The national perception of the Jaguars has been discussed in depth here on B&T and most legitimate Jaguars sites/blogs. The fact of the matter is that until the Jaguars start winning some games, the obligatory national mention of the team will be accompanied with a jab at Blaine Gabbert, some sort of “pity” for Maurice Jones-Drew for playing on such a bad team, and a half-assed joke about the team moving to Los Angeles.

Not surprisingly, the coverage of Mojo’s holdout can be boiled down to the following:

“Maurice Jones-Drew is holding out, the Jaguars better pay him, he’s all they’ve got.”

“Mojo is holding out; ergo, concordantly, vis-à-vis the Jaguars are moving to L.A.”

Any time I can link a clip of Will Ferrell, I have to do it. David Banks-US PRESSWIRE

Any time I can link a clip of Will Ferrell, I have to do it. 

While this provides more fodder to lay the wood on the Jaguars, in reality, Mojo’s holdout is a non-story. I mean, the end of this “saga” isn’t going to be very interesting. Our own Luke Sims and Alfie Crow on SBNation did a good job of breaking down the situation. The way I see it, there are three possible outcomes.

1. Jones-Drew sits out the first week or two of training camp and returns well before the start of the regular season.

This scenario is essentially no different than if Mojo reported to camp yesterday. Jones-Drew generally doesn’t get driven into the ground during the training camp or preseason. If he gets into camp with enough time to learn the offense, there really shouldn’t be any lingering effects from the holdout.

2. Jones-Drew sits out the entire preseason and comes back right before the start of the regular season.

This only happens if Jones-Drew is willing to cough up $30,000 a day for missing camp but not willing to give up a game-day check. Without much experience in the new offense, Jones-Drew is likely going to lose a lot of reps at the beginning of the season to Rashad Jennings. Quite frankly, I don’t think this is a problem. This is going to put the onus on Blaine Gabbert and the passing offense, which is how it should be. Jones-Drew could be eased into the offense slowly, allowing the Jaguars to establish a potent two-headed force in the backfield that compliments the passing game rather than dominating the play count like so many years before.

Jennings should get some more chances to improve his touchdown dance. Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

Jennings should get some more chances to improve his touchdown dance.

3. Jones-Drew decides to sit out games during the regular season, possibly up to week 10.

Jones-Drew missing any regular season games would be downright shocking. Maurice would be leaving a lot of money on the table and his relationship with both the team and the fans would take a massive hit. I think the Jaguars could still manage to have a successful season on the field, but the more significant damage this would cause would be to the team’s perception. Regardless of whether the team plays well or poorly, any mention of the Jaguars will be prefaced by “Still without their leading rusher Maurice Jones-Drew, …”

If that’s the worst result from this holdout… then who cares? We’re at the point where the perception of the Jaguars nationally couldn’t be much worse and, as it’s been stated many times before, that perception won’t change until we win some damn games.

If you ask me, it sounds like that time is coming very soon. So let’s ignore the irony of my entire article and stop caring about a stupid holdout.

It’s time for some football.

- Daniel Lago

Ray was part of the Jaguars offseason roster last year before being told to bulk up and give it another go some other time.  He’s back for the 2012 offseason but his shot at a roster spot just became a whole lot shakier with an arrest.  The previous arrest of Justin Blackmon may play a big role in how the team handles other arrests through the year in establishing a new coaching staff and changing the culture of the team with it.  General Manager Gene Smith is still in charge and does not tolerate poor behavior from his players, but with the influx of Mike Mularkey and his new staff we may see a shift toward giving more players some leeway if they have game.

We just don’t know if Mr. Ray has any game to bring.  He may not be around long enough to show it during training camp.

- Luke N. Sims

Any given Sunday the Jaguars can make their dreams come true.  Some opponents will be better.  Some opponents will be worse.  But no matter what, the Jags will control the product that they put on the field.  And it all starts with Training Camp.

Training Camp is the time when rookies unseat veterans.  Training Camp is the time when players start to prove whether they’re worth that $36 million they were signed for.  It’s the time when the grass is green, watered from the sweat of hard work and the desperation that players face as they showcase their talents before the critical eyes of the coaches.

The players are evaluated, weighed against each other.  The weakest get cut first, until the final roster is made.  The lucky ones become starters, the unlucky are sent packing.  Those in between keep their hopes alive as backups or practice squad members.

Training Camp is about evaluation, determination, and aggravation.  The offense has been installed, underdogs have fans now, and the players want nothing more than to make an impact.  There’s no turning back when training camp starts.  From July 26 onward, the Jaguars are thinking about one thing: playoffs.

Keeping the eyes on the prize is what’s important.  If you can make the team better, you stay.  If you can’t, you’re out.  It’s a tough business, the NFL, but those who stick around make it great.

It’s the weekend and news is short during the deadzone, but it’s almost training camp.  Keep your eyes on the prize and enjoy the video: