Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Profile

Head coach Jack Del Rio enters his fifth season as the Jaguars head man. Del Rio leads all active coaches with an 11 year career as a player in the NFL. The former linebacker has lost none of his intensity and this translates into his team’s defense that can stifle opposing offenses. Turnover within the assistant coaching ranks means that Jacksonville has an entirely new offensive staff under new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. If the offense can adapt to the new attack, the Jaguars can reasonably be considered as a threat to Indianapolis’s dominance of the division and have the capability to make a deep run in the AFC playoffs. If they struggle out of the gate under QB Byron Leftwich, look for Del Rio to hand the reins to David Garrard.

Jacksonville Jaguars Off-Season Moves

The acquisition of veteran free agent receiver Dennis Northcutt adds some experience to a young receiving corps that never recovered last year from the loss of Steve Smith. Northcutt will likely be the slot receiver when the Jags run three receiver sets making him vital on third downs, an area that the team struggled with last season. Free agent tight end Jermaine Wiggins puts some pressure on the other two TEs on the roster, Marcedes Lewis and George Wrighster to complete for the job vacated by the departure of last year’s starter Kyle Brady to the Patriots. Through the draft, Jacksonville plugged holes with the drafting of Florida safety Reggie Nelson and Maryland punter Adam Podlesh. Both players figure to start as rookies and Podelsh in particular is seen as an upgrade over last year’s struggling punter Chris Hanson.        

Jacksonville Jaguars 2007-08 Season Outlook

The Jaguars enter 2007 in a state of uncertainty. Last year’s 8-8 finish belies the fact that the team had one of the best running attacks in the NFL last season, with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combining 2,087 rushing yards, combined with one of the stingiest run defenses. This generally means that a team will be a Super Bowl contender but poor QB play and injury problems meant that the team struggled. Lingering questions at quarterback mean that the team will have struggles coming out of the gate behind presumptive starter Byron Leftwich. Leftwich’s toughness has never been questioned, but when head coach Jack Del Rio felt that an ankle injury was hampering his play, the hook came out and backup David Garrard started the final ten games. The recent signing of former no. 1 draft pick over all Tim Couch adds yet another QB into Jacksonville’s depth chart. Regardless of who gets the nod, improvement from the quarterback position is necessary for the Jags to make a run at the playoffs. With a weak batch of receivers, Jacksonville will be dependent upon the health of WRs Matt Jones and Reggie Williams to improve and on these two players to step up. The team signed receiver Dennis Northcutt in the offseason to play in the slot and expect rookie burner Mike Walker to be productive as their fourth receiver option. Defensively, the Jags 4-3 scheme looks to be as solid as last year in stopping opposing teams. The only key replacement on the second ranked total defense from 2006 is rookie free safety Reggie Nelson who steps in as the Jags No. 1 pick to fill the void vacated by the loss of Deon Grant to free agency.   

Jacksonville Jaguars Trivia

-Jacksonville Jaguars second round pick Maurice Jones-Drew led the league in rushing average in 2006 at 5.7 yards per carry.

-Jacksonville Jaguars twice pass on the chance to draft Notre Dame All-American quarterback Brady Quinn in 2007 draft, selecting Florida's Reggie Nelson instead.

-The Jacksonville Jaguars are the official car of the Ford Motor Company, makers of the Jaguar vehicle.  
Jacksonville Jaguars 2007-08 Roster

Jacksonville Jaguars 2007-08 Depth Chart

Jacksonville Jaguars – Jacksonville Municipal Stadium

Construction Began: Early 1994
Opened: August 18, 1995
Capacity: 67,174
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Surface: Natural Grass

When Jacksonville was awarded one of the NFL expansion teams in the mid-90s, they had allotted $60 million to a renovation project involving the famed Gator Bowl. Instead, they demolished nearly all but the foundation of the Gator Bowl and reconstructed the infrastructure and exterior to be named Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The stadium still plays host to the annual Gator Bowl as well as many other events in the northern Florida region.