New Look Coaching Staff in Jacksonville

By Jeremy Philipson

The Jags, clearly out to distance themselves from a dismal 2-14 campaign, cleaned house this offseason, hiring a new general manager, head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator. Who are the new faces in North Florida? Let’s find out.

(Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports)

General Manager: David Caldwell, a native of Buffalo, NY, takes the helm as the GM after working his way up the league food chain for the past 17 years. Caldwell started as a scouting assistant for the Panthers under then-GM Bill Polian, moved to a regional scout for the Colts (also under Polian), then to the Falcons director of college scouting, and finally as the Falcons director of player personnel and the right hand man of current GM Thomas Dimitroff. 

Caldwell brings sound experience in scouting and player personnel, two areas the Jaguars clearly need to upgrade. With many holes on the roster and $22 million in cap space to play around with in free agency, Caldwell has his work cut out for him. Many of the players hitting free agency are expendable, which gives Caldwell the opportunity to focus on signing new players and improving his team through the draft. NFL teams are not built overnight, and with a team with as many holes as the Jaguars, fans need to be patient. It may be 3-4 years before Jacksonville can realistically contend in the AFC South, but steady improvement over those years will signal a turning of the tides.

Head Coach: With teams more focused on offense and scoring, the Jaguars are looking at the other side of the ball and have hired defensive guru Gus Bradley as their next head coach. Bradley has spent the past four years as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, and in the process, transformed a below-average defense into one of the best in the league. The Seahawks ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in total yards and points per game in Bradley’s first two seasons, but turned the corner in his final two years, and ranked in the top third in both categories. In two years, Bradley took a defense giving up over 25 points per game to a defense giving up 15.3 points per game, the best mark in the league. Now, he inherits a team that was 30^th in total defense in 2012. If Bradley can turn around the Jacksonville defense the way he did Seattle, he will be thought of as one of the games brightest defensive minds.

Offensive Coordinator: Many new coaches hire past colleagues to work on their staff, just as Doug Marrone did when he hired Nathaniel Hackett to run the offense in Buffalo. Gus Bradley is no different, and hired Jedd Fisch as his offensive coordinator. Fisch spent the past two years as the OC for Miami Hurricanes, and ranked 33^rd in total offense in his first year. The two worked together in 2010 with Seattle, when Bradley was defensive coordinator and Fisch the quarterbacks coach.

 Although only 36, Fisch has plenty of experience in the NFL, serving as a coach for four different teams on both sides of the ball. Bradley hopes Fisch can bring his quarterback magic to Jacksonville, where the team hopes Blaine Gabbert can make significant strides in his third season and entrench himself as the quarterback of the future. With weapons like Justin Blackmon, Cecil Shorts, Laurent Robinson, and Maurice Jones-Drew, Fisch can be very creative with his offense and give Gabbert the best chance to succeed.

Defensive Coordinator: Bradley once again went with familiarity, hiring Bob Babich as his defensive coordinator. When Babich was head coach at North Dakota State from 1997-2002, Bradley served as a defensive assistant. Now, the roles are reversed. After serving under Lovie Smith for the past nine seasons in Chicago, Babich is ready for a change. 

With the Bears, he gained experience as linebackers coach, assistant head coach, and defensive coordinator, positions he held at different times during his time in Chicago. Babich brings 29 years of coaching experience to Jacksonville, with 10 in the NFL and six as a college head coach. 

As mentioned previously, the Jaguars defense was a mess last season, and Babich will need all the help he can get to turn it around. Look for new GM David Caldwell to spend some money and high draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. As offensive numbers skyrocket at historic rates, it will only be a matter of time before the defense catches up. Babich, along with Bradley and Caldwell, hope Jacksonville will be the first.

AFC South: Receiver Rankings

 As classes wind down, finals begin, and the temperature drops, I will steal a quote from one of my favorite TV shows: “Winter is coming.”

By Jeremy Philipson

1) Houston Texans

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The Colts could easily be at the top of this list, but I give the edge to the Texans based on experience. Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, and tight end Owen Daniels have all been to the playoffs in previous years and know what it takes to win. Johnson, with 1,058 yards on 69 catches and 3 touchdowns, is having his best year since 2009, when he hauled in 101 balls with over 1,500 yards and scored 9 times. But Johnson does not have to be the dominant receiver he was in 2009 because of the strong run game balancing the offense. As the secondary receiver in a run-heavy offense, Walter hasn’t had many chances, but has done well with the chances he has had. Although he is only averaging 3 catches per game, he is making those receptions count with average of 13.3 yards per catch, his highest total since 2008. Rounding out the receivers for Houston is tight end Owen Daniels. Daniels has been the main target in the red zone, accounting for one touchdown every 8 catches. His 6 scores this season broke his previous career high of 5, which he accomplished twice. Houston has the experience and talent to get it done through the air, especially in the playoffs.

2) Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck has brought this receiving core back from the dead, and it starts with Reggie Wayne. Wayne is having a career year, with 84 catches for 1,105 yards already. This puts him on pace for over 1,600 yards, which would break his career high of 1,510 yards, set in 2007. Journeyman Donnie Avery, on his third team in his four-year career, has finally found a home in Indianapolis. Avery is on pace to shatter his career high of 674 yards, and being targeted more often than ever. T.Y. Hilton, a rookie from Florida International University, has been far better than expected this year. Hilton has pulled in 33 passes for 488 yards and 5 scores, tops on the team. Fellow rookies Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, both tight ends, have combined for 607 yards on 55 catches and 2 scores. Luck has the weapons to perform and will have to continue to play at a high level to advance in the playoffs.

3) Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have two great playmakers at the wide receiver positions, in second year player Cecil Shorts and highly-touted rookie Justin Blackmon. Shorts, who had only two catches in his rookie season, has been a revelation this year. He has scored in four straight games, averaging 92 yards and over 5 catches during his streak. With three 100-yard games in a 5 game span from weeks 8-12, Shorts had officially become relevant in fantasy circles just in time for playoffs. On the other side, Blackmon had been a disappointment for the first 10 weeks. He then proceeded to explode and fill up the stat sheet with 14 catches, 236 yards, and 1 touchdown. If only the Jaguars had a quarterback to get these receivers the ball.

4) Tennessee Titans

The Titans have 6 players with 25+ receptions. Off to a good start, right? The Titans have 0 players with more than 48 receptions. Wrong; Tennessee has had inconsistent quarterbacking, coupled with injuries and disappointing play at the receiver position. It starts with Kenny Britt, the big, strong wide receiver from Rutgers drafted in 2009. After playing in all 16 games his rookie year, and 12 his sophomore campaign, when he had 775 yards and 9 touchdowns, Britt has only played in 12 games the past two years. He tore his ACL and MCL in September 2011, and has never fully recovered. Secondary receiver Kendall Wright, a rookie from Baylor, has been the top pass-catcher for the Titans this year, with 48 catches for 438 yards and 4 scores. Wright has struggled in his role, and hasn’t gone over 78 yards in any game this season. Eight-year veteran Nate Washington and tight end Jared Cook, both coming off career years in 2011, have been a disappointment thus far. Washington and Cook have combined for only 989 yards on 72 catches, both low numbers for expected top targets. Until Britt gets healthy, and Jake Locker can stay healthy, the Titans will have trouble at the receiver position.

Babin Gets Hired

By Thomas Rende

Ohh, the midseason axe. It can be seen as a fresh start for a player to be cut by his former team - to give him the chance of reproving himself in a new system, with new coaches, and new teammates - or it can be seen as demoralizing.

For Jason Babin it was an escape. He got out of the Philadelphia Eagles’ circus after getting a call from Andy Reid, informing him that he had been cut. Babin got the unfortunate label of being a pass rusher at all costs. His perceived one-dimensional status gave fans the impression that he looked for the glory of the sack before putting the team first. The statistics don’t seem to back up this line of thinking.

After finishing a season with 18 sacks, fans get a certain expectation of the kind of impact that you can have season to season. They pencil you in for a certain type of production and get frustrated when you don’t live up to their, fair or unfair, projections.

AP Photo/ Alex Brandon

Babin had 18 sacks in his first season with the Eagles. He had the second highest pass rushing productivity (a statistic that uses the total number of hurries, sacks, and hits that a player has with different weights on each metric) for any 4-3 defensive end in the NFL.

That number has dropped off slightly this year, but not enough to consider the player washed up. He is still in the top 10 of pass rushing productivity, even with only 5.5 sacks on the season. The pass rushing numbers aren’t the only surprising part of his game. He is rated a solid twenty-third in the league for rush defense at the 4-3 DE position.

The Eagles’ decision to part ways with Babin can still be seen as a smart move for the organization. Not many believe that Babin was the reason for the Eagles’ problems this season, but it shows an effort on the organization’s part to stress some sort of accountability. It also gives some of the younger players, Vin Curry and Brandon Graham, a chance to prove themselves in an otherwise pointless season. Playing and paying Babin his contract might have been a waste for an organization that has to reassess their future.

Jacksonville makes sense as a landing spot for Babin, purely based on their need for a pass rusher, but they have no chance at making the playoffs, so a mid-season acquisition is slightly perplexing. For the time being, you can expect Babin to enjoy the sunshine of Florida while beefing up the Jaguars’ pass rush. Just don’t expect him to call wishing to go back to Philadelphia. 

AFC South: Running Back Rankings

After a Thanksgiving break filled with family, football, and some stuff I shouldn’t mention, I’m returning to my positional rankings. Next week: Wide Receivers.

1) Arian Foster (Houston Texans)

(Getty Images/Chris Greythen)

After signing with Houston as an undrafted free agent in May 2009, Foster has become one of the best backs in the NFL. As the workhouse for the top team in the AFC, the University of Tennessee product, has been a tank over the past three years. During his breakout season in 2010, Foster averaged, 4.9 yards per carry (YPC), scored 16 touchdowns, and averaged an incredible 101 yards per game, 6 more than the next highest rusher. Last year, Foster was slightly less effective, with 4.4 YPC and 94.2 yards per game, and finished fifth in rushing. With only 278 carries a year ago, Foster was fresh for the playoffs after sharing time with Ben Tate in the regular season. Through 11 games this year, Foster has almost eclipsed his total, with 269 carries through week 12. The Texans have all but wrapped up their division, and it will be interesting to see if Foster’s workload decreases to get him ready for the playoffs.

2) Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars)

As the most consistent back among the division, Jones-Drew takes his place in the second spot. Although he is nursing a foot injury this season, he has been a model of consistency and has usually had a clean bill of health throughout his career. Jones-Drew has missed only three games in his first six years, with his best years being from 2009-2011, where he never rushed for less than 1,324 yards nor averaged less than 4.4 YPC. “Mo-Jo” has been the only weapon on the Jaguars for most of his career, and has only had one year with a Pro Bowl receiver/tight end. Even while being the focus of the defensive gameplan for much of his time with the Jaguars, Jones-Drew led the league in rushing last year, and was a top-5 rusher three years in a row.

3) Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans)

Yes, everyone knows “CJ2K” for his incredible 2009 season where he rushed for 2,006 yards. But, what else has he done? Quite a bit, actually. Johnson averaged 4.9 YPC as a rookie in 2009, rushing for 1,228 yards while missing only one game. Over his next three seasons, Johnson played every game and averaged 4.7 YPC, while racking up over 4,400 yards. Not only has he been active in the ground game, but has been a weapon through the air. The former ECU Pirate has never caught fewer than 43 passes in a full season, with his career-high of 57 catches last year. Johnson looks to be back to his old self after a down year last year, and is projected to rush for almost 1,400 yards this season. Look for CJ2K to be around the 1,300-yard mark for the next few years.

4) Donald Brown/Vick Ballard/Delone Carter (Indianapolis Colts)

The Colts have had a lot of success this year, but have work to do on their ground game. First-stringer Donald Brown has been less than impressive, averaging 4.1 YPC on 92 carries this season while nursing a knee injury. Rookie Vick Ballard and second-year back Delone Carter have played significant minutes in place of the injured Brown. Ballard, the rookie from Mississippi State, has been the go-to back, averaging 60 yards almost 15 carries per game over his last 6 games. Carter has been used sparingly, mainly as a goal line back, with 2 scores in 29 carries this year. Until Brown gets healthy and proves he is durable enough to shoulder the load, expect the Colts to lean on Andrew Luck to win games.

AFC South: Quarterback Rankings

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be ranking each of the position groups in the AFC South. Up this week: Quarterbacks.

(AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)

By Jeremy Philipson

1) Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts)

No one has done more with less this year than Andrew Luck. He became the face of the Colts’ franchise and has turned an awful team into a respectable one looking to land a playoff berth. Take at look at these two stat lines:

Player A: 59.2% completion, 1,814 yards, 12 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 0 rushing touchdowns

Player B: 57.5% completion, 2,631 yards, 10 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 5 rushing touchdowns

Player A has a better completion percentage, better touchdown to interception ratio, but has thrown for over 800 fewer yards. Player B, has 3 more total touchdowns, and clearly his team needs him to throw a lot to win games.

Player A is Jay Cutler. Player B is Andrew Luck. With almost no rushing game and an aging defense, Luck has been asked to be the best player on the Indianapolis roster. He has revived a team that was 2-14 a year ago, and will be a mainstay at Lucas Oil Stadium for years to come.

2) Matt Schaub (Houston Texans)

While many may think that Schaub deserves to be at the top of this list, he has been the beneficiary having an All-Pro running back behind him and a top ranked defense. Schaub has been just as efficient as last year, throwing for a high completion percentage, but less yards and a lower average completion. Although Schaub has less yards, yards, and passing touchdowns, he does not need to throw for 4,500 yards or 40 touchdowns with Arian Foster behind him. 2009 Matt Schaub may have been at the top of this list, where he threw for 4,770 yards and 29 touchdowns, but 2012 Matt Schaub is a much more efficient player, better fit for a Super Bowl run.

3) Jake Locker/Matt Hasselbeck (Tennessee Titans)

Because Locker has been hurt, and has only appeared in 5 games, the Titans’ quarterback duo will be evaluated as one player. With that being said, their combined stats are 61.5% completion, 2,270 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Had one player put up those numbers they would be high on this list. The Titans are all in on Locker as the quarterback of the future, and should be excited with his progress thus far. But, until he can stay healthy for an entire season, he will be third best in the AFC South.

4) Blaine Gabbert (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Blaine Gabbert finds himself at the bottom of this list for numerous reasons. First off, he has not developed as expected in second year in the league. Although his completion percentage is way up (+7.2%) and is on pace to throw for more yards and touchdowns, that success has not translated to the win column. Last year, the Jaguars were 5-11 with Gabbert starting 15 games. This year, Jacksonville is only 1-8 and without running back Maurice Jones-Drew, could end up with only a few wins. Until Gabbert starts putting up numbers in the win column, he will be looking up at the rest of the quarterbacks in this division.

Next week: Running Backs