For those who don't know or never bother to watch tennis, this is Goran Ivanišević

While reading the running back round table that Sports Illustrated just did (Link in the Hub), it struck me that the ritual side of football is often overlooked. I watch a lot of tennis and those guys have some seriously wacky rituals.  Whether is Rafael Nadal not being able to cross the net until an opponent does, not being able to step on lines, lining up all of his water bottles, wearing shoes two sizes too small; Lleyton Hewitt constantly adjusting his collar and necklace; or Goran Ivanišević needing his “lucky ball”, I grew up watching some wacky stuff.

Yet when I watch football everything is so orchestrated that it is odd to find the quirks that plague other sports.  Sometimes I think the closest we really come is Mitch Berger keeping a Snickers bar in his spare shoe on the sidelines.  And he’s a punter… Occasionally we see kickers and punters with quirks and noticeable rituals.  Everyone else, however, appears to move with perfect intention – be it calling a play, noting opposing packages, or coaching on the sidelines.

So when I was reading about Maurice Jones-Drew, Michael Turner, and Adrian Peterson getting ready for their games it struck me that I really don’t know much about what the players on the Jags do before game, plays, etc…  While some players become notorious for jawing with opponents (John Randle and Cortland Finnegan come to mind), that isn’t really a ritual in my book.  Michael Turner doing everything precisely the same way on game day is really getting there though.

In contrast, Maurice Jones-Drew really seems to have a pretty flexible order to things.  He goes to sleep late (Who doesn’t?), gets up at six, watches some Law and Order, does breakfast, jog, warm up, strap on the pads, study the game plan a bit, and then it’s superstar time!  It isn’t quite the ritual that gets attention, but it’s the way to effectively prepare for a game.  And the results are seen week in and week out on the field.

Any weird rituals or pre-game routines you guys have noticed on the Jags?  Anything you guys like to do when you go out and play a sport?

- Luke N. Sims

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               All 32 NFL teams consider themselves Super Bowl contenders in June.  The sun is shining, injuries are minimal, and holes have been filled from last year’s rosters that are the missing pieces in everyone’s journey to the big game.  Every playoff team is poised to go further and those that missed the playoffs have the pieces in place to make a charge at the division title.

The reason all teams have this outlook is that every season follows the same script.  There are always a few teams that ascend from the cellar to the penthouse and one or two unfortunate franchises whose heavenly expectations come crashing back to Earth.  This repetitive nature of the NFL is what makes it so great, because it isn’t what is going to happen but who it is going to happen to that piques so much interest.

Among the many roles that are filled by teams each season, the “picked to go 5-11 team that finishes 11-5” is one that should interest the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.  There are countless reasons why “experts” have and will continue to predict the Jaguars to have a season similar to 2011.  Having been ESPN’s punching bag for the past few seasons, the Jaguars will certainly continue to receive the same criticism until consistent results take place on the field.  That being said, and in honor of Speculation Season 2012, I believe the Jaguars will emulate the 49ers from a year ago and take the division by storm.

This time last year, the San Francisco 49ers had a new head coach at the helm. hell-bent on changing the culture of the team.  Jim Harbaugh had brief but significant history of developing young quarterbacks and arrived in San Fran with a rocky quarterback situation.  The incumbent, Alex Smith, had yet to play to expectations and had the fan base debating on whether he was the guy that could lead their team to the Promised Land.

Elsewhere on the team, the 49ers defense was coming off an excellent performance the previous season and strengthened their pass rush in the draft.  They had Pro Bowl-caliber running back Frank Gore returning and upgraded the position by bringing in Kendall Hunter to share carries and contrast Gore’s hard-running style.

The 49ers’ division, the NFC West, was in flux.  The Cardinals brought in an overhyped, unproven quarterback in Kevin Kolb to fill the hole left by departed hall of famer Kurt Warner.  The young and inexperienced Rams scared no one and the 2010 division-winning Seahawks were consistently inconsistent, as they had been for many seasons prior.

The similarities between the 2011 49ers and the 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars are hard to ignore.  Mularkey is coming from a situation where he worked first hand with promising young quarterback Matt Ryan and is entering one with struggling young quarterback Blaine Gabbert who has yet to have the influence and expertise of a quarterback-focused head coach.  He is changing the culture in Jacksonville, recently cancelling the Oklahoma Drill that was a staple during the Jack Del Rio era.  Maurice Jones-Drew is returning stronger than ever and a healthy Rashad Jennings will help add depth to the running game.  The Jaguars defense is coming off a top 10 performance and only got stronger by adding pass-rushing threat Andre Branch through the draft and retaining the starters from 2011.

The AFC South is as wide open as it has been in a decade.  The Colts bring in golden boy Andrew Luck to fill in for departed legend Peyton Manning and expect the unproven rookie to somehow improve a disastrous team on both sides of the ball.  The Titans are a legitimate wild card, still having to decide to go with young and inexperienced Jake Locker or 120 year old Matt Hasselbeck.  Their defense lost All Pro defensive back Cortland Finnegan and wide receiver Kenny Britt is poised to injure himself on every snap.  2011 division champion Texans finally put together a consistent season on both sides of the ball and made the playoffs.  They follow that up by losing their two best defensive playmakers in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans.  Replacing that kind of production is a real gamble and with Andre Johnson coming off multiple leg injuries, Matt Schaub returning from season-ending foot surgery, and the potential for Arian Foster to become a complacent runner now that he has his big contract a la Chris Johnson, there is not much to rest easy on with Houston.

Then come the Jaguars.  A top 10 defense that is returning all starters and adding two-time Super Bowl champion Aaron Ross and pass-rushing blue chipper Andre Branch.  Maurice Jones-Drew returns as the current top running back in the game with his young ward Rashad Jennings back to add depth.  The flawed passing game upgrades with the addition of wide receivers Laurent Robinson, Lee Evans, and Jack Daniel… I mean Justin Blackmon.  The hungry new coaching staff paired with a full offseason should almost certainly improve Blaine Gabbert’s performance from his forgettable rookie year.

I may have teal blinders on, but when I look at the 2012 Jaguars and their division, I find it hard to argue that they won’t compete for the division title.  The pieces are in place for Gene Smith’s “Master Plan” to finally gain traction and deliver results in its fourth year.  The Jaguars are the only team in the AFC South that isn’t trying to fill glaring needs left from free agency.   The Jaguars are the only team in the division with no more excuses.  Like the 49ers from a year ago, this Jaguars team is ready to buckle up their chin straps and hit teams in the mouth, blow up the scoreboard, and shift the power of the division to northeast Florida.

- Lionel Joel

Daniel Lago did a very good job of outlining a best and worst case scenario for the Jaguars last week.  Today, ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky published his deam/nightmare scenarios for the Jaguars.

Daniel has the Jaguars’ best case scenario at 12-4 and the worst case at 4-12.  Kuharsky has the Jaguars at 10-6/4-12.  Is there a happy medium?  Is there a realistic scenario?

Can the jags do it again against the Colts? Source: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

In order to make the playoffs, the Jags need to fare well in the six games they face against division opponents.  Winning consistently in the division can do wonders for increasing a team’s playoff chances. How does Kuharsky have the Titans, Texans, and Colts measured for dream/nightmare scenarios?  11-5/5-11, 12-4/7-9, and 8-8/2-14 respectively.

I personally believe that if the Colts manage to put it all together they could go 9-7.  I similarly doubt that the Titans can keep it together long enough to go 11-5 this year, but think 10-6 is a real possibility.  I also think that the Texans have a much deeper nightmare situation at around 5-11 (that O-line is being entirely overhauled).

So, how can the Jags compete in a division that has teams with much higher ceilings and better nightmare scenarios (excluding the Colts).  They’ll have to win against the division opponents.

I wish Kuharsky had laid out which games he thinks the Jaguars could win in the 2012 season, like Mr. Lago did.  Unfortunately, he did not.  But there is something to be said about rivalry games.  They have more pressure, a heavier more frenzied feel, and passions boil over during them.  Whether it’s Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson throwing punches on the field or the Jay Cutler/Philip Rivers word play that commanded the AFC West for so long, rivalries have a  a way of affecting how a team plays.

It's Always a Dangerous when Rivalries Spark

And I think that the Jaguars have a chip on their shoulder much bigger than the other teams in the division.

Right now, Tennessee is happy with where they landed last season at 9-7,second place in the division.  They outperformed their expectations and did well with a serviceable new quarterback and new face of the franchise waiting in the wings.  But they were really an 8-8 team.  I think that now they are a 9-7 team with the strength of their roster, but I don’t feel the same mentality that they had last year.  A mentality that they needed to prove something – to show the league that they can be dominant franchise once again.

The Indianapolis Colts just aren’t who they used to be, and they learned that last year – in a pretty convincing manner I might add.  They were beat into submission by nearly everybody.  Their speed players were skilled enough to make game-changing impacts, their offense was abysmal, and the team slowly became defeated throughout the year.  The offseason didn’t help that air of defeat.  Team Owner Jim Irsay is acting like a cornered animal.  He has done the right moves personnel wise, but he doesn’t have the bravado that he was afforded when when Peyton Manning was behind center.  Rather than the confident Colts that were commonplace in 2000s, we now have a Colts team that warily watches the next team approach each week – whimpering before being forced into competition.  The team is new and doesn’t seem to have anything to prove since the entire organization cleaned house from quarterback to general manager.  Next year they’ll have something to prove, but this year the have little to compete for except development.

Can Matt Schaub rebound from Last Year's Injury? Source: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

The Houston Texans have the biggest chip on their shoulder outside of the Jaguars.  The team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this past season.  The offense is explosive, Matt Schaub will be playing to ensure that the team can win next year.  But they are comfortable on their throne at the top of the AFC South.  They’ve been the darkhorse candidate for so many years and are finally the favorites.  Unfortunately, they didn’t do much to make themselves stronger this offseason and have made some foolish personel moves – namely letting 2/5ths of its offensive line walk in free agency.  They aren’t prime to keep their position atop the heap, but they aren’t yet aware.  Just try saying the Texans may not do well and any fan will immediately call blasphemy.

The Jaguars, however, have been the most consistent threat for the title since the formation of the division in 2002.  2010 was their year to take the crown, but they fell short.  2011 was there year to compete again but Jack Del Rio and Co. shot themselves in the foot with poor personnel management.  The Jaguars are hungry for that title.  They’ve been abused by the national media for anything from blackouts to poor quarterback play.  They’ve been ridiculed for their roster management.  But it doesn’t matter because the team is playing to win in 2012.  The Jaguars are one of the few teams that will be greater than the sum of its parts in 2012.

Jones-Drew will want to prove he's the best running back in the AFC South and that he can get a title for the Jaguars. Source: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

Taking the competitiveness that will be occurring in the division, I don’t see the Jaguars doing any worse than 3-3 (even if two of them are against the Colts) against divisional opponents.  Factor in a win against the Vikings, maybe another two somewhere and a win against the Bills and the Dolphins the Jags are sitting at a pretty solid 7-9.  Will it happen that way?  Maybe not.  But you can’t discount the passion that this team will have oozing out of its pores.

Rivalry games will tell the tale for the Jaguars in 2012.  It won’t guarantee them a spot in the playoffs (even if they win all six), but it will give them solid experience and show the division that they won’t be muscled about like the Colts.  Gabbert can, and will throw the Jaguars to victory – even if it is out of spite.

There’s more to football than Xs and Os.  There’s more in a game than just performing a designated scheme.  There’s passion, fire, intangibles that can’t be measured.  And the Jags roster has that more than a lot of other teams right now.

So, with all due respect to Mr. Kuharsky and Mr. Lago, I think a different best/worst case scenario will have its way with the AFC South.  This is how I see the teams doing on the whole with potential division matchup records:

Tennessee Titans: 10-6 (4-2)/7-9 (3-3)

Houston Texans: 12-4 (5-1)/5-11 (3-3)

Indianapolis Colts: 9-7 (3-3)/4-12 (2-4)

Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-6 (4-2)/6-10 (2-4)

Like them?  Hate them?  It doesn’t really matter, we’ll see how it plays out in the season.  But think a little bit about what the teams will do within the division.  I’m betting the Jags hover around 8-8 this year, but with a little bit of energy in those divisional matchups, it should be surprising if they make a leap much higher and outmuscle a couple teams for a higher place on the ladder.

- Luke N. Sims