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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

It's for two-gappers

Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.

Mark from Yulee, FL:
With the strong offensive showing in the "Oklahoma," would you say that shows the offensive line is becoming more dominant or that the defensive line is not up to par? Does it mean anything?

Vic: I think its performance in the "Oklahoma" drill says a lot about where the offensive line is and what the expectations should be for this season, but we need to understand some things about the defense's performance. First of all, Marcus Stroud, John Henderson and Mike Peterson did not participate. On the offensive side, Chris Naeole, Mo Williams and Brad Meester were held out of the action. One of the reasons the defense didn't do as well in the drill as most people would expect is because the "Oklahoma" is a drill for two-gapping defensive linemen. The Jaguars are not a two-gapping team; this is a gap team. I'm talking about two distinctly different techniques of defensive line play. A two-gap technique has the defensive lineman play head-up on the offensive lineman. The DL's responsibility is to stand up the OL, hold the point of attack, read the running back's move, shed the block and move to the right or to the left to make the tackle. The DL is responsible for two gaps; the gap immediately to either side. It's a read-and-react technique. A gap technique is all about penetration. The DL lines up in the gap and fires through that gap as quickly as he can, with the idea of penetrating into the backfield and creating a disruption in the play. All of the defensive players in that scheme have specific assignments called "fits." Gap defense is all about team defense. Two-gapping is a more individual thing and the "Oklahoma" is an individual drill. Old-fashioned defensive tackles such as Bob Lilly and Joe Greene were classic two-gappers and nobody, but nobody, dominated the "Oklahoma" as Greene did. It was perfect for him. The modern-day DL is not a two-gapper; he's a gap guy. The "Oklahoma" really isn't for him.

David from Jacksonville:
Why don't journalists get the privilege of writing their own headlines?

Vic: Headline writers work in coordination with the laying out of the newspaper. When a reporter writes his story, he doesn't know how it's going to be displayed. It may appear over two columns or six columns. The headline has to be written to fit, which is what the desk guys do.

John from Neptune Beach, FL:
Do other teams' scouts watch training camp?

Vic: Here's the rule: If training camp practices are open to the public without a charge for admission, scouts from other teams are not permitted to attend. If there's a charge for admission to practice, scouts may attend.

Brad from Vancouver, BC:
With this year's training camp underway, do any special memories come back from previous camps?

Vic: This is a special time of year for me because of my memories. Training camp, as much as I hate the grind, defines football for me. I think of the special moments all of the time. Some of them are funny, some of them are poignant, some of them are outrageous, but all of them are my personal treasures.

Jonathan from Jacksonville:
Does the "Oklahoma" drill always favor the offense lineman, or are the results usually split more evenly between offense and defense?

Vic: Someone said on Monday evening that the "Oklahoma" was really an offensive drill. Well, it wasn't an offensive drill when Paul Spicer was doing it. It was never an offensive drill when Joe Greene was doing it. I've seen bad players who were great at the "Oklahoma" and great players who were bad at it. Jack Lambert was a terrible "Oklahoma" guy. It's not symbolic of the whole game of football, but it is symbolic of that one very important moment in every play: the snap of the ball. Who gets off the ball the quickest and the strongest? That's a very big part of the game. In fact, I think it's still the most important part of the game.

John from Newark, NJ:
If Mike Williams were to become a starter, which position would he play? I know you mentioned guard, but Mike Williams is clearly the Jaguars most talented OL, so shouldn't he compete for the most coveted OL position, left tackle?

Vic: You've made some bold and misguided statements. Mike Williams is not the Jaguars' best offensive lineman nor is he their best pass-blocker, which is what the left tackle has to be. Williams is attempting to resurrect his career. He has a chance. His strength is run-blocking, not pass-blocking. The number one consideration governing where he might play is his right hand. Williams is a lineman who has to have his right hand on the ground. That means, in my opinion, that he is restricted to right tackle or right guard.

Brian from Rowland Heights, CA:
So, all this talk about steals in the draft, have the Jaguars ever had a steal in the late rounds, as of the Del Rio era?

Vic: I think Ernest Wilford (fourth round) and Bobby McCray (seventh round) in 2004 were "steals." Gerald Sensabaugh (fifth round) and Pat Thomas (sixth round) in '05 could become "steals." The Jaguars have three "steal" candidates from this year's draft: Brent Hawkins (fifth round), and seventh-rounders James Wyche and Dee Webb.

Brett from Glendive, MT:
I love your take on the "Oklahoma" drill and feel much the same way, only I think it should be done more than once. In high school, we would do a modified "Oklahoma" with three-on-three blocking with a linebacker and a running back.

Vic: Now you're running the risk of injury. When you start putting extra people in the drill, you run the risk of somebody getting leg-whipped and injuring their knee. My guess is your high school didn't pay $10 million signing bonuses.

Daniel from Orlando, FL:
Now that the "Oklahoma" is over, what else can we look forward to in training camp?

Vic: Next up is Friday night's scrimmage. It's the first high-profile battlefield.

James from Jacksonville:
What's the difference between the scrimmage on Friday and the mock game on Saturday?

Vic: The scrimmage is a real football event. The mock game is a dress rehearsal. The coaches will re-familiarize themselves with their sideline duties and their communications with the quarterback, the defense's signal-caller, etc. The national anthem will be sung, etc. The mock game is not real football. The Jaguars will throw it around. It's a tag game.

Chris from Jacksonville Beach, FL:
Are you going to be doing the blogs on jaguars.com this year as you did last year?

Vic: Yes, beginning with the first preseason game.

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