JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - When Stealers Wheel sang Stuck in the Middle With You, it's possible they were referring to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since the song was released in 1972, and the Jags inaugural season wasn't until 1995, that theory may be a bit flawed. However, since 2004, the middle is exactly where Jacksonville seems to be.
Over the course of the past six years, Jack Del Rio's club is eight games over .500 and has made a pair of playoff appearances. But the organization never really seems primed to make the jump from early postseason out to legitimate Super Bowl contender. It's bubble up one season, slide back to mediocrity the next. They're not the Colts, but they're not the Raiders, either. They're just... stuck.
So what's it going to take to get Jacksonville out of the mud and headed in a more consistent direction? The offense doesn't make many headlines, but Maurice Jones-Drew, Mike Sims-Walker, and David Garrard are good enough to win with. It's the defense that held the club back in 2009, ranking near the bottom of the league in every major statistical category. With a few significant upgrades on that side of the ball, it's not hard to imagine the Jaguars yo-yoing back up and into the playoffs in 2010.
Averaging less than a sack per game, no team in the league was anywhere near as inept at pressuring the passer last season as Jacksonville. That need has been addressed - to some extent - with the signing of Aaron Kampman. Kampman piled up 37 sacks for the Packers between 2006 and 2008, but last season struggled with the switch to 3-4 OLB before going on IR with a torn ACL. He isn't the answer to all of Del Rio's prayers, but he should allow the Jags to focus on another area of concern with their first draft pick.
That area figures to be safety. Sitting at number ten, Jacksonville is well-positioned to bring in a playmaking centerfielder, be it Tennessee's Eric Berry or Earl Thomas out of Texas. With 4.4 speed, big-time coverage skills, and the ability to support the run, Berry is one of the elite prospects in the entire draft. Throw in great intangibles and three years as a starter in the SEC, and you've got a scout's dream.
If Berry is gone by the time the Jags get their shot (which is a strong possibility), Thomas isn't a bad second option. He's even faster, having run in the high 4.3s, and led the nation in pass break-ups last year. A great athlete, Thomas is very fluid and has excellent ball skills. There's even been some talk that he could make the challenging move to cornerback in the NFL.
If that were to happen, it would be in part because of superior coverage abilities, but also because Thomas isn't a great tackler. Although a willing hitter, he's somewhat undersized at 208 pounds, and struggles a bit to get tougher runners to the ground. That being said, don't expect Thomas to fall out of the top-20.
Jacksonville is at the point where a few shrewd moves could make a world of difference. No major facelift is required; with just a few tweaks here and there, the franchise could make a major improvement on 2009's 7-9 mark. That fine-tuning should begin by drafting the best ballhawking safety Del Rio can get his hands on. It isn't traditionally thought of as a crucial position, but just take a look at what Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed have meant to their teams over the years. Elite defensive ends don't have anything on those two when it comes to disrupting what an offense is trying to do. There's little doubt that Berry has the potential to be that same kind of player.
Jags fans, cross your fingers and hope hard that Berry ends in Jacksonville. You can bet your bottom dollar that AFC South quarterbacks will be doing the exact opposite.
