Who are the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Since their inception into the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled to be noticed on a national level. Even during winning seasons, they have not always recieved the credit due them, such as the 2005 campaign. They were 12-4, losing to the New England Patriots in the first round of the Playoffs. Just why then do the ‘experts’ not see them as a viable Super Bowl contender? Let’s examine the issue.

I’m sitting at the sports bar, drinking a cold beer as I listen to two Dallas Cowboys fans lament their teams 24-17 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday. They blame Drew Bledsoe, as do most NFL "experts" for the Cowboys unraveling. Didn’t they have have a 10 – 0 lead at the end of the first quarter? How many wide open receivers did he miss? How could he throw three interceptions? He’s washed up. Well, I have a different take. Maybe they were outplayed by a good football team. The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting very little credit for executing their gameplan and beating the Cowboys.

This off season it’s been fashionable to dis the Jaguars. Didn’t they go 12-4 against a "soft" schedule in 2005? This year it will be harder for them to get off to a strong start since they have to play three playoff teams from last season(Pittsburgh, Washington and Indianapolis) and one that should have made it (Dallas) in the first five weeks of the season. Jimmy Smith, arguably a Hall of Fame caliber receiver and the Jags go to guy since their inception in 1995 retired. Who would replace his contribution? Who will be the running back, because it’s well known that Fred Taylor will not make it throughout the season healthy. Well, the Jaguars have a young, talented team and the ‘experts’ should look at all of the facts.

First, the Jaguars can only play the schedule they are assigned. Unlike the college game, they do not control scheduling, this chore be handled by the NFL. Their record stood at 4-2 after the first six weeks in 2005.  They beat the Seattle Seahawks, the N.Y. Jets, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers during this stretch. The two losses were to the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos. Of the six, only the Jets did not make the playoffs. They beat both Super Bowl participants from 2005, beating Seattle at home and Pittsburgh on the road. They lost to the Colts 10-3 in Indianapolis, shutting down the Colts high scoring offense. Let’s see, five playoff teams in six weeks in 2005, and assuming that the same teams make the playoffs in 2006, three playoff teams in the first five games. Well, it seems to me that the 2006 schedule is easier before their week 7 bye then last years schedule.

Jimmy Smith is maybe the most underrated receiver in the NFL from over the last 10 years. He holds most of the Jacksonville receiving records. That being said, the Jaguars have been preparing for his eventual retirement, drafting receivers with their first pick in the 2004 and 2005 draft. The trio Matt Jones, Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford are being counted on to provide his replacement. In 2005 Smith led the team with 70 receptions for 1023 yards and 6 touchdowns. The three above mentioned receivers combined for 112 receptions for 1,558 yards and 12 touchdowns. Smith caught 29 more passes then Ernest Wilford, second on the team in 2005. Each of the three receivers would then need to catch 10 more passes in 2006 to match Smiths 2005 numbers. Though opponents have the luxury of not having to double team a single receiver in 2006, they do have to be concerned with the size of the Jaguar receivers, since Williams and Wilford are 6-4, with Jones being 6-6. They present matchup problems for many teams. The well isn’t as dry at receiver for the Jaguars as some would make it seem.

Then we have the running back situation. Fred Taylor, the often injured running back, has started in 93 of a possible 128 regular season games between 1998 -2005. he’s played in a additional 5, meaning of 128 games he’s played in 98 of them, missing 30 games due to injuries. Yet, Taylor has 1852 rushing attempts for 8441 yards during his 9 year career and 2004 receiving yards over the same span for 10,445 all purpose yards. His career rushing average is 4.6 per carry, only once dipping under 4.0 (3.9 in 2001, when he carried 2 times for 30 yards). By all accounts Freddie T, as he is called, is in the best shape of his career for 2006, and there is evidence of that, as he finished the preseason with no injuries. If he were to go down, the Jaguars are well stocked at running back, with LaBrandon Toefield, Alvin Pearman and Maurice Jones-Drew as possible replacements.

The Defensive unit was ranked sixth in the NFL in 2005. The addition of Brian Williams at cornerback and the return of Donovan Darius, who spent all of 2005 on injured reserved, at Safety will do nothing to weaken this unit. They have a great defensive line, with Pro Bowler Marcus Stroud and John Henderson anchoring the middle, and a very underrated middle linebacker in Mike Peterson. The special teams unit is solid, with Josh Scobee handling the kicking and Chris Hanson the punting.

As I sit at the bar, finishing my beer, I continue to listen to all the reasons the Cowboy lost to the Jaguars on Sunday. As I read the papers and listen to the networks, I hear about how badly Bledsoe played, and how Dallas is still a good team. Did anyone see their opponent? Here is an original idea; they lost to the better team on Sunday, the overlooked Jacksonville Jaguars.