Join jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
John from Green Cove Springs, FL:
When do the Jags come back for OTAs and when is the first day of training camp?
Vic: OTAs begin on May 18. Players report on August 2 for the start of training camp.
Matt from Pensacola, FL:
I have been to the "Ask Vic" golf outings, "Ask Vic" open forum at the stadium, have had two questions posted on this forum (which my wife framed for me), and I even have a child from the first "Ask Vic" convention, but when do we get an "Ask Vic" Twitter feed?
Vic: Clearly, you find "Ask Vic" to be highly stimulating. If I tweet, could you handle it? Could your wife handle it?
Andy from Jacksonville:
I'm always interested in the undrafted rookies the team signs. I know it's early but what, if anything, did you see out of Cecil Newton?
Vic: Cecil got a lesson in bag responsibility in mini-camp. He was being kind of soft in his display of a hand-held blocking bag, which caused offensive line coach Andy Heck to give Cecil a personal demonstration. Coach Heck nearly flattened a guy, then tossed the bag aside with intended disdain. Cecil reacted by being more forceful with the bag. I hear good things about him. He has a chance to stick with the team.
Adam from Cypress, CA:
I'm curious how you would answer the poll question on the home page: Which 2009 draft pick will have the greatest impact in their rookie season?
Vic: I would expect it to be Eugene Monroe. Based on what I saw in mini-camp, Monroe is ready to go; just plug him in. He'll be the blindside protector for David Garrard and there's no position of greater impact on the success of a quarterback and his offense than left tackle.
Kyle from Pensacola, FL:
Good for Favre, if he comes back. Get paid until you can't get paid anymore. Play until you can't play anymore. Stick it to Green Bay! Let's be honest, going to play for the Vikings is taking a shot at your old club, right?
Vic: It's professional football. It's about the money. As long as someone is dumb enough to pay it, I can't blame him for taking it.
Jason from Virginia Beach, VA:
With the Jaguars switching to small, speedy receivers, who do you see as being the target in the red zone? Will throwing the fade be more difficult?
Vic: When was scoring touchdowns restricted to tall receivers? Did they pass a rule or something? Santonio Holmes is 5-11 and he made a pretty nice touchdown catch. Hines Ward is 6-0 and he's one of the best red-zone receivers in the league with 31 touchdown catches in the last four seasons. The Jaguars tried the tall thing. It's time to try finding a receiver who will catch the ball.
Jason from Jacksonville:
I've heard that the Broncos, Packers and Chiefs are switching to 3-4 defenses. Shouldn't this make it easier for 4-3 teams to acquire talent that fits their rosters since there are now three fewer teams looking for 4-3 talent?
Vic: It means two particular kinds of players are likely to become available: 4-3 defensive ends who are not especially good against the run and aren't agile enough to play linebacker, and 4-3 defensive tackles who aren't athletic enough to play defensive end in a 3-4.
Neil from Orange Park, FL:
Can you explain the NFL throws vs. the college throws from a QB?
Vic: NFL coverage is tighter, therefore, the throws have to get there quicker and they have to fit into tighter windows. If you can't throw to the outside, the defender will sit on the receiver's inside shoulder. If you can't throw deep, the corner will play trail technique and take away the underneath throw. If you can't drive the ball, the defender will play the ball in the air. I don't think it requires much imagination to understand the need to be able to make all of the throws. People talk about Joe Montana's weak arm, but Montana made all of the throws. A lot of what people perceived to have been a weak arm was nothing more than Montana's touch. He had a fantastic knack for feathering his passes. You don't have to have a cannon for an arm. All you have to be able to do is make all of the throws.
Adrian from Inglewood, CA:
How many out of the 18 undrafted rookies have a possibility of making the team and what are their positions?
Vic: They all have a chance but, after mini-camp, I have seven guys circled: LB Russell Allen of San Diego State, FB Brock Bolen of Louisville, SS Michael Desormeaux of Louisiana-Lafayette, CB Pete Ittersagen of Wheaton, DE Jeremy Navarre of Maryland, C Cecil Newton of Tennessee State and DE Julius Williams of UConn.
Nick from St. Augustine, FL:
I just don't get how people can not see the difference between college and the NFL. The cornerback has too much time to get to the ball and step in front of the receiver if the ball is thrown soft. I think the arm strength of a quarterback is more important today than ever before because of the athleticism of defensive players. If my guy can throw the ball and it gets in the hands of a receiver before a cornerback can blink, then it is worth $41.7 million to me.
Vic: Who is responsible for advancing this notion that arm strength is more important now than it was years ago? It's ridiculous. I'm not disputing that it's important but all of a sudden I have gotten a ton of e-mails stating that arm strength has never been more important. Whoa! Have we forgotten about the seven-step drop? Quarterbacks dropped so deep in the "old days" that they had to have a strong arm just to get the ball back to the line of scrimmage. Compared to today's three-step and five-step drops? How about bump-and-run coverage, which we don't have today? Cornerbacks in the "old days" we're attached to the hip of the receiver and quarterbacks had to have a cannon to get the ball to their guy before the corner closed; windows were never tighter. The game has never seen a succession of power arms to be compared to Bradshaw, Elway and Marino. Now, all of a sudden, Joe Montana couldn't play in today's game because he didn't have a strong enough arm? That's laughable. How about Trent Green? Could he break a pane of glass? Chad Pennington? Philip Rivers can barely work outside the numbers. Arm strength has always been important and for the very reason you described; you've got to be able to throw the ball faster than defenders can run. Arm strength, however, was far more important during the bump-and-run days than it is now. I'm seeing corners giving receivers more of a cushion and playing more zone defense than ever before. You don't have to have a gun to play in today's game, but you gotta have more arm than these college system quarterbacks everyone is obsessing about.
Tim from Jacksonville:
What specifically stood out to you about Julius Williams performance this weekend?
Vic: He moves like a running back. He has big hands and a powerful look. I see him getting bigger and stronger. Here's your DPR.
Michael from Orlando, FL:
It's my birthday and before I leave for work, I just want you to know that I have not missed a single column that you have done in the past seven years, and over that time span I have learned much about football, from the intricacies of the 4-3 and 3-4 to the history of the game. I really feel that were it not for "Ask Vic," my appreciation for the game and the team that I've watched from day one would be significantly lower. I cannot thank you enough, and while I hope for your sake that your 401(k) gets bigger, I selfishly hope it takes another decade or so because I don't wanna see "Ask Vic" go. You're the man, Vic. You've got that going for you, which is nice.
Vic: Our 401(k)s are on a two-month roll, baby. I haven't felt this good since I can't remember when, but I have no plans of bailing out. It's gonna take a lot of good years to make up for the bad years.
Can't get enough Vic? Follow him at twitter.com/askvic.