| Could
it possibly be happening again in Jacksonville? Is it possible that the rash of injuries
that plagued the offensive line last season is going to carry over to the 2001 campaign? It’s
too soon to know for sure. But if I’m Tom Coughlin, I’m beginning to worry
— at least a little bit.
The plan for this upcoming season was to have the offensive line look like this: OLT
Tony Boselli, OLG Brad Meester, C Jeff Smith, ORG John Wade, ORT Zach Wiegert.
The left side of the line should be very solid, with Boselli back to 100 percent after
being a less than his best (which is still awfully good) for part of the season because he
was still getting over a 1999 knee injury. Meester is entering only his second season, but
he started every game at left guard last season and seemed to progress nicely as the
season went on.
At center, Jeff Smith proved to be an upgrade over Wade, who began the season as the
team’s starting center. However, Wade was lost for the remainder of the 2000 season
in September with a serious foot injury.
And that’s where this season’s problems along the offensive line begin.
Wade is out again after having surgery on the same foot that was injured last season.
It seems that he fractured a bone in his right foot, which has sidelined him indefinitely.
While the Jaguars haven’t said he is out for the entire year, it’s safe to say
he’s not going to be ready for the first part of the regular season. Remember, he was
being counted on to fill the ORG position.
As for the ORT spot, Coughlin & Co. were hoping that Wiegert would be able to come
back from last season’s knee injury quickly enough to win the starting job. But
he’s still far from 100 percent and isn’t expected to be in the starting lineup
when training camp opens later this month.
So, where does this leave the right side of the Jaguars’ offensive line?
Well, the ORG and ORT spots are likely to be in the hands of a pair of rookies. The
Jaguars selected Maurice Williams in the second round. It was a move that some in
Jacksonville questioned, as they were eager for the team to pick Kenyatta Walker with the
13th overall pick in the draft. Instead, Coughlin tabbed DT Marcus Stroud with his
first-round pick. That means if Williams fails, you can count on fans roasting
Coughlin’s Draft Day decision.
The ORG position now may have to be manned by sixth-round pick Chad Ward. A sixth-round
pick in the starting lineup is an unsettling thought.
Complicating matters even more is the fact that QB Mark Brunell is a lefty, which means
that a pair of completely unproven rookies will be protecting his blind side. I can just
imagine the bone-jarring hits Brunell is going to have to absorb come this September.
Even if Williams and Ward beat the odds and become solid players as rookies, there is
very little depth along the line. Are you familiar with Reggie Nelson? How about Mark
Baniewicz? I didn’t think so. Come to think of it, I don’t think even the
Jaguars are very familiar with those guys. They certainly don’t want to have to get
to know them better because that would mean another starter has gone down with an injury.
And this team can hardly afford that. As I said, if I were Tom Coughlin, I’d be
starting to worry. |
