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2010 Offensive Line Analysis - Jacksonville Jaguars

2010 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Eugene Monroe
Left Guard: Vince Manuwai / Justin Smiley
Center: Brad Meester / Uche Nwaneri
Right Guard: Uche Nwaneri / Justin Smiley
Right Tackle: Eben Britton

2009 Injuries:
T Eben Britton: Week 4
T Eugene Monroe: Week 4

2009 Statistics:

Overview:
Despite having an okay offensive line in 2008 and using their first two draft picks in the 2009 NFL Draft on two offensive tackles, the Jaguars had the worst pass protecting line in the NFL last year. Quarterback David Garrard was hit 20 more times than any other quarterback in the NFL. Despite that, their running game was still amongst the league’s best but pass protection will need to improve in 2010 if they want to get back into the playoffs.

The two tackle positions seem set for years to come but both Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton will need to improve their play in 2010. Monroe, a 6’5” and 320 lbs was the seventh overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Virginia. He is strong, has pretty quick feet for his size and is a hard worker but, despite all that, he struggled in his first year as a pro. Monroe was responsible for nine sacks in 2010 which ranked him last amongst left tackles. Four of those sacks did come in the first five games however and he looked much better in the second part of the season. Overall we would say that he is an above average run blocker, as he showed all year long in 2009, and will probably be an average pass protector as he was in the second half of last year. Eben Britton, the Jaguars second round pick in 2009 will also return as the starting right tackle. Similar to Monroe, Britton was pretty good all year long in run blocking but his pass protection was awful early in the year. He is a very smart player and has good strength at 6’6” and 310 lbs. He will however need to get a little bigger if he wants to be as effective as he was in college in run blocking. These two tackles showed much improvement late in the year and if they keep playing like that, they could be very pleasant surprises in 2010. The top backup at tackle this year will be Jordan Black who was a starter for the Chiefs in 2005 and 2006 but hasn’t played much since then.

Vince Manuwai should anchor the left guard position for the seventh straight season. Manuwai has missed 18 starts since being drafted in the third round by the Jaguars in 2003 but 15 of those were in 2008 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Despite not being fully recovered from that injury, Manuwai was a solid run blocker all year long. He will occasionally struggle in finding the right guy to pickup and his slower feet do not help him with that. He will get beat by defensive linemen who have a combination of strength and agility so he is slightly below average in pass protection but his very good run blocking skills make him an asset for this line. Manuwai will never be a dominant guard but he has the abilities to be one of ten best left guards in the NFL now that his knee is fully recovered. Uche Nwaneri became the starter on the other side of the line after taking the job away from Maurice Williams in week four. Nwaneri struggled in his first season at left guard in 2008 but looked much better last year at right guard. At 6’3” and 330 lbs, he is another very strong guard who excels at blocking in small spaces but overall he remains an average guard at best. The Jaguars acquired the 28-year old Justin Smiley from the Miami Dolphins to compete with both Nwaneri and Manuwai in camp. Smiley has started 73 games in the past six seasons with the Dolphins and the 49ers but he has had trouble staying healthy in the past few years. When healthy, he has the ability to be very good in both run blocking and pass protection even if he will get overpowered at times. He is known for his quick feet and would bring some much needed athleticism to the interior of this line. Kynan Forney also stands an outside chance of winning a starting job while Paul McQuistan, a former starter with the Raiders will add depth.

Brad Meester will return as the starting center for the eleventh straight year. He had his worst season in a very long time last year as he struggled in both run blocking and pass protection. At age 33, he is starting to slow down but still provides good leadership for this line. Meester is smaller than the two guards at 6’3” and 300 lbs and creates a nice balance in the middle of this line. Meester could however lose his job this year if Smiley, Manuwai and Nwaneri impress at camp, and  the latter could move to center.

2010 Outlook:
The Jaguars line struggled in 2010 but they could be a nice surprise this season. Monroe and Britton should be much better in their second year in the NFL, the healthy Manuwai should be better than he was last year and the addition of Smiley could payoff if he stays healthy. We’re still unsure who will start this season but all five starters from last year are still on the roster and they have two new players who can steal their jobs. Because of that, it would be very surprising if the Jaguars offensive line didn’t improve in 2010. Depth could become a concern if Britton or Monroe were to get hurt as none of the top guards have the versatility to play outside. Overall, this line will remain one of the best at run blocking and pass protection should be much improved. We believe they could easily drop their sack total to the low 30’s and give Garrard much more time with the ball.

See all of our 2010 Offensive Line Analysis Articles