Where’s 91? Week 2: Jaguars Saddle Harvey With Big-Body Grunt Work

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for NFLSportChannel.com

Published: September 23, 2009

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... Hayward's season-ending injury in Jacksonville's loss at Indianapolis likely forced Harvey into his role this past Sunday. With new defensive coordinator Mel Tucker employing mostly three-man fronts in the first two regular season games, the Jaguars' defensive line has been pressed into service in positions with unique size requirements.

At 6'5" and 281 pounds, Harvey would seem a decent fit for what's called a "five-tech" end—a defender who lines up across from an offensive tackle and is responsible for the gaps to either side of that tackle. The position requires long, strong arms to separate from blockers and the "base" (lower-body strength) to push against them.

Hayward (6'5", 275) had both. Though signed by Jacksonville in 2005 to be a pass-rushing threat—an expectation he met with 8.5 sacks that year—a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2006 robbed Hayward of the explosiveness he used to pursue opposing quarterbacks.

Before fracturing his ...

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