A Uncomfortable Decision

Heyneke Meyer has finally been appointed as coach of the Springbok rugby team. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the right man for the job.

The question is whether he has the horns to make a tough decision straight out of the gates. What I am referring to is the report that some of the senior players have intimated that they will return if Meyer is appointed. Those players are Blue Bull stalwarts in Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Fourie Du Preez.

Quite apart from the age factor, which is the subject of further discussion below, I am concerned about the continuation of what I believe may have been an achilles heel of the Springboks for the past 4 years, that is a small cabal of senior players running the show with the coach an amusing spectator (and sideshow). Now I believe that may have developed out of necessity, whether it was due to the incompetence of Die Snor or a laissez faire approach to coaching. However, the fact remains that there was an unhealthy atmosphere of the prisoners running the prison instead of the warders!

Turning to their age, it is an imutable fact of sport that players' skills diminish with the advancing years and young talent must always be infused into teams. One only needs to cast one's mind back to that game against the Welsh in the 2011 World Cup (after we heard that drivel about the the team being the most capped team in the history of the World Cup) and the team looked decidely flat. As soon as Bismarck Du Preez and Francois Hoegaard were added to the mix, there was an immediate and discernable spark.

In addition thereto, we must avoid the spectre of young talent becoming despondent and looking to the English and French (and to a lesser extent, Japanese) shores to ply their sporting trade.

In the result, Meyer must make a tough decision and politely decline the invitation extended by his former players to make themselves available. Francois Hoegaard must be given the 9 jersey now! Frikkie Van Der Merwe must develop into the enforcer in the engine room. Bismarck as hooker and Andries Bekker as the lineout specialist (taken over from Matfield).

Schalkie must captain this side, he commands absolute respect for the manner in which he plays the game. Although mention has been made of Pierre Spies, I cannot believe that he would regarded in the same light as Schalk.

Personally, I also happen to think that that would send a much needed message to the Blue Bulls based Springboks that this is not an old boys club ("maak al die Bulle Bokke"). That much is clear after the debacle under De Villiers.

We await Meyer's first move!Dog of the Law Blog

Jaguars GM Gene Smith is determined to fix the WR corps this offseason — both via the draft and free agency. Once Smith ranks the available free agents, expect the Jaguars to land whomever they view as the top guy. Jacksonville proved last offseason that it is willing to overspend — and has plenty of cash to burn — so it is unlikely to be outbid, we hear. An interesting caveat to watch for will be whether Smith is willing to brush aside character concerns to acquire a talented receiver who may come with baggage (think Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, etc.).

It is fairly apparent that the team will be out of the running to draft Justin Blackmon who is projected to go as high as 2^nd overall to the WR needy Rams. I cannot see Gene Smith trading up for a second year in a row and sacrificing much needed picks when there is a fine crop of free agent WRs.

At the top of the list are Vincent Jackson (who has been a beast for the Chargers) and the Eagles’s DeShaun Jackson (who revealed a tempestuous nature in 2011 whilst pouting for a new contract which never materialised). The latter Jackson would immediately upgrade two positions, namely WR (with blinding speed to boot) as well as the return game. However one suspects that Gene may be put off by DeShaun Jackson’s penchant to tune out if he believes that he is underpaid. That said, there is no question of off-field baggage.

To that end, Vincent Jackson has some baggage although he has cleaned up his act. They were alcohol related DUI offences. He has been clean for a while.

I believe that the next tier of free agents at the position are Marques Colsten and Robert Meachem who are both from the Saints. The Saints will have to sign Drew Brees to a monster deal this offseason so look for them to lose at least one of these guys. Meachem is the speed guy who would stretch the field but Colsten (449 catches, 48 TD catches and 6,240 receiving yards) is the bigger threat who can do it all.

Dwayne Bowe (a graduate of Bob’s beloved LSU) is similar player to Colsten but the Chiefs may need to lock him up to be relevant.

The last free agent prospect in the second tier is the Colts Reggie Wayne who is now just over 30 yrs old. He is the crafty veteran who has two or three good years left. Given the fact that the Colts appear to be in full rebuilding mode (watch for Payton to be released if he does not agree to extend the deadline for the payment of the $28 million payment at the start of the league year in March), Reggie Wayne may not be resigned. They have other priorities (like DE Robert Mathis).

IMHO the Jaguars need two free agent WRs, one speed guy who could stretch a defence vertically (like DeShaun Jackson or Robert Meachem) as well as a physical inside threat like Colston or Vincent Jackson.

The added benefit of doing this is that it allows the team the benefit of continuing its best available player approach to the draft. That may follow one of two routes:

1.     Stay pat at the 7^th pick and select Morris Claiborne (CB – LSU) if he falls to them with the obsession over RGB III and the possibility of an eye popping workout by Quentin Coples (DE – UNC) at the combine.

2.     Trade down with a team that may be interested in acquiring Coples and/or Claiborne or Dre Kirkpatrick (CB – Alabama) and then select Alshon Jeffrey (WR – South Carolina who is 6-3 and 227 pounds) or Kendell Wright (WR – Baylor), the latter of which had a year to rival Blackmon whilst teaming up with RBG III. He also happens to have jet packs on his feet to boot!

More to follow ….