Jaguars Journal

Meier gets new deal while Spicer & Jags continue their duel

Tim McClellan — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:58:34 +0000

Engage, counter-parry, feint, attack, thrust, remise, riposte.

As the duel heats up between veteran defensive end, Paul Spicer and the Jacksonville Jaguars, another fixture on the defensive line scores a hit.

There is a time for pay, and a time for play. It is May, and the guys that are focused on pay are making their moves to fatten their wallets right on queue.

With voluntary practices in full swing, the Jaguars are busily working to lock up the players that they feel are critical to their short-term goals. It was announced late yesterday that veteran backup defensive tackle, Rob Meier, agreed to a 4 year extension worth around $15 million. This comes on the heels of Paul Spicer opting to sit out the first two sessions of organized team activities as he and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, mull over their options contractually.

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Spicer watch: Jaguars deal with first bump in the road for 2008

Tim McClellan — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:11:20 +0000

Popular veteran defensive end and team captain Paul Spicer presented the Jaguars with their first speed bump leading up to a season where expectations are as high as they have been in several years for the team to make a run at a Super Bowl title. By opting to sit out the Organized Team Activities that began yesterday, Spicer has put the Jaguars in a position where they have to make a difficult decision about one of their more popular players.

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Jaguars 2008: wide open wide receiver battle begins

Tim McClellan — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:30:11 +0000

With the NFL regular season barely four months away, the Jacksonville Jaguars will return to the practice field today for the first time since January to begin preparation for the 2008 season. Already being touted as one of the top tier teams in the league, the Jaguars have high expectations entering this season. There are still lingering questions that need to be addressed, and position battles to be won.

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Jaguars and city continue to fight perceptions based on bad information

Tim McClellan — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:57:17 +0000

As a Jaguar fan, it is something that always irritates me. Any time the national media delves into any sort of commentary involving the fan support in this town, they always fall back into the same stereotypes and misrepresentations that tend to portray the fans in Jacksonville as dispassionate fans that only pay attention to their NFL franchise in passing, favoring college football as a vehicle for expressing their love for the game.

It all sounds logical until you bother to look at the actual numbers.

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Jaguars announce their off season practice schedule

Tim McClellan — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:04:53 +0000

The Jacksonville Jaguars have published their schedule for Organized Team Activities (OTA) and Mini-camp. OTAs will begin later this year than in past seasons, and none of the sessions will be open to the public. The first opportunity that the fans will have to see the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars on the field will be during the Friday and Saturday Mini-camp sessions on June 6th and 7th.

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What does the national media know, Jacksonville had a very good draft

Brendan Sonnone — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:36:09 +0000

Mel Kiper be damned. I’m sick of the supposed expert bashing Jacksonville’s draft. We get it, you think the Jags made a mistake by trading up for Derrick Harvey and not trading for Jason Taylor, and to a certain degree I see your point. However, Kiper is looking only at the trade from one perspective, and after several days of contemplating Jacksonville’s draft, I’d have to say I totally disagree with him…I think the Jaguars were winners this weekend. (more…)

Jack Del Rio talks about draft, trades, free agency, and camaraderie

Tim McClellan — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:47:59 +0000

Jack Del Rio did an interview today with Jeff Prosser and Tony Boselli of Sports Final Radio show fame on 1010XL in Jacksonville. It was a revealing discussion about the draft, free agency, trade rumors, and the camaraderie of his 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars squad.

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Jacksonville addresses pass-rush on first day

Brendan Sonnone — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:20:25 +0000

In a clear effort to add pass-rushers to the roster, Jacksonville has added two defensive ends who offer the ability to burst around the edge and make plays in the backfield. After packaging a first, two thirds and a fourth to trade up to the eight spot in order to snag Florida DE Derrick Harvey, the Jaguars also traded up in the second round with the Bucs to select another defensive end, Quentin Groves.

I liked Groves more than a lot of others did and feel he can be a great situational pass rusher. The Auburn player is a little undersized at 250 lbs, but he has terrific speed and should be able to come in and be a playmaker immediately. In the second round, he is a great pickup.

The Jaguars also liked Groves enough to trade up several slots for him and there was a chance that they were concerned that Miami or Pittsburgh could have selected him. It seems that a lot of fans aren’t planned with Jacksonville’s draft and I’m not sure if I feel the same way. I’ll have to sleep on it, but I think taking both these players will certainly upgrade Jacksonville’s biggest weakness….the pass rush.

Baring any trades, this should wrap up Jacksonville’s first day of the draft. Overall, I am a little disappointed that they attain an experienced end, but they added two young players who should stabilize the position for years to come. In my opinion, it’s a good first day for the Jags.

Jags trade up, take Harvey

Brendan Sonnone — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:30:20 +0000

I predicted that the Jaguars would trade their first overall pick, either up or down, but I couldn’t have foreseen this. Jacksonville moved all the way up to the 8th overall pick after trading with Baltimore, and selected defensive end Derrick Harvey. The trade was certainly surprising, as the Jags gave up both of their thirds and a fourth, and obviously swapped firsts.

Jacksonville needed a defensive end heading into the draft and we speculated here that they could trade for a veteran defensive end, but this is a solid move for the Jags. Maybe it was a bit of a reach and they gave up a lot of picks, but Jacksonville had very few needs.

A defensive end pass-rusher was a must and Harvey brings solid size and great speed. He should be able to contribute right away. As for them giving up a lot of picks, Jacksonville is ready to contend now and they don’t need a handful of rookies trying to battle for a roster spot.

We will have a more in-depth analysis on Harvey later, but for now, Jacksonville has stirred things up in the draft and attained the type of player they needed.

With a wink and a nod, the Jaguars discuss draft strategy

Tim McClellan — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:15:34 +0000

With the 2008 NFL Draft barely 48 hours away, the Jacksonville Jaguars are quickly methodically formulating a strategy that will allow them to make the necessary upgrades along the defensive line in order to take the team to the next level of success.

When asked about their goals in a press luncheon earlier this week, Del Rio was very clear to point out that they would address the defensive line. His lack of specificity was not questioned, and speculation that his point was that they would target players in the draft to upgrade the defensive line was probably a slight misrepresentation.

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