It was a system that averaged 16 points per game -- lowest in the AFC -- and one that led to plenty of griping from the players, particularly Smith, who made his feeling known late in the season to the coaches.
Musgrave was let go after the season, replaced by Carl Smith, who came from Southern Cal. Smith was formerly the coordinator for the New Orleans Saints back in the Jim Mora days. His belief is to run the ball and go deep off play action.
"I'm going to be going deep a lot," Williams said. "I can't tell you how much I'm going to like this offense."
At Jaguars minicamp last week, the evidence was there that the offense will be fun to watch in terms of the deep ball. The Jaguars went bombs away a bunch, which excites the players and should help amp up the scoring numbers.
Williams looked like a different player out there. He has trimmed his body, dropping 10 pounds, which made him look quicker and faster. To some observers at the practices, it was hard to imagine this was the same guy who struggled as a rookie.
And that's why Williams is one of the players we expect to have a breakout season in 2005.
"I expect it, too," Williams said.
In addition to the offensive system, Williams was hurt by a couple of other factors as a rookie. For one, his class at Washington didn't end school until late June, which meant NFL rules prohibited him from taking part in much of the Jaguars' offseason program. While other rookies were learning the offense, he was working out on his own.
The added weight, which he said was at the request of the Jaguars, also seemed to slow him down.
"They wanted me at 230, so I ate enough to get there," Williams said. "I feel much faster being down the 10 pounds."
There was one other factor that slowed Williams. Maturity. He joined the Jaguars as a 20-year-old, turning 21 during the season. His teammates questioned his maturity, even giving him a nickname.
They called him "Can't Get Right." It was a reference to a character from the movie Life. That character had tons of ability, but never could get right to make it work.
"Yeah, they called me that," Williams said. "I'm not sure why they did, but I guess they thought it fit."
What fits now is that he is a changed man. The look. The attitude. The offense.
It all seems to be coming together for Williams.
The bust word can still be heard some in Jacksonville. It didn't help that Clayton, a player picked six spots behind Williams, caught 80 passes for 1,193 yards and seven touchdowns for Tampa Bay last season. That only seemed to fuel the Williams-bust talk.
"I know it's out there and I understand it," Williams said. "But a lot of it had to do with the situation I was in. I'm playing with Jimmy Smith. He's going to the Hall of Fame. It's not like I'm going to come in in my first year and catch 100 balls. But this year will be different. You wait and see. I can't wait to show everybody how much better I will be."
Said Smith: "He wants to prove all those people wrong. You can tell he wants to change the way people think about him."
Bust? Not so fast. Reggie Williams will change that in 2005. Just ask him.
Around the league
-
It's hard to comprehend how any player in any sport could get on a
motorcycle after what happened to Jay Williams. The Chicago
Bulls point guard is still sidelined two years after his tragic
accident. This week we had the Kellen Winslow mishap on a cycle
this week. Word around the league is Winslow, a second-year tight end
for the Browns, suffered a torn ACL in his knee and also a shoulder
injury. Winslow missed much of last season with a broken leg; he was
still working his way back when he had the accident.
Winslow could be on the hook to pay back his signing bonus money if the Browns choose to go after it. That's unlikely since it would seem callous, but they could be tough about it because most NFL contracts contain a paragraph that states players should not take part in dangerous activities such as motorcycle riding and skydiving. Here's hoping Winslow recovers because he was going to be a heck of a football player. But he should have known better than to be clowning around on a motorcycle when his livelihood is tied to his health.
- It was interesting to see Packers quarterback Brett Favre come down on receiver Javon Walker for missing minicamp last weekend over a contract squabble. Walker, among the legions of players represented by Drew Rosenhaus, is seeking a renegotiated contract after his Pro Bowl season in 2004. Favre responded by saying Walker should be with the team and that his actions in attempting to get a new deal were the wrong way to go about it. Favre might believe that, but coming out and discussing another player's contract situation is taboo in the NFL. Favre has a lot of stature inside the Green Bay locker room, but this can't be something that endears him to his teammates. He violated a locker-room rule.
- Several rookie receivers taking part in their first minicamps last weekend suffered tweaks to their hamstrings that forced them to miss time. Jacksonville's Matt Jones, Baltimore's Mark Clayton and Cleveland's Braylon Edwards all missed time with tweaked muscles. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said this wasn't unexpected since it's the first time these kids are getting used to the pace of NFL practices. In addition, most of them have been working out on their own -- not with a team, which gives veteran players a leg up in these camps. More teams will convene this week, so don't be surprised to see more of these rookie receivers have problems with their muscles.
