The New Jacksonville Jaguars

By: Jake

With a new era dawning in Jacksonville, the firing of Shack Harris as GM and the hiring of Gene Smith as his replacement is only the beginning of something good in Jacksonville, literally.
Shack Harris is known by Jaguars fans for his famously bad first round draft picks and questionable free agent signings, and this came to fruition this year as both first Round WRS that he drafted were cut and the two big time Free Agents from 2008 were cut also. Both WRs were repeatedly connected to drug arrests (Reggie Williams-Marijuana, Matt Jones-Cocaine) and were cut even after performances that included a 10 TD season in 2007 for Williams and a 65 catch season for Jones in 2008, which was cut short to a drug suspension. The cutting of “bad-character” guys and overpaid, underperforming players like Jerry Porter and Drayton Florence sends a signal that the times are changing in Jacksonville. Already the Jaguars have signed solid veterans like Tra Thomas and Torry Holt who have no history of character issues or anything of the sort.

Another true test of Gene in his first year is how he handles the #8 pick in the NFL draft. There are rumors of a trade if Mark Sanchez is left, and what kind of deal is worked out for that pick will go a long way to the impression that he makes in his first year as GM. Gene is in a good position to impress the fans as there are rumored to be many teams like Washington, Denver, and New York who are coveting Sanchez and willing to trade up to get him. However, if Crabtree is still left, and it looks more and more like he will, Gene will have a big dilemma on his hands.

Along with a new sense of direction and GM, the Jaguars recently revealed their new jerseys to the public during a fashion show type ordeal that featured players like Maurice Jones-Drew, Reggie Nelson, David Garrard, and Rashean Mathis. The new jerseys(pictured above) are supposed to be the “new identity” of the Jaguars. They have been generally accepted and supported by the Jacksonville fans, who appreciate the simplicity and color combination on both jerseys. Not only are the fans liking the jersey changes, but they are almost unanimous in the support of the new helmet which now has a color changing technology that will give it a teal look in the sun.(also pictured above)