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Source: theheadrush.com

As we’ve learned by now, it can be frustrating to be a Jaguars fan this time of year. By now, we should know that there will never be a Gene Smith draft that is praised by the pundits, but we can all enjoy laughing at them when they reverse their words a year later when the kid nobody heard of is a big-time contributor. I recommend not looking at any article with the words “Draft” and “Grades” in the title, but most fans find these irresistible – just don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you feel so incensed as to hit the “Reply to Author” button, feel free to use this template…

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Source: lastangryfan.com

Ahhhhh…time for that first beer of the afternoon. Despite the lack of action in the NFL this time of year (have you heard there’s also a lockout? Crazy…) there is still plenty to discuss. Do I wish there was more excitement? Sure I do…what’s more fun than seeing which GM think TO has finally turned over a new leaf at what, 41 years old? But really, the lack of action has given me the opportunity to do some things I’d normally not have time to do because I’m checking Rotoworld every 6 minutes to see if Darren Sharper left town without a contract. I am enjoying baseball for the first time since I was in Little League and even decided to join a Baseball Fantasy league – gotta get my fix somehow and Peter King told he THINKS the regular season will start on schedule BUT, there may not be a televised games until the continents regather into Pangaea 2.0. With that much uncertainty, I was forced to go on living my life and for now, baseball it is. That being said, I’m not gonna lie, it’s kind of nice to be free of the junkie-like fixation that even the NFL offseason demands and not having to hear the consensus voice of Jacksonville infuriated about why we aren’t making moves for Randy Moss or Albert Hayneworth and that this proves once and for all Wayne Weaver does not want to win or keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Sheesh.

We explore the best of O-Zone and Ask Vic: CHEEZE Edition after the jump…

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Football Outsiders tries to use statistics to find the truth about players.  This is their study of players measurables in terms of sack productivity as a projection of the next five years. They call it SackSEER and it does a good job of sorting out pretenders. Predicting success is more elusive because motivation plays a big role. SackSEER can tell you probability.

The SackSEER says there are four dimensions of predicting NFL quality sack artists; Vertical Leap, the Short Shuttle, Sacks per Game in College, and Missed Games in College. 

The vertical leap measures leg explosiveness, the Short Shuttle measures change of direction and ability to stay on your feet, the other two are past productivity numbers.

Let me focus for a bit on the Short Shuttle. Here is the explaination in their own words:

The short shuttle run measures change of direction speed, burst, and hip flexibility. DeMarcus Ware had a jaw-dropping 4.07 second short shuttle, and Jevon Kearse ran the short shuttle twice with an average time of 4.12 seconds. No elite edge rusher has emerged from any round of the NFL Draft since at least 1999 with a short shuttle slower than 4.42 seconds.

Lets look at a few candidates in the draft and see their combine numbers and prediction of the future:

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