Jason LaCanfora continues to point us toward potential HC candidates and notes that the Jaguars will look to interview McCoy if the Broncos lose their divisional playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.  The top ranked Broncos may well continue on and McCoy – along with San Francisco 49ers OC Greg Roman and other Jags candidates – may not be available for an interview until after the playoffs.

Tebow benefitted greatly from McCoy’s willingness and ability to adapt.  Source:  Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

McCoy earned a lot of attention last season with his complete overhaul of the Denver offense to accomodate Tim Tebow at quarterback.  The passing offense finished 31st in the league (32nd in attempts), but the rushing offense finished first and provided a decent ball-control complement to the punishing Denver defense.  Tebow consistently found magic in McCoy’s schemes, despite struggles throughout games.  The Broncos managed to make the playoffs and shock the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime.  With the arrival of Peyton Manning, McCoy’s offense has reached even greater heights.

The versatility of McCoy may be his most intriguing factor.  McCoy has shown that he is able to generate a decent offense with a Tebow type quarterback, a mediocre standard quarterback in Kyle Orton, and with a legend in Manning.  His offenses are balanced (leaning toward the pass, usually) and use well thought out schemes that force the defense to play to the Broncos’ strengths.  McCoy’s tasks in bringing in a rehabilitating Manning or in scrapping an entire system on the fly in favor of Tebow are not to be overlooked.  Not many coaches are able to find success by completely changing their philosophy and investing in something that does not seem natural to them.

In McCoy’s case, it has worked out well.  If the Jaguars get a chance to interview McCoy soon I would imagine he quickly becomes one of the top candidates.  I like his body of work and I think that his ability to adapt is desirable in a head coach.  His four seasons as an OC have shown growth and that McCoy is not afraid of change.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

As we all know, as much as we love MJD he isn’t any good to us in our fantasy league on the couch at home, so we touched on some wider ranging questions as well.

Let’s get to the main points:

• Robert Griffin III – When I came in, MJD was talking about the potential that Robert Griffin III has in his rookie year with the Redskins.  He placed an emphasis on the abilities of the quarterback to make plays, whether with his feet or with his arm.  At the end he said that RGIII and company may just have enough to get to the playoffs and maybe win the NFC East (all apologies to Brent Celek).  If I’m basing who I pick up as a second quarterback (maybe first) entirely on what Jones-Drew said then it sounds like RGIII may be the guy.
• 

  Could Andrew Luck struggle against some of the stouter defenses in his rookie year? Source: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

  Andrew Luck – To follow RGIII, MJD touched on what he thought Andrew Luck could do in his first year with Indy.  While there was discussion about the ability and sharpness that Luck has displayed throughout the preseason, Jones-Drew seemed hung up on the difficult nature of playing against AFC South defenses.  He made a point of saying that the defenses could provide some struggles for Luck.  It made me think of how the Jags held Cam Newton to 53% completed pass attempts and 158 yards when they played last season.  It’s a good point when thinking about taking Luck at any point in the fantasy draft since he faces the stout Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Houston defenses two times each.

• Peyton Manning – My first question was what Celek and Jones-Drew thought Peyton Manning could do out in Denver and whether he could return to form.  While MJD said there is an obvious need to gel with the new team and hinting that it may not be similar caliber passing-wise to what he had in Indy, he said that we should expect Manning to get back to form – 30+ TDs and 4,000+ yards.  For someone coming off a few neck surgeries, I don’t think that’s too bad.  Celek agreed but said that it will be tough for him to get back to form.  Whether that means Manning will have early season struggles or will be limited in his personal control is beyond me.  Either way, if Manning is back to 30+ touchdowns and 4,000 yards he’ll be quite valuable on a fantasy team.  I’m not certain I’m as optimistic as Celek and MJD, but maybe that’s because I’ve been on the other side of a heated rivalry for a while now.
• 

  I'd prefer to see a few more touchdowns out of MJD if I draft him this year. Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

  MJD and Whether He Can Do It Again – I asked if MJD could keep his yards per carry so high for a second season if/when he returns to the Jags, especially considering the early preseason success of the other Jacksonville running backs behind the patchwork offensive line.  All I got from him was confidence (he’ll be drafting himself again after all).  Jones-Drew thinks that the O-line will only be better with another year to gel with each other.  The play on the field of the other running backs is a good indication of that.  He also seemed confident he could do it again, smiling when asked whether his yards per carry could continue to be high (4.7 in 2011, highest since his rookie season).  He was very pleased with the development of the young offensive linemen, touching specifically on the injured Will Rackley, and was happy to see them improving.  In my opinion it seemed like he definitely wanted to see his teammates succeed and I suspect he’ll be back to play with the Jags this season at some point.  Will he be worth that first round pick?  I’m not certain because there could be some early struggles, but if he doesn’t put up 1,300 yards or more like he has done since he started full time in 2009 I’d be shocked.

While it was short, there was a lot to be garnered from Celek and MJD.  Celek had a monster year last year for Philly with over 800 yards and could easily do it again with a healthy Michael Vick or otherwise.  He should be a strong consideration for a lower end starting tight end…but you never know he could explode for another 970 yard season like in 2009.

Once again, a big thanks to DirecTV for the opportunity to chat with MJD and Brent Celek!  NFL Sunday Ticket from DriecTV is a superb to keep track of your fantasy team each week.  Whether it’s the Player Tracker system that provides live updates on up to 18 players or the ability to log directly into your fantasy league with NFL Sunday Ticket live on screen, it provides you with fantasy football interaction that can’t be competed with.  For $199.95 (the lowest cost in the decade) it is easy to track eight games on one screen, switch to the player tracker, and get the information you need for your fantasy matchup.  It’s the only place to get all the games and now syncs with several major fantasy platforms.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

While talks continue with Scobee, the kicker has publicly noted that he will play under the franchise tag for the season if need be.  He looks forward to getting a deal done with the club but negotiations have been long and are now abutting the league-mandated timeframe for franchise players signing their tenders.  Scobee, along with five other players are holding out on signing the tender in the hopes of getting a better deal than the average pay of the top five players at the position.  Scobee, Cliff Avril, Ray Rice, Dashon Goldson, Dwayne Bowe and Matt Forte all want to see the team make a commitment to them but have yet to be effective in their negotiations.

Seriously, the guy has a little je ne sais qua... Source: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

Avril, Scobee, and Rice are undoubtedly some of the best in the league right now at their respective positions and are hoping to get paid as such.  Meanwhile, Bowe and Forte are crucial parts of offenses that saw dips in production last season from the 2010 campaign.  The San Francisco 49ers really like safety Goldson and would like to see his capabilities in another year on a defense that surprisingly rocked the playoff field under head coach Jim Harbaugh last year.

Scobee is due $2.88 million in 2012 under the franchise tag.  His agent, who resumed talks with the Jaguars two weeks ago, is not looking for a contract in the top two players the position (Sebastian Janikowski and Phil Dawson who are both at about $4 million for 2012) but would probably like to be paid for the work Scobee does.  Scobee could get a deal similar to that inked by Connor Barth of  Tampa Bay who just signed a deal for $3.3 million per year.  Barth made 93% of field goals in 2011, one point up on Scobee’s 92%.  Matt Prater of the Broncos may be the more probable peg to be matched to Scobee and he just signed a deal for $3.25 million.

A fan favorite and crucial part of a team that struggles on offense, signing Scobee has been a focus of Jaguars fans and the team through the offseason.  We all hope that at some point during the year the two sides can get together.  Until then, it will be the franchise tender for Scobee.

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims