Manning, Johnson Helping the Jaguars
I know that we've been talking a lot about Peyton Manning on the site lately, so; here's my promise. This is the last time I'll talk extensively about Peyton Manning and the possibility of him missing the start of the regular season. It's a real possibility, and it would help the Jaguars a lot if the Colts were digging out of a hole to start the season.
Peyton Manning isn't the only player that could be absent week 1. Chris Johnson is still a holdout from the Titans' camp, and it's starting to look like there's a possibility that he could miss the season opener against the Jaguars. That would likely cripple the Titans' offensive attack.
CJ2K is now a distant memory to, and now it might be more appropriate to call him CJnoK. Chris Johnson will have a hard time negotiating a favorable contract considering the Titans' situation. That's because the Titans, in reality, shouldn't have Super Bowl, or even playoff, aspirations this year, so; they'll be less willing to pony up to bring in an extremely expensive player. Basically, he'll be a key part of the team when they're ready to make a playoff run ,but this is not that year.
Without Johnson in the lineup, the Jaguars will be able to focus more attention on making Jake Locker's (or Matt Hasselbeck's) life hell. They should be able to stuff early down runs, and load up for the pass. With the Jaguars' full defensive line rotation playing, they should be able to get to the quarterback early and often.
Peyton Manning's absence could help the Jaguars by giving them a head start, or at the very least an early season mulligan. With Manning out of the lineup, we could expect the Colts to drop a couple of early games, even after Manning returns. Let's face it, even the greats can get rusty. That would allow the Jaguars to drop some of their early season games, and let's not kid ourselves. I think it's likely that the Jaguars could be 2-2 or 3-3 after the early part of the season. With that kind of record, they'll need all the help they can get.
