Friday, June 14, 2002
By Vic Ketchman, jaguars.com senior editor
Join Jaguars Inside Report Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Dave Armbruster from Jacksonville Beach, FL
I have been a bit surprised the Jaguars have not yet made any moves on the defensive side of the roster. They have a few holes to fill. What positions would you try to fill based on available free agents?
Vic:
The collection of "June 1" players on defense is not especially strong. The Jaguars have interest in defensive end Marco Coleman. Defensive end, linebacker and cornerback are positions at which the Jaguars would like to find signable bodies, but it wouldn't serve their purpose to spend money on players who wouldn't offer a significant upgrade.
Jeremiah Stadt from Jacksonville
Great column, Vic. Got a few questions regarding uniforms, since the offseason is slow right now. First, I heard the Cleveland Browns are wearing a "third jersey" for one game this year. Is this league-wide? If, yes, what are the Jaguars going to wear for a third jersey? Also, has the team ever discussed wearing another color of pants besides white?
Vic:
Every team in the league was given the opportunity to wear a "third jersey" in a game in the second half of this season. The Jaguars will unveil that "third jersey" and in what game they will wear it at a later date. Yes, the Jaguars also have plans to unveil a new pants design.
Ben Corby from Jacksonville
Tony Brackens is the starting weakside end; that's settled. Strongside end, however, seems to be a question. Stalin Colinet looks like the man now, but what do you think the chances are of John Henderson being placed there, or of a bulked-up Paul Spicer being stuck in? Even Rob Meier's shown enough, I feel, to be given at least a fair shot at the job. Your thoughts?
Vic:
It should be one of the feature competitions of training camp.
Rob Fedewa from Myrtle Beach, SC
Do you think the schedule this year, a home game followed by an away game, will promote better field playing conditions at Alltel?
Vic:
My lawn always does best when the kids don't play on it.
Atlas Rankin from Jacksonville
I'm really concerned with the decisions Coughlin is making this offseason. How can you lose six defensive starters and put more focus on
the offensive side of the ball? Has anybody ever told him defense wins games?
Vic:
We're all going to have to be patient.
Steven Constantino from Jacksonville
With all the recent additions of lineman through free agency, what do
you see as our starting five on the offensive line? Also, does it look like we will be adding anyone to the defensive line anytime soon, as that looks like it is still a little weak?
Vic:
I see Maurice Williams at tackle and Chris Naeole at guard as fixtures on the right side of the offensive line. The key position is left tackle. If Mike Pearson is able to seize the position in training camp, it would open the door for Brad Meester to move to center and Zach Wiegert to step in at left guard. But a rookie starting at left tackle may be too much to expect. It might be more realistic to expect Wiegert to be the left tackle, Meester the left guard, and either John Wade or Kevin Long to be the center. Don't discount several other possible combinations, including Meester at center, Wiegert at left tackle and newly-acquired Raleigh Roundtree at left guard, or Meester at center, Wiegert at left guard and newly-acquired Daryl Terrell at left tackle. Training camp is all about deciding those issues.
Vlad Kulishevskiy from Jacksonville
Do you think there's reason for the Jaguars to sign a sub-par veteran free agent, while they have a chance of developing David Garrard?
Vic:
I think our expectations for David Garrard may currently border on being unfair. I would be in favor of adding a veteran backup quarterback to the roster, but only if he's reasonably priced.
Enrique Rodriguez from Kissimmee, FL
With the recent signings of Long, Terrell and Roundtree, three linemen with starting experience, could it be possible the Jaguars are considering cutting Zach Wiegert? What would be the cap savings in cutting him?
Vic:
Cutting Zach Wiegert would provide a significant salary cap savings (about $1.5 million) this year, but would thrust $1.56 million in "dead money" onto the Jaguars' 2003 salary cap, which is beginning to take on a dangerous amount of "dead money." Anything is possible, but I think you begin with Wiegert's value to this year's team. He is currently Tony Boselli's likely successor at left tackle.
Frank Jordon from Jacksonville
Please help clear up some confusion on the message board. How many players
can the Jaguars have going into training camp?
Vic:
All teams may have 80 players on their training camp roster. The NFL also has in place a formula for providing roster exemptions for players who participated in NFL Europe. Using that formula, the Jaguars will be permitted to have 89 players on their 2002 training camp roster.