Join *Jaguars Inside Report *Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Philip Debin from Woodmere, NY:
If we're drafting the best available player in this year's draft, what are your thoughts on Roy Williams? He is clearly one of the best talents at safety to come out of the draft in awhile and there's a good chance he'll be available with the ninth pick. I know we have Marlon McCree and James Boyd but I think Roy Williams would be better than both of them and who doesn't want to have a better player on their team?
Vic:
: Who doesn't need a good player? Roy Williams is a very good player. Even though the Jaguars don't have a desperate need at safety, I would be all in favor of selecting Williams, though I expect he will be gone by the time the Jaguars pick. Williams is a special player. He's the kind of player who, if you pass on him, can make you regret it for 10 years. Williams has the size and speed to also be used at weakside linebacker in certain pass-defense packages. He's a hitter, he's a blitzer, he's a play-maker.
Charles Rankin from Jacksonville:
I am very excited about next year's team. It seems as if we're taking the Steelers' approach to forming a roster by signing solid players to average contracts and getting rid of those average players who want to be overpaid. Now I think we should take the Rams strategy by drafting heavy on offense in the early rounds and taking the best available players, and concentrate on defense next year when there is a better crop of defensive players. Although defense wins games offense puts points on the board and people in the seats. What's your take, Vic?
Vic:
The talent in this draft on defense is superior to the talent pool on offense. This is a great year for defensive linemen and there are some play-makers at cornerback and safety. Only the linebacker crop is weak. On offense, the quarterbacks may be overrated and everyone agrees the running backs crop is terrible. There's quality and depth on the offensive line but the wide receivers are just OK. I never favor concentrating on one side of the ball because you cut the draft pool in half. When I play golf, I like to use the whole fairway, not just half of it.
Kenneth Atkinson from Pensacola, FL:
I was concerned over the losses the Jags experienced this offseason, so I adjusted the Jags roster on Madden2002 to what we will have this year (highly scientific approach, eh?). I wanted to see how bad the Jags would lose when the games were simulated. I was shocked that in the simulations, the Jags won! They went to the playoffs with the new roster. I thought it was a fluke, so I ran the simulation again. Different record, but the Jags made the playoffs again. Does coach Coughlin believe the players can achieve a playoff spot this year? If no one else does, a couple of us Jags fans and some video-game designers do.
Vic:
I won't forget this question. If the Jaguars make the playoffs, you'll get full credit for being the first one to predict it.
Bob Harvey from Jacksonville:
In the last issue of Jaguars Inside Report, you had a predraft roster for the Jaguars. On that roster there were about five or six free agents who I'm assuming will be released at some point. Are they currently being counted against the present salary cap and, if so, how much.
Vic:
We included Mike Hollis, Jonathan Quinn, Jeff Posey, Jeff Smith, Todd Fordham and Sean Dawkins on our predraft roster, with asterisks next to their name, merely to inform our readers as to who the Jaguars' unrestricted free agents are. None of them are counting against the Jaguars' 2002 salary cap.
Ernie Stuckey from Fernandina Beach, FL:
What is your opinion of Keenan McCardell's tongue-lashing of the Jaguars in the April 11 edition of the Florida Times-Union? Personally, I'm appalled. I am a fan of Keenan's but I feel his crying to the newspaper was very childish. Weather the Jags broke a promise or not, there is no room for stuff like that. I never saw Tom Coughlin publicly ridicule Keenan for losing a step. I wish Keenan great future success and it's obvious the Jags will miss him, but he needs to grow up. Even if the Jaguars promised him something they couldn't produce, two wrongs don't make a right.
Vic:
You don't perform as long and as brilliantly as Keenan McCardell did for the Jaguars without being passionate about your career and the team to which you dedicated yourself. In my opinion, McCardell earned the right to speak his mind.
Jason Matheny from Jacksonville:
If both offensive tackles (Mike Williams of Texas and Bryant McKinnie of Miami), as well as the top four or five defensive linemen (Julius Peppers, Ryan Sims of UNC, Albert Haynesworth and John Henderson of Tennessee, and Wendell Bryant of Wisconsin) are all gone by the time the Jaguars pick, would it be too much of a stretch to see the team go the best player available route and take Joey Harrington? Or would the team more likely fill a need and take the next-best offensive lineman/defensive lineman available?
Vic:
I'm hoping they will select the best available player, regardless of the circumstances.
