Cautious Optimism After Jaguars Mini-Camp

The Jacksonville Jaguars held their mini-camp this weekend, giving coaches and fans alike their first look at the players who will make up the 2009 roster. Everyone was in attendance, including the free agent acquisitions and newly-drafted rookies - 90+ players in all hoping to impress the coaches and eventually earn a spot on the 2009 active roster. The bleachers were packed with fans excited to check out the new-look Jaguars during the blazing hot Saturday afternoon session I attended. Watching the players make their way from the locker room to the practice fields two things jumped out at me: the offensive line is enormous with the additions of Tra Thomas, Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton; and David Garrard has lost a lot of weight and looks more like a quarterback and less like a middle linebacker. I am not a coach or any other kind of football expert, so I can't speak to all things X's and O's, but I am a hardcore football fan who has strapped on the pads, albeit at a much lower level, so I can speak to what I saw with my own eyes. After all, I am an expert at my own opinion. What my eyes told me was that Jaguar fans have reason to be cautiously optimistic heading into the 2009 season. Now, when I use the word "optimistic" I am not using it in such a way that would imply I believe the Jaguars will be in the Super Bowl hunt at the end of the season. This is a team that is rebuilding with an eye on the future, as well it should be, so to expect a Super Bowl contender would be unrealistic at this point. I am, however, optimistic that the Jaguars will improve on 2008's 5-11 record and be in the running for a wildcard spot. That is my expectation for the 2009 Jaguars and I believe it is realistic. In mini-camp, the Jaguars did not put on the pads - it was shorts and helmets only - what is commonly referred to as "underwear practices." The thing about underwear practices is that most everyone looks pretty good, so it is difficult to judge how a player will perform once the pads go on and the hitting starts. But that doesn't mean that there weren't things that stood out. The first thing that stood out was the wide receiver corps. Newly acquired free agent Torry Holt looked like money well spent, and appears to already be David Garrard's favorite target. Mike Walker looked very good - hopefully this is the year that it all comes together with him. Fourth round draft pick Mike Thomas looks very short but very fast. Fifth rounder Jarett Dillard looks solid, and seventh rounder Tiquan Underwood looked extremely fast. We'll see what happens once the live action starts, but this new-look receiving corps looks like it has the potential to be much better than it has been the past several years. Controversial third round pick Derek Cox looked good. Almost identical in size to Rashean Mathis, he appears to possess all the tools necessary to play cornerback in the NFL at a high level. Hopefully, he can become a fixture at the position opposite Mathis and help shore up the Jaguars pass defense. Two more things stood out to me on Saturday. The first thing is that we as Jaguars fans should be saying a prayer for David Garrard's health every night. Cleo Lemon looked horrible. Surely the Jaguars are not going to go into the season with him as their number two quarterback. The second thing is that Steve Weatherford appeared to be a much better punter than Adam Podlesh. I don't know if it happened in just the Saturday afternoon session that I attended, but Weatherford consistently outkicked Podlesh. Though a battle for the punter's job is not very exciting, it might be a position to keep an eye on during training camp. I walked away from mini-camp feeling good about the direction the Jaguars are heading. I think Gene Smith and his staff have had a solid first offseason, and that they have things headed in the right direction. While I don't look for great things next season, I do look for good things. I look for signs that the franchise's arrow is pointing up. And I am cautiously optimistic that we will see just that.