The Jaguars pushed the Bucs around on Saturday Night.  Byron Leftwich had a decent game completing 6 of 12 passes for 81 yards.  David Garrard was the star of the show on Saturday Night though as he completed 11 of 14 passes for 129 yards and he also carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) with a TD run.  Lester Ricard finished up the game completing the only pass he attempted for 21 yards.  Undrafted rookie D.D. Terry from Sam Houston State has no realistic shot of making the Jaguars opening day lineup but that didn’t stop him from rushing for 49 yards on 10 carries (4.9 ypc) Saturday Night.  The Jags showcased LeBrandon Toefield for a trade and he looked good carrying the football 5 times for 29 yards (5.8 ypc) and a TD.  Greg Jones (5 car, 25 yards) and Alvin Pearman (6 car, 20 yards, TD) both looked good in their battle to be the #3 RB for the Jags this season.  Fred Taylor got his work in carrying the ball 6 times for 16 yards (2.7 ypc) with a TD run.  Charles Sharon led the way for the Jags with 3 grabs for 54 yards (18.0 avg) as he is moving up the Jags’ depth chart quickly.  RB Maurice Jones-Drew didn’t run the football but he was busy as he caught 2 passes for 47 yards (23.5 avg).  Rookie John Broussard (2 rec, 29 yards) and Ernest Wilford (3 rec, 28 yards) also had decent games.  The Jaguars finished up with 154 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.2 ypc) and they completed 18 of 27 passes for 223 yards.

The Jags defense didn’t play as well as usual as they allowed the Bucs to rush for 114 yards on 24 carries (4.8 ypc) on Saturday Night.  The Bucs also completed 22 of 30 passes for 208 yards.  The Jags will likely tighten up the D more as the season gets closer to starting.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270818004

The QBs of the Jaguars might turn their eyes more to the tight ends in 2007 when throwing the football.  The Jags are hoping that Mercedes Lewis will have a big 2nd season and they also brought in pass catching TE Jermaine Wiggins to battle for catches.  Lewis had a rough rookie season as he played in 15 games (3 starts) and he only caught 13 passes for 126 yards (9.7 avg) with 1 TD.  Look for him to either improve on those numbers or be standing on the sideline.

George Wrighster is back for another season and that’s a good thing based on his play last season.  He played in 16 games (10 starts) last season for the Jaguars and he caught 39 passes for 353 yards (9.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Wrighster has now played in 51 games (20 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 75 passes for 692 yards (9.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

The Jaguars signed free agent Jermaine Wiggins to battle Lewis and Wrighster for playing time and he has had the best NFL career to date of that bunch.  He played in 16 games (3 starts) last season for the Vikings and he caught 46 passes for 386 yards (8.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He’s a possession receiver who catches anything near his hands but he lacks the speed to get downfield.  He has now played in 107 games (44 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 236 passes for 2,141 yards (9.1 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

The Jags certainly have enough bodies at WR for this season but none of them appears to have the ability to be a #1 WR so the Jags will probably have to spread the football around.   Reggie Williams caught the most passes at WR for the Jags last season but he would be nothing more than a #3 or #4 WR on a good throwing offense.  He played in 16 games last season (14 starts) and he caught 52 passes for 616 yards (11.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 7 times for 33 yards (4.7 ypc).  Look for Williams to have a similar # of catches and yards this season if he stays healthy.  He has now played in 48 games (36 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 114 passes for 1,329 yards (11.7 avg) with 5 TD grabs and he has carried the ball 9 times for 36 yards (4.0 ypc).

Converted QB Matt Jones always seems to be close to being a decent wideout but he still hasn’t crossed that line yet.  He played in 14 games (4 starts) last season for the Jags and he caught 41 passes for 643 yards (15.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs and he also carried the football 2 times for -15 yards (-7.5 ypc).  The Jags would be ecstatic if he stepped up like a lot of WRs do in their third season in the NFL.  He has now played in 30 games (5 starts) and he has caught 77 passes for 1,075 yards (14.0 avg) with 9 TD grabs and he also has run the football 14 times for 36 yards (2.6 ypc).  Jones can also throw the football as he was a QB at Arkansas and he has completed 2 of 3 passes (66.7%) for 12 yards in his career.

Ernest Wilford was the #3 WR for the Jags last season but he will have to fight off Dennis Northcutt this season if he wants to keep his job.  He played in 16 games (12 starts) last season for the Jaguars and he caught 36 passes for 524 yards (14.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Wilford is a dependable WR but he doesn’t have a lot of upside.  He has now played in 47 games (23 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 96 passes for 1,476 yards (15.4 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

Dennis Northcutt has more speed than any of the current wideouts on the Jags roster but he’s soft and often drops a lot of balls he should catch.   He played in 13 games (6 starts) last season for the Cleveland Browns and he caught 22 passes for 228 yards (10.4 avg) with 0 TDs and he also carried the football 3 times for 32 yards (10.7 ypc).  His best skill is returning punts as he is one of the best returners in the entire NFL.  He returned 28 punts for 312 yards (11.1 avg) last season for the Browns.  Northcutt will likely be the #3 or #4 WR for the Jags this season as they would be in trouble if he had to start.  Northcutt has now played in 99 games (45 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 276 passes for 3,438 yards (12.5 avg) with 11 TD grabs and he also has carried the football 45 times for 330 yards (7.3 ypc) with a TD.  Northcutt has returned 202 punts in his NFL career for 2,149 yards (10.6 avg) with 3 TD returns.

Rookies Mike Walker and John Broussard will likely battle for the scraps left from the top 4 WRs.  Walker would have had a good chance to move up the pecking order if his knee wasn’t still bothering him because he’s a talented WR.  Broussard shined in the first pre-season game and WR is an area of weakness for the Jags so he could surprise.

The Jaguars have lost offensive tackle Stockar McDougle for the remainder of the season after he tore his ACL in practice Monday Night.  This will hurt the Jags depth along the line as the 6′6″, 340 pound mountain of a man played in 11 games for them last season (0 starts).  The Jags will miss him for his talent and experience as he has played in 81 games (56 starts) in his NFL career.

This was a great move by the Jaguars as Knight will be able to help mentor Reggie Nelson.  Knight played in 16 games last season for the Chiefs and he made 83 tackles, had 2 sacks, 1 interception, defensed 3 passes and forced a fumble.   Knight’s days of making game-changing plays is likely over but he still is a dependable veteran.  He has now played in 158 games in his NFL career and he has made 939 tackles, has 9 sacks, 38 interceptions that he has returned for 633 yards with 4 TDs, defensed 43 passes, forced 12 fumbles and recovered 13 fumbles (one for a TD).