Jaguars will look for turnaround this season

2008 was a season to forget in Jacksonville.

Two guards-Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams-were sidelined with season-ending injuries on Opening Day against Tennessee.  The Jaguars' two big free agent additions-Jerry Porter from the Raiders and Drayton Florence from the Chargers-never found a groove and were released immediately after the season. The Jags sent former first-round wide receivers Reggie Williams and Matt Jones packing. Defensive coordinator Greg Williams, replacing now-Falcons head coach Mike Smith, was shown the door after '08.   To top it off, general manager James "Shack" Harris was fired and former scout Gene Smith was handed the reins of a club that finished 6-10 amidst high expectations.

It would be easy to put the blame on quarterback David Garrard, but league insiders suggest that a bigger reason for his decline had to do with the talent around him. The Manuwai and Williams injuries were huge. Another weakness was at offensive tackle. The once-promising Khalif Barnes was cut before the draft, so the Jaguars drafted a pair of offensive tackles, Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, and signed Donovan McNabb's longtime blindside protector, Tra Thomas, from Philadelphia. The entire unit will be a good story throughout 2009.

The Jaguars' bread and butter has been and will be their running game. With Fred Taylor now a Patriot, Maurice Jones-Drew, one of many good running backs in that 2006 draft class, takes over the starting job. Jones-Drew is a 5-foot-8, 208-pound bowling ball of a running back. If Drew gets into the open field, he's gone. Whether or not he can handle a full NFL workload will be the key in 2009. Expect fullback Greg Jones to get more opportunities and keep an eye on rookie Rashad Jennings from Liberty. 

Defensively, the Jaguars are in transition. At defensive end, they need big performances from 2008 first-round picks Quentin Groves and Derrick Harvey. Harvey missed all of training camp, but shined at the end of the year.

Mike Peterson and head coach Jack Del Rio had a feud of sorts throughout 2008, leading to his release. Daryl Smith will take over at middle linebacker. Smith is very versatile and may be the best wrap-up tackler on the team. With Clint Ingram holding the fort down at strongside linebacker, 2007 second-round selection Justin Durant will take over at weakside. Durant has a very bright future if he can put it all together.  

Nicked with injuries, cornerback Rashean Mathis had an atypical year and missed the Pro Bowl. His job is secure, though. Hard-hitting free safety Reggie Nelson has a high ceiling. Former Eagle Sean Consodine will take Gerald Sensabaugh's role at strong safety.

Depth is an issue. Third-round pick Derek Cox, considered a reach, should be in the mix with Brian Williams opposite Mathis.    
One year after Super Bowl expectations, the Jaguars are back to square one. Around midseason of ‘08, one scout told Pro Football Weekly that "Del Rio has lost that locker room." For Del Rio, those aren't strong headlines after receiving a $20 million contact following 2007. The roster turnover is huge, and the Jaguars are counting on many injured veterans to return to form. Winning will be tough in a competitive AFC South.  
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Bryan Ault is a student at Franklin College, and he is a summer intern at The Tribune. He may be reached online via his blog at www.bryanault.com