We were just starting to get to know you Mike!  Source:  Byron Hetzler-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars began their head coaching search after they hired a general manager.  Dave Caldwell had the opportunity to retain incumbent Mike Mularkey or fire him and begin a search well after teams had already been looking for a period of time.  As a result, some names are off the market.  While I doubt the Jaguars were ever interested in Rob Chuzinski or Andy Reid, names like Gus Bradley and Mike McCoy did.

News is that McCoy will be named the new head coach of the San Diego Chargers later today.

Chargers are nearing a deal to make Mike McCoy their head coach. Looks like it will be finalized today. More ahead @cbssports

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 15, 2013

Despite reports that Bradley will interview with the Jaguars later this week, it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles have other plans.  Philly.com reports that Bradley and the Eagles are close to coming together in holy head coaching/team matrimony. The Eagles have a second interview scheduled with Bradley, speculated to be in Philadelphia.  Rumors are that the Eagles are “all in” on Bradley and there haven’t been any red flags that would stop a deal between the two.  The second “interview” could be to finalize a deal between both parties.

It may be the end of the line for a couple possible head coaches, but there are still plenty more left in the sea.  Two potential head coaches do not ruin the entire search.  Sure, the Jags don’t want to turn to someone like Chuzinski (no slight meant toward him), but as some of the bigger name coaches continue to get poached before the Jags get their hands on them, it may be too late.  The field is narrowing and it isn’t on the Jags’ terms.

Fortunately, there is always Greg Roman and Brian Schottenheimer to look at.

- Luke N. Sims

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Will Arian Foster take the Rushing Title in 2012? Source: US-Presswire

While there will inevitably be someone who comes out of nowhere to put up some big numbers like Arian Foster has done, who really has a shot at taking home the title and being the “best running back” in 2012.  For purposes of discussion, the best running back will be defined as the most yards on the ground in a season (the same qualification for running backs to win the rushing title).

So, who will it be?  A rebounding Adrian Peterson?  A no longer disgruntled Chris Johnson?  How about Ben Tate rather than Foster?  Here are the top ten from last year:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew: 1,606 yards
2. Ray Rice: 1,364 yards
3. Michael Turner: 1,340 yards
4. LeSean McCoy: 1,309 yards
5. Arian Foster: 1,224 yards
6. Frank Gore: 1,211 yards
7. Marshawn Lynch: 1,204 yards
8. Willis McGahee: 1,199 yards
9. Steven Jackson: 1,145 yards
10. Ryan Matthews, 1,091 yards

Of the top ten from last year, five were in the top ten from 2010: Maurice Jones-Drew (5th), Ray Rice (10th), Michael Turner (3rd – talk about consistent!), Arian Foster (1st), and Steven Jackson (8th).  The players who didn’t repeat?  Adrian Peterson (6th), Jamaal Charles (2nd), Chris Johnson (4th), Rashard Mendenhall (7th), and Ahmad Bradshaw (9th).

Of the five who have repeated the past two years (some longer than that), I think it is safe to say that Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Arian Foster, and Michael Turner will be back in the top ten for 2012.  As much as I like Steven Jackson (and I like him a lot!) I don’t see him replicating his success in 2012 with a revamped offense, new head coach, and some serious wear and tear on his body (the guy averaged 20 attempts per game the past three seasons and has had injury issues).

Look for San Fran's Frank Gore to be Limited by Defenses as they make the Niners pass to beat them. Source: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

With the assumption that four of our top ten spots will be filled, who can we expect to join them?  From last year’s top ten, I find that the most probable returns for 2012 will be Ryan Matthews and LeSean McCoy.  McCoy has proven he will be a versatile threat on every down and he is featured in a lot of plays under Andy Reid.  Matthews will be forced into taking more handoffs with the departure of wide receiver Vincent Jackson to Tampa Bay and will carry a much bigger burden of the offense.  Matthews stepped it up last year by 21 yards per game and an increase of only two more attempts per game.  The guy is finally filling LaDainian Tomlinson’s shoes.

Right now, our list is sitting with six players on it.  All of whom have been in the top ten this past year.  Who gets the final four slots?  Who will round out the top ten in the competition for the rushing title?  For that, I turn my attention to the yards per attempt statistics for last year.  Of the running backs who are already in our six defined spots, none of them are in the top ten for yards per attempt (though the statistics do include quarterbacks Cam Newton and Tim Tebow).  Of the top ten in yards per attempt, two teams (Buffalo and Carolina) have two running backs in average yards per attempt.  C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson represent Buffalo, and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart represent Carolina – as does Cam Newton.

I expect that the loads on both sides will continue to be split amongst multiple players, though if Williams is injured again – as his history suggests he may be – I fully expect that Stewart could slip into the top ten to round out the bottom.  And with Cam Newton focusing more on passing rather than running, look for Stewart’s attempts per game to increase. Unfortunately for Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, I don’t expect either of them to outdistance the other in 2012.  Especially with Spiller expected to have a very good year.  Both players will be successful, of this I have no doubt, but neither will be able to set such a pace that the team abandons its two-headed monster of a backfield.

Right now, this is how our top ten looks (with no rankings applied)

• Maurice Jones-Drew
• Ray Rice
• Arian Foster
• Michael Turner
• LeSean McCoy
• Ryan Matthews
• Jonathan Stewart

Nothing like a knee injury to make you want to succeed next year. Source: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

I think it is about time we took a look at Adrian Peterson.  Adrian Peterson injured himself in the 12th game of the season last year and is still working on coming back full force.  But in 12 games, he put up 970 yards.  That’s 80.8 yards per game (good enough for 8th on the list of yards per game).  Will AP be back in time for the start of the season?  Maybe.  But he’ll be back at some point.  And when he returns, he’ll be hungry.  If the guy doesn’t put up at least 1,000 yards in 2012 I’ll be shocked.  Just over 1,000 yards should be enough to put him in the top ten anyway.

See the next page to see who rounds out our top ten and who will take the rushing title!

Oct 9, 2011; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey (94) tackles Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) past offensive guard Nate Livings (62) during a game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

According to Jaguars.com, Mincey addressed the contract extension he signed this year after testing free agency for a short period.  Mincey signed a four year $27.2 million contract a little over a month ago to stay with the Jaguars.  Mincey has finally blossomed into a dominant defensive end for the Jaguars, creating pressure not reflected in the sack numbers.  He says that his progressively better play is not due to a contract year or it will increase because of better pay over the next four years.

Mincey says that he would continue to play better and stronger even without the inspiration of more money.  He wants to play better and lead the other defensive ends into the season to become a stronger unit on the whole.  It’s a role he feels it is time for him to take on.  And he’d do it at a discount too!

I’d take on that role if I was the lowest-paid guy.

Mincey is hoping that all of his hard work will have an impact on the other players.  He is hoping that it influences them, spreads through the rest of the team, and the entire organization rises to the occasion.  His character is going to buoy the defense and better play will develop as a result.

This is the type of leadership and progress that the franchise is developing through its strong emphasis on character.  Character guys may not always be the most productive.  They may not always be the most cost effective.  They also may not always be the best players on the field.  But as a group, men who buckle down and work for something above themselves help to raise the play of everyone and make the entire team greater than the sum of its parts.

The best teams in the league aren’t the best because of just a few players.  A few players, like Philip Rivers in San Diego for example, can help bring attention to a team with their superior team, but they do not always translate into wins.  Tom Brady can bring the Patriots to the Super Bowl, but even he can’t help the team to put down a familiar foe again.  It’s a rough go of it for teams that aren’t able to find the right guys to lead the locker room.

But the Jaguars aren’t just looking for the right guys to lead the locker room.

Mincey's hard work is a reflection of the high character embodied in the Jaguars roster. Source: Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

They are looking for the guys to fill the locker room.  Jeremy Mincey is a prime example of how the Jaguars are filling the locker room with high character guys that are going to translate better play onto the field.  Guys that want to play to win, not for the paycheck that is waiting for them but instead because it is in their blood.  It courses through their veins, boiling into a fury that is expressed on the gridiron. A fury, checked outside of sport, that binds them together in their quest for glory.

That glory is embodied by the hard working Mincey.  A player who worked his way into the limelight this past season and looks to do it again.  His strength, resolve, and hard work is a reflection of the high standards held by the franchise. He leads by example.

And that example is going to infect the team like a disease.

That’s just who I am as a person. I’m going to work as hard as I can, and let the disease spread throughout the team – and I ain’t talking about the stomach flu.

Fortunately there are a lot of guys like Mincey on the Jaguars roster.

In Gene We Trust,

- Luke N. Sims

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