2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Khalif Barnes Left Guard:VincentManuwai Center: Brad Meester Right Guard: Maurice Williams Right Tackle: Tony Pashos
2007 Injuries:
C Brad Meester: Weeks 1 to 5
G Chris Naeole: Weeks 10 to 17
2007 Statistics:
LEFT END
LEFT TACKLE
MID/GUARD
RIGHT TACKLE
RIGHT END
Passing
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
Sacks
Rank
4.85
6
3.73
27
4.13
15
5.06
1
3.26
31
31
15
ALY (Adjusted Line
Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders
that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent. Source: www.footballoutsiders.com
Overview: The Jacksonville Jaguars have been known for their excellent defense for quite a few
years now but it’s only in 2005 that they also became a solid offensive team. In
2006, the running game went from below average to one of the best in the NFL and that
trend continued last season with a very good 4.6 yards per carry average. The offensive
line is a dominant run blocking line and can also hold its own in pass protection.
Starting at left tackle for the
Jaguars for the fourth consecutive season will be Khalif Barnes. Barnes was drafted in the
second round of the 2005 NFL Draft and has been very impressive since then. He has gained
a lot of strength in the past few seasons and is now 6’5” and 325 lbs. He does
not have the quickest feet but still does an adequate job in pass protection. Barnes has
had some problems off the field and has been benched three times in the past two seasons
because of that. Barnes is a good tackle especially as a run blocker but will have to get
his head straight because coach Del Rio has made it clear to him that he will not hesitate
to sit him. Starting at right tackle for the second straight season will be Tony Pashos
who was signed as an unrestricted free agent from Baltimore in 2007. Pashos is an
excellent run blocker and a perfect fit for the right tackle position at 6’6”
and 325 lbs. He is excellent when blocking in front of him but his movements are limited
so will struggle at times when blocking in motion. His pass blocking is slightly below
average but he does have excellent work ethic even though he remains an average tackle at
best. At 27 years old, Pashos still has time to improve and will continue to be a big part
of the Jaguars running game over the next yew years. Richard Collier, the massive 6’7”
and 345 lbs tackle provides depth at tackle. Collier is a small school prospect who
dominated in college because of his strength but will have to find a way to carry this to
the NFL. He started the final game of the season in replacement of Tony Pashos and did a
decent job. He has great power and although more efficient in small spaces, he fits the Jacksonville
offense very well and could develop into a good player.
Starting at left guard will
once again be the Jaguars 2003 third round pick from Hawaii, Vince Manuwai. He is a very
big guard at 6’2 and 335 lbs and a powerful run blocker. He has great strength and at
only 27 years old still has plenty of years left in the NFL. 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 great run blocking skills make him an
asset for this line. Starting right guard Chris Naeole was released by the team in the
off-season and will be replaced by 29 year old Maurice Williams. Naeole was injured last
season and replaced by Williams for the final eight games of the regular season. In those
eight games the team averaged 4.8 yards per carry and the line allowed only nine sacks.
Williams was the starting right tackle before the signing of Tony Pashos but he handled it
very well and accepted a pay cut to stay with the team. Williams will be rewarded this
year with the starting job at right guard, a much better fit for him since he is a very
solid run blocker when healthy. He lacked the lateral mobility to be effective at tackle
but should be able to continue performing the way he did in the second half of the season
at right guard. 2007 fifth round pick Uche Nwaneri adds good depth at guard and is also
very strong at 6’3” and 325 lbs. He is similar to the other linemen on this team
and excels in small spaces but will be beaten by athletic opponents in pass protection.
Nwaneri started the final game of the season and was an adequate replacement. The 30 year
old Tutan Reyes also provides depth at guard. He was only dressed for one game in 2007 but
should now have a spot on the roster with the release of Naeole. He started 24 games from
2004 to 2006 with the Bills and the Panthers so should be able to come in if required to
do so.
Starting at center will once
again be the former second round pick Brad Meester. It will be his ninth season as a
starter for the Jaguars and has been pretty durable but did have problems with an ankle
injury last season. Meester is smaller than the two guards at 6’3” and 300 lbs
and creates a nice balance in the middle of this line. He is very smart and excels at
reading defenses. Meester missed the first four games of the regular season last year and
his absence was very obvious as the team averaged only 3.9 yards per carry against
defenses that allowed an average of 4.3 yards per carry. Furthermore, the line allowed 13
sacks in those first four games, almost half of the total they allowed in the entire
season. The 28 year old Dennis Norman provides depth at center. He has started ten games
in the past three years for the Jaguars and has done an adequate job as a backup guard and
center. He is very big at 6’5” and 325 lbs and much more suited to be a guard
but can play center if required to do so. His versatility makes him a very nice asset for
the Jaguars.
2008 Outlook:
The Jaguars will be bringing back the same five players that started from weeks 10 to 16
last season. In those seven games the team averaged an impressive 4.8 yards per carry and
allowed only seven sacks. There’s no reason to believe that the Jaguars cannot equal
those numbers for an entire season if everyone stays healthy. Even if there are some
injuries on the line, Nwaneri, Norman and Collier are very capable backups. The Jaguars
have one of the deepest offensive lines in the NFL and still performed well last season
with several injuries. This line should be even more dominant than they were as a run
blocking unit last season and should also improve in pass protection and perform as well
as they did after Meester returned in week 5.
