Jacksonville Jaguars: 10 Biggest Questions as Lockout Continues

They are optimistic as the deadline to maintain a full preseason and regular season approaches, but the staff at EverBank Field has to be cringing just a bit as the days come and go and no collective bargaining agreement is in place and the two sides seem to be playing a gripping game of tug-o-war with salaries, free agency, revenue and a rookie wage scale.

My thought is to lock them all in a room and not let them out until it is completed and forget the secrecy of where there are negotiating.

Just give us some damn football.

When we go get our pigskin back and we are able to enjoy the virtues of calling for Jack Del Rio's head and wonder if David Garrard is playing his last season in Jaguar Teal, there will quite a few questions that need to be answered on both offense and defense.

Remember this is a team that only had 26 sacks and 13 interceptions on defense and the team missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record. The team also played the last two games of the year without Maurice Jones- Drew and the last game of the season without Garrard due to injuries and may have been the reason the Jaguars were sitting at home while the playoffs were in full effect in January.

If this is a team on the rise, then the questions about this team not only need to be answered, but answered with authority- the type of authority that makes us fans feel like we are about to turn the corner and reach fro something great.

There is talent on this team. Maybe not as much talent as others in our own division or conference, but there is talent. And while the scouts and staff gambled on the future with a quarterback taken in the first round, it does not make up for deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball or an offensive line whose interior could be getting long in the tooth.

All these answered will not solved. It will take time. But improvement is what owner Wayne Weaver, Del Rio and the fans want to see, not to mention the players who earn their paychecks by their success.

10. Is David Garrard the Best Fit to Start the Season Under Center?

Yes, if the team wants to get to the playoffs.

Garrard is a good quarterback, but not an elite one. He does many things well and does just enough to win games and not lose them.

Garrard is also a team leader and that speaks volumes about him. Taking him away from that role would be detrimental to the team.

But if for some reason Gabbert is so much better in the preseason that he is undeniably the starter, then you have to think of trading the veteran for picks or players and make Luke McCown the backup quarterback.

9. Will the Team Regret Taking Gabbert with the 10th Overall Pick in the Draft?

That is hard to tell.

He is a future pick. Wayne Weaver wants a winner now and when the Jaguars traded a second round selection to take a quarterback when other players like Robert Quinn, Prince Amukamura and Nick Fairley were still on the board, it makes you wonder.

If the Jaguars had stood where they were and landed Ryan Kerrigan at pick 16 and then traded their second pick to New England at pick 28 and took Andy Dalton, we would laud these picks as brilliant and say the Jaguars' staff knew what they were doing.

Only time will tell. But if Gabbert is a bust and Dalton is a Pro Bowl player, then this does not make any sense for the Jaguars.

8. If We Do Not Get Plaxico Burress, Who Is the Best Receiver to Sign?

I can answer that quickly. Lance Moore from New Orleans.

He is the third option in their offense. He would be our first option.

Moore is always around the first down marker and the end zone.

This would also allow Mike Thomas to spread the field and split the secondary.

It will also create more opportunities for tight end Marcedes Lewis.

7. Will Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton Take the Next Step?

The two tackles need to be on the field together more often.

Britton was a better tackle at the end of the rookie season for both of the raw products coming out of college.

Last season Monroe saw more time on the field as Britton was injured. Now it is time for both of them to step up and show they belong in the show.

They will never be mistaken for Tony Boselli and Leon Searcy, but they have enough talent to make things happen and continue to protect the quarterback and run block in the Jaguars passing game.

6. Can Maurice Jones-Drew Deal with Sharing Carries out of the Backfield?

He is going to have to.

Jack Del Rio has already stated he will give Rashard Jennings more carries this year while hoping to keep Jones-Drew fresher toward the end of the season.

This is not the same situation like it was when Jones-Drew was a rookie splitting time with Fred Taylor, but it makes you wonder if the team is really concerned about the knee injury that sidelined Jones-Drew for the final two games of the season.

Jennings proved he can carry the load, rushing for two 100-yard games last season. He is also a good blocker and pass catcher.

5. What If the Jaguars Cannot Find Secondary Help in Free Agency?

Then there is a problem, Houston.

Eric Weddle, Gerald Sensabaugh, anyone else. They are all needed to help the bleeding that the secondary did last season.

When Reggie Nelson was traded, it looked like a good move for the Jaguars. Everyone thought Rashean Mathis would play better and the back line would straighten out.

No such luck.

The Jaguars need help at corner and safety. Sensabaugh and Weddle are the two most talked about for the team's needs, but don;t be surprised if others fall into place. This is the greatest issue on the team and Wayne Weaver must spend, spend, spend.

4. What Happens to Kirk Morrison?

Or other linebackers for that matter.

Paul Posluszny, Keith Brooking, maybe Barrett Ruud. These three would fill immediate needs for the Jaguars.

The team will likely release Justin Durant, but it looks like they would be interested in resigning Morrison. And with the lockout still looming, that becomes more of a reality.

Morrison did not play badly, he just did not play like a Pro Bowl player the Jaguars had envisioned.

3. What Happens If Aaron Kampman Is Not at Full Strength?

Again, the team prays for a miracle.

Kampman was a shining star for the defense before he tore his ACL. Terrance Knighton and Tyson Alualu were having tremendous seasons with him in the lineup and were learning from the veteran. That can not be given a price tag.

If Kampman is at full strength and the team can get another solid season from Knighton and Alualu and get Jeremy Mincey to continue to develop or someone like an Austen Lane develop, this line can be good.

Signing Ray Edwards from Minnesota would also help.

2. Where Will This Team Finish in 2011?

The guess is as good as mine. I am thinking another 8-8 season. The schedule is brutal.

Sometimes a hard schedule makes teams rise above expectations and play like there is no tomorrow. But this is not Johnny Utah or Shane Falco leading a team, rather real players and they know what the expectation is.

Everyone in the division has questions coming into the season. Tennessee looks to be the weakest but has the best runner in the game.

Indianapolis looks to be the lead dog but could slip.

Houston is trying to get to the playoffs for the first time. Great offense, but a shaky defense.

With all this happening, the Jaguars can hope for the best.

1. If Jack Del Rio Is Fired, Who Comes in to Replace Him?

What a great question.

Obviously there are two leading candidates in Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden. Neither will come to Jacksonville.

Then there is the wish list of a Tony Dungy. That won't happen either.

Look at hot assistant coaches or some retreads. I like Marvin Lewis if he is fired in Cincinnati. I also like Jason Garrett is Jerry Jones wants to bring in a big name.

Then of course, there will be a hot coach who gets a look.

The questions are many and there are no real finite answers.