Jaguars Journal
by Sam Kouvaris
August 14, 2010
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Post Eagles Report
From the start you knew the Jaguars were trying to get a look at a lot of different guys in the first pre-season game. Nine players knew from the get-go that they weren’t going to play. And a lot of them are being counted on to contribute once the regular season starts.
Starters Eugene Monroe, Eben Britton, Daryl Smith, Aaron Kampmann and Tyson Alualu didn’t play. Austen Lane, D’Anthony Smith, Earnest Wilford and Aaron Morgan were also sidelined.
It is after all, the first pre-season game and training camp hasn’t even ended.
You can’t sit around and think about the score, or the offensive or defensive production. You have to look at the individual performances to figure out how things are starting to shape up for the season. I’ll admit it is a bit disappointing and unsettling when the first team offense doesn’t get anything done with David Garrard at the controls. Of course the offense didn’t resemble any of what you would expect it to look like in September. But still, Garrard in particular has to play well if the Jaguars are to hope to have any chance.
Individually we saw why Kassim Osgood is on the team. Rashad Jennings is a perfect compliment to Maurice Jones Drew and is a better player than the rookie he was last year. Luke McCown is more than just a serviceable backup after seeing his performance against the Eagles. He’s improving and gives the Jaguars some options, especially if Garrard is hurt or ineffective.
Jarret Dillard has speed. Troy Williamson is trying to become the player everybody thought he would be coming out of college as a first round pick. Scotty McGee might be the answer to the return game the team has been looking for for years.
All of those are positives.
And in fact, I don’t think you can think of anything in this kind of "competition" as a negative.
Jack Del Rio was not pleased at all with the first half, especially the first quarter. The Eagles out gained the Jaguars 165-10. They reeled off first downs, the Jaguars just punted. But whatever went wrong can be fixed. The important part of the game is the promise the players who are expected to produce provided. They flashed those intangibles that Gene Smith could only talk about during the draft and the players could only show running around in shorts and t-shirts.
Nobody should be too up or too down after the trip to Philadelphia.
Back to work this weekend with camp ending Wednesday.
We’ll give you an update on Mike Sims-Walker’s injury as soon as the Jaguars say something official.
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