FanHouse NFL Season Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars - Pimp Hand = Still Strong

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: David Garrard threw all of three interceptions last year. Three. Three. Despite his questionable pedigree from the Eastern part of my fair state, his incredibly efficient performance earned him a pimped out $60 million deal. If the Jags new-old wideouts can ever get healthy, Garrard might actually live up to the lofty expectations he'll be staring down this season. Heat Index: 8

Running Back: When will Fred Taylor stop? Ever? And will Maurice Jones-Drew be ready for a full time gig when he does? Why is Greg Jones getting paid so much to be a glorified quasi goalline fullback? Why do I have so many friggin' questions about a team that finished second in the NFL in rushing yards per game last year at 149.4? Heat Index: 10

Receivers: Guh. The Jags went out and got Jerry Porter in the offseason to give Garrard a "legit" first option and he immediately got hurt. They also added Troy Williamson who has shown a penchant for dropping the ball, but like Mittens in Carolina, we probably have to reserve judgment until we find out if his greasy mitts in Minny were a result of Tavaris Jackson cooties. Heat Index: 3

Offensive Line: Solid but unspectacular is usually a pretty backhanded compliment. But when you have the second best rushing attack in the league and you bring back every starter for the following season, well, that sounds a lot more like "unheralded" than anything else. (See how I managed to do that without naming anyone?) Heat Index: 6

Defensive Line: Marcus Stroud is gone, leaving Paul Spicer and John Henderson to shore up the line. Which is all fine and good, even when you add in Reggie Hayward and Rob Meier. But there's a significant heat check on Jags' management to get Derrick Harvey into camp -- even if with two decent ends there they need the depth. He won't change the season, but reaching for him at eight and failing to get him inked this late is making things uncomfortable. Heat Index: 7

Linebackers: I feel like at some point in every Madden franchise I've had over the past five years, at some point I've hired Mike Peterson as a coach. And I usually don't make it anything past three years. (Read: He's elderly.) And while he leads this group, there's still other talent. Clint Ingram and Daryl Smith both saw dips in production last year but still performed adequately, while Justin Durant was a nice addition through the draft. Heat Index: 6

Secondary: Sammy Knight, age 33, is the only addition by subtraction here, unless you count Brian Williams (High Point represent), who consistently got torched by SE's across the league. Williams is still in Jacksonville, but he's relegated to third DB status with the addition of Drayton Florence. Rashean Mathis and Reggie Nelson are both bonecrushers. Heat Index: 8

Special Teams: Josh Scobee comes back after being injured; if he can stay healthy he's a nice kicking option. MJD returning kicks isn't going to hurt anyone in terms of return yardage. Heat Index: 6

Coaching: I don't think it's a stretch to say that Jack Del Rio's decision to wear suits on the sideline when he can heavily outweighs his willingness to put giant tree trunks in the locker room. Oh and the Garrard > Byron Leftwich thing wasn't bad either. Gregg Williams has to be seen as a pretty stellar addition as a defensive coach and frankly, Dirk Koetter doesn't get much credit for the Jags' offensive success, mainly because he's regarded as a deep threat type of guy. Heat Index: 8

Intangibles: The Jags have to feel like they're on the verge of something big; or at least on the verge of finally finishing ahead of the Colts in their AFC South. On the other hand, it feels like almost too much went right last year as the Jags made nearly made a run to the Super Bowl, were it not for those pesky Pats. A shoddy start by Garrard, with that huge new contract, might make things awkward, but other than the Derrick Harvey situation, it's tough to really sniff out any bad chemistry with this team. Heat Index: 8

Total Heat Index: 70 The numbers (the Heat Index is, of course, infallible) back up what everyone seems to think: the Jaguars are a top tier NFL team that could certainly make a run at a championship in 2008. Which is kind of scary when you consider that they're relying on a quarterback who threw three picks last year (seems tough to repeat), a running back tandem with an elderly half, a slightly depleted defensive line and a horrid, horrid set of wide receivers. But that's what they were operating with last year too, and things worked out just fine. Anything less than a playoff spot would be a disappointment, and you have to think this is the year the Jags plan on busting the hump that is the AFC South game.