Jags First Round Pick Justin Blackmon was arrested for an aggravated DUI in Oklahoma. Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

A lot of the aspects about Blackmon’s DUI have been covered both here and at Big Cat Country - two sources that tend to be pretty good at reflecting the opinions of the fans and the public on the Jacksonville Jaguars seeing as how they are both written by fans.  PFW, however, decided that their incompetent take was considerably better than actually reading whole quotes from press conferences and the Jaguars official website.

As PFW says,

When asked if he had a drinking problem, Blackmon quickly denied the possibility, instead saying he had a lapse in judgment and was done drinking “for now.” Although he appeared contrite, Blackmon would have been better served by saying he expects to get counseling and letting professionals weigh in, we hear.

Believe it or not, but this is the face of a man who is happy about his selection of the most productive wide receiver available in the 2012 draft. Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

While Blackmon was quick to deny that he has a drinking problem, I doubt that it showed a lack of knowledge of his own situation.  Blackmon is a smart kid.  He’s a competitor.  He knows when he does right, and he knows when he does wrong.  The DUI situation with Jacksonville is certain to give him some guidance on where that right and wrong line is because the team does not allow bad behavior.  Head coach Mike Mularkey and general manager Gene Smith made sure to place emphasis on the goals of the organization and to openly criticize Blackmon for his poor behavior during the June 6th press conference.  Who cares if he expects to get counseling, it will probably be handled personally or by the organization – let them deal with it.

Rather than look at the emphasis and hard line approach of the organization, PFW decided that it should instead criticize the Jaguars for the Blackmon selection.  (Before I go into my vent on PFW here, let me say that the jury will be out on all rookie wide receivers until the season comes and we actually see them perform) Blackmon was the highest regarded receiving prospect in the draft.  Every other college receiver was playing for second place to be selected.  Yet, if you are PFW you think that other clubs thought Blackmon was a worse prospect.  Here I defend the general national media in saying that Blackmon was the best prospect available, truly, but of you’re PFW you found the few clubs who ranked other players higher than Blackmon:

PFW talked to some NFL teams leading up to the draft that had at least four receivers ranked higher than Blackmon…

While I find it possible some clubs did have Blackmon ranked lower than other players, I’m willing to bet that it was because they weren’t looking for a #1 receiver, knew they had no shot at trading up for him, had higher needs, knew they shouldn’t waste their money and time on a receiver they shouldn’t trade up for due to cost, etc…  Of the other receivers available in the draft only Michael Floyd really has the physical tools to compete with Blackmon and had about the same concerns.  Four other receivers would include Kendall Wright, Alshon Jeffery, and Stephen Hill along with Floyd.  You could maybe make a case for one or two of those receivers being higher than Blackmon.  But all four? Really?  There had to have been other factors like draft position and need taken into consideration there.

PFW ultimately showed their lack of knowledge with a statement on how the team views Blackmon out of the gate.  They say,

Blackmon’s NFL career wasn’t off to the most promising start before last weekend’s events. He has received mixed reviews throughout offseason team activities, even being called out publicly by head coach Mike Mularkey for being lost at times.

Those microphones are devices used to broadcast what was actually said by someone. Next time use a whole quote. Source: US-Presswire

So far, the reviews out of the Jaguars have all been positive.  The actual quote from Mularkey goes likes like, “When he (Justin Blackmon) knows what he’s doing, he’s very good.  When he doesn’t, he’s lost.”  Who isn’t lost when they don’t know what they’re doing?  How many times have you had no idea what your supervisor has been saying and kind of float through things because you don’t know what’s going on?  That doesn’t mean you’re a bad performer, it means you don’t know what’s going on.

Fortunately, by all accounts Blackmon has been asking questions and learning the offense.  The coaches have praised him for speaking up when he doesn’t understand.  When you’re a 20 something rookie just learning an offense, that’s perfectly acceptable.  It’s about time that media outlets stop proclaiming doom and gloom every time something bad happens to a player.  Did Blackmon get a DUI?  Yes.  Is he suddenly an incompetent wide receiver because of it?  Only if you’re picking your quotes and slicing and dicing them as you see fit.

Get it right Pro Football Weekly, do some research before you make yourself look foolish.

- Luke N. Sims

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But with the era of NFL safety under Commissioner Roger Goodell, it may be time for mandatory padding to be enforced.

Come Tuesday, the owners will vote to make knee and thigh pads mandatory for all players.

Many positions place a premium on speed.  They sacrifice their knees in favor of being able to put that extra move on the opposing cornerback.  Some players think they play better when the lines on their uniform are smoother.  Others simply want to look good for the camera.

I always got nervous looking at players without knee pads.  Thigh pads were a lesser concern for me, but getting one’s knee blown out never seemed fun and always looked painful.

Of the three initiatives (trade deadline extension to week 8 and the ability to bring back one player from injured reserve during the season) before the owners on Tuesday, it seems most probable that the mandatory pad requirement will pass and is the most necessary.

Especially if the league is going to place a premium on safety.

- Luke N. Sims

1. Justin Blackmon sat out of the final day of the May 4-6 minicamp with a sore foot.  Coach Mike Mularkey said it wasn’t a big deal and that the team had “[seen] what we needed to see” so taking him out for the day to prevent further aggravation was fine by him.  Blackmon displayed his superb hands the first three practices by making plays on poorly thrown balls.  There haven’t been any circus catches and he is learning the playbook, but Mularkey fully expects that “He’ll get faster in everything he does.”
2. Michael Floyd has some sources exited about his play.  Some are even saying that he is expected to be the most productive receiver. Floyd would like to cut down his weight to increase his endurance and stamina in the Arizona offense.  After the mini-camp, Floyd knows he needs to get faster and quicker in order to be competitive in the NFL.
3. Kendall Wright as you all well know, is not a favorite of mine.  But despite my opposition, the Titans thought he was worthy of a first round pick.  The Titans gave Wright his first ever playbook.  Yes, you read that right.  Over the mini-camp weekend, it was revealed that Wright has never studied a playbook and instead has memorized every play through high school and college.  It may appear that this receivers brainpower is superb to go with hands that have the Titans buzzing.  After his solid mini-camp the Titans are impressed that he is learning everything about the offense.  This may be a receiver that succeeds with his brain – quite the scary thought for the Titans’ opposition.
4. Brian Quick has reportedly turned heads at the St. Louis mini-camp.  He reportedly didn’t drop a ball all day, which is really something.  The Rams think they have found the explosive player they need to pair with Sam Bradford.  Based on what I’ve been hearing out of St. Louis, I think they’re probably right.

5. 

   Stephen Hill wowed scouts at the combine with his unbelievable speed.  The Jets, of course, bit.  Hill already has his contract signed and had nothing to distract him in camp from his play.  Hill impressed the team, especially head coach Rex Ryan, with his speed and big 6’4″ frame.  Hill dropped one pass in drills – a deep ball that bounced off his finger tips.  Ryan is excited over Hill’s performance and says he will be starting this season.

6. Alshon Jeffery has ex-Vikings head coach Mike Tice pretty happy.  He beat the cornerbacks, plucking the ball above their heads during the Chicago Bears’ mini-camp.  While Jeffery left Friday with cramping, he came back to participate all through Saturday.  Some say he didn’t look entirely comfortable, though his hands still have the Bears excited.  He looks like he will be a good addition behind newly acquired WR Brandon Marshall.
7. Rueben Randle has already begun impressing the Giants with his polished play. While he had a few drops during the mini-camp he displayed great athleticism and should serve as a very good replacement for Mario Manningham (San Francisco) in the coming season.  Expect his hands to improve with time but the athleticism to remain (and cause fits for defensive coordinators).

8. 

   Mohamed Sanu didn’t separate himself from the pack during the rookie mini-camp.  He made some plays against 1st round selection, CB Dre Kirkpatrick, but hasn’t established himself as a top receiver for the Bengals…yet.  I fully expect Sanu to make the Bengals roster and prove well worth the third round pick spent on him.  Head Coach Marvin Lewis expects Sanu to come in and contribute right away.  He is everything the Bengals expected from him.  I bargain they’ll receive much more in the long run.

Keeping tabs on the top receivers in the 2012 class is crucial as we grow to (hopefully) love and appreciate Justin Blackmon.  Much like the comparisons between Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, the receivers from 2012 will always be pegged to each other.  So far it is appearing that the players will make impacts, but who will make the most impact on their respective rosters is what matters.  It sounds like Michael Floyd will provide exactly what John Skelton/Kevin Kolb need in Arizona, currently he appears to be the measure against which all others will be weighed.

Of course, that’s if you believe everything the coaches told the press following the mini-camps…

- Luke N. Sims