2012 Team Review: Jacksonville Jaguars

What Went Right: Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon

        For once, the firs time since the days of Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, the Jaguars had a dynamic receiving combination. While neither broke 1000 yards receiving, I blame that more on the quarterbacking than them. Both started relatively slow, but as the season went along, both came on as big time receivers and gave the Jaguars some hope going forward. Blackmon led the team in receptions, though he took about half the year to adjust to the pro game. With a full off-season and a better quarterback, I expect he’ll become the big-time playmaker he was expected to be coming out of college. Cecil Shorts proved to be much like another former Mount Union receiver, Pierre Garcon. He might not be incredibly consistent or the guy you expect to go over the middle, but whenever the ball is in his hands, he has a chance to score. Five of his seven touchdowns were over 30 yards, with three of those being over yards in length. He and Blackmon could make the transition for the next Jaguars quarterback much easier.

What Went Wrong: Everything Else

        While Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon were developing into a quality receiving tandem, the rest of the offense was stagnant and the defense was nowhere near as stout as it was in 2011. Perhaps it was because the offense spent so little time on the field, but the defense just allowed itself to get gashed. There are still

clear bright spots here and there, but as a whole this defensive unit needs to play better. The quarterback situation has been a disaster. Blaine Gabbert, drafted to be a franchise passer, was slow to develop and was sent to the bench by head coach Mike Mularkey (who was brought in to help him develop oddly enough) for the more dynamic, but less ball secure Chad Henne. While Henne could make the occasional big play, he also threw more picks and was looser with the ball than Gabbert. Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout clearly affected him, leading to a foot injury that forced him to miss over half the season. The offense simply couldn't find a rhythm after that. Getting him back will help but the Jaguars have to find a new quarterback and balance offensively to get themselves out of the doldrums.

Player of the Year: Cecil Shorts III

        There were not a lot of places I could have gone other than to Shorts. He developed as the season went along, surpassing free agent acquisition Laurent Robinson to become a starter, and in time, the most explosive receiver on the Jaguars team. He had four games where he broke the 100 yard mark and led the team with seven touchdown receptions. With a good offensive scheme and a solid quarterback, he could cash in much like his Mount Union compatriot, Pierre Garcon.

Keeper: Derek Cox

        There are several key contributors on the defensive side of the ball who are free agents this off-season. Terrence Knighton and Daryl Smith should also be re-signed, but that is dependent on the philosophy of the new general manager and whether or not Mike Mularkey wants to stick with the defensive philosophy of former head coach Jack Del Rio, which seemed to be part of the plan in year one. Regardless, there’s a difference between those two and Cox. Cox is easily the best defensive back on the team while it could be argued that Knighton and Smith have been surpassed by Tyson Alualu and Paul Posluszny in their respective positions. Cox is the key for this defensive backfield to stabilize and improve. If they don’t re-sign him, he’ll likely collect a nice contract else, much like Brandon Carr last year.

Goner: Laurent Robinson/Chad Henne

        I had a hard time picking between these two. Robinson was clearly the bigger disappointment and would be no higher than third on the depth chart going into training camp. For the 4.3 million cap hit he’s going to account for next year (jumping to 7.3 million in 2014), that’s simply not good enough. That being said, I’m not convinced they’re simply going to quit on him after one year. They don’t have a lot of options behind him so it’ll be curious to see how they address that. Henne could be more likely to go. He and Gabbert are going into the off-season needing some luck and a lot of work to keep from being replaced. While Gabbert is the bigger disappointment, Henne carries the bigger price tag. I think he’s the most likely to be outright cut, though I wouldn't be surprised to see both gone.

Should Draft: Defensive End

        I know this position has been hammered on year after year, but it’s still a problem. The Jaguars haven’t had a player with a ten sack season since 2006. They have been perpetually anemic at the defensive end position and they need to find someone special and latch on to him. Thankfully, the strength of this draft class is along the offensive and defensive lines, so they should have plenty of options to looks at.