Jacksonville
Jaguars

Jaguars Team Report

Updated: May 25, 2012 04:22 EST

When does a third-year player feel like a rookie? The answer is when he hasn't played his first two seasons in the NFL.

Such is the case with Jaguars defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith. The former Louisiana Tech standout was a third-round selection in the 2010 draft and came to the Jaguars with high expectations. He was a solid 6-2, 300-pounder who had excelled for four seasons. He started 44 of 49 games there, including all 12 games as a senior when he earned All-Western Athletic Conference 1st team honors.

But Jaguars fans have been waiting to see his talents in the NFL. He suffered an Achilles injury the first week of training camp in 2010 and on Aug. 31 was placed on injured reserve.

After recuperating an entire season, Smith appeared ready to go the following year. But a toe injury coupled with a yet fully-recovered Achilles landed him again on injured reserve last Sept. 3 as the team made its final roster cuts.

Two inactive seasons has left Smith champing at the bit to get on the field. He also knows some fans are calling him out to perform or move on.

"My last call? Of course," he responded in meeting with local reporters prior to the Jaguars starting their second week of OTAs. "I'd be a little bit on the crazy side to think this is not the last call.

"It's three strikes and you're out. (General Manager) Gene (Smith) brought me in here to produce and that's what I plan on doing this year."

Smith's presence on the field this year is even more important with concerns to the team's two starters at tackle, Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton. Alualu underwent offseason knee surgery to have his knee cleaned out after it limited his effectiveness last year. Knighton was involved in a fracas at a local establishment in April in which he suffered a serious eye injury when hit over the head with a liquor bottle. Whether both players are one hundred percent at the start of training camp in late July remains a question. A healthy Smith would alleviate some of the concerns over the status of the two starters.

Smith doesn't feel he's behind from a physical side of things even after missing all of the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

"From a physical standpoint, I've been getting ready for this for two years, so no, I'm not," he said. "From a mental standpoint, I would probably say a little bit because I still have to adjust to the speed of the game and everything.

"I came along pretty well in the veteran camp, and right now, I'm in the mix of things and running with the guys so I feel good."

Head coach Mike Mularkey knows the frustration that Smith has been through for two years, but said the 23-year-old tackle has handled it well.

"It's a frustrating thing to sit there and watch your teammates perform even when it comes to practice," Mularkey said. "You just miss that time being out on the field and being in the huddle. He really has done a nice job for us. He was on that list I get above and beyond what he's doing. I think a lot of that is his determination to get back out there and not have any more setbacks."

All Smith wants to do is see some live game action. Two years of wearing sweats on the sideline during Jaguars games has left him feeling like a newcomer.

"Do I feel like a rookie? At times I do. After a while you hear veterans yell out, 'Over here rookies, over here.' It kind of gets old after a while."

--New Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey is paying particularly close attention to the time that the Jaguars are on the practice field with guidelines from the new CBA in place relating to OTAs.

"The OTA's are restricted to two hours and the practices are two hours long. We're fortunate because of our tempo they've been getting done a few minutes early, but we like to stretch them after practice," Mularkey said.

"We're right at the two-hour point when we get done stretching them. You always work with your guys after practice is over with and players ask for it. They want to spend time if they did something wrong in practice. They want to review it.

"Like the case today with (running backs coach) Sly Croom and (running back) Rashad Jennings. I turned around I didn't even realize they were still on the field after 1 p.m. I'm like, 'You can't be out here! I had to pull them off and I hope my gesture of 'get off the field' was big enough so the cameras saw me."

--While several NFL teams have their full draft classes already signed to contracts, the Jaguars have waited a little bit longer than others to begin talks with their rookies. Such negotiations with the team's draft picks just started this week.

That would include the team's top two picks, wide receiver Justin Blackmon and second-round pick, defensive end Andre Branch. Talks with Branch's agent had made good progress by mid-week.

At the start of this week, nearly 170 draft picks had been signed according to an NFL spokesman.

When a new collective bargaining agreement was put into effect last season, rookie contracts became more slotted than ever before, leaving less room for negotiations. Now that the Jaguars have opened discussions with the rookies' agents, the process should be resolved much quicker than it has been in previous years.

--It's typical whenever there is a coaching change in the NFL. The first time a team gets together for some practices, everyone talks about the difference that now exists on the field than before.

