Some teams love to have the circus act (Read: The Dolphins Anybody hosting Hard Knocks) while others prefer the professional.  It doesn’t really seem to hurt the team’s actual revenue no matter who they suit up so long as they win every so often.  You need only look at the Bengals to see the truth of that statement.

The professional is one who completely avoids the circus, puts his head down, and works.  Rashad Jennings is doing just that in Jacksonville.  He hasn’t said much about Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout but knows that the longer MJD is gone the more reps he gets and more of a chance he has to cement himself as a staple for the Jaguars offense.  Pocket Hercules may be “the man” but when the man is away, Jennings knows its his spot to lose.

Will the Gabbert to Jennings handoff become the norm for 2012? Source: US-Presswire

With a number of players holding out, requesting trades, or demanding new contracts a lot of players and agents overlook one or two simple little things: not all press is good press, and while you’re gone someone else is usurping your spot.  I’m not claiming that Jennings is intentionally trying to undermine Jones-Drew – he’s just doing his job and so far it seems like the team likes it.  Percy Harvin realized this pretty quickly after he left camp for all of a day.  Harvin’s job isn’t as secure as Jones-Drew’s, but even the greats get undermined sometimes.

Jennings has the ability to lead this offense.  I recently noted the poor winning percentage of the Jaguars with MJD taking the majority of the carries.  His winning percentage sits at 42%.  ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky also noted the phenomenon a few days later.  Would that percentage have changed significantly with someone else in the backfield?  I doubt it.  Either way, the Jags probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

I’m not advocating the Jags get rid of MJD.  But if his holdout continues into the season, I don’t think us Jaguars fans should be too upset and think our chances of winning have significantly decreased.  While Jennings didn’t play in 2011, his 5.5 yards per attempt in 2010 is impressive.  Considering he only got 84 attempts, he easily could have been a 1,000 yard back for the Jaguars.  He also presents a big target out of the backfield.  He pulled in 26 receptions for 223 yards in 2010 and a decent 8.6 yards per reception.  At 6’1″ 234 pounds his presence is powerful when running or receiving.

The statistics show that Jennings can do work.  Jennings was getting hot in 2010 and will be hot in 2012.  If MJD isn’t there, then when he returns he may be spelling Jennings.  And while that whole fiasco is being settled, Jennings is going to be a professional, put his head down, and do work.

- Luke N. Sims

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Mandatory Credit: Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

Managing injuries in the NFL is vital for any team to win games through out the season. Last season, it was defensive end Aaron Kampman who was given a pitch count to how many snaps he could play to keep from re-injuring himself and performing at a productive level. This season, the Jags should be monitoring right tackle Eben Britton, who has dealt with a series of back injuries in seasons past.

In Tania Ganguli’s article titled, “Jaguars RT Eben Britton injured his back doing squats”, Eben shed light on injuring himself while doing power squats of 425 pounds. Having a herniated disk can lead to a lot of discomfort and pain (I myself sustained the injury while playing football for my high school team, I assure you it’s no picnic). Think of the disk as a soft cushion in the spine that look like a donut. To get a perspective, the staff of Mayoclinic.com defines the injury as the soft jelly interior pushing out through a crack of the tougher exterior.

I have two herniated disks in the lumbar region of my spine, disks numbered four and five, or L4 and L5. I did not receive surgery as treatment as Eben did , rather I received physical therapy, which has reduced the frequency of pain significantly. Yet the pain flairs up if I work myself too hard or if I am overly stressed.

Britton also had more injuries including a torn labrum and a back infection that caused him to bounce around the offensive line to guard. Eben was kept out of games like the Monday Night Football game against the Ravens because of the injury causing severe pain , which ultimately landed him on injury reserve.

This season, Britton is looking to return to the field at right tackle to prove his worth and words right. In 2009 Eben was passed up from the first round and fell to the second to the Jags with the 39th overall pick. Britton can only improve the line as RT Guy Whimper was not a very capable backup last season, allowing 14 of 44 total sacks. Britton has been missed and this will be a great season to look forward to with his return.

- Antonio Furgiuele

During last month’s polling, most of the head men in Jacksonville received overwhelming support from the community:

• 100% of fans approved of new head coach Mike Mularkey
• 98% of fans approved of new offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski
• 100% of fans approved of defensive coordinator Mel Tucker
• 78% of fans approved of general manager Gene Smith

With the cutting of Jarett Dillard and Aaron Kampman and the addition of even more strong, competitive players, it will be curious to see how you, the fans, respond.  What about Justin Blackmon’s arrest?  How does that affect the opinion on the team?

Without further ado, let’s get to the polling!