Jacksonville Jaguars

Jeremy Mincey and Andre Branch are two Jaguars defensive ends at different stages of their careers. Mincey is a 29-year-old, six-year veteran who was originally drafted in the sixth round by New England in 2006. Branch is a 23-year-old, second-year player drafted by the Jaguars last season. But they have one thing in common. They’re both trying to overcome frustrating seasons as they attempt to make an impact on their pass rush that ranked 26th last year in sacks per pass play and registered 20 sacks. read more

Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports The Jacksonville Jaguars have made another roster move during their busy offseason. The Jaguars have decided to part ways with defensive tackle Jeris Pendleton. This move cannot be seen as a surprise after the Jags brought in Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love recently to help along the defensive line. Pendleton was selected by Jacksonville in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The Jaguars made the decision to cut him so they would have room on the roster to bring in wide receiver Jeremy Ebert.  Pendleton did not receive a lot of action in the 2012 season as the defensive tackle only recorded one tackle for the Jaguars. One interesting note about Pendleton is that he worked different jobs for six years before playing college football. He played at Ashland University before the Jaguars drafted him last year. With Pendleton being 29 years old, we can assume Jacksonville did not feel that his upside was great enough to keep him on the roster. Expect him to make the best of this situation, whether with another team or in a different league. While his age works against him, Pendleton could still be a decent addition for a team looking for some depth along their defensive line. As for Ebert, expect him to be in the thick of the competition for a roster spot at wide receiver. The former New England Patriot and Philadelphia Eagle has a solid chance to make the roster if he impresses in training camp and could provide valuable depth for the Jaguars receiving corps.

Hollywood action star and martial arts icon Chuck Norris has written a 1,463 word column, published on WND.com, about Tim Tebow, describing the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback as an "Ultimate Clutch Player." read more

When the 2014 NFL Draft moves to May, the Jaguars’ modus operandi under general manager Dave Caldwell will put them in a holding pattern. “We’re ready to draft in early April so it will be three weeks of waiting to go,” Caldwell said after the Jaguars’ organized team activity workout Thursday morning. The new waiting game is a result of a conflict at Radio City Music Hall next April but also the league’s desire to maximize television ratings for the three-day extravaganza. read more

Let me tell you about a few of these heroes. I remember the first time that someone I knew was killed in combat when I was serving in the Marine Corps. It kind of stopped me in my tracks. I didn't know how to respond. I was in my house in Okinawa, Japan. I was throwing a barbecue at my house and had nearly my entire platoon over for drinks and shit. I was only a Lance Corporal. My sergeant got a call on his phone and his face dropped. He told me to turn the radio down. It was my house but the tone was clear. It wasn't an option. Sergeant Adam Cann was killed in action. Sgt Cann was the first dog handler to be killed in over 30 years. The war wasn't real, I mean really real to me until that point. People that I knew were dying. People that did the same job as me were dying. I didn't know Sgt Cann that well. I did however hear his name almost everyday for 5 years. It was the reason that we trained. We trained for Sgt Cann’s memory. We trained so that we might come back. I had never looked at it that way before. I found myself in Fallujah, Iraq. Cpl Dustin Lee was assigned to 3rd Recon Battalion. We had joked around quite a bit and he told me some stories of what he was doing with Recon. I had just gotten to country and had only been there for a few weeks. I was back at Camp Baharia when my three-man kennel received a call that an RPG killed Cpl Lee. My Marines and I rushed to Camp Fallujah to be there for the memorial. Lifting the Cpl Lee’s box and putting it on the helicopter to be returned to his parents is something I will never forget. I’m fighting back tears. Cpl Lee’s death brought about changes in how military working dogs are treated. Military members are given greater opportunities to adopt their dogs. In fact, Cpl Lee’s parent’s adopted his dog, Lex. It is an amazing story. The last story that I will tell you is about my best friend that I had while serving in the Marines. His name was Christopher Diaz. Writing “was” still takes my breath away. Diaz was killed in Afghanistan. But before that happened, he was my golf buddy, a dad, a son, a fiancé, a leader, and one hell of a Marine. When I got to Okinawa in 2004, Chris was the first dude that I connected with. He liked sports, video games, guns, drinking. On top of that, he was my neighbor. His son was born just 2 months after my daughter. We dressed our kids to go Trick or Treating together. We certified our dogs together. We competed for promotions against each other. We tried to outshoot each other. I would destroy him in NCAA football. He was stupid loyal to UT-El Paso. I would pick Florida State and crush him. I was on my anniversary trip with my wife when I got a call from one of my former Marines. This Marine had been out for about 6 months. We were now on a first name basis when we spoke. He called. I didn't pick up. He called again. I didn't pick up. He called for a third time in a row and I picked up and said “Jesus bro, what do you want?” “Staff Sergeant.” He hadn’t called me Staff Sergeant since he had gotten out. “Yes.” “Are you by yourself?” “No, my wife is here. What’s up?” “Staff Sergeant Diaz was killed in Afghanistan last night.” Blank. No. No way. Chris was one of the best Marines I knew. “What happened” I asked as I choked through the words. “He was stacked up on a house and it blew. He was killed instantly.” Now what? I’m still waiting for the what. I’m not sure what happens. I’m not sure how to act on Memorial Day. All I know is that I miss Chris. He was a pretty big bastard. But he was my friend. He was the dad of two children. His parents loved him. His brother loved him. He lo

Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports The Jacksonville Jaguars figure to have one of the more intriguing training camps of the 32 NFL franchises with tons of new faces competing for roster spots, but do not expect to see any of that drama show up on the popular HBO series “Hard Knocks.” When asked on Thursday about the possibility of appearing on the show that chronicles a team through the grind of training camp and the preseason, new Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said that he was not interested in having the distraction. It makes sense that Bradley would not want to deal with the constant presence of television cameras in his first summer as a head coach and subject his very young roster to the distraction of being under the microscope that is “Hard Knocks.” However, Bradley may not have a choice when it comes to the cameras, as Jaguars owner Shad Khan has expressed interest in the past in having his team featured on the popular television show. Khan threw the Jaguars name into the hat last offseason and said that having the exposure of “Hard Knocks” would help generate a buzz around his franchise. This offseason, however, Khan has said that he was going to defer all football decisions to the guys he hired to run the team, but a decision like this is more of a business decision although it certainly has an effect on the football side of the franchise. With that being said it will be interesting to see if Khan once again defers to the football decision makers if the opportunity to appear on “Hard Knocks” presents itself. You can follow Joey on twitter @joeyfarbo.

This is the same post I made a while ago, but I am adding to it, considering that the draft is over and the OTAs are in progress. You may be wondering what I mean in the title, and you will find out later in this post. First off, do y'all remember the comment that I posted on "Dark Ages"? This post is related to that post. However, I'm going into detail as to what I meant in that comment. And, by the way, thanks to those two that "rec'd" that comment. I appreciate it. Right now, you may be wondering how this relates to the Jaguars. Keep reading to find out. HERE WE GO! OK. Picture it. Go way back in time. Before the American Civil War, before the American Revolution, before Christopher Columbus "Discovered" the "New World", before the Vikings landed in what is now part of Canada, before the Roman Empire was founded, and all the way back to before civilizations were founded in Mesopotamia. Think all the way back to the time before history, or Prehistory. Picture it. What do you see? (Explain in comments if you like.) This is what I consider the Jaguars before they officially became a team in 1995, since the team didn't play until 1995 even though the city was awarded the team in 1993. That means that the period between 1993 and 1995 is just like prehistory, since we know that the city got the team, but the are no "records" (i.e. Sacks, receptions, TD-INT Ratios, Completion %, etc) did not exist for the team. Now, come closer to the present. Stop at the founding of Summer in Mesopotamia, or ca. 4,000-4,500 B.C., or ≈ 6,000-6,500 years ago. That would be the 1995 Jaguars. The team was young, so was the first civilization. There isn't really anything to say about 1995, except for that we did end up with the second best expansion team record (4-12), right behind our sister team, the Carolina Panthers, whose record in 1995 was 7-9. Take another jump forward on our timeline. Now we are in the time of the Roman Republic, which was from 509 B.C. to 27 B.C. This is what I would compare the 1996 season. The Roman Republic got stronger and expanded during this time, and the Jaguars made an attempt to start an empire, which would put us in 27 B.C. during the 1996 AFC Championship Game. In Jaguars' History, 1997-2002 would be equal to 27 B.C.-A.D. 476. In this period, we went to the playoffs 3 more times. 1997-1999 would be equal to the first half of the Roman Empire's history, and 2000-2002 would be the second half, when the empire was declining and divided into East and West. 2003 would have to be A.D. 476, when the Roman Empire finally collapsed after all of the attacks from the Germanic Tribes. The only thing special is that the Roman Empire fell in A.D 476 and the Jaguars fell into the "Dark Ages" in 2003. 2004 would be the time between A.D. 476 and A.D. 800. This would be a section of the Middle Ages called the Dark Ages. 2005-2007 would be the time of the "Holy Roman Empire, which was founded by Karl Der Grösse, aka Charlemagne. This is evident because the Holy Roman Empire was a little resurgence in the Middle Ages, and 2005-2007 was a little resurgence for the Jaguars. 2008-2012 would be like the rest of the Middle Ages, with 2012 being the Bubonic Plague, or the "Black Death. It could also be the destruction of the Knights Templar, which were the second group to land in what is now the United States in 1362. We know 1362 because a stone was found in Kensington, MN, which gives the stone its name, and the stone is double dated 1362. We are now in 2013. The Renaissance has begun. The firing of Former GM Gene Smith assured us that changes are on their way, and then the hiring of Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley & Co were only the first steps in the rebuilding of the franchise. Then Caldwell did not resign some veterans, and signed others in Free Agency, but not many, because he wants to build the team "Through the Draft". Then came th