- The Cowboys used first-round picks last month on linebacker/defensive end Demarcus Ware and a defensive end Marcus Spears. But a player who impressed last week was another defensive lineman taken far later in the draft. Seventh-round pick Jay Ratliff, a defensive end/tackle from Auburn, had a good minicamp last week for the Cowboys. Ratliff would seem to be the perfect end in the 3-4 scheme that the Cowboys will use some next season. At 6-feet-3, 298 pounds, he is more of a power player than a speed rusher. In the 3-4, the ends are used more like tackles. Ratliff played both end and tackle at Auburn, spending last season at tackle. Spears came into the minicamp out of shape, which earned a few snide comments from coach Bill Parcells, who called him Chubby Checker and Fats Domino. Spears was 10 pounds too heavy, but said he would have no problem dumping the weight.
- The Bills were raving about second-round pick Roscoe Parrish after their minicamp last weekend. Parrish is a speedy receiver out of Miami who will juice up the return game. But he also looked good running routes. The problem is Parrish is 5-7 and about 165 pounds. As a scout from another team said, "He would look good running around in shorts. His big thing will be how well he handles contact being such a small guy." The Bills have already said that Parrish will be their punt-return man.
- The early word out of Cincinnati is that second-round pick Odell Thurman is everything the Bengals thought he would be. Thurman, who came to the Bengals with some off-field baggage, was a star last week during the team's minicamp. As one Bengals coach said, "Odell Thurman is a bad ass." Thurman is expected to be the starter at middle linebacker. First-round pick David Pollack will play an outside linebacker spot next to Thurman. Pollack takes over for Kevin Hardy, who was released this week. Pollack will be making the move from college end to linebacker. If Pollack and Thurman are as good as the Bengals hope, their defense might be much improved.
- The Jaguars will be without running back Fred Taylor for most of the offseason after he underwent knee surgery, but Taylor said he would be back in time for training camp. The talk was that Taylor had an MCL injury to his knee, but word is he also suffered a PCL injury that made his surgery far more difficult than expected. The Jaguars are hopeful Taylor will be 100 percent next season, because without him their offense would be in trouble -- even with the new emphasis on throwing downfield more. They did like what they saw from rookie fourth-round pick Alvin Pearman last week and LaBrandon Toefield and Greg Jones are also in the mix. Jones, though, is expected to be the starting fullback.
- What does the Patriots' signing of Doug Flutie last week say about backup Rohan Davey? There had been talk around the league that Davey was ready to become a starter somewhere else. If the Patriots aren't convinced he's ready to be their backup, is he ready to start for another team? As for Flutie, let's just say the Patriots better hope like heck that Tom Brady doesn't get hurt.
- The Bears think they made a great move by signing receiver Muhsin Muhammad as a free agent. As we've written here before, they overpaid for a player who is on the downside of his career and one who doesn't run that well. "You never had to really worry about him except in the red zone," said one coach who faced him. But the bigger worry for the Bears is about the receiver spot opposite Muhammad. Justin Gage, who had just 12 catches last season, is penciled in as the starter opposite Muhammad. He will be challenged by a group of guys, but it isn't a star-studded group. Gage has tools, but he didn't play much last season and he isn't a burner, either. When neither of your receivers has explosive deep speed, that can be problematic.
- The Cardinals think defensive tackle Darnell Dockett has a chance to be a Pro Bowl player this season. Dockett, a favorite here, had a good rookie season after being a third-round pick last year. He is expected to start next to Russell Davis at defensive tackle, but watch out for Kenny King. He has added some weight after missing last year with a wrist injury, and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast expects him to push for time. "You can't forget about Kenny," Pendergast said. "He's shown a lot of improvement." If King and Davis can fill that spot in the defense with quality play, the Cardinals should have a heck of a front. Ends Bert Berry and Chike Okeafor will provide the pressure off the edge.
- The Titans are considering bringing back running back Eddie George to back up Chris Brown. Why? George clearly has nothing left, taking a good week-and-a-half to get to the hole last season with the Cowboys. George was a darn good player for the Titans for a long period of time. Why taint his legacy with the Titans by trying to hang on. As for the Titans, give a young kid a chance. Fresh legs are better than an aging, broken-down back.
