JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

2012 Odds:
(For the latest Odds, connect to Sportsbook.com)
Odds to Win AFC South: 15/1
Odds to Win AFC Championship: 50/1
Odds to Win Super Bowl XLVII: 100/1
Regular Season Wins Over/Under: 5

2012 Preview:
Offense:
There doesn’t figure to be a lot of change to the Jaguars’ running game. New head coach Mike Mularkey has always piloted run-heavy offenses, and he retained veteran offensive line coach Andy Heck. They’ll continue to use a zone-blocking scheme and run a lot of stretch plays with Maurice Jones-Drew. Mularkey has always used a one-back system, so Jones-Drew should continue to carry a huge workload with Rashad Jennings picking up the scraps. Mularkey always skewed run-heavy in the red zone, and it makes sense with this personnel. It will be almost all Jones-Drew in the red zone.

With Blaine Gabbert, Mularkey will be trying to build his confidence with high-percentage throws. Gabbert has a poor sense of the pocket, but he was especially uncomfortable turning his back in play-action situations, something he won’t do as much of this season. He’ll also have simplified reads and quicker throws. Rookie Justin Blackmon is a perfect fit in this offense as a catch-and-run guy who had a similar role at Oklahoma State. He and Laurent Robinson should be 1 and 1A in targets. Mularkey, like departed offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, uses tight ends frequently in the passing game, which is good news for Marcedes Lewis. Mularkey has never run a lot of screen passes, but they’ll find a way to utilize Jones-Drew. When they do throw in the red zone, Lewis and Blackmon are expected to be the usual targets.

Defense:
The Jags saw an uptick in every category on the defensive end last season, as the defense was by far the team’s strongest unit. DL Jeremy Mincey was paid handsomely (4 years, $27.2M) after having nearly signed with Chicago. He has racked up an impressive 12 sacks and 81 total tackles in 24 games as a starter. LB Paul Posluszny posted big tackle numbers in his first season with the Jags, the question is whether he can remain healthy enough to string together two straight 16-game seasons for the first time in his career. LB Daryl Smith played primarily strong side for the first time in 2011 and was his typically solid self. Safety Dawan Landry doesn’t provide much in terms of pass coverage, but he’s a strong tackler.

Key Offseason Moves:
ADDITIONS
QB Chad Henne (from Dolphins)
QB Jordan Palmer (DNP in 2011)
WR Lee Evans (from Ravens)
WR Laurent Robinson (from Cowboys)
CB Aaron Ross (from Giants)
CB Leigh Torrence (from Saints)
CB Reggie Corner (from Bills)

SUBTRACTIONS
QB Luke McCown (Saints)
RB Deji Karim (Colts)
WR Kassim Osgood (released)
DE Aaron Kampman (released)
CB Drew Coleman (Lions)
P Nick Harris (Panthers)

2012 Schedule:
2012 Schedule Strength: 20.25 (16th toughest in NFL)
Week 1 - at Minnesota
Week 2 - Houston
Week 3 - at Indianapolis
Week 4 - Cincinnati
Week 5 - Chicago
Week 6 - BYE WEEK
Week 7 - at Oakland
Week 8 - at Green Bay
Week 9 - Detroit
Week 10 - Indianapolis
Week 11 - at Houston
Week 12 - Tennessee
Week 13 - at Buffalo
Week 14 - New York Jets
Week 15 - at Miami
Week 16 - New England
Week 17 - Tennessee

StatFox Take: The Jaguars have too many question marks to expect an improvement on last year’s 5-11 team. Blaine Gabbert is easily the worst starting quarterback in the league, and with RB Maurice Jones-Drew still holding out, there are very few offensive players that can actually make a difference. And although on paper they face an average schedule in terms of difficulty, it appears that there will be only one game where Jacksonville will actually be favored (versus Colts). It’s going to be a rough season for the Jags.
Prediction: UNDER 5 wins (-105)

All NFL Previews

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans - Sunday, August 12

AFC West
Denver Broncos - Monday, August 13
Kansas City Chiefs - Tuesday, August 14
Oakland Raiders - Wednesday, August 15
San Diego Chargers - Thursday, August 16

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys - Friday, August 17
New York Giants - Saturday, August 18
Philadelphia Eagles - Sunday, August 19
Washington Redskins - Monday, August 20

NFC North
Chicago Bears - Tuesday, August 21
Detroit Lions - Wednesday, August 22
Green Bay Packers - Thursday, August 23
Minnesota Vikings - Friday, August 24

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons - Saturday, August 25
Carolina Panthers - Sunday, August 26
New Orleans Saints - Monday, August 27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tuesday, August 28

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals - Wednesday, August 29
San Francisco 49ers - Thursday, August 30
Seattle Seahawks - Friday, August 31
St. Louis Rams - Saturday, September 1