I appreciate the recent articles on how Fisch runs his offense. There are, however, some major flaws with the articles in analyzing Fisch. First of all, the articles are based purely off of statistics and only a few games that Miami played in 2012. When Jedd took the offensive coordinator position in 2011, the offense Miami ran was vastly different in many aspects than he did in 2012. These years are also the first experience Jedd has had as being an offensive coordinator. Prior to an OC, he was the QB coach for the Seahawks. I will explain how not only he is going to be a great OC, but how he is also a struggling QB's best friend. What do you say when someone asks you what makes a great offensive coordinator? A great OC puts his players in positions where they can execute plays. A poor OC is one that thinks his plays are great, but finds out his players can't execute them. A great OC develops plays to attack specific players and defensive schemes. A poor OC calls the same plays over and over based off of a piece of paper. Jedd has proven that he coordinates his offense around the players he has available and dictates to the coaches overall game plan. He is also very good at scheming for certain defenses. This sounds simple but it's actually very rare to see this type of talented OC not let it all go to his head. It's important to understand the history behind the entire situation rather than just going off of a few games. Let's not only look at the facts with all of Jedd's experience as on OC starting in 2011...let's take a look at what was happening prior to his arrival at Miami. In 2009-10, Jacory Harris was a 3rd year starter senior QB at MIami. Harris was not your prototypical NFL passer because he lacks arm strength. To be quite frank, he had a noodle of an arm. Harris was known for throwing more INT's than TD's and a low completion percentage during his stint with prior UM OC Mark Whipple. In a nutshell, Whipple's offense was primary based on taking deep shots down the field. This was obviously not a good fit for Jacory considering his inability to make deep throws. This led to many INT's that cost the team and eventually led to almost the entire staff being let go. Let's take a look at Jacory's statistics at UM for verification: CAREER STATS SEASON CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA LNG TD INT SACK RAT 2008 118 194 1195 60.8 6.16 41 12 7 11 125.8 2009 242 406 3352 59.6 8.26 69 24 17 34 140.1 2010 148 270 1793 54.8 6.64 65 14 15 10 116.6 2011 195 300 2486 65.0 8.29 77 20 9 17 150.6 In 2011, many UM fans were upset that Jacory was going to start at the QB position over the prototype NFL QB Stephen Morris. When Jedd came in, however, he changed the UM offense to put players where they could execute. He implemented an offense with many quick passes, screens, and roll outs. He rarely called 5 step drops to heave the ball down field like his predecessor Whipple. He also implemented he wild cat and many trick plays to keep pressure of the QB. The results were very noticeable in the UM offense. Jacory was at teh top of the conference with a 65% completion percentage and threw 20 TD's to only 9 INT's. Not only was the passing offense more proficient. Miami had a 1,000 yard rusher for the first time in almost a decade. The UM head coach, Al Golden, ended up being unhappy with the number of offense plays during the 2011 season despite the increase in production. Al instructed Jedd to come up with an offense to increase their play count over the course of a game by 15-20 plays. So Jedd then implemented the up tempo no huddle for 2012. Miami ran zero no huddle offense in 2011. in 2012, Stephen Morris became the starter. Stephen is an entirely different QB than was Harris. Stephen has a cannon for an arm. His arm

(h/t) mtiller wildanimalphotos.co.uk The Jacksonville Jaguars should have pursued Charles Woodson…right?  Well, Rant Sports Thinks So… Even if Woodson was not a full-time starter for Jacksonville’s secondary, he would have served an invaluable depth should one of the starters had gone down with an injury. With his ability to play any position in the secondary, Woodson would have fit in with relative ease. Chuck Norris gets in on the Jaguars signing Tim Tebow…should we surrender now? Norris makes the case that the Jacksonville Jaguars should sign Tebow and references Martin Luther King Jr. in his argument. He writes that he read a USA Today story on Shad Khan in which the Jaguars owner is quoted as saying that King’s work is “a contributing factor to his success.” “So let me respectfully challenge Khan to consider these words from Dr. King: ‘There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right,’” Norris writes. The Jaguars have repeatedly said they aren’t interested in signing Tebow, and the Bold City Brigade, a team booster group, started a website, “Evenifhesreleased.com,” which was launched as a countermeasure to the Tebow-mania bombarding the team.

One year after the Jaguars reportedly made a push to be the featured team on HBO's "Hard Knocks," new head coach Gus Bradley "made it pretty clear" to Mark Long of the Associated Press on Thursday that the team is not interested in being the focal point of the show in 2013. "Hard Knocks" is a documentary-style show that provides perspective on an NFL team during training camp and shows the preparation for the regular season along with the battle for roster spots. Although Jaguars owner Shahid Khan was interested in luring the show to Jacksonville in 2012, it has been considered by many coaches as a potential distraction and disadvantage. In 2012, several teams said they were uninterested before the show eventually came to an agreement with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins finished the 2012 season with a 7-9 record, the first team to finish with a losing record after appearing on "Hard Knocks" since the Chiefs finished 4-12 in 2007.