Bargaining for a Victory

The Jaguars desperately need skills on the team in order to pull together more victories.  The glut at receiver is a welcome change from the previous years of limited talent at the position, as are the apparently strong additions to the pass rush.  But do we have the star power to get us over the hump?  Which players are the true foundation of the team?

I say that there are three true leaders of the team – whether in spirit, statistics, etc.  Only one of those three is under contract though.

Daryl Smith

• Smith has been the foundation of the defense for some time.  He can play any linebacker position, knows how to make himself valuable on passing and rushing downs, and he is smart enough to recognize schemes and plays and communicate the information to the other players.

Maurice Jones-Drew

• MJD has effectively been the best producer for the Jaguars offense for the past four seasons.  He garners more yards from scrimmage than any other player on the team and has managed to become a superstar the league over while playing on a team that has not made the playoffs since 2007.

Josh Scobee

• Scobee is a very, very good kicker.  On top of that, he is with Sebastian Janikowski and Pat McAfee as special teams players with a bit of pizzaz to go with their game.  When Scobee takes the field the Jags know that something good is going to happen.

Combined between Maurice Jones-Drew, Josh Scobee, and Daryl Smith the Jaguars have very good leaders for their team.  The problem?  Scobee and Jones-Drew are not happy with the way their current deals with the team are going down.

The Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Scobee this season though he has yet to sign his tender, thus causing the Jaguars to sign another kicker for the duration of offseason workouts.  MJD wants a contract extension to play beyond the next two years which are the end of his five year $31 million deal from three years ago.

The Jaguars should realize that two of the three major leaders on their team are currently not a part of the team.  Every day that goes past is a day of alienation and segregation between the team and Scobee and MJD.  The value of both players are good, and without them the Jaguars will be gambling for a win every game.

They need to get the guys back on the field immediately.  Right now, they need to start bargaining for victory.

– 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