December 23, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jordan Shipley (16) runs with the ball during the first half of the game against the New England Patriots at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Per Ryan O’Halloran’s live chat for the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville Jaguars may be rolling out their new-look duds sooner than we thought.  With the Minnesota Vikings (congrats on keeping it under wraps!) and the Miami Dolphins set to “unveil” their new uniforms on draft day, April 25th, the Jags may be able to steal the show by getting theirs in a couple days early on April 23rd.

Whether it’s about framing the conversation of the draft around the Jaguars early or simply because the Jaguars want to get things out of the way for GM Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley as they make their decisions, I can’t wait.  It will be great to see what Nike has done for the Jaguars as they move to more black and gold and move away from team.

There was a potential “leak” of the Dolphins’ and Jaguars’ new jerseys earlier in the month.  The Dolphins have confirmed that the look is the new one with the new logo while the Jags have remained quiet.  The mystery surrounding Jacksonville’s new uniforms persists and will garner some attention early before the draft as a result.  Check out the potential leak here.

- Luke N. Sims

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Looks familiar.  If you like Cecil Shorts, you may like Harvin too.  Source: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday I did a post about why the Jacksonville Jaguars should steer clear from Minnesota Vikings’ wide receiver Percy Harvin, but sometimes it helps to get the other perspective as well.  Just like we did with Randy Moss when he announced he would be returning to play football for 2012, we’ll look at the positives as well as the negatives.  One of the major positives is that Minnesota wants to get rid of Harvin, badly.  He is a premier wide receiver talent that the team is trying to unload because of the headaches he causes for his coaches.  Some guess that he could be had for a second or third round pick.

The relative “cheap” value of getting a player like Harvin could be a boon for the Jags.  One year after getting consensus top receiver Justin Blackmon and the emergence of Cecil Shorts III, they will increase the effectiveness by creating a trio of receivers that have skills at bullying defenders and picking up yards after the catch.  Shorts and Harvin were at the top of the NFL in yards after the catch with 8.5 and 8.7 average YAC.  Shorts would benefit from having another big play receiver opposite him.

Blackmon may benefit the most out of having Harvin on the roster.  2012 was an odd season for the rookie largely because of the uncertainty opposite him.  Laurent Robinson proved to be inconsequential when on the field and it wasn’t until Shorts started making plays that Blackmon started to make plays of his own.  Having another receiver like Shorts in three-receiver sets would only open the field up more for Blackmon.  His big frame and tough play style could lead to even more YAC for him (4.5 average).

Another player benefitting from Harvin’s unique skill set would be Blaine Gabbert.  Gabbert will likely get the nod as the starter for Jacksonville – at least that’s the way the coach speak is making it out to be – and he must prove he is the franchise QB ex -GM Gene Smith thought he was.  With Harvin he would have three above average to excellent wide receiver threats, a good tight end in Marcedes Lewis, and an excellent running back in Maurice Jones-Drew.  If he can’t succeed with talent like that around him, then it will definitely be time for him to move on.

Harvin could do a lot for the Jags, but is he worth the risk?  As our own Zain Gowani pointed out in the comments:

…the build of our team (a team that doesn’t [sic] have a new coaching staff and a new culture and tons of young players and not too many veterans) makes it likely that our risk threshold for Harvin will be lower than another team that is closer to winning and have a strong stable of veterans (Patriots?)

The value could be just a little too great to pass up.

- Luke N. Sims

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Sounds good, right?

Well, kind of.

If you’re a Jacksonville Jaguars fan, it shouldn’t even matter.  In years past “receiver-deficient” would have been the perfect description for the Jags.  But now, with the emergence of Cecil Shorts III and Justin Blackmon, the Jags really don’t have a major need at the position.  They could use a good slot receiver, but – in my opinion – that may already be on the roster in Jordan Shipley.

While Harvin is by no means a super selfish player like Titus Young, having personality related issues with two head coaches (as bad as Brad Childress was, he didn’t deserve it) is major red flag for a rebuilding team not dying for his talent.  Gus Bradley will have a hard enough time turning the Jags around after a 2-14 season, he doesn’t need a potential headache on the sidelines to go with.  The Vikes really want to get rid of Harvin, who could be picked up with a second or third round pick, but they’re problem will likely not become a saint a la Cris Carter.

Stay away Mr. Caldwell.  Stay away.

- 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