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HOT TOPIC
Coach Jack Del Rio appears to have kissed and made up with running back Fred Taylor.
Taylor was a no-show this year for the team's "voluntary" offseason program. Except for an appearance at the weekend mandatory mini-camp in early May, Taylor spent the offseason training in Miami.
Del Rio made it obvious during the offseason that he was unhappy that Taylor wasn't joining the program. Taylor also made cryptic comments about a lack of loyalty in pro football, a suggestion that he was unhappy or frustrated.
Despite all that, Del Rio made it obvious as the team wrapped up its final OTA on June 21 that Taylor is still very much in the Jaguars' plans. Del Rio is looking for the team to have more explosive runs this year and Taylor figures to be a big part of that.
"We're going to be able to run the ball. We're going to have an explosive quality to us. We've got the ability to strike from longer distances," he said.
Breaking the long run is Taylor's game and it helps that he's healthier now than he was a year ago when he was still recovering from knee surgery at the start of training camp. He was then slowed by injuries during the season and wound up gaining just 787 yards in 11 games.
"He's healthy coming into this season instead of going into camp not practicing and you're hoping he's back and (wondering) how soon can he start working. He's training like a madman and he's on a mission. And you add a guy like Maurice (Drew) and he has some explosiveness to him and we're looking at things that Greg (Jones) does well and then there's our line play," Del Rio said.
Drew, the team's second round draft pick, is only 5-7, but he's a speedster who may be able to break the long runs as a part-time back that the Jaguars are looking for this year. Fullback Greg Jones is a good blocker who adds a change of pace.
Last year, Taylor's longest run was a 71-yarder and Alvin Pearman was the only other runner to break one longer than 27 yards when he ran for 45.
Del Rio said he's been in communication with Taylor and seems to have accepted the fact Taylor decided to skip the workouts that are supposed to be voluntary.
"It'd be a little different if a backup guy was doing this. I'd like everybody to be here and what I ask our guys to do is communicate with me," Del Rio said.
Taylor, who turned 30 this year, made some comments at the start of the offseason program about a lack of loyalty in pro football, but Del Rio didn't seem worried about Taylor's commitment to the team.
"I can tell you I've been able to keep most of my hair. I'm constantly concerned how I can make sure the team is as unified and cohesive as possible. That's always something I'm working on," he said.
One of the reasons the Jaguars are likely to put more emphasis on the running game this year is that they haven't figured out how to compensate for the loss of wide receiver Jimmy Smith and don't figure to be a big passing team this year.
The passing game has struggled in the offseason, but Del Rio and quarterback Byron Leftwich said there's time in camp to get the passing game straightened out.
"That's the kind of thing over time you get ironed out," Del Rio said of the missed passes.
Leftwich said, "You've got to be a fool to think everybody is out there throwing perfect passes every time. It's not going to happen."
But it still remains to be seen whether they'll get it fixed. The problem is that the two receivers they drafted in the first round in 2004 and 2004, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones, have shown no indication that they can step up to be a No. 1 receiver.
Williams doesn't have deep speed and while Jones has speed once he gets into the open, he's not quick off the line of scrimmage and figures to get jammed a lot. Jones also doesn't appear to like contact and has short arms when he sees he's going to get hit in the secondary. He's also still making the adjustment from quarterback to wide receiver and has such a laid back attitude that it's uncertain whether he really likes playing football.
On top of that, quarterback Byron Leftwich doesn't have good mechanics and tends to hold the ball too long and take too many shots. One problem is that he waits for the receivers to get open and they don't.
The Jaguars are likely to make rookie tight end Marcedes Lewis a focus of the passing game, but he doesn't have deep speed so they'll likely throw a lot of short passes
If Williams and/or Jones don't step up this year, the Jaguars will feature the run because they won't have any alternative.
PLAYER NOTES
--Maurice Drew, their second round draft pick, had a cloud lifted from him last week when the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it has dropped a felony assault charge against him.
The charge stemmed from an incident at a Los Angeles restaurant on April 23 when a patron was beaten up. Drew was at the restaurant but always maintained he wasn't involved and the surveillance video backed up his claim.
Drew said he thought some teams backed away from him in the draft because of the draft, but the Jaguars trusted him and believed his denial.
--The Jaguars' top two draft picks -- tight end Marcedes Lewis and running back Maurice Drew -- had to make one big adjustment when they joined the offseason program last week.
After playing for UCLA in Los Angeles, they had to cope with the heat and humidity in Jacksonville.
"Right now, just the heat and the humidity (is a problem). I'm adjusting to the weather right now," Lewis said after his first workout in the organized team activity program.
Drew said, "The humidity is different than California. I had to go out there and get a little extra conditioning."
Lewis and Drew missed the first 12 OTAs because of a rule prohibiting rookies from participating in team activities - except for a weekend mini-camp - until their school holds its graduation. UCLA conducted its graduation last weekend. Neither Drew nor Lewis was enrolled in school, but they were subject to the rule.
They both participated in only the final two OTAs the team is allowed to hold.
Despite the heat, both players were eager to take the field although Drew seemed more concerned about making up for lost time.
"I was anxious to get back out there," Lewis said.
Drew said, "It's pretty tough catching up, but I'm not that far behind. I've got to catch up through extra meetings."
Both players weren't shy about talking about the Jaguars' shot at winning the Super Bowl.
Drew said he wants to help the Jaguars win it and when Lewis was asked about his expectations, he said, "Win Super Bowls. That's my expectations."
--Wide receiver Ernest Wilford, who was promoted to a starting wide receiver job after Reggie Williams suffered a concussion last year, is back working with the second team behind Williams in the offseason. But Wilford, who wound up leading the team with seven touchdown catches, plans to compete for the starting job in training camp.
"I'll use that (playing on the second team) as motivation. I've got supreme confidence that the right players will be playing in the first game of the season," he said.
Unless Williams gets hurt again, Wilford will likely have to settle for fighting for the third wide receiver job with Cortez Hankton and Chad Owens. The Jaguars have too much invested in Williams, the ninth pick in the 2004 draft, not to give him a chance to make a comeback this year.
--The Jaguars announced they sold all 54,000 of their non-premium tickets so they'll be able to lift the blackout for all their home games this year.
The Jaguars also tried to create the illusion that tickets are scarce by announced they're starting a waiting list.
But any fan that joins the list this year is likely to get a ticket next year because the team had several thousand fans give up their tickets this year despite their 12-4 mark last year.
And owner Wayne Weaver said that 800 club seat ticket holders have already told the Jaguars they've giving up their tickets in 2007.
The Jaguars, who covered up almost 10,000 seats at Alltel Stadium this year, have a ticket-selling problem because they're only a 12-year-old expansion team and have no tradition. They also haven't won a playoff game since 1999. And Jacksonville is a laid-back beach town that lacks passion for pro football. On top of that, Alltel Stadium is so hot in September and early October that it resembles a sauna.
They'll be a lot of pressure on coach Jack Del Rio to produce another winning season and playoff team to keep the fans interested.
Del Rio, who had two years left on his original five-year contract at the end of last year, got a raise and a year extension through the 2008 season in the offseason.
But he'll be on the hot seat next year if the Jaguars won't win next year.
Del Rio also hasn't made much of an impact in the community. Former coach Tom Coughlin, how coaches the Giants, is more involved in the community with his Jay Fund charity than Del Rio is.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Jaguars passing game has struggled in the offseason, but coach Jack Del Rio indicated at the end of the OTAs that he doesn't plan to sign any more receivers before camp opens on July 29.
They already added veterans Troy Edwards and Randy Hymes after Jimmy Smith retired in May but neither appears to be contending for a starter job.
"We're going to develop the guys we have. I don't now there's a savior out there. There usually aren't any saviors out there in late June," he said.
The burden is on their 2004 and 2005 top round picks, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones, to emerge this year. If they don't, the Jaguars will be looking for a savior next year.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--LB Greg Favors (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--CB Terry Cousin: UFA; terms unknown.
--LB Tony Gilbert: Potential RFA; terms unknown.
--QB Quinn Gray: ERFA; terms unknown.
--WR Cortez Hankton: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--TE Brian Jones: ERFA; terms unknown.
--OG Vince Manuwai: RFA; terms unknown, had been tendered at $721,600.
--DT Rob Meier: Potential UFA: 3 yrs, terms unknown.
--C Dennis Norman: Potential UFA; terms unknown.
--CB David Richardson: ERFA; terms unknown.
--C Brett Romberg: ERFA; terms unknown.
--RB LaBrandon Toefield: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--DE Marcellus Wiley: UFA; terms unknown.
--TE George Wrighster: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--WR Troy Edwards: UFA Lions; terms unknown.
--P Toby Gowin: FA; terms unknown.
--LB Nick Greisen: UFA Giants; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--OT Wayne Hunter (waivers Seahawks).
--WR Randy Hymes: UFA Ravens; terms unknown.
--OT Stockar McDougle: UFA Dolphins; $1.065M/2 yrs, $100,000 SB/$100,000 WO; 2006 cap: $735,000.
--CB Brian Williams: UFA Vikings; $32M/6 yrs, $10M SB.
--OT Mike Williams: FA Bills; $5M/2 yrs, $2M SB.
--DT Tony Williams: FA; terms unknown.
PLAYERS LOST
--LB Akin Ayodele: UFA Cowboys; $17M/5 yrs, $5M SB.
--S Deke Cooper: UFA Dolphins; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--OT Mike Pearson: UFA Dolphins; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--OT Ephraim Salaam: UFA Texans; terms unknown.
--WR Jimmy Smith (retired).
--LB Tracy White: Not tendered as RFA/Packers; $555,720/1 yr, $25,000 SB.
--LB Jamie Winborn: UFA Buccaneers; $1.6M/2 yrs, $200,000 SB.
--CB Kenny Wright: UFA Redskins; terms unknown.
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