Take your pick for the answer to the offensive struggles with having bad coaches, firing coaches, having a new owner, not getting separation or even giving up.  Maybe it even goes to the wide receiver.  When MJD finishes the season tied for first with three receiving touchdowns, you know your wide receivers are a problem.

There are currently seven wideouts on the team; lets start with the players I believe will return for a second season.

Nov 27, 2011; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Mike Thomas (80) takes the field to face the Houston Texans at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Mike Thomas, Laurent Robinson and Cecil Shorts are the only locks I perceive to be on the squad next year.

Thomas is in his fourth year on the squad, the second of his new contract. He had a slump this past season but with a new coaching staff, a more experienced Gabbert and other better targets, he should improve.

Laurent Robinson was signed through free agency to a five year deal. He was able to prove his worth with injuries slowing down Miles Austin last season. He racked up 858 yards and 11 touchdowns. He can only make the team better.

Cecil Shorts is coming into his second season after recording 2 receptions for 30 yards and a TD. He also returned some punts for 50 yards on 12 returns for a 4.2 average. I expect him to get more involved next season in the slot and situational downs.

On the Fringe: Providing depth & Practice Bodies

Brian Robiskie was a former second round pick who was waived from the Browns and placed on IR after a few weeks with the Jags. He has a 1.1 million cap hit and is in the final year of his contract, but he’s got great size at 6’3” 210lbs which may prove to be a mismatch for nickel and dime corners. He will have offseason workouts to prove himself healthy and worth a roster spot.

Taylor Price was waived from New England on December 5th. He happened to draw interest from the Dolphins, Buccaneers and Jets but the Jags got priority in the waivers. He only caught 2 balls this season for 39 yards and has two years remaining with about 1 million total cap hit combined for those years. He has the lowest risk out of these receivers and is worth a look at for a roster spot.

Chastin West was waived by the Packers this season and saw some production this past season with 163 yards and 2 TDs on 13 receptions. The first TD came in garbage time against a Falcons team blowing the Jags out of the water. The second however was a nice grab by West who was able to score the TD while also getting sandwiched by two Colt defenders. West may have a second chance to provide depth for the roster.

Jarrett Dillard was drafted in the same class as Thomas but was hindered by injures his first two seasons. He has shown flashes of production but his durability is in question. Whats surprising to see about Dillard is his ability to stay low in his cuts which helps maintain speed and obtain separation. I believe the Jags will give him one final chance, yet he has a cap hit of about 1.5 million as stated on spotrac.com. This price may be too high compared to the others and has had his share of opportunities so his time may be up.

The Jags are lucky to have a draft this season with a plethora of highly rated productive receivers. General Manager Gene Smith may not draft a receiver in the first round but at least one should be drafted in the top 3 rounds; as the team cannot afford to lose out on high ceiling receivers through the draft.

In Gene we Trust,

- Antonio Furgiuele

Or we, the fans, are completely aloof as to the needs of the team.

John Oehser had it right when he wrote,

Outside owner Shad Khan and General Manager Gene Smith, no one knows for sure – and that’s pretty much par for the NFL course.

Marshall, we weren't even interested and I still miss you! Source: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

It was, and still is, the opinion of this writer that the Jaguars are going to pursue a better receiving corps in free agency.  That said a number of very good receivers have come off the board.  Of these, Stevie Johnson (resigned with Bills a week before free agency), Marques Colston (signed hours before free agency began), Vincent Jackson (signed with Tampa Bay), Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan (signed with the Washington Redskins), Randy Moss (signed with San Francisco), and a surprise Brandon Marshall trade from Miami to Chicago for two third round picks in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The Jags have hardly been mentioned amongst all of this hullabaloo.

ESPN’s AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky recently mentioned that he thinks the Jags will still try to make a play for Mario Williams.  Not only does he think that they will, he thinks that they should.  Who else thinks that they should?  All of Jaguar nation.  Except maybe the front office.

While no word has come out of Shahid Khan or Gene Smith yet (after all, they like to keep things quiet), we, the Jaguars faithful, have got to begin wondering just what game the Jaguars are playing at.

It’s common knowledge that the goal for the team is to build through the draft.  But to what end?  Consistently, Gene Smith has traded up with picks to grab players he finds alluring.  I agree with the strategy on the whole, but none of the players being developed with those picks have any market value to trade for more picks to add more blood and more development to the young Jaguars roster.

And beyond all that, at the Jaguars’ greatest position of need, Gene Smith has not performed well.  Here at B&T, we outlined just how poorly he has done.  Are we to assume that the Jaguars are actually pleased with their current receiving corps?   Has Jarrett Dillard made his way off the injury cart enough make a play?  Will Mike Thomas be forced out of the slot due to underperformance yet again?  What about past attempts?  Did Jason Hill suddenly become the deep threat we all dreamed of?

The only assumption I can make based on the complete lack of depth, and action to fit that depth, at wide receiver is that the Jaguars are going to make “plays” again in the draft.  Plays for the likes of Justin Blackmon perhaps?

But at what cost?

It’s assumed picks will probably be involved in order to trade up an nab the star wide receiver from Oklahoma State.  Or perhaps there will be a move to trade back and acquire as many mediocre talents at wide out that we possibly can?

I’m not really certain.

In fact I’m straight up confused.

If anybody has any light whatsoever on this, please, please shine it my way.  Nay, shine it toward all of the fans.  Because as much as I’m behind Gene Smith, I just can’t make heads nor tails of his actions in free agency thus far.

- Luke N. Sims

Rashean Mathis will need to up his game in 2012. Source: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

As good as these players are, is it really worth it to keep paying for them to take up roster space on the final 53 man roster then being forced to rely on the depth beneath them when they inevitably go down?  Fortunately I’m not in the unenviable position of having to make those decisions following off-season camps.  Here at B&T, I get to sit back in the comfort of my home and propose changes that I see benefiting the team.

We’ll look at five players who may not be worth keeping around for 2012 due to their injury history:

DT D’Anthony Smith

• When Smith was drafted in 2010, he was supposed to be the perfect rotation piece for Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton.  He provided an explosive presence that could work both sides of the defensive tackle spot and could excel at collapsing the pocket’s interior.  However, injuries have derailed his potential and placed him on IR each year.  His career statistics thus far run like this: 0 games, 0 tackles, 0 sacks.  While his potential is recognized and seems to have a high ceiling, a player that isn’t on the field isn’t much of an asset.

RT Eben Britton

• Eben Britton was to be the bookend complement of Eugene Monroe for the Jaguars for the next decade.  His work ethic was unstoppable, his potential limitless, and he was able to pave the road for Maurice Jones-Drew effectively while protecting an oft-scrambling David Garrard.  Unfortunately, Britton’s three seasons have been limited by injuries.  He played in 15 games in 2009 (his rookie season), seven in 2010, and five in 2011.  While he may have a shot at keeping his right tackle spot one last time in 2012, Britton’s bench warming experience will surpass his playing time if he goes down again and he may have to become a very capable backup (when healthy) or be let go in the coming months.

CB Rashean Mathis

• Rashean has been a steady presence in the Jaguars defensive backfield since 2003.  His 30 interceptions have been electrifying and he has been a highly underrated cover corner who is worthy of being in the discussion with the best in the league when he’s healthy.  Unfortunately he hasn’t been healthy in a long time.  In 2009 he mentioned how it was great to be healthy again before a season.  In 2010 he completed a full 16 games for the first time since 2006.  This return to success and play making was short lived however and he went down with injury and played a meager nine games in 2011.  The last two seasons have resulted in a mere two interceptions to boot. With a hefty $4+ million price tag, it’s unlikely that he will be worth keeping in 2012.  The Jags will look for higher productivity and sustainability from younger corners so they don’t have to dip into an already shallow cornerback depth pool.

WR Jarett Dillard

• Jarett Dillard has been the darling of Gene Smith since he was selected in the 5th round of the 2009 draft.  He has flashed superb potential and has managed to make himself appear so good during the underwear league in the offseason that the front office seems to think he’s worth keeping around.  Dillard saw action in five games in 2009 and racked up all of six catches for 106 yards.  He missed all of 2010 with injury.  2011 rolled around and Dillard started five games, played in 14, and grabbed 29 catches for 292 yards.  Outside of his brilliant potential and 11.4 yards per catch, he hasn’t displayed much that makes him worth keeping around.  A fragile wide receiver who never reaches his potential is not worth the investment in the NFL.  Gene Smith should note this and take Dillard off the team in 2012 when he revamps the receiving corps.

DE Aaron Kampman

• Aaron Kampman has been a brilliant defensive end.  He played great ball in Green Bay, but with an ACL tear they figured it was time to move past the late 20s intimidator.  The Jags picked him up only to have him tear his other ACL in 2010 after eight games. His four sacks were leading the way the for the Jaguars and his mentorship position was becoming firmly established with the team.  Fast forward to 2011 and Kampman looked like a shell of his former, dominating self.  He failed to make himself a factor in the three games he got time in, despite the Jags reformatting the defensive line’s rotation to keep his (and others’) legs fresh, and ended up on injured reserve once again.  If he doesn’t make himself indispensable in the offseason at some point, look for him to be on his way out.  Especially with the $4.6 million owed him in 2012.  I think he can probably argue that he’s practically a coach to the “Rushmen” and that he can help establish a solid pass rushing mentality with the Jags, but he has to make that known to Gene Smith this offseason if he wants to stick around.

Aaron Kampman's future hinges on his ability to be indispensable with the Jaguars. Source: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Of the players listed above, I can’t see any of them coming back except Kampman and Mathis.  Britton has not been the same player as he was when he was originally drafted before injury, D’Anthony Smith has yet to see the field and probably won’t be able to keep pace two years removed from competitive football, and the Dillard experiment has been tried three times with no charm.  Kampman is able to play the mentorship role and the “Rushmen” have had a noticeable spark since he joined in 2010.  While it can’t be contributed entirely to Kampman (the coaching staff under Joe Cullen has done a pretty solid job), his presence would be sorely missed if he was dismissed this offseason.  Mathis is also probable to come back with a draft class that hasn’t been proven to be excessively deep at the position.  His talent level is considerably higher than the players behind him on the depth chart and the players that could be acquired in free agency will need time to grow into the system under Mel Tucker.  Another year laden with incentives may be in the future for the perennial Mathis.

- Luke N. Sims