Seriously HBO? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that America could still use more Emmanuelle Chriqui. Source: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

Who said we needed to get on Hard Knocks to get some exposure?  We’re just two games into the preseason, but there’s enough national chatter about the Jaguars to make HBO fully regret their decision not to put us on the air.  Since the beginning of the day on Monday, 10 Jaguars centered articles were written on ProFootballTalk.com (a fairly biased site for Jags ignorance/criticism).  10!!  I feel lucky when I get to read one or two a week, much less 10 in 2 days.   Why have the Jaguars become so attractive to the media recently?…

What is it about the 'stache that is so darn intriguing? Source: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

…Because we have all the makings of an incredibly compelling story.  We have a coming-of-age story developing (bring it Lombardi), we have scandal and deceit (I’m looking at you, Jones-Drew), we have incredibly intriguing characters (who is the man behind the mustache?), and now a historic metropolitan background (sorry Jacksonville, London has a clock more historic than you).  We have change, both the expected (Mularkey and co.) and the less expected (Rashad Jennings being an absolute boss).  We have exciting new characters (Blackmon , Branch), but even the familiar old ones seemed to have breathed in new life (Mike Thomas).  More importantly, this year in Jacksonville we have a true sense of possibility – a sense that the window of opportunity, though miniscule, is open… a sense that with the right circumstances, anything could happen… a sense that for the first time in five or so years, we truly have an uncertain trajectory.

Some of you readers (among you, my friends) may scoff and say the Jags are still a 6-10 team… and perhaps that is true.  But even if we bump the Jaguars up an extra win or two because of their incredibly productive (and meaningless) preseason play, we aren’t giving the Jaguars’ story enough credence by simply calling them an 8-8 team.  The tiny bit of fire they’ve shown their fans, and the NFL, is now in the realm of possibility.  Who in their right (non-biased) mind thought the Jaguars would be competitive in games against the Giants and Saints – even in the preseason?  Who even dreamed that Blaine would have a game with a completion percentage of over 80%?  If I told you before training camp started that the Jaguars might lose their best player – their only elite player and the guy that had been the face of their franchise for the last half decade or so – who among us would’ve thought that the Jaguars had even the slightest chance to be competitive?

This could be you by midseason. Source: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

This is the beauty of what the preseason has shown us – that while unlikely, great results are possible from a team that wasn’t even destined for mediocrity.  But at the same time, the flipside is just as likely – that an incredible preseason could be followed up by a humiliating, first-overall-pick-winning regular season.  For fans that are riding high after the last two wins, it’s not really as far off as it might seem now.  Think about the status of the team right now – so many key players that are injured or trying to come back from injury – both starting tackles, a starting guard, a starting defensive end, two starting cornerbacks, two starting linebackers, two starting defensive tackles (3 total).  And that doesn’t even include players the player holding out or the very real potential for these injuries to be long term and/or more injuries.

So what was HBO’s mistake?  Well, they clearly didn’t realize that the intriguing Dolphin stories seem to be centered in Peru, not Miami.  While this may have seemed counter-intuitive a few weeks ago, it certainly seems clear now – if you’re going to shoot a wildlife documentary in Florida, you should probably film it in Jacksonville.

- Zain Gowani

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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Man I loved his mean streak. Source: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

This has led the Jaguars to skipping over quite a few good players in the draft and free agency in favor of other players that seem to have good heads on their shoulders.  Kirk Morrison filled middle linebacker, Mike Thomas was moved up the depth chart, and the Jaguars passed on Ryan Mallett (so did everyone else, mind you) for Blaine Gabbert.  Were these moves bad moves?  No, I don’t think so.  Were they excellent moves?  I can’t say that with certainty either (I really loved Morrison, but he is not with the team any more).

The reason to argue that the moves to acquire such high character guys is that the Jaguars organization places an emphasis on a ship that is run by its players.  A ship that self-polices itself.  If someone does wrong (as Justin Blackmon just did with his aggravated DUI), the front office and coaching staff need only bring up the focus on staying a high character team and everyone else does the work to right the ship.  This can be seen by Laurent Robinson coming in to talk to Blackmon on Tuesday:

[I] told him that you’ve got to grow up. NFL players are targets, so you have to stay low key, low profile.

I’m a fan of having a high character locker room.  The team corrected its Bengal-like bad boy persona in a couple short seasons by focusing on high character.  But what about winning?  Can’t we win and have high character?  Why can’t the Jaguars bring in problem players and turn their problems into productive play on the field?  How does Bill Belichick do it in New England?

Bill Belichick’s rise to prominence is pretty well documented in New England.  He has made an impact on the NFL unlike any coach has for a long time.  His coaching tree spread far and wide and has helped secure jobs for many new head coaches who have all, curiously, been a lot less successful than their head in New England.  While Belichick is a scheming mastermind, make no doubt about it, I don’t think that his football IQ is a million points higher than the next head coach or GM.  Yet somehow players just seem to play better for him.  Kevin Faulk has carved a niche out in the Patriots offense for years.  Troy Brown?  Oh he’ll play wide receiver and corner/safety and make it look good.  The circus act that is Albert Haynesworth?  He won’t make a peep in New England.

Corey Dillon came to New England and suddenly all you heard about was his football playing ability. Source: US PRESSWIRE

How does he do it?  It’s not that Haynesworth, Corey Dillon, Chad Ochocinco, Randy Moss, et al are suddenly transformed into paragons of virtue.  It’s not even as if they suddenly revitalize their careers with the team.  I say it’s due to the management style of Bill Belichick.  A management style I like to call the “No Bullshit” style.  If there were two words to describe Bill Belichick, they could very well be “no bullshit.”

Let’s look at the Randy Moss case:  Moss was a joke when he wound up in New England.  After exploding onto the scene in Minnesota, Moss was shuffled to the depressed Raiders where he showed little enthusiasm for the game and looked like his career was more of a flash in the pan.  Who picks him up?  The Patriots of course.  Suddenly Moss and Tom Brady are setting records playing pitch and catch over cornerbacks and safeties.  What happens when Moss leaves New England? 19 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns in twelve games.  The year before Moss had had over 1,200 yards, 83 catches, and 13 touchdowns.

Could Minnesota and Tennessee have gotten an inferior product in Moss?  The evidence suggests otherwise.  While Moss “retired” following the 2010 season, he worked out for teams this offseason and signed with San Francisco, still able to ratchet up an impressive 40 yard dash time.  What were the differences in Tennessee and Minnesota?  In Minnesota, head coach Brad Childress was a joke.  His time was winding down, he had desperately wanted Moss for years, and he was succumbing to the wishes of Brett Favre.  Childress would have signed anybody with a big name in his final two years.  What about Tennessee?  Jeff Fisher was at the end of his tenure.  The guy is a genius, but he knew he was lame duck.  There was no need to control his team.

I'm fairly confident I would only take a chance on one of these guys. Source: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Somehow, Belichick gets it done.  Problem players come in, Super Bowl champions come out (or Super Bowl participants as of late).  Belichick is a no nonsense man.  He polices his team.  If someone gets out of line, it’s handled within the team.  In the rare case that something hits the media, it’s handled with a curt response and a deadpan stare.

While I love the high character, self-policed version of the Jaguars, I wonder if there may have been a chance to become a “no bullshit” team.  Is there another man like Belichick that could run such a tight ship?  Is there another team that could accumulate so many high quality players like the Jaguars to create a team that does not need such a tight head coach?  I’m not certain there are really two other teams that have carved out their niches so securely.

I think the comparisons between the two organizations and their respective approaches will be embodied in the careers of Ryan Mallett and Blaine Gabbert.  Gabbert was taken #10 0verall in the 2011 draft to lead the Jaguars.  Meanwhile, problem child Ryan Mallett skidded from first-round status to the third round where the Patriots gladly picked him up.  While the Patriots can make anyone look like Tom Brady (remember Matt Cassel?) they have to actually replace him with someone eventually.  It will be curious to see if Mallett is that man and if he has become the best he can be under Belichick’s tutelage.

- Luke N. Sims

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