Projecting the 53; OFFENSE

Last weekend I projected who we might see on defense come September. Today I will be doing the same thing with offense. I will use the end-of-season depth chart from 2011. There will be a lot of changes.

The offensive side of the ball got their lumps just like the defense. Just a few guys we saw go down last year…

• RT Eben Britton
• RB Rashad Jennings
• TE Zach Miller

Doesn’t seem that bad, but when you lose a tackle (even though it’s the less glorified right side) and your number 2 running back in a run based offense forcing your star running back to carry the load YET AGAIN…it can’t be easy ya know? Mr. Daniel Lago did a great job breaking down the roster, and I’m gonna keep the roster analysis going.

Do I really need to talk about how good our run offense is? Do I really need to state just how BAD our passing offense was in 2011? Without any further ado…

2011 Offensive Line:

• LT: E. Monroe
• LG: W. Rackley
• C: B. Meester
• RG: U. Nwaneri, J. Spitz
• RT: G. Whimper, C. Bradfield

2012 Offensive Line:

• LT: E. Monroe
• LG: W. Rackley
• C: B. Meester, M. Brewster
• RG: U. Nwaneri, J. Spitz
• RT: Eben Britton, C. Bradfield

The O-Line is probably my favorite position on the field. They play as a unit. It’s like a team within a team. The guys have to be familiar with one another. They almost have to be able to communicate without communicating and that takes a few years. That being said we started a rookie LG last year in Rackley. Britton went down forcing Whimper (how suitable) into action.

Monroe has another year of experience under his belt, Britton will be healthy and hopefully we can see what he has in 2012. How nice would it be to have two solid book end tackles?

Notice anything different? Yes, I have Brewster making the team. I think this is the best UDFA signing the Jags made and one of the best UDFA signings in the NFL. What a steal. Meester has been amazing for Jacksonville, but he’s not getting any younger. Why not begin grooming his heir?

Bradfield beats out Whimper, and becomes our swing tackle. I’m a fan of Bradfield. He made the team as a UDFA last year, and can kick inside to guard in a pinch.

The guys obviously did a nice job of blocking for MJD. Pass protection? Not so much. Let’s hope this year we get some continuity going along the offensive line.

2011 Running Backs:

• M. Jones-Drew
• D. Karim
• M. Owens
• D. Harris

2021 Running Backs:

• M. Jones-Drew
• R. Jennings
• M. Owens
• J. Parmele

I’m looking for MJD to keep the ball rolling, and in order to do that he’s going to need a good number 2 (no pun intended) to spell him…help him keep his legs fresh. I was devastated last year when Jennings went down so early in the season. He finished the 2010 season so strong, and he was actually going to be a sleeper pick in one of my fantasy leagues. I’d enjoy seeing the one two punch of Jones-Drew and Jennings on Sundays.

I like Parmele to make the roster. He’s got NFL experience, but he’s not too run down or old having only entered the league in 2008 as a 6th round draft pick by the Dolphins. I also like what he has to offer as a returner. In 2009 Parmele took over the role of KR for the Ravens. He only had 9 returns, but he totaled 283 yards with a 31.4 average. Do I see him being the primary returner? That’s yet to be seen, but it’d be nice to have another guy on the roster who can do more than one thing.

Owens stays on board as a special teams ace and to provide depth. He did after all make the pro bowl last year. He replaced Matt Slater as the special teams player.

2011 Fullbacks:

• G. Jones
• B. Bolen

2012 Fullbacks:

• G. Jones
• B. Bolen

The offensive line of the backfield is how I like to refer to the fullback position. I think Jones has done a nice job for the Jags. With 9 years of experience though I’m kind of wondering why we didn’t sign a young fullback in UDFA. Isn’t there a younger, cheaper, more effective alternative? He’s had some pretty bad injuries and sometimes I simply wonder how things will pan out for him in the next few years. Bolen stays with the team as a “just in case” kinda guy…which is why I’m still wondering why we didn’t get another fullback in UDFA.

2011 Tight Ends:

• M. Lewis
• Z. Potter
• C. Cloherty

2012 Tight Ends:

• M. Lewis
• Z. Miller
• Z. Potter

Mr. Lewis was our leading pass catcher last year. I won’t post the numbers. It’s embarrassing. You can look them up if you want to. I don’t know what happened. Just please return to 2010 form. Pretty please. Blaine could use a big target across the middle and underneath.

I have Miller and Potter returning to their roles as 2nd & 3rd TEs.

2011 Wide Receivers:

• J. Dillard
• C. West
• K. Osgood
• M. Thomas
• C. Shorts

2012 Wide Receivers:

• J. Blackmon
• L. Robinson
• M. Thomas
• L. Evans
• C. West
• C. Shorts

Whew a lot has been made of this position. This will be the position battle to watch. There’s already been a lot of speculation as to how each receiver will be used. What kind of weapon will the 5th overall pick, Blackmon be? There’s been debate here at B&T. Will he be able to stretch the field and demand double coverage? Or will he be more of a YAC guy? Robinson is good at getting open. Evans could possibly be a burner and Thomas returns to the slot. C. West caught 2 TDs last season…which is why I have him on here. Maybe he could flourish in five wide sets should we decide to go five receivers in certain formations. It’d be nice if we acquired the versatility to do so. I’m also hoping Shorts comes along in his 2nd year. The wide receiver position is one of the most difficult to transition to in the NFL, especially for a 4th rounder.

A lot of “hope” going on this time of year. Any way you spin it, the receivers we have on our roster right now are better than the ones we had this time last year.

2011 Quarterbacks:

• Blaine Gabbert
• L. McCown
• D. LeFevour

2012 Quarterbacks:

• B. Gabbert
• C. Henne
• J. Palmer

The most important position of development and growth in the 2012 offseason is the quarterback position. Does Blaine have what it takes? Will he take advantage of the new weapons acquired through the draft and free agency, step up, and become the quarterback the Jags need him to be? Or will he continue to close his eyes when he throws the ball. All reports indicate that he’s confident and ready to step up. Last year he had hardly anything to work with. He’s got much more firepower now.

So many question marks remain surrounding this position. What kind of quarterback will he be? Will he be a game manager who hands it off and checks down without making mistakes? Will he be an accurate passer or a deep ball guy? Could he be both? Could he be all of these things at the next level? We don’t know yet. You can’t make assumptions and judgements based on last year. We need to be patient with the development of our young quarterback.

I’m happy we signed Chad Henne. He’ll provide a veteran presence who can step in and run the offense. Jordan Palmer beats out LeFevour in camp and becomes our new number 3 QB. He has NFL experience and knows the role of a back up QB having played behind his brother Carson Palmer in Cincinatti.

We’ve projected the offense. We’ve projected the defense. Special teams is next.

-David R. Johns