Join Jaguars Inside Report Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Barrie from Pittsburgh, PA:
I heard on warpaintillustrated.com the Chiefs might be interested in trading for Tony Brackens. I wondered how true the rumors were and if anything was offered yet?
Vic: Barrie, getreal.com says that's very unlikely to happen because all of Tony Brackens' remaining amortization -- about $10 million -- would be dumped onto the Jaguars' 2003 salary cap, and the team couldn't afford that to happen. People who offer these wild trade scenarios are living in a dream world. How many trades actually occur in the NFL?
Jennifer from Lake City, FL:
Besides Tony Boselli and Fred Taylor, who are the best three draft picks by the Jags, in your opinion?
Vic: Rob Johnson heads the list because three years after drafting him in the fourth round, the Jaguars got first and fourth-round return value in a trade. The Jaguars then used those picks to select Fred Taylor and Tavian Banks. Who knows how good Banks may have become, had he not blown out his knee in Atlanta in 1999. I like the David Garrard pick for the same reason. Garrard was a fourth-round pick last season, and if he doesn't win the battle against Byron Leftwich to become the Jaguars' quarterback of the future, Garrard could end up returning value greater than his selection. My number three all-time-best draft pick also occurred in the fourth round, when the Jaguars selected Seth Payne, a little-known defensive tackle from Cornell. Payne has developed into one of the best all-around defensive linemen in the game.
Steve from Williston, FL:
I am so glad Marco Coleman is gone. He was the biggest waste of money since Bryce Paup. At least we didn't pay Coleman the outrageous bonus money we did to all those other big busts. Who do you think has the chance to be the biggest free-agent bust and the best free-agent pickup for the Jags?
Vic: The answer to that question is simple: The big-money guys always represent the greatest risk, and the bargain-basement players are the least risky. You know the rest.
Jim from Greenville, NC:
I asked a similar question earlier in the summer; much too early. Could you explain the practice squad, especially as it relates to the salary cap.
Vic: Five players may be named to the practice squad. They are each paid a salary of $4,350 per week (17 weeks), or $73,950 a season. That money is subtracted from the salary cap.
Andrea from Magenta, Italy:
Hi, Vick! I'm back for ask you a question. I was asked on the "cover two" defense. I answered that "cover two" is a defense in which each safety take a half of the field to cover deep passes. I also answered that "cover two" is a defensive system, too, in which the standpoint of most of the schemes is the coverage of the safeties. It made the luck of Tony Dungy, who is considered the guru of this defense. I told the truth or there are mistakes? Please correct me, Vick! Ciao!
Vic: There's nothing to correct. You da man, Andrea.
Howard from Winter Springs, FL:
Carolina is supposed to live on the run this year and the Jags are (in my mind) still suspect against the run. This could make for a frustrating opener. What will the Jags do to anticipate that scenario and hopefully avoid it?
Vic: You got it. The Jaguars have got to stop Stephen Davis this Sunday to have any chance of winning. Certainly, Jack Del Rio knows that. Expect the Jaguars to bring an eighth man, probably Donovin Darius, to the line of scrimmage, daring the Panthers to pass.
