FanHouse Rashean Mathis

The increase in popularity of Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues was easy to see coming. After all, why break down offensive players individually by position yet group all defenders as a team? Of course, when IDPs come into play, the defense can't be just an afterthought.

Sleeping on defenders while other teams amass high-sack guys like James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware, or consistent 100-tackle linebackers like Patrick Willis or Ray Lewis could leave you high and dry at critical positions. You wouldn't be stuck with Donald Driver and Devin Hester as your top two receivers, would you?

However, it'll get to that point in the draft where 20 or 30 defenders are off the board at a certain position, and you need to add a sleeper or two to your IDP core, someone who has the ability to finish in the top ten at their position. Today, I'll examine a few potential breakouts at each position -- hopefully, you'll add one or two of the good ones on draft day.

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With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
New wide receiver corps! Jacksonville rightly saw a huge amount of turnover at wide receiver this year, jettisoning off-the-field scoundrel Matt Jones, draft bust Reggie Williams, free-agent bust Jerry Porter, and slot receiver Dennis Northcutt. To replace that group, the team drafted three wideouts and brought in veteran Torry Holt to lead this new-look attack. Of the rookies, Jarett Dillard looks like a good bet to eventually start, while Mike Thomas should see plenty of time in the slot. Holt makes for a nice fantasy value pick, and Mike Walker could be a great end-of-the-draft flier that pans out in a big way.

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Back in Week 3, these two teams met in Indianapolis. Jacksonville thoroughly dominated time of possession (41:35 to 18:25), yet still needed a last second drive and a clutch 51 yard field goal from Josh Scobee to win it. You can see Scobee mugging the ball-boy here after the kick in one of my favorite pictures of the 2008 season.

The Jags ran all over Indy, as both Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew went over 100 yards on the ground. Also, Rashean Mathis returned a pick 61 yards for a touchdown.

At the time it was thought that this saved Jacksonsville's season, one that carried lofty expectations. The Colts seemed vulnerable, especially because the defense supposedly couldn't stop the run unless Bob Sanders was suited up.

My, how things have changed.

The Jags are dead man walking presently. Taylor and Mathis are out for the season. The Colts are riding a seven game winning streak, and will be headed, yet again, to the playoffs. They have been stopping the run better as of late, even when Sanders is sidelined, due to the emergence of Melvin Bullitt, though Sanders is now back.

Three key questions:

I wouldn't blame Rashean Mathis for going on injured reserve, even if he wasn't, you know, injured. The 2008 Jaguars have been a complete failure on every level, and Monday night's meltdown against the Texans was a microcosm of that.

Mathis is probably the best player on the team but since everybody has seemingly quit on this once-promising season, he won't be missed. And despite the obvious signs that Jacksonville plays like an outfit eager for things to just end already, head coach Jack Del Rio will hear none of it.

The only time Del Rio showed any emotion [during the post-game press conference] was when he was questioned about whether or not his team has packed it in.

"You wouldn't say there was a lack of want-to. That can't even be a sincere comment," Del Rio said. "We're going to continue to do the right things for the right reason and look to execute better. I don't like to hear those questions [about whether the team quit]."

To be fair, Del Rio, who is due a visit from Tim Gunn any day now, preceded those comments with adjectives like "ridiculous," mistake-filled," "sloppy," "embarrassing" and "totally unacceptable" when talking about the Jags' performance. So it's not like he's blind, just protective. Which is part of his job.

So while Jacksonville might be one of the most disappointing teams of the season, Mathis is the 11th player they've put on IR. I know, every team has injuries, but Jags have had it worse than most.

Still, I'm not sure that's an excuse for what happened Monday night.

The Jaguars appear to be coming apart at the seams. A playoff team a year ago, and a favorite to return to the postseason in 2008, Jacksonville has bumbled their way through the first two months.

An 0-2 start, and back-to-back losses to the Browns and Bengals have them staring at 3-5, and head coach Jack Del Rio doesn't feel some players are adequately grieving the losses. For example, raucous laughter in the locker room following a loss to Cincinnati? Yeah, don't do that. Also unacceptable: talking back.

Which is apparently what got linebacker Mike Peterson sent home from practice earlier this week:

Del Rio tossed Peterson out of the meeting room on Wednesday after Peterson replied when Del Rio admonished him for flexing his muscles after a sack in Cincinnati when the team was behind 21-3.

Peterson replied that he usually does that when he makes a big play and was trying to bring energy to the team. Peterson wasn't allowed to return to the team Thursday and was sent home again.

In the second quarter of today's game at Indianapolis, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis stepped in front of Colts receiver Marvin Harrison, picked off a Peyton Manning pass and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown.

It was a huge play, the kind of play that can change the course of a game, but there was just one problem with it. Mathis blatantly interfered with Harrison, grabbing his jersey and pulling him back to get into position to intercept Manning's pass. The officials missed it on the field, but Colts coach Tony Dungy was yelling about it on the sideline, and on the TV replays it was obvious: It should have been a penalty.

And that raises an interesting question: Why isn't pass interference reviewable? Yes, I know the arguments against allowing pass interference to be reviewed on replay, but none of them really hold up to much scrutiny, not when you consider just how much a pass interference call (or, in this case, non-call) can change a game. If a TV replay can show indisputable visual evidence that pass interference occurred on a play, why shouldn't Dungy be allowed to throw his red challenge flag?

The answer is that he should. This is a rule that the NFL should change.

Given that Wes Welker set the franchise mark for receptions, and that Jacksonville cornerback Rashean Mathis called Welker the best slot receiver in the NFL last season, it certainly seems reasonable to assume he'll draw more attention from defenses in 2008.

Obviously, the problem with such a game plan is that unlike most other teams in the league, the Patriots offense can beat you any number of ways. Randy Moss re-upped for three more years, and even with Dante' Stallworth now in Cleveland, Tom Brady's still the quarterback.

"I could care less how many catches it is [this season]. It really doesn't matter," said Welker. "It's about improving and getting batter and helping the offense move down the field, and if that means catching 112 catches that is what it means. If it means blocking and running the ball 40 times a game then that is what it needs to be."

And it's that last sentence -- running the balls more often -- that points to the Patriots drafting Darren McFadden (to help carry the load) or Branden Albert (to improve the run blocking). Or, more likely, neither. Most mock draftniks think New England will draft a defensive player with the seventh-overall pick, and frankly, that makes the most sense. But nobody had the team taking guard Logan Mankins in the first round a few years ago.

The proposed NFL rules change that would bar players from wearing hair long enough to cover the names on their jerseys has become a big off-season story, with pundits debating the issue and the league preparing to vote on it next week.

But few stories have pointed out the huge problem with the rule: The plain language of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the players' union says it can't be enforced.

Article VII, Section 2 of the league's agreement with the union says: "Clubs may make and enforce reasonable rules governing players' appearance on the field and in public places while representing the Clubs; provided, however, that no player will be disciplined because of hair length or facial hair."

Yes, it's true that the NFL could say the rule -- which was proposed by the Chiefs and would target players such as Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu and Jacksonville's Rashean Mathis -- doesn't technically discipline the player "because of hair length." They could say it technically only disciplines the player for failing to tuck the hair inside his helmet. But it's hard to imagine that the union wouldn't challenge such an interpretation and win.

So really, why are the owners even bothering with this? Let's hope they vote it down swiftly next week.

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with Brendan Sonnone of Jaguars Journal, a Most Valuable Network column that covers the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Dan Benton: "The Jaguars are 7-3, but you'd hardly know it. This team has flown under the radar all season long and most casual NFL fans are shocked when they hear how well they're doing. Would you prefer them to be a loud 7-3 or are you perfectly fine with them dominating silently?"

Brendan Sonnone: "Of course everyone loves to see their team on the cover of Sports Illustrated or ESPN Magazine, but I am perfectly content with the Jaguars being overlooked. The element of surprise always helps, but I can guarantee you that amongst the NFL community, teams certainly respect and maybe even fear Jacksonville. For now, being silent assassins suits me just fine, and I'm sure any team in the NFL enjoys the underdog role. "