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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Jags have 17th pick in first round

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

Dustin from Kissimmee, FL:
Receivers are a dime-a-dozen, but if you could take any receiver playing in the game today, who would you take?

Vic: Andre Johnson of the Texans would be that guy. He has it all; the size to make the physical catches and the speed to stretch the field and make big plays. Johnson can catch and run with the wide receiver screens as Hines Ward does, and he can blow by a defender to go get the deep ball as Lee Evans does. Evans would probably be my second choice. My expectations for wide receivers are very high. I expect them to do a lot more than just catch the ball. I expect them to do special things. Johnson and Evans do special things.

James from Sierra Vista, AZ:
Do you see the Steelers becoming the kind of threat they were last season again? What on earth happened to the defending Super Bowl champs?

Vic: They have a good roster, which includes a good young quarterback. They should be able to rebound under a new coach with a new-found commitment. What happened to them this season? They got off to a horrible start. Not many teams make the playoffs after starting 2-6. The Steelers won six of their final eight, but that was too little too late. Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident was a harbinger. Then came the appendectomy and then the concussion and before he was recovered the Steelers were out of it. I think something else hurt them, too. Their coach was undecided and uncommitted about his future which, in effect, made him a lame-duck coach. As a result, his team seemed to lack commitment. More than ever, because of the parity in the NFL, winning relies on dedication. A team must be completely dedicated to winning if it is to achieve that goal. More than ever, a singleness of purpose is required. I'll say this for the Steelers: They played hard with nothing on the line in Cincinnati. The Jaguars have twice needed help from the Steelers in the last three years in final games of the season, and both times the Steelers have delivered.

Jose from Madrid, Spain:
If every team uses incentives to move remaining money on this year's salary cap onto next year, and it becomes obvious to the NFL, why not change the rules and let teams keep this year's remaining cap? That would end the need to use incentive tricks.

Vic: You're right. The whole thing is a waste of time. The idea of summarily moving the extra salary cap space into the next season was proposed to the league last winter when it was negotiating the new CBA, but the league declined the request and continues to force teams to make the necessary maneuvers to move cap room in the current year into the next year.

Lou from Jacksonville:
I just finished reading the excellent biography, "Johnny U.," by Tom Callaghan. In your opinion, where would Johnny Unitas in his prime rank compared to the current quarterbacks in the league?

Vic: I'd rank him number one, slightly ahead of Tom Brady. If Peyton Manning wins the Super Bowl this season, then he would deserve, in my opinion, to have his name appear in the same rankings with Unitas and Brady. In his prime, Brett Favre deserved mention with Unitas and Brady, but certainly not now.

Tariq from Jacksonville:
How much impact does a QB controversy have on teams? It appears to me that every team that made a voluntary switch at QB is watching the rest of the playoffs.

Vic: Quarterback controversies are killers. Fans love them because they're titillating, but coaches hate them because they know that instability at the quarterback position will ruin a team faster and longer than any other malady a team might experience. We're in the offseason now. If you're going to have a quarterback controversy, this is a good time to have it. Come next season, however, it has to be put to rest and the fans must be sent a message about whoever the starting quarterback is: This is "The Man" and he will stay "The Man." Between now and the start of next season, the Jaguars have to find out who "The Man" is.

Kevin from Virginia Beach, VA:
What number will the Jaguars be drafting in the first round this year?

Vic: The Jaguars will be drafting 17th in the first round. The Jaguars are in an 8-8 grouping with seven other teams. Those teams will rotate positions round by round through the draft.

Mike from Caldwell, NJ:
With the season over, could we get an evaluation of the 2006 rookie class performance for Jacksonville?

Vic: Marcedes Lewis never hit his stride, Maurice Jones-Drew turned in the best rookie performance by a Jaguars player since Fred Taylor in 1998, Clint Ingram developed quickly into a dominant physical presence, Brent Hawkins was on his way to becoming an impact player as a pass-rusher when an injury ended his season, James Wyche is a jar on the shelf and Dee Webb proved he has distinct coverage skills.

Justin from Nashville, TN:
Do you think our quarterback situation is good enough to land us in the Super Bowl?

Vic: No, it's not. That position has to be settled between now and the start of next season. The Jaguars might sign or trade for a veteran, and they might draft a quarterback, too. When the team has made the necessary personnel acquisitions, I would expect the position to then become an open competition for the starting job. The time to ask your question is next summer, after it's decided who the starting quarterback is.

Scott from Ormond Beach, FL:
I loved your what-if column, but I think you missed two points. What if Jack wore his Reebok suit all year and what if you wore your lucky boxers all year?

Vic: I wore the boxers for the last two games. They didn't work. I'm done with them.

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