JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars have shuffled their secondary again, creating the 13th different starting combination in the last 23 games.

It’s a staggering number of personnel changes that have led to communication failure, busted coverage, big plays and, well, more personnel changes.

The latest one has Dwight Lowery replacing Courtney Greene at free safety as Jacksonville (1-1) prepares to play Carolina (0-2) on Sunday. The Jaguars believe it might just settle the defensive backfield.

“Whatever nucleus we develop, we need to develop it soon and get the guys on the field that we trust,” cornerback Rashean Mathis said. “Whether it’s this four or the four before, we need to jell together to make this team successful. As soon as we develop a nucleus on the back end and chemistry, it will just make us better as a defence.”

Lowery could be the final piece to solidifying what was one of the worst pass defences in the league last season. The Jaguars used six different safeties in 2010 — Greene, Gerald Alexander, Don Carey, Sean Considine, Reggie Nelson and Anthony Smith — and couldn’t find success with any combination.

They signed free agent Dawan Landry during training camp, then acquired Lowery in a trade with the New York Jets a week before the opener. Both could be tested against Cam Newton and the Panthers, who lead the NFL with 16 pass plays of at least 20 yards.

“I feel ready,” Lowery said. “This is my fourth year. I understand the game a lot more. Things slowed down for me over the past couple years. I’m confident in that and I’m also confident in my teammates and coaching staff and getting me to play the defence and do the things that they want me to do out there.”

Coach Jack Del Rio said he benched Greene because Lowery is a more traditional free safety who is capable of ranging from sideline to sideline and tracking receivers across the field.

“Courtney Greene’s been filling that role, but he’s really ideally a strong safety and he’s been doing a good job over there playing somewhat out of position,” Del Rio said. “But doing a good job as a strong playing in the free role, and we’re going to move on and play Lowery.”

Greene handled the demotion well, saying he expects to play more on special teams while waiting for a chance to get back on the field every down.

“I’ve been in this position before,” Greene said. “It’s frustrating, obviously. I’m just working to get back out there. … In this league, things change. Week to week, everything changes, and obviously they wanted to go a different route. As long as we’re winning, I’m all for it.”

The Jaguars have taken several different routes in the last 23 games.

Mathis and fellow cornerback Derek Cox have, for the most part, been staples in the starting lineup. Sure, Mathis missed five games in 2009 because of a broken finger and a groin injury, and Cox was benched for a few weeks last season and missed a game because of a pulled hamstring.

But compared to the safety position, Mathis and Cox are sure things every Sunday.

The constant turnover and fluctuating lineups have been vexing to say the least. The Jaguars ranked 28th in the league in pass defence last season, allowing the third most pass plays of at least 20 yards (58) and the second most of at least 40 yards (13).

“It’s a challenge,” Mathis said. “Just from the communication standpoint, getting used to how a certain guy plays, knowing what to expect from a certain guy, it creates a challenge. Frustrating it can be. But then you have to come back to the reality of NFL football and understand this is the game that we play.

“A revolving door at any position could be on a weekly basis, whether it’s an injury or from a front-office standpoint. The frustration has to be limited. As a pro, we have to check ourselves and understand that we still have to play football come Sunday.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—The Jacksonville Jaguars have shuffled their
secondary again, creating the 13th different starting combination in the last 23
games.

It’s a staggering number of personnel changes that have led to communication
failure, busted coverage, big plays and, well, more personnel changes.

The latest one has Dwight Lowery(notes) replacing Courtney Greene(notes) at free safety as
Jacksonville (1-1) prepares to play Carolina (0-2) on Sunday. The Jaguars
believe it might just settle the defensive backfield.

“Whatever nucleus we develop, we need to develop it soon and get the guys
on the field that we trust,” cornerback Rashean Mathis(notes) said. “Whether it’s
this four or the four before, we need to jell together to make this team
successful. As soon as we develop a nucleus on the back end and chemistry, it
will just make us better as a defense.”

Lowery could be the final piece to solidifying what was one of the worst
pass defenses in the league last season. The Jaguars used six different safeties
in 2010—Greene, Gerald Alexander(notes), Don Carey(notes), Sean Considine(notes), Reggie Nelson(notes) and
Anthony Smith(notes)—and couldn’t find success with any combination.

They signed free agent Dawan Landry(notes) during training camp, then acquired
Lowery in a trade with the New York Jets a week before the opener. Both could be
tested against Cam Newton and the Panthers, who lead the NFL with 16 pass plays
of at least 20 yards.

“I feel ready,” Lowery said. “This is my fourth year. I understand the
game a lot more. Things slowed down for me over the past couple years. I’m
confident in that and I’m also confident in my teammates and coaching staff and
getting me to play the defense and do the things that they want me to do out
there.”

Coach Jack Del Rio said he benched Greene because Lowery is a more
traditional free safety who is capable of ranging from sideline to sideline and
tracking receivers across the field.

“Courtney Greene’s been filling that role, but he’s really ideally a strong
safety and he’s been doing a good job over there playing somewhat out of
position,” Del Rio said. “But doing a good job as a strong playing in the free
role, and we’re going to move on and play Lowery.”

Greene handled the demotion well, saying he expects to play more on special
teams while waiting for a chance to get back on the field every down.

“I’ve been in this position before,” Greene said. “It’s frustrating,
obviously. I’m just working to get back out there. … In this league, things
change. Week to week, everything changes, and obviously they wanted to go a
different route. As long as we’re winning, I’m all for it.”

The Jaguars have taken several different routes in the last 23 games.

Mathis and fellow cornerback Derek Cox(notes) have, for the most part, been staples
in the starting lineup. Sure, Mathis missed five games in 2009 because of a
broken finger and a groin injury, and Cox was benched for a few weeks last
season and missed a game because of a pulled hamstring.

But compