John Henderson Took the High Road

The big news around Jacksonville over the past week was that of Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson being called out by head coach Jack Del Rio for basically being “soft.”  Henderson took himself out of some OTA practices complaining of shoulder pain, and Del Rio believed it was just a case of a veteran looking to get out of the June heat. 

 

“Back when I played, and even prior to that, I don’t think anybody would have had to miss a snap for it,” Del Rio said smugly. “I think it’s a minor bruise of sorts. I would think Vince Lombardi is probably rolling over [in his grave] right now. It’s not something that should keep anybody out of work.”

When the dust settled, dust being X-rays in this particular situation, it was found that John Henderson had a grade two shoulder separation, an injury that often requires surgery.  Clearly the injury was not fabricated by the two-time Pro Bowler.

Despite his head coach’s insulting comments, Henderson is taking the proverbial high road while dealing with the situation.

“I was a little upset, but we talked about it and everything is all right,” Henderson said. “We talked like men. I let him know about the shoulder. He saw the X-rays. He was good on it. We’re both good and we’re getting back to work.”

Del Rio was trying to make an example of Henderson with his comments, and create some unity in a locker room which he clearly lost a year ago thanks to more than a few “me-first” types of players. 

“He just wants us to be in,” Henderson said. “I know where he’s coming from. He wants me to be that leader and I understand that and that’s what I’m doing.”

It would’ve been very easy for Henderson to backlash against his coach, being that his injury is legit and the Jaguars head man has had problems with key veterans seemingly every year of his tenure in Jacksonville.  Still, “Big John” appears to be on board. 

“I’m going to do that just for him and for this team,” the Jaguars former Pro Bowl defensive tackle added. “There are a lot of young guys on this team and they need somebody to follow, and I’m going to be one of them and I’m ready for it. I’m ready.”

Jack Del Rio is looking for leaders in his locker room, and calling out veterans may not be the best way to find them and set an example.  Still, John Henderson put his obviously hurt feelings to the side and showed what real leadership is.  Perhaps everyone in the Jaguars organization should take notice. 

Jags Still Have a Few Areas of Need Following a Turbulent Offseason

Following the Jaguars’ disappointing 2008 campaign in which they finished 5-11, the team went back to the proverbial drawing board to reevaluate the current talent on the roster. Upon that evaluation, wholesale changes were made to the wide receiving corps, and nearly each and every player that had a run-in with the law or the coaching staff was sent packing. 

“I want people in the locker room and on this team to have the substance of character that when you have difficult times or you are faced with adversity they are going to respond in a positive way,” Jaguars new GM Gene Smith said. 

The Jaguars said goodbye to longtime fixtures of the team, such as Fred Taylor, Paul Spicer, and Mike Peterson, as well as saying good riddance to free agent busts Jerry Porter and Drayton Florence. The team also washed their hands of underachieving draft picks such as Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, Khalif Barnes, and Gerald Sensabaugh, and now the squad that takes the field this September will have a much different look of the one that finished 2008. 

“I believe in having a locker room full of unselfish players, a staff of unselfish coaches, and that together we can accomplish great things,” Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said.

Although some of the team’s moves may prove to be addition by subtraction, there is still a lot of talent missing which will likely force some younger, inexperienced players into roles that they may not be quite ready for. These are the growing pains of a team that’s re-tooling, even if they don’t want to go as far as using the term “rebuilding.”

The Jaguars have certain questions on the defensive side of the ball that need to be answered, and it’s very unclear whether the rookies that they will be counting on will be able to be contributors early on.

One area of need is certainly at defensive tackle.

Former first-round pick John Henderson is aging, Rob Meier showed that he wasn’t nearly as effective as many believed when forced into a starting role a year ago, and although Derek Landri added weight in the offseason, the third-year player from Notre Dame will likely still be a situational guy.

The Jaguars will likely depend on this year’s third-round pick, former Temple defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, who was considered to be a third-round reach by many draft experts.  

“The Jaguars definitely reached big time with Terrance Knighton in the third,” Scout.com NFL Draft Expert Chris Steuber said on the CB Sports Radio show last week. “Knighton was a solid player at Temple, but nobody I talked to had him going before the fifth round.”

Perhaps the most glaring hole for the Jaguars in 2009 will be at strong safety, as they let Gerald Sensabaugh walk in free agency and replaced him with former Philadelphia Eagle Sean Considine.

Considine is a solid special teams player, but is considered to be a liability in coverage. Jacksonville didn’t draft anyone at safety, and with there being little more than scraps left in free agency, the team will likely have to depend on Considine to be a starter, a job that few think he’s equipped to handle.

“Whether that (winning the starting job) happens or not, it’s going to be up to the competition that goes on and I’m just looking forward to a challenge, which I know I’ll get down here,” Considine said. 

Offensively, the team has an entirely new corps of wide receivers and that is probably a good thing, being that the last set seemingly left the organization and the fan base frustrated year after year.

Still, the team is depending on a 32-year-old veteran who doesn’t possess the foot-speed he once had in Torry Holt, as well as a pair of rookies that were second-day picks in Mike Thomas and Jarett Dillard. Throw in a veteran who has always had issues with his hands in Dennis Northcutt, and a talented, yet injury prone wideout in Mike Walker, and although wide receiver appears to be an improvement, it’s a position that’s far from settled. 

Every team in the NFL has “pimples,” or if you prefer to use the term “holes” on their rosters. The Jaguars have a few more than most of last season’s playoff teams, and that’s to be expected with a team in the midst of a youth movement coming off a 5-11 season. 

 

Getting Personal with Brian Witherspoon

When choosing which Jaguars player I had to interview, I wanted to select an exciting player who doesn’t get a ton of national publicity.  I also wanted to choose a guy who took a tough path to the NFL and wasn’t handed anything. 

Former undrafted rookie, return man/cornerback Brian Witherspoon was the player I chose, and he gave some great answers to some tough questions.

 

Charlie Bernstein:  It’s only the first week of OTA’s, but how is everything going?

Brian Witherspoon:  OTA’s have been real good, the team’s looking real nice, real crisp.  We’ve got a lot of young talent out there, our draft picks are looking good, everything’s going real well.”

CB:  Your path to the NFL certainly didn’t involve any “red carpet treatment.”  Describe your journey being an undrafted guy from a place that hardly anyone has heard of, Stillman College?

BW:  It was a very difficult path, a lot of ups and downs, coming from a small division two school that nobody has ever heard of.  A lot of extra hard work, a lot of grinding, a lot of praying.  When I got down here for OTA’s and minicamps, a lot of people gave me no chance of making the team.  I just continued to work hard, push myself, push my body to the limit, and a lot of good came from it. 

CB:  Do you feel you have to work that much harder just to make the roster being that the team has a very small monetary investment in you?

BW:  Even if you’re a drafted guy, I don’t think that guarantees you anything.  Especially on the business side of the NFL.  When you come in undrafted, they’re not investing a lot in you, and you have to work that much harder to prove you belong.

CB:  You were a rookie last season and you turned heads in the preseason and early on in the season with a couple big kickoff returns.  Were you beginning to feel comfortable in your role?

BW:  I was very comfortable.  I knew that one of the ways I could make the team was with special teams and I took advantage of it.  So far it’s worked out pretty well for me.

CB:  Near the end of the season, the big returns weren’t quite as prevalent.  Was it better coverage, or did you maybe not see the holes quite as quickly?

BW:  I think it was better coverage.  It’s the NFL.  If they want to game plan against you and take you out of a game, they can.  My body started to wear down at the end of the season playing at the weight I played at, so that’s why this season I bulked up a little more.  Gained about 10-12 pounds.

CB:  What weight are you playing at now?

BW:  I’m playing at about 185 right now, last year I played at 172.

CB:  Have you lost any speed at your new weight?

BW:  No, actually I feel a little bit faster.  The new strength and conditioning coaches have been great.

CB:  At the end of the year you were able to get some reps at corner and did a pretty good job.  Do you think the Jags see you as a young guy who can compete for the nickel job or mainly just as a special teams player?

BW:  It’s in the works.  They’ve worked me in at corner a little more, they’re trying to teach me a little more and help me become a better student of the game, and it’s going pretty good right now, I’m enjoying it.

CB:  What is it like lining up across from a legendary receiver like Torry Holt?

BW:  At first I had to catch myself because I thought I was dreaming.  Torry’s a good guy, he comes out there and works hard and he has a great attitude.  He comes to work every day with a smile on his face.  He’s a great veteran guy and a great leader.

CB:  The Jaguars selected Derek Cox in the third round and Mike Thomas in the fourth round, both have handled return duties in their collegiate careers.  How did that make you feel and what could that mean for your job?

BW:  I didn’t feel a thing.  I’m just trying to go out there and do what I do best.  Just work hard, put the team in good field position, and do what I do.  I’m not worried about the draft picks or anything, I’m not worried about all that.

CB:  The team obviously underachieved last season as they began the year with Super Bowl aspirations only to fall to a last place finish at 5-11.  What was the mood in the locker room like week to week?

BW:  We kept our spirits up and we kept our hopes up high.  I think we had that mindset that everybody was going to lay down because of the season we had the year before, and I think we got off track a little bit.  I can promise you that you won’t see that this year.

CB:  Jack Del Rio and Gene Smith have eluded to the fact that they want character guys on their football team, and that was further enunciated with the dismissals of a few guys who had some off the field issues.  Do you feel as if you guys have a more tight-knit, professional unit right now?

BW:  Everything has been going great.  We are practicing, having fun, challenging each other and it’s more competitive and it’s fun at the same time.  Things are looking a whole lot better than last year.

CB:  Are you the fastest member of the Jaguars?

BW:  Yes I am.

CB:  What has been the fastest you’ve ever been clocked at (in the 40)?

BW:  My fastest 40 time was a 4.16.  No wind, no down hill.

CB:  What can we expect to see from Brian Witherspoon in 2009?

BW:  You can expect to see a lot more excitement, a lot more plays being made, and I’m finally going to get in that end zone.  That’s my goal.  My goal is to make the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, if not at corner.

2009 Jaguars Have More Flexibility on Offensive Line

Just one quarter into the first game of last season, the Jaguars found themselves without three of their starting offensive linemen. 

With a pieced together offensive line, the Jaguars were certainly limited on offense, as teams stacked up the line of scrimmage to stop their rushing attack.

The offensive line couldn’t hold their blocks long enough to give David Garrard the time he needed to survey the field with his slow-footed wide receivers. 

“The offensive line wasn’t thin until we had a rash of injuries,” Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said of last season’s situation. 

“We felt pretty good about our line last year. Two years ago they helped us achieve franchise records running the ball, scoring points, and doing a lot of great things.”

The Jaguars hope that those offensive line issues have been corrected as they spent their first two draft picks on offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, and they will return starting guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams from injuries that cost them 15 games each a year ago. 

“It is good to see the guys that we had injured back healthy,” Del Rio said. “It is great to see some young talent added to the room, and it will make for an ultra-competitive camp.”

Rookie offensive tackle Eugene Monroe is known as a supremely talented pass protector, and the Jaguars are hopeful that he can be as nasty clearing room for star running back Maurice Jones-Drew in the running game.

“As a run blocker, you see more and more these days with the spread offenses, the two-point stance and less development in the run game out of these offensive lineman,” Jaguars offensive line coach Andy Heck said of the team’s first-round pick.

“But that is no indicator to how tough he is. Now, he will improve as a run blocker as he starts to put his hand in the dirt and get accustomed to our system and way of doing things.”

The Jaguars ran the football on just 44.2 percent of their offensive plays last season, a far cry from their 52.7 percent rate of rushing plays in 2007, when the team finished 11-5. 

The team hopes to be more balanced in 2009, and the additions on the offensive line should help the team return to the physical philosophy that head coach Jack Del Rio covets. 

“I think for me, for us, there’s really a need for us to get back to the true identity of who we are as a football team,” Del Rio said.

“I believe in smart, tough football. I believe in having a physical football team. I believe in having a team that can stop the opponent from running the ball and that can hassle the quarterback and harass the quarterback.

“I believe in having a locker room full of unselfish players, a staff of unselfish coaches, and that together we can accomplish great things.”

Jaguars Youth Serves Up Competition in Jacksonville

The Jacksonville Jaguars front office will not come out directly and admit the team is rebuilding, but after releasing veterans such as Fred Taylor, Mike Peterson, and Paul Spicer, it appears painfully obvious. 

Out of the 87 members of the current roster (including the 2009 draft class), just 22 players have more than four years of NFL experience.  With this infusion of youth, there should be some very interesting position battles this season in Jaguars camp.  We are going to preview two of what is sure to be the most intriguing competitions.

 

Offensive Tackle

The Jaguars addressed one of the weakest spots of team a year ago by letting former starting left tackle Khalif Barnes walk in free agency, and replacing him with three-time Pro Bowler Tra Thomas.  Knowing that the 34-year old Thomas is more of a band-aid to the left tackle position rather than a long-term solution, the team dedicated the entire first day of it’s draft on offensive tackles, selecting former Virginia Cavalier Eugene Monroe and former Arizona Wildcat Eben Britton. 

When Monroe signs his contract, he will likely receive upwards of $20 million in guaranteed money and although every position is said to be open for competition, realistically the team can’t leave that kind of money on the bench. 

“The thing about Eugene is that he possesses what we call left tackle abilities,” Jaguars offensive line coach Andy Heck said about Monroe.  “Because he has such a great work ethic and is such a great person, I expect him to come and pick up things very quickly.” 

With a proven left tackle in Tra Thomas, and a pair of first-day draft picks in Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, there will be fantastic competition on the offensive line.  It will be interesting to see where right tackle Tony Pashos, who was signed to a rich contract prior to the 2007 season, will play, and it’s no lock that he will even make the team following a 2008 campaign in which he, along with the rest of the line, struggled mightily. 

“First, we are going to find the best five players to play with and then find the nine or ten that will make this team,” Heck told reporters following the draft.  “After that, we will figure out where they will go.”

 

Wide Receiver

To say that the Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver situation has been disappointing is a pretty big understatement.  The team hasn’t had an 800 yard receiver, much less a 1,000 yard receiver since Jimmy Smith retired, which was roughly four years ago.  After spending first-round draft picks on underachieving, non-character guys such as Reggie Williams and Matt Jones, the team decided to wash their hands of some of the key contributors in what was a below average passing game. 

The Jaguars decided to bring in a positive veteran presence in Torry Holt, who has earned seven Pro Bowl selections in his illustrious career.  After Holt, the wide receiver position is completely open for competition as the team spent their fourth-round pick on former University of Arizona wideout Mike Thomas, their fifth-round pick on former Rice Owl Jarett Dillard, and a seventh-round compensatory selection on former Rutgers speedster Tiquan Underwood. 

“I see some pretty good talent,” Jaguars quarterback David Garrard said of his new young targets. “They’re all wet behind the ears now, but they’re showing a lot of promise just running routes and catching the ball and actually making some plays out there. I know Mike Thomas is looking pretty good, and really all of them—Tiquan Underwood and the Dillard kid—there’s all looking good. And I’m very happy to have them out here.”

Battling it out with the rookie class will be somewhat less than sure-handed veterans Dennis Northcutt and Troy Williamson, youngster Mike Walker, and undrafted journeymen Nate Hughes, D’Juan Woods, Jason English, Todd Peterson, and Maurice Dupree. 

With Holt already secured a roster spot, and Thomas and Dillard likely to earn positions, the real competition will be from the talented, but often injured Mike Walker, slot receiver Dennis Northcutt, and former first-round pick Troy Williamson.  The team kept just five receivers for much of last season and with a team whose strength will be the running game, it’s not likely that they will increase that number at the wide receiver position in 2009.

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