Such is the case with the Jaguars. Into their second week of OTAs, players are talking about a new atmosphere that permeates throughout the team's practices.

"We are progressing pretty fast," cornerback Derek Cox said. "There's a higher tempo and we have a lot of intensity during practice so I would say things are going well."

Running back Montell Owens leaves little doubt his feelings about the difference in last year's coaching staff to this year's group of coaches.

"Continuity. Continuity. Those are things that you can't really coach and you can't really team," Owens said. "It's something natural. It's something organic. This year with what we have, there's a big change in that area. Continuity."

--It took less than a week of Jaguars organized team activities for quarterback Blaine Gabbert to see the benefits of being coached this season compared to no coaching last year. Teams were not allowed to work with coaching staffs a year ago at this time when the players union and owners were locked in talks over a new CBA.

For a rookie quarterback like Gabbert, it was a big loss.

"It's huge. Having these OTAs, the coaching sessions that we've had for the last month, the veteran minicamp we had early on, it helps everybody," Gabbert said. "This being my first offseason, I already notice a big difference. You're just getting a leg up. Rather than learning the offense in training camp, you can learn it now and kind of process and diagnose things and take that whole month of July and really get things down and hit the ground running in August."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "They cannot be on the field. That's just the way it is. When you hear three short blasts that means get off the field. There's no discussion." -- Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey talking about the strict CBA language that limits OTA practices to no more than two hours a day.

MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: PK Josh Scobee (tendered at $2.654 million).

TRANSITION PLAYER: None

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

--S C.C. Brown was a late-season signee with the club. He appeared in just the last two games, mostly playing on special teams. The Jaguars won't show much interest in bringing him back.

--CB David Jones was waived prior to the first game, then re-signed with the club when it suffered numerous injuries in the secondary. Those injured defensive backs should return healthy, which doesn't leave Jones in the picture for 2012.

--QB Luke McCown started the opener, then was replaced in the second game and was relegated to a backup role the rest of the season.

--DE Matt Roth started nine of the first 10 games before suffering a concussion and missing the final six games.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

--LB Russell Allen: RFA (tendered at $1.927M with second-round pick as compensation); $6M/3 yrs, $1M guaranteed.

--FB Brock Bolen: ERFA; terms unknown.

--S Courtney Greene: RFA tendered at $1.26M with seventh-round pick as compensation); terms unknown.

--P Nick Harris: Potential UFA; terms unknown (subsequently released).

--QB Dan LeFevour (released).

--S Dwight Lowery: UFA; $13.6M/4 yrs, $4M guaranteed.

--CB Rashean Mathis: Potential UFA; $5M/1 yr.

--CB William Middleton: RFA tendered at $1.26M with fifth-round pick as compensation); terms unknown.

--DE Jeremy Mincey: UFA; $20M/4 yrs, $9M guaranteed.

--DT C.J. Mosley: UFA; $7.5M/3 yrs, $2M guaranteed.

--TE Zach Potter: ERFA; terms unknown.

--OT Will Robinson: Potential RFA; 2 yrs, terms unknown.

--S Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (released).

--OT Guy Whimper: Potential UFA; $5M/2 yrs.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

--PK Brandon Coutu: Not tendered offer as ERFA by Bills; terms unknown.

--WR Lee Evans: FA Ravens; terms unknown.

--QB Chad Henne: UFA Dolphins; $6.75M/2 yrs.

--WR Laurent Robinson: UFA Cowboys; $32.5M/5 yrs, $8M SB/$13.6M guaranteed.

--CB Aaron Ross: UFA Giants; $15.3M/3 yrs, $1M SB.

--FB Naufahu Tahi: FA; terms unknown.

PLAYERS LOST

--CB Drew Coleman (released).

--DT Nate Collins: ERFA tender withdrawn/Bears; 1 yr, terms unknown.

--WR Jarret Dillard (released).

--DT Leger Douzable: Not tendered as RFA/Titans; 1 yr, terms unknown.

--P Nick Harris (released).

--OG Kevin Haslam (released).

--RB Deji Karim (released).

--S Darcel McBath (released).

--CB Trumaine McBride (released).

--WR Kassim Osgood (released).

--TE Martin Rucker: Not tendered as ERFA/Chiefs); terms unknown.

--S Terrell Whitehead (released).