  There where whispers when the Jaguars picked up Trent Edwards that Garrard’s time was short as the starting QB.  That is just stupid as Garrard is a very solid QB when healthy and the team is better off when he’s under the center.

28-year old kicker Josh Scobee had a 2009 season to forget.  He played in all 16 games for the Jaguars last season and he only made 18 of 28 field goals (64.3%) and he was 30 of 31 on extra points good for 84 total points.  The Jaguars were so upset with him that they actually thought of replacing him.  But they eventually decided to give him another chance in 2010 and he has done a great job so far.  Scobee has made all 11 of his field goals and all 11 of his extra points this year, good for 44 points.  The Jaguars can’t afford to leave any points on the field so they hope Scobee keeps up the good work.

23-year old WR/PR Mike Thomas is building off his solid rookie year.  He has played in all 3 games for the Jaguars so far this year and he has caught 12 passes for 139 yards (11.6 avg).  Thomas has also returned 8 punts for 88 yards (11.0 avg) as he has also been a asset on special teams.  Thomas is a small guy at 5’8″, 198 pounds but he has no fear on the football field so he has a bright future for the Jags.

26-year old starting TE Marcedes Lewis has not been much of a target in the passing game early in his career.  In his first four years with the Jaguars he played in 62 games in which he caught 123 passes for 1,524 yards (12.4 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He has career highs of 41 catches, 518 yards receiving and 2 TD grabs coming into this year.  But, David Garrard is looking for him a lot more in the passing game this year.  Lewis has already caught 7 passes for 101 yards (14.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs this year in the first two games.  If Lewis keeps up at this pace he’s going to smash his old career highs and he a key to the Jags’ passing offense.

25-year old WR Mike Sims-Walker stepped up for the Jaguars last season.  He played in 15 games for the Jaguars and he caught 63 passes for 869 yards (13.8 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Sims-Walker was finally healthy for a whole season and he showed what he is capable of doing.  In a perfect world he would be a #2 WR but in Jacksonville right now he is the #1 guy.  Look for the Jaguars to draft some WRs or sign some free agents to help out here.  Sims-Walker has now played in 24 games in his career with the Jaguars and he has caught 79 passes for 1,086 yards (13.7 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  The Jaguars really need to keep him healthy in 2010 and beyond because he is a solid NFL receiver.

24-year old RB Maurice Jones-Drew has been outstanding this season for the Jaguars in his first season as the main man in the running game.  He has played in 13 games this season and he has carried the ball 251 times for 1,136 yards (4.5 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  He has also caught 44 passes for 303 yards (6.9 avg) so far this season.  Teams have been ganging up on Jones-Drew by putting more players in the box than usual but it hasn’t stopped him too much this year.  It’s a shame the Jags don’t have a better passing game to make teams pay for keying on Jones-Drew.

25-year old WR Mike Sims-Walker didn’t do too much in his first two years in the NFL mostly because of gimpy knees.  But, he is healthy now as he has been the Jags’ top receiver this season.  Sims-Walker has played in 12 games this year for the Jaguars and he has caught 53 passes for 758 yards (14.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  It seems to me that Sims-Walker would be better off as a #2 WR in the NFL but the Jaguars can’t afford him to be that right now as Torry Holt is looking his age this season.  Look for the Jaguars to address this need at WR to complement Sims-Walker in either the draft or free agency.

24-year old rookie RB Rashad Jennings is doing a solid job as Maurice Jones-Drew’s back-up this season.  He was selected in the 7th round (#250 overall) by the Jaguars out of tiny Liberty.  Jennings has played in 10 games for the Jags so far this season and he has carried the ball 26 times for 121 yards (4.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 6 passes for 40 yards (6.7 avg) for the Jaguars this year.  The Jaguars look like they found a keeper late in the draft as Jennings is a solid football player with a decent little upside.  He also has returned 3 kickoffs for 56 yards (18.7 avg) this year.