JagNation.com: Ask the Editor 06/22/08

It’s time for another exciting rendition of “Ask the Editor,” in which Charlie Bernstein tackles the questions that are perplexing the JagNation world.

1. Does Clint Ingram have any chance of beating out Durant for the last LB spot? (Leftwichlover)

There’s always a chance, but it would likely involve a Durant injury. Justin Durant has legitimate star potential at linebacker and he’s a former second-round pick. Ingram is a nice player, but he doesn’t have the potential of Durant, and it was evident that Durant outplayed Ingram at the end of the 2007 season.

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2. Do you expect to see a lot of rotation at the linebacker position in games? (Gr3g3)

There will be some situational rotation at the linebacker position, but I expect to see the base 4-3 set involving Daryl Smith, Mike Peterson, and Justin Durant. The Jaguars don’t normally rotate their linebackers as they would their defensive line.

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3. What do you think the ratio of carries will be between Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor? (Jagtom0025)

That’s a great question and I’m not sure Jack Del Rio or Dirk Koetter even know for sure. I believe Maurice Jones-Drew will be more involved in the offense, and the percentage of carries could vary from week to week.

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4. With Brian Williams making the switch to safety and drafting DE in the first two rounds how do you see our defense playing this year? Do you think we will have a “feared defense?” (Jagmedic08)

I’m not completely sold on the Brian Williams to safety move. I would let Williams and Drayton Florence battle it out for the starting corner job opposite Rashean Mathis and if Florence is indeed the better player, I would have Williams and Gerald Sensabaugh battle it out for the starting strong safety job.

As for how the Jaguars defense will play, they seem much better on paper this upcoming season, and the good news is that they weren’t bad last year with John Henderson and Rashean Mathis not playing to their normal level. That should change in 2008. The Jaguars have a lot of very good players on the defensive side of the football, but if they are going to be considered among one of the elite defenses once again, it will come from the contributions of Derrick Harvey or Quentin Groves. If they can manufacture a pass rush, they will be as good as any defense in football.

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5. Do you think with the struggles of Cleo Lemon in OTA's, that if he struggles like that in training camp he could be the third QB on the roster or even cut? (JagHombre)

I think Cleo Lemon’s job is safe. The Jaguars took a $3 million gamble when they made Lemon one of the highest paid backup quarterbacks in the league, and they aren’t going to give up on him in meaningless games—too much egg on the front office’s collective faces.

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6. Who has a chance to be a training camp cut that will surprise people? (There has been a few the past several years). (Jagtom0025)

I don’t expect there to be any surprise cuts this year, but if I had to pick one, it could be Reggie Hayward. Hayward is due $3.5M in salary, and I believe training camp will a legitimate competition for Hayward not only to hold onto his starting job, but his roster spot.

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Charlie Bernstein is the Editor-in-Chief of Sports Media Interactive, covering multiple teams in the National Football League, NCAA, and National Basketball Association. Charlie is a regular syndicated contributor to FoxSports and Sirius NFL Radio, and has been featured on the NFL Network. Charlie is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Feel free to contact him -HERE- with questions or comments.

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