FanHouse RobMeier

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: David Garrard threw all of three interceptions last year. Three. Three. Despite his questionable pedigree from the Eastern part of my fair state, his incredibly efficient performance earned him a pimped out $60 million deal. If the Jags new-old wideouts can ever get healthy, Garrard might actually live up to the lofty expectations he'll be staring down this season. Heat Index: 8

Running Back: When will Fred Taylor stop? Ever? And will Maurice Jones-Drew be ready for a full time gig when he does? Why is Greg Jones getting paid so much to be a glorified quasi goalline fullback? Why do I have so many friggin' questions about a team that finished second in the NFL in rushing yards per game last year at 149.4? Heat Index: 10

Receivers: Guh. The Jags went out and got Jerry Porter in the offseason to give Garrard a "legit" first option and he immediately got hurt. They also added Troy Williamson who has shown a penchant for dropping the ball, but like Mittens in Carolina, we probably have to reserve judgment until we find out if his greasy mitts in Minny were a result of Tavaris Jackson cooties. Heat Index: 3

When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded defensive tackle after Marcus Stroud to Buffalo, a lot of people (myself included) figured they would use a draft pick or a free agent signing on someone new to start next to John Henderson. Jack Del Rio, however, believes Stroud's replacement has been there all along.

Rob Meier signed a 4-year extension with the Jaguars today, which reports say is the result of him taking a much bigger role on the defensive line. Terms were not disclosed, but he's expected to make more than the $2.095 million he was due this year.

Meier had four sacks last season, plus one more against Pittsburgh in the playoffs, and that was after spending half the season as a backup, so clearly the Jaguars believe he can be effective at putting pressure on the quarterback from the inside of the line -- and Del Rio really wants the Jags' defense to pressure quarterbacks next season.

Meanwhile, defensive end Paul Spicer is reportedly not as happy with the contract the Jaguars offered him. That might change in a hurry if Derrick Harvey proves to be a monster in minicamp.

Denver's quest for a 3-0 start would get a boost if John Henderson of the Jaguars misses the first game of his NFL career. Henderson is doubtful because of a head injury he suffered against the Falcons last Sunday and hasn't practiced all week. If he does miss the game it would end the sixth-year veteran's consecutive games played streak at 82, which is equal to the number of games the Jags have played during his career.

That streak is a testament to Henderson's durability and the fact that he's started 78 of those games tells you how good he's been since entering the league. His absence would be a big benefit to the Broncos offense. Henderson and Marcus Stroud, also nicked up, are nearly impossible to clear from the middle of the line on running plays and passes find them collapsing the pocket. That puts the quarterback on the move, ups the chances of a rushed throw and can lead to the kind of turnovers that bedeviled Jay Cutler in Oakland last weekend.

No Henderson doesn't mean disaster for the Jaguars, however. Likely replacement Rob Meier has 11 sacks over the last two seasons although he started just nine games. He doesn't have the same bulk that the two-time Pro Bowler does, though, and won't offer the same resistance to the running game. That's good news for Travis Henry and good news for Mike Shanahan who hardly needs help composing a winning offensive gameplan. With Gerald Sensabaugh placed on injured reserve earlier this week the Jags are well below 100% for Sunday. That's a dangerous way to enter a road game with a team piling up 450 yards of offense a week.