NFL team previews — AFC Central
Aug. 22, 2000
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Jaguars QB
Mark Brunell
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Don’t be shocked if the Jaguars are in for another Titan-ic struggle this season.
Last year the Jaguars’ only three losses all season were at the hands of the
Titans, including a 33-14 whipping administered in the AFC championship game. It was the
fourth straight season in which the Jaguars crashed and burned in the playoffs.
This year Tennessee figures to be just as tough a rival in the AFC Central —
especially considering the way the injury gods have conspired against the Jaguars.
Eight projected starters sat out Jacksonville’s victory over Kansas City the third
week of the preseason, including four Pro Bowlers — OTs Tony Boselli (torn anterior
cruciate ligament) and Leon Searcy (torn quadriceps muscle), DE Tony Brackens (hamstring)
and S Carnell Lake (foot) — and featured RB Fred Taylor (knee).
Boselli has vowed to be ready for the season opener in Cleveland, but that remains to
be seen. Brackens should be in the lineup vs. the Browns — unless he makes good on
his threat to walk out on the team if it fails to give him a hefty new contract before the
opening gun goes off. Lake, a steadying influence in the Jaguars’ defense, is
definitely out for the year. Searcy is a long shot to be back for the 2000 stretch drive.
The injury-prone Taylor, who missed seven games with a hamstring injury last season, could
miss the team’s first two games.
The Jaguars’ biggest concern is an offensive line that allowed seven sacks vs. the
Chiefs. In addition to being without Boselli and Searcy, C John Wade remains out of
commission with a foot injury.
In spite of all these aches and pains, however, the Jaguars remain a very viable threat
in the AFC.
Top of page
| Quarterbacks |
Grade B |
| Mark Brunell has proved to be an extremely reliable
regular-season performer, but his performance vs. Tennessee in the AFC championship game,
when the Jaguars never mounted a serious drive after falling behind early in the second
half, raised doubts about his ability as a big-game quarterback. Brunell’s backup
will either be Jonathan Quinn or Jamie Martin. Top of page |
| Running backs |
Grade B+ |
| When he’s healthy, Taylor is as good as it gets, as
evidenced by his 90-yard TD run vs. the Dolphins in the playoffs last year in which he
demonstrated his considerable breakaway speed. If he misses regular-season games this
season, however, it will mark the third straight season Taylor has sat out a game or games
due to injuries. Stacey Mack, who struggled in his first start ever in the preseason vs.
K.C., is the main backup, with seventh-round rookie Shyrone Stith (78-yard TD run vs. the
Chiefs) possibly figuring in the mix. Top of page |
| Receivers |
Grade B+ |
| Jimmy Smith, who caught 116 passes for 1,636 yards and six
touchdowns and had nine 100-yard games in ’99, is clearly one of the league’s
top receivers entering the new millennium. No. 2 WR Keenan McCardell (78-891 in ’99)
is still a solid option. The third receiver likely will be first-round draft choice R. Jay
Soward, who was repeatedly open in training camp but struggled with his hands. TE Kyle
Brady, a big, strong, powerful blocker, has improved his receiving skills, but the main
target at the TE position is fourth-year player Damon Jones, who has great talent but is a
bit of an underachiever. Top
of page |
| Offensive linemen |
Grade B- |
| With OTs Searcy and Boselli hampered by injuries, the
strength of this unit the past four seasons has turned into a huge question mark. Zach
Wiegert was to be the starter at right guard, but with Searcy out, he will now start at
right tackle. Wade should be fully recovered in time for the season. Rookie Brad Meester,
an impressive-looking space-eater, is the expected starter at left guard. The Jaguars
dealt a future draft choice to the Chiefs in exchange for Brenden Stai, who will start at
right guard. Top of page |
| Defensive linemen |
Grade C+ |
| Brackens (12 sacks in ’99) gives the Jaguars the
pass-rushing presence it needs, but there’s still a danger his contract situation
could have an extremely adverse effect on the team. DT Gary Walker (10 sacks) was among
the NFL’s best at his position the first three months of the ’99 season. Seth
Payne is a quality run defender at the other tackle, and the team thinks highly of Larry
Smith, a second-round draft choice last year who can rush from the tackle spot and play
the run. The other end is Renaldo Wynn, a former first-round draft choice from Notre Dame
who has five sacks in three seasons. Top of page |
| Linebackers |
Grade A- |
| This is a once-questionable area that might have become a
team strength. Weak-side LB Kevin Hardy had a career-high 10½ sacks last year and emerged
as the best young all-around linebacker in the NFL. MLB Hardy Nickerson, who was added via
free agency (Tampa Bay), is getting up there in years (35 by the time Week One rolls
around) but has looked fresh-legged and powerful during training camp. Nickerson’s
addition allows Lonnie Marts, a natural outside ’backer who played in the middle last
season, to move back outside, where he feels more comfortable. Top of page |
| Defensive backs |
Grade C+ |
| This unit made huge strides in ’99 and was a major
reason the defense improved from No. 25 to No. 4 overall. But it will definitely miss
Lake, who will probably be replaced at free safety by Mike Logan, a former second-round
pick in ’97 whose progress has been hindered by injuries. Perhaps the
secondary’s biggest improvement was the addition of CB Fernando Bryant, the
team’s first-round draft pick last year. By midseason, teams were throwing to the
other side of the field, where veteran CB Aaron Beasley had the best season of his
four-year career (six interceptions). SS Donovin Darius is a huge hitter who improved in
coverage last season. Top
of page |
| Special teams |
Grade B |
| The biggest change from last season is the addition of
special-teams coach Frank Gansz, who coached special teams for the Super Bowl-champion
Rams last season. Gansz’s primary concern is a kickoff-coverage unit that has
traditionally been an area of concern. Otherwise, the specialists are solid. PK Mike
Hollis is consistently among the NFL’s most accurate kickers, and P Bryan Barker is
as good at pinning opponents inside the 20 as anyone in the NFL. Fifth-year incumbent
Reggie Barlow is expected to be challenged by Soward for the team’s kick-return
duties. Top of page |
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