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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Offseasons and minicamps are loaded with stories of second chances.

One good one in the AFC South belongs to Mohamed Massaquoi, the former Cleveland Browns receiver who looked to add depth for the team behind Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon.

Now with Blackmon slated to miss the first four games of the regular season due to a suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Massaquoi looks to be an opening day starter opposite Shorts in a two-receiver base offense.

“We’re careful of saying, ‘Now we need more from him,’” coach Gus Bradley said. “We always want more. Regardless of Blackmon’s situation, we’re challenging him. We think that he’s got a high level, a high standard, and we’re pushing him to max out.”

Chosen in the second round, 50th overall, in 2008 out of Georgia, Massaquoi hardly lit it up for the Browns. In four years, he pulled in 118 catches for 1,745 yards, a 14.8-yard average and seven touchdowns.

The new Jaguars regime still saw upside in a 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver.

Bradley said he thought Massaquoi was a little bit shocked by the Jaguars' early tempo in organized training activities (OTAs).

“There was a little bit of surviving going on,” Bradley said. “I think he has stepped it up now.

Massaquoi is settled in and more comfortable. Regular observers say he’s not stood out in Jacksonville’s spring work in a negative or positive way.

I liked the addition and expect him to be a contributor, as I think Jerry Sullivan is an excellent receivers coach who can find a way to get the most out of guys.

“I absolutely love Gus, love Coach Sullivan, love their approach to it, love learning from them,” Massaquoi said. “I’m working hard relearning things …

"Missing Justin is definitely a huge thing, he’s definitely a talented guy. For me coming in, even before the situation, I wanted to come in and learn as much as I could from Sullivan and refine my game as much as possible, put the best product on the field that I can.”

For a fifth year and a second act, he wants to do more and seems confident that he will. Blackmon is getting plenty of work now. At some point in training camp the Jaguars will have to taper that to ensure they are ready to play four games without him.

In the first quarter of the season, Massaquoi should find a big chance to produce.

“Cleveland didn’t go exactly the way that I envisioned it,” he said. “So whenever you do get a second chance at anything, a new opportunity, you embrace it and you attack it wholeheartedly and you go out there to do the best you can learning from the mistakes of the past.”

Maurice Jones-Drew is set to finish his rehabilitation from foot surgery and train in Miami, as he typically has, rather than spend time at Jacksonville Jaguars headquarters.

As Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union suggested in a tweet after his report that Jones-Drew has been charged with battery, perhaps the team will now ask him to alter that geographical plan.

Per O’Halloran:

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has been charged with misdemeanor battery stemming from an incident at a St. Augustine restaurant Sunday night.

Jones-Drew

The St. Augustine Police Department said Jones-Drew struck a security guard, “knocking him out,” during an altercation at the Conch House Restaurant and Marina.

The police say Jones-Drew left the scene before they arrived.

The Jaguars offered the traditional statement, saying they are aware of the incident and won’t be commenting.

The police side of it doesn’t sound good for the running back.

But Jones-Drew's agent, Adisa Bakari, said St. Augustine officials are about to issue a new release saying there have been no charges filed against Jones-Drew, and the matter is under investigation.

"Maurice was there and was not involved, Bakari told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "As soon as an altercation broke out, Maurice exited the premises. He was not questioned by police immediately after nor later that day."

If MJD did nothing wrong, the initial reports are unfortunate. Follow-ups never have the impact of the initial headline.

The negative publicity is the second black eye in short order for the Jaguars.

Receiver Justin Blackmon was recently suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season after a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

Maurice Jones-Drew thinks the media is blowing Justin Blackmon's four-game suspension out of proportion.

In making such a claim I believe he’s doing a disservice to Blackmon.

A four-game suspension under the league’s policy against substance abuse is a big deal, a sign of a growing issue. It’s not something to be casually dismissed as being about the media.

I believe Jones-Drew’s response to Blackmon’s situation is nothing short of irresponsible. He said the reaction’s been “out of control.”

"The media just blows it out of proportion," Jones-Drew said, per an Associated Press report. "A lot of people make several mistakes. If you're that age and you have that amount of money, how would you act? If you answer that question truthfully, you can go from there."

For a guy who’s got a regular gig on Sirius-XM Radio, who serves as the face of the franchise on a national level and who has the ability to be charming and disarming, I’m amazed at how consistently Jones-Drew misses the mark on big issues.

He was critical of Jay Cutler not playing in the 2010 NFC Championship Game, but then sprinted away from his comments, telling people he was joking, but apologizing and shifting blame to the media. He disrespected the Jaguars new coach last year, failing to communicate directly with Mike Mularkey about how he wouldn’t be reporting to OTAs. Then Jones-Drew failed to gain an inch as a result of a purposeless holdout that stood no chance of helping him or his team.

As for his casual response to Blackmon’s suspension:

There are plenty of first-round picks in the NFL who can qualify as young and newly rich who don’t get into repeated trouble with alcohol (and, perhaps, something else we don’t know about). At that age and with that amount of money, a high percentage of them have managed not to get suspended for four games. That’s what they did. Though he wasn't as highly drafted as Blackmon, that's what Jones-Drew did, by the way.

The media didn’t sign up for a collective bargaining agreement that spells out what has to be done to earn a four-game suspension.

The media didn’t get itself placed in the first phase of the NFL’s policy and program for substances of abuse. Or commit the violation necessary to be placed in the second phase. Or commit the violation required in order to earn the four-game suspension for a violation once in the second phase.

The media isn’t missing four games, hurting the team MJD is supposed to be leading.

The media isn’t costing itself nearly $220,000 or triggering a clause in Blackmon’s contract that enables the Jaguars to cut him at any point going forward without being on the hook for any further money.

As a member of the media, I’m admittedly, inherently, get defensive when things are blamed on the media that aren’t the media’s fault. (We are hardly without sin. The volume on Tim Tebow? That's us. Blackmon's problems? That's Blackmon.) If Blackmon drove drunk and injured an innocent bystander, I wonder if MJD would put that on reporters and columnists.

Full disclosure: Jones-Drew and I don’t get along. He hasn’t cared for much of what I’ve written about him. He and his agent and his loyalists and maybe even some team brass will see this blog post as piling on.

That’s the price that comes with seeking to hold a star player accountable for comments that often are not well thought out. He’s an excellent football player. When he chimes in on topics like this one, I feel like he's often trying to pass the buck rather than showing a belief in the importance of personal accountability.

At least Jones-Drew said that Blackmon has something to prove going forward.

"We're going to see what kind of character he has," Jones-Drew said.

It’s good to know there is a point at which MJD will stop shifting blame and defending a teammate in the wrong.

For the sake of everyone involved, I hope it doesn’t get worse for Blackmon. Another misstep means a year suspension and would probably be the end of him as a member of the Jaguars.

Another Jaguars receiver had troubles that started in a similar fashion. Things wound up far worse for Jimmy Smith: He just got sentenced to six years in prison for drug possession and weapons charges.

Justin Blackmon spoke to the Jacksonville media Monday and addressed the violation of the league's substance-abuse policy that resulted in his four-game suspension.

He said a lot of the right things, just as he’s said after alcohol-related issues in the past.

He was bluntly asked if he has drinking or had a substance abuse problem.

“No, I would say I don’t,” he responded. “Out of this whole thing one of the main things I would say that I had a problem with was just making a poor decision, making a selfish decision at that and not thinking about the long-term of it and just thinking about at the time. If you want to ask if I have a problem? I have a problem with making a poor decision.”

He’ll lean on his support group headed by general manager David Caldwell and Jaguars coach Gus Bradley.

“(They) have been very supportive ever since they’ve been here,” Blackmon said. “I’ve been going in and talking to them almost every day so having them there, having the teammates here that I have here have been very supportive here and it feels good to have people I can lean on and talk to.”

Blackmon was a player on the rise at the end of the 2012 season, but he has really hurt himself with the four-game suspension. If he receives another violation, he’s out a year and his job security will plummet or disappear.

He no-commented when asked if he would be going into any sort of rehab or if it was necessary.

Here’s hoping he’s willingly doing whatever he needs to make sure the decision-making he’s talking of gets better before it’s too late for him.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

With the draft in the rearview mirror, what’s the most pressing issue on each NFC West team's agenda?

Arizona Cardinals: Figuring out what's up with Daryl Washington should rank high on the Cardinals' list. Washington can be one of the most dynamic linebackers in the league. He had nine sacks last season and should be a player for the Cardinals to build around. Recent events have called into question his longer-term standing with the team. First came news that to open the season, Washington would serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Now, one month later, authorities are investigating a domestic abuse allegation levied against him. There has been no arrest. The Cardinals already have blown up quite a bit of their roster while making the transition to a new coaching staff. They'll have to decide after the 2013 season whether to exercise a $10 million option bonus for Washington.

St. Louis Rams: Tweaking the offensive scheme to fit the Rams' new personnel came to mind as one potential priority for the Rams, but the most pressing one? Developing the young unproven talent on the roster has to head the list. The Rams had the youngest roster in the NFL last season. It could be even younger this season. That's invigorating to a certain extent, but also a bit concerning. The situations at running back, receiver and safety come to mind. Top running backs Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead, Terrance Ganaway and fifth-round pick Zac Stacy have a combined 108 NFL carries. The wide receivers on the roster own a combined 15 starts, 12 of them by Chris Givens. At safety, rookie third-round choice T.J. McDonald and 2012 backup Darian Stewart are the leading candidates to start after the Rams released Quintin Mikell and let Craig Dahl leave in free agency. McDonald did not enjoy a stellar final season at USC. Is he ready for a Rams schedule featuring Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Vernon Davis, Justin Blackmon, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Percy Harvin, Vincent Jackson and other players capable of putting pressure on even veteran safeties?

San Francisco 49ers: Developing 2012 first-round draft choice A.J. Jenkins has to rank high on the list of remaining priorities for the two-time defending NFC West champions. Jenkins made zero receptions during his rookie season. He wasn't a factor, and the 49ers didn't really need him. They ran their passing game through Michael Crabtree and still had other weapons such as Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Randy Moss and, when healthy, Mario Manningham. Crabtree and newcomer Anquan Boldin will join Davis in giving the 49ers three legitimate weapons for 2013. While the 49ers' passing game is not hinging on Jenkins' immediate development, the team needs to find out whether Jenkins will factor for the longer term. Crabtree's contract runs through the 2014 season. Re-signing him to a long-term deal is no given for the 49ers, particularly with quarterback Colin Kaepernick also in line for a new deal at roughly the same time. Boldin is signed through the upcoming season only. Developing Jenkins would expand the 49ers' options.

Seattle Seahawks: Getting another starter signed to a contract extension before the 2013 season could make sense. They recently struck a long-term deal with strong safety Kam Chancellor. Potential monster deals for Earl Thomas and/or Richard Sherman await in the not-too-distant future, as both are signed through 2014. In the meantime, Seattle might be wise to work out a more modest extension for cornerback Brandon Browner, a player ideally suited for their defensive scheme. Browner is signed through the 2013 season. While this will be only his third season with the Seahawks since leaving the CFL, Browner did get credit for an accrued season when he spent 2005 on injured reserve with the Denver Broncos. That makes 2013 Browner's fourth NFL season, enough to qualify as an unrestricted free agent under the collective bargaining agreement.

PFT has pointed out since Justin Blackmon's suspension that contractual language would allow the team to release him now without any further financial burden.

That’s an interesting bit of news.

But I know for sure the Jaguars have no intention of releasing him.

New general manager Dave Caldwell and new coach Gus Bradley may have inherited Blackmon from the previous regime. But that doesn’t mean they don’t like him.

Blackmon was widely regarded as the best receiver in the draft last year, and Jaguars GM Gene Smith traded up to draft him fifth overall. It was a bold move that addressed a very weak roster spot.

Blackmon may have issues, but he’s also got something the Jaguars need a lot more of: talent.

He came on in the latter part of his rookie season and appears to be on his way to be a solid pro, provided, of course, he can get his issues in order and be available on Sundays.

ESPN Stats & Information said among rookie receivers in 2012, Blackmon ranked first with 128 targets, tied for first with 64 receptions, first with 865 yards and tied for second with five touchdowns.

The drinking and driving on his résumé and a four-game suspension for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy isn't enough to prompt this team -- and I doubt any team -- to give up on that talent in just his second year.

Statement from Blackmon: "I’ve made a mistake and I have no excuse. I am truly sorry and disappointed in myself for putting the Jaguars in this situation, and I look forward to putting this behind me and maturing and growing as a person. I will have a productive training camp and preseason with my team, and during the suspension I will work hard to stay in top football shape and be ready to help the Jaguars when I return. I have chosen to be accountable for my poor decision, and I sincerely apologize to my teammates, coaches, the front office and Jaguars fans for the impact of my mistake on the team."

Statement from Caldwell: “Coach Bradley and I have spoken with Justin, and he is well aware of our disappointment. I don’t think there is any question that Justin is embarrassed and remorseful, and Coach Bradley and I are both confident he understands the obligations ahead of him, to himself, the franchise and the fans. We will support him throughout the process and continue to work to educate him and all of our players on making the right decisions. The Jaguars have made a lot of progress over the past three months, and we will not allow this news to slow us down.”

A long list of NFL mock drafts projected Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon to the St. Louis Rams one year ago.

It's looking like the Rams came out just fine without him.

Blackmon, charged with DUI last offseason when authorities said they measured his blood-alcohol content at .24 percent, faces a four-game NFL suspension to open the 2013 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

These are the sorts of troubles NFL teams can do without.

The Rams held the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft. Jacksonville traded into the No. 5 spot to select Blackmon. The Rams then traded back, eventually taking defensive tackle Michael Brockers, who showed flashes of dominance after recovering from injury.

St. Louis wound up using a 2012 second-round choice for receiver Brian Quick and a fourth-rounder for Chris Givens. The team drafted receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey over the weekend.

Blackmon caught 64 passes for 865 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. He led all drafted rookies in receiving yards and tied Kendall Wright for most receptions. Blackmon also suffered nine drops, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Givens caught 42 passes for 698 yards and three scores. Quick added 11 receptions for 156 yards and two scores.

A four-game suspension for Blackmon would prevent him from playing against Kansas City, Oakland, Seattle and Indianapolis to open the season. He would be eligible to return for the Jaguars' Week 5 game -- against the Rams in the Edward Jones Dome.

Adam Schefter just tweeted that Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon is being suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season.

He violated the league's substance abuse policy.

The Jaguars are not particularly deep anywhere. Blackmon and Cecil Shorts are the two starting receivers. Mohamed Massaquoi would be next in line outside.

The best guy after that is likely to be fourth-round draft pick Ace Sanders from South Carolina, a small slot guy at 5-foot-7 and 173-pounds.

Jacksonville's first five games are against Kansas City, at Oakland, at Seattle and against Indianapolis.

The Jaguars are planning on staying out West between the games against the Raiders and Seahwaks. So beyond missing four games, Blackmon will miss a big bonding week on the road.

ESPN.com’s scout Matt Williamson called Ace Sanders “Tavon Austin Lite.”

After they traded out of the first pick of the fourth round, the Jaguars took South Carolina receiver/returner Sanders with the 101st selection.

The pint-sized receiver is dangerous in space and is a slot guy who could go nicely working with Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts on the outside.

The Jaguars also have Jordan Shipley, but Sanders looks to be far more dangerous and could be a very threatening punt returner.

Here’s Scouts Inc. on his big-play ability.

"Quicker than fast and reaches top-end speed quickly after catch. Makes defenders miss in space. Above average balance and can run through arm tackles. Appears faster than timed top-end speed on film but doesn't show breakaway speed when gets a seam or have the second gear to take the top off the coverage. Doesn't have the frame or length to win 50-50 balls downfield either."

The issue, of course, is what happens when he doesn’t escape?

He runs 4.38, but when he does get hit can his 5-foot-7, 173-pound frame hold up?

If the Jacksonville Jaguars select a receiver in the NFL draft, he’s going to be a guy they see as a super value.

With the news that they have agreed to terms with free agent Mohamed Massaquoi, I think they are in pretty good shape at the position. And given how thin they are at other spots, I’d expect their draft focus will be elsewhere.

Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts will be the presumed starters. Jordan Shipley will get a lot of opportunity in the slot. And now Massaquoi adds another physical presence.

Scouts Inc. scores Massaquoi a five out of five in route running and traffic presence, four out of five in hands, yards after catch and durability and a three out of five in speed.

Here’s their scouting report:

Massaquoi is a big, physical receiver and an excellent route runner. He has very good hands and shows courage and concentration in traffic. He is a solid perimeter blocker, giving great effort staying connected to defenders. Massaquoi is one of the more consistent offensive players for the Browns and could flourish in a more stable environment.

Jacksonville doesn’t qualify as a more stable environment, yet. But it could be in a year after general manager David Caldwell has more time to reshape the roster and Gus Bradley and his staff have had a year to coach guys up.

There is a certain sentiment connected to Brad Meester in Jacksonville, and there should be.

He’s been part of the Jaguars since 2000, and no one else dates back further than 2004.

Meester holds franchise records for games played (193) and started (193) and is the only player to play to 13 seasons with the club. He enters the 2013 season with a streak of 74 consecutive starts and is the only Jaguars player to start the first 92 regular season games after being drafted.

The Jaguars announced today they re-signed the free agent to a one-year deal, presumably his last year.

He’s hardly a top lineman any more. But with the degree of turnover that’s to come on the Jaguars’ roster, it’s a good thing they’ll have a long-time veteran on the line to lead the way for the guys who play in the trenches, as well as guys who play far from the center.

Meester is smart and knows all the tricks. But he lacks major strength and can be pushed around in the run game. Perhaps he’ll fare a bit better as the team turns more towards a zone-blocking scheme that counts more on lateral movement than forward push, and relies less on size and power.

The Jaguars also signed receiver Jordan Shipley.

I was a bit surprised when the team decided not to tender Shipley as a restricted free agent. Now they have him back under a two-year deal, and I suspect the cost for this season is closer to the fourth-year minimum of $715,000 than the bottom tender or $1.323 million.

After Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts, the Jaguars are lacking at receiver. Shipley should have a real chance to help.

Fans of teams who’ve signed big free agents in the first day of the new league year are largely overjoyed at the news.

Laurent Robinson is just a year removed from his big day and offers a cautionary tale.

Let’s remember it’s completely possible that today’s big signing is, in just one year, a salary-cap burden who not only solves no problems, but creates some.

The Jaguars cut Robinson, avoiding a $2 million bonus that was about to come due.

That’s new general manager David Caldwell cleaning up more of the mess left behind by his predecessor, Gene Smith. Smith gave Robinson, coming off his one big season, a five-year, $32.5 million contract that guaranteed him $14 million

(It’s a good time to revisit this piece by Bill Barnwell of Grantland, who crushingly picked apart Smith’s failures, including that Robinson contract.)

Even if Robinson didn’t suffer four concussions and play in only seven games, it was a contract that was way too big.

Now, Robinson is a free agent again. The Jaguars said at the combine he’d been medically cleared. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union says Robinson passed a physical. But Mark Long of the Associated Press reports Robinson “disagrees with [the] team's assessment that he's healthy, says he felt lightheaded during workout yesterday.”

Today, as we recall Robinson’s failed year with the Jaguars, we should remember how quickly the excitement of a big signing can dissipate.

As for the Jaguars, they are now really two receivers deep with Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts. I thought they should have tendered Jordan Shipley but they didn't like him enough to do so.

Guy Whimper, released Wednesday by the Jaguars, was somewhat of a symbol of stubbornness to me.

Jacksonville -- with, I believe, deposed general manager Gene Smith at the head of the line -- insisted Whimper was an NFL-caliber player. The evidence screamed otherwise.

The offensive tackle was brought in on Nov. 2, 2010 as offensive line depth. A third tackle at best, he would up starting 22 of a possible 40 games.

That was far more than the Jaguars ever envisioned they would need from him.

In a miserable 2-14 season that got both Smith and coach Mike Mularkey fired, Whimper caught a touchdown pass as a tackle eligible in Green Bay. But he was central in another tackle-eligible moment that might encapsulate the disastrous year more than any other.

In a 24-3 loss at Miami, officials said he botched a crucial play.

What I wrote about it that afternoon:

The worst, most symbolic moment of the game came after Jacksonville sacked (Ryan) Tannehill, forcing and recovering a fumble. Chad Henne threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Justin Blackmon that should have put the Jaguars ahead 10-3. But tackle Guy Whimper, who’d come in the game and lined up as an eligible player running a route, failed to report and was flagged for an illegal substitution. Later, the drive ended without even a field goal as Henne failed to convert a fourth-and-1 run.

Whimper said afterward he reported as he was supposed to.

The Jaguars need to get a lot better on the offensive line. I’m not sure the new brass yet realizes the extent of the deficiencies, though David Caldwell recently acknowledged the team probably has blanks at left guard and right tackle right now.

It was time for Whimper to no longer be in the mix. The Jaguars also released quarterback John Parker Wilson and defensive back Brandon King.

INDIANAPOLIS -- New Jaguars general manager David Caldwell has repeatedly spoken well of the roster he inherited, despite the fact it collectively managed a 2-14 record in 2012.

But the man who hired him, Shad Khan, has spoken of expectations or a view of the team that were delusional under the previous regime.

As Caldwell spoke at the NFL scouting combine today, I was curious if he could square that seeming contradiction for me.

He did.

“I think the delusional part came with the amount of money that they spent in free agency last year and thinking they were one or two pieces away,” Caldwell said. “And then to come right back and manage only a 2-14 season.

“So for us, there is a good core of players here that we feel good about. We have our work cut out for us and we’re going to have a very young team coming into this season, it’s going to be built through the draft and through college free agents.”

That spending Caldwell referred to was headlined by receiver Laurent Robinson, whose $6.3 million cap figure this year is the fourth-highest on the team, and also included a deal that has ineffective cornerback Aaron Ross scheduled to count $4.083 million.

Cap room is not an issue, so money’s not going to dictate any cuts.

“There are no changes coming that will be financial,” Caldwell said. “The changes that will be coming will be based on performance.”

Robinson signed a five-year, $32.5 million deal with $13.8 million guaranteed. It was a monster contract for a guy who played for three teams in his first five years and only had one big season.

Then he got sidetracked by multiple concussions, playing in only seven games and catching just 24 passes. An NFL Network report on Feb. 1 said Robinson was still dealing with lingering effects of the hits to the head.

Apparently he's made great progress.

“My understanding is he’s been cleared to participate, so he’s full-go right now,” Caldwell said. “It’s something we’re going to monitor very closely with all of our players.”

For a team in need at a lot of spots, if Robinson is healthy the Jaguars might actually be pretty good at receiver with Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts, who both emerged late last season, and Robinson.

“That’s a good trio of receivers right there, and they all bring a unique skill set for us which will make it difficult for defenses,” Caldwell said.

Continuing a periodic look back at stuff we wrote before the 2012 season to see how on target we were and how things panned out.

In July, we looked at an assistant to watch on each of our four teams.

Here’s what we said then and what we think now.

Houston Texans

Then: “While [Gary] Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison will be heavily involved in the offense, a new [quarterback] coach [Karl Dorrell] is certain to have a bearing on [Matt] Schaub’s performance. And Schaub’s performance may be as important of a story as there is in the AFC South this season.”

Now: I don’t think Dorrell did a bad job, but he certainly didn’t help stop a late-season slide for Schaub, who finally got into some big games and didn’t perform particularly well in them. All three coaches didn’t do well enough to get Schaub to play up to the moment.

Indianapolis Colts

Then: “Can [offensive line coach Harold] Goodwin help the new group jell and have it provide quality protection for Andrew Luck and some push for a group of unproven running backs?”

Now: The line was not good, but Goodwin did not have a lot to work with. Given the patchwork nature of the group and some injuries that forced lineup shifts, I’d say Goodwin did good work. Bruce Arians certainly thought so, as he took him to Arizona to be his offensive coordinator. Goodwin’s been replaced by Joe Gilbert, who served as Goodwin’s assistant last year.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Then: “[Receivers coach Jerry] Sullivan and those receivers are all reliant on improvement from quarterback Blaine Gabbert. But they are all reasons the team expects that improvement, too.”

Now: Laurent Robinson did little before he was sidetracked by concussions and Justin Blackmon took a long time to get going. But ultimately Sullivan, a good get by Mike Mularkey as he put together his staff, did good work with Blackmon and Cecil Shorts and he was held over by new coach Gus Bradley.

Tennessee Titans

Then: “An improved pass rush is a must if the Titans' defense is going to improve. [Pass rush coach Keith] Millard will be right in the middle of what happens, or what doesn’t, in that department.”

Now: The Titans jumped from 28 sacks in 2011 to 39 in 2012 with non-defensive linemen contributing 13.5. Young linebackers Akeem Ayers and Zach Brown certainly got better as rushers later in the year, a good sign regarding Millard’s influence.