Jags Training Camp Capsule

By: Jake

With the annual intra-squad scrimmage coming up tomorrow (Saturday), now is a good time to check up on how training camp has gone thus far for the Jags.

My early thoughts from what i've heard about the camp, are very very positive. No serious injuries like the one mentioned in the article below and no off the field drama like the Eagles Juqua Parker's marijuana arrest. All this is a big plus for the Jaguars who were bitten badly by the injury bug last year as more than half the O-Line missed at least 6 weeks, while both guards were lost for the season in the first game. However the play of the rookie WRs has been the biggest and best surprise of all. WR Jarrett Dillard out of Rice University has stood out the most in practice, making catch after catch after catch from QB David Garrard. WR Mike Thomas also stood out in the return game and as a slot receiver going across the middle. Second year WR Mike walker has gotten past a slow start and really shined just like he did last year during cap. Hopefully with a year under his belt and time to get over the chronic injuries of last year, he can achieve his full potential as a 3rd round receiver last year.

The absence of first round pick Eugene Monroe is starting to give fans eerie memories of last years Derrick Harvey holdout which lasted 32 days and caused him to lose much of the learning time he needed as a rookie, even though he showed many flashes near the end of the season and ended up with 19 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Monroe's absence would be much scarier for the team had they not signed free agent OT Tra Thomas in the offseason. Thomas provides the Jaguars with plenty of depth and a great mentor to catch up Monroe when he finally signs his deal. There is much speculation that Monroe's deal is being held up by that of Michael Crabtree and BJ Raji who the Jaguars seem to be waiting to sign. The Jaguars also hope that Monroe's agent recognizes that the Raiders vastly over paid when they gave the surprise pick of the draft, Darrius Heyward-Bey, a 5 year 38 million dollar contract.

Another big story out of camp is how great the starting group of LBs is looking. Daryl Smith is looking like the solid veteran he his, second year LB Justin Durant is making tons of plays behind the line of scrimmage, and Clint Ingram appears to have rebounded from a sub-par year and is reportedly laying the wood. If the Jaguars want to have any success, they are gonna need stellar years out of all 3. However, this group cannot withstand a season ending injury due to the lack of depth behind them as it consists of Thomas Williams and Brian Iwuh.

Last but not least, the D-line. All eyes are on last years first round pick Derrick Harvey and second round pick Quentin Groves. How they develop into pass rushers will be a huge part of how well the defense performs in the 2009 season. After cutting Paul Spicer, Harvey has a starting spot all lined up for him and a DT in John Henderson who will routinely take up double teams. The mentioning of Henderson brings up the next major thing to keep an eye on during the remainder of training camp and pre-season, third round DT Terrance Knighton. Ever since the Jaguars traded Marcus Stround before the draft last year, the Jaguars have seen how much they actually do miss him. And all of our hopes are that Knighton can make us forget about Stroud and bring back the days where no one ever ran on the Jags.

After the first few pre-season games and before the season starts, expect to see some more reports on how things are stacking up for Jacksonville.