2003 JAGUARS
	Hugh Douglas had 12½ sacks last season for the Eagles.
	Head coach: Jack Del Rio (1st year). 2002 record: 6-10. AFC Central finish: 3rd. Season opener: Sept. 7 at Panthers. Schedule | Depth chart

This may be remembered as the year the Jaguars got a glimpse of their future and turned the page on their past.

Top draft pick Byron Leftwich energized the fans when he ended his 19-day holdout and threw a game-winning touchdown pass against the Dolphins in the second exhibition game with just two days of practice. Leftwich showed he's likely to be the team's quarterback of the future, but the Jaguars' problem is the present.

Even though they were heralded as the beginning of a new era, the new James Harris-Jack Del Rio regime gambled that they could win this year by keeping the core of last year's team together -- including Mark Brunell, Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith, Donovin Darius, Kyle Brady and Larry Smith. They also signed such free agents as Hugh Douglas, Mike Peterson and Keith Mitchell.

So far, though, the offseason moves haven't worked well, and the Jaguars might struggle simply to match last year's 6-10 mark. Although the backups won their first two preseason games, the Jaguars' first team struggled on both offense and defense. On top of that, defensive tackle Larry Smith was cut, wide receiver Jimmy Smith will miss the first four games with a suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, Taylor missed about three weeks of practice with a bone bruise on his leg, Douglas failed to get a sack in the first two games even though he was playing against a rookie (Miami's Wade Smith) in the second game and Mitchell is having problems beating out Danny Clark for a starting job.

The team even suffered distractions when three players -- Larry Smith, John Henderson and Donald Hayes -- went down with heat-related problems early in camp.

This year might be a lost opportunity for the Jaguars if they don't win with the old players because they have delayed the rebuilding program a year. What may define this year is how soon they get Leftwich on the field and how well he plays.

Offense
Quarterbacks: Brunell will open the season, but he needs to play well to keep his job because the Jaguars have two young quarterbacks with promise, Leftwich and David Garrard. Brunell, who turns 33 in September, will be handicapped by the loss of his favorite target, Jimmy Smith, for the first four games. Brunell has the experience the two young quarterbacks lack, but he's lost his mobility and has been sacked more times (174) than any other quarterback since 1999. Brunell knows this is his last year in Jacksonville, but he thinks he's a perfect fit for the West Coast offense and wants to improve his market value with a good season.
Grade: C.

Running backs: Taylor opened training camp geared to have a big season. After missing the final 14 games of the 2001 season with a severe groin injury, he rebounded to gain 1,314 yards last season. That earned him an $8 million signing bonus, and he had expectations of his best season ever this year. But on the fifth day of training camp, he suffered a bone bruise in his leg and was out for about three weeks. It's uncertain how fast he'll regain his old form. His veteran backup, Elvis Joseph, has missed most of camp with a hamstring injury, so rookie LaBrandon Toefield may go into the season as Taylor's backup.
Grade: C.

Receivers: Just two years ago, the Jaguars had one of the best WR tandems in the league in Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. But McCardell departed in a salary-cap move a year ago, and Smith will miss at least the first four games of the season with a suspension. Suddenly, the Jaguars were left scrambling at the position. J.J. Stokes, who was signed as a No. 2, moved into the No. 1 spot, and at least five other players — Matthew Hatchette, Kevin Lockett, Hayes, Jimmy Redmond and Micah Ross — are all battling for the No. 2 spot. When Smith missed last year's camp in a holdout, the Jaguars' offense struggled. Now the question is whether Brunell can get the passing game in sync without his favorite target in games that count. At tight end, Brady is one of the best players on the team. He narrowly escaped being a salary-cap casualty in the offseason and may be one of Brunell's top targets now that Smith is out.
Grade: C-minus.

Offensive linemen: The Jaguars lost three of their top seven linemen -- Zach Wiegert, John Wade and Todd Fordham -- in the offseason, and new offensive line coach Paul Boudreau has had to reshape the line. He moved Brad Meester from guard to center and has Jamar Nesbit and rookie Vince Manuwai fighting for the left guard spot, with Nesbit in the lead at presstime. Mike Pearson was challenged by Leander Jordan at left tackle but seems to be retaining the job. Chris Naeole is back at right guard, and Mo Williams has returned to the right tackle spot after breaking his leg last year. The biggest problem for the line will be cohesion because it simply hasn't worked together that much as a unit.
Grade: C.

Defense
Defensive linemen: The Jaguars signed Douglas to a deal with a $6 million signing bonus to start at right end and improve their pass rush. He started slowly in camp, but he and the Jaguars are confident he'll be ready when the season starts. At the other end spot, Marco Coleman was nearing the end of the line, so he was released, leaving the job to Paul Spicer. Marcus Stroud is emerging as a solid player at one defensive tackle spot, but Henderson showed up out of shape and has been disappointing at the other one, giving opposing teams an easy target to run right at. The key to the line will be how well Douglas plays at age 32 and whether Tony Brackens can make a comeback from knee surgery and an appendectomy.
Grade: C.

Linebackers: The major new addition is Peterson, who was signed from Indianapolis in a deal that gave him $4 million in total bonuses. Peterson is supposed to play the Ray Lewis role in a version of the Baltimore defense with the big tackles, Stroud and Henderson, keeping the blockers off of him so he can make plays. But it remains to be seen whether Peterson is big enough at 6-1, 234 pounds to handle the role in the middle, and whether the tackles can protect him. The Jaguars signed Mitchell to play one outside linebacker spot, but he's being challenged by Clark while second-year player Akin Ayodele appears set at the other one.
Grade: C-plus.

Defensive backs: Rookie Rashean Mathis has made an immediate impact and is beating out Marlon McCree for the free safety job. Darius signed the $3 million franchise tender to play strong safety, but he's overpaid at that price. The two returning cornerbacks are Fernando Bryant, who'll be a free agent at the end of the season, and Jason Craft. Their success depends on how good the team's pass rush is.
Grade: C-plus.

Special teams
Chris Hanson is a Pro Bowl punter while undrafted rookie Seth Marler may win the placekicker job. It would be the second straight year that the Jaguars will start with a rookie kicker, but the Jaguars think Marler is more reliable than Hayden Epstein, who lasted just six games last year. Returner/wide receiver Jermaine Lewis was signed to improve the kick-return game but was slowed by a foot injury in camp. The coverage teams must improve after a shaky showing in the second preseason game.
Grade: C.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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