2011 Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

Th Jacksonville Jaguars looked like they were on their way to win the AFC South after opening the season 8-5, but for a third straight season they struggled to finish strong. The Jaguars lost their final three games to finish the regular season 8-8. It was the third straight season that Jacksonville has been on the outside looking in at the postseason. The Jaguars have stuck with head coach Jack Del Rio, but if he doesn’t get the team to respond in 2011, his time in Jacksonville is likely over. Here is a closer look at what the Jaguars will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my prediction on where they will finish in the AFC South.

Offense:

Jacksonville went out and used their first-round draft pick on Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, but it appears that they are going to give veteran David Garrard one last shot to prove he is capable of leading this team to the postseason. Garrard played well in 2010, but he is walking a thin line in 2011. If he struggles at all, look for Gabbert to step in and get some experience.

While Garrard and Gabbert are getting a lot of the attention this offseason, running back Maurice Jones-Drew is the key that makes the offense work. Jones-Drew is coming off a Pro Bowl season where he rushed for 1,324 yards with seven total touchdowns, but has to show he is fully recovered from offseason knee surgery. If Jones-Drew isn’t on the same level as he was in 2010, the Jaguars offense will struggle to move the ball.

With the loss of wide out Mikes Sims-Walker, the Jaguars are expected to go into the season with Mike Thomas and Jason Hill as their top threats on the outside. Thomas emerged in his second season to lead the team with 66 catches for 820 yards, and is going to have to continue to get better if the offense is going to improve in 2011. The Jaguars also have a great tight end in Marcedes Lewis, who finished second on the team with 58 catches for 700 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.

The Jaguars decided to cut ties with starting guard Vincent Manuwai, but have found a suitable replacement in free agent Jason Spitz. The Jaguars are hoping right tackle Eben Britton will be back to full strength this year, after playing just seven games in 2010 with a shoulder injury. With the emphasis this team has on running the ball, this unit has to stay healthy for the team to reach its full potential.

Defense:

Owner Wayne Weaver has stripped Del Rio of defensive play-calling duties, after the team struggled to do much of anything right in 2010. They finished 28th in total defense, 28th against the pass, and 22 against the run. Mel Tucker will run the defense this year, and hopes that by simplifying the scheme they will make less mistakes.

The Jaguars bring back starting defensive tackles Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton, but what they really need is a big step up in production out of their defensive ends. They added Aaron Kampman last offseason to help the pass rush, but he ended up playing in just 8 games. This year they went out and added free agent Matt Roth. What these two give the defense will go a long way in the overall success of the entire unit.

The only starting linebacker back from last year is outside linebacker Daryl Smith, who was easily the best of the starting bunch in 2010. Smith will be joined by a couple of nice free agent signings in middle linebacker Paul Posluszny and outside linebacker Clint Session. This should be a big improvement over the starting group they sent out last year.

Jacksonville also went out and added a big time player to help sure up the secondary, as they landed free agent strong safety Dawan Landry, who could make the biggest impact of any of the free agent signings. Landry will team up with free safety Courtney Greene and corners Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox.

Prediction: 4th AFC South, 4-12 Overall - I think the Jaguars are in for a long season, in what I believe will be the final season for Del Rio and Garrard. The future looks good with Gabbert, but I think this team still needs at least another offseason to really put together a team that can contend in this division. My biggest concern is the lack of offensive weapons outside of Jones-Drew, especially in the passing game. The defense made some nice moves, but I don’t necessarily know if simpler schemes is better in the NFL.

Individual Team NFL Season Predictions

AFC
AFC West	AFC North	AFC South	AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs Predictions	Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions	Indianapolis Colts Predictions	New England Patriots Predictions
San Diego Chargers Predictions	Baltimore Ravens Predictions	Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions	New York Jets Predictions
Oakland Raiders Predictions	Cleveland Browns Predictions	Houston Texans Predictions	Miami Dolphins Predictions
Denver Broncos Predictions	Cincinnati Bengals Predictions	Tennessee Titans Predictions	Buffalo Bills Predictions
NFC
NFC West	NFC North	NFC South	NFC East
Seattle Seahawks Predictions	Chicago Bears Predictions	Atlanta Falcons Predictions	Philadelphia Eagles Predictions
St. Louis Rams Predictions	Green Bay Packers Predictions	New Orleans Saints Predictions	New York Giants Predictions
San Francisco 49ers Predictions	Detroit Lions Predictions	Tampa Bay Bucs Predictions	Dallas Cowboys Predictions
Arizona Cardinals Predictions	Minnesota Vikings Predictions	Carolina Panthers Predictions	Washington Redskins Predictions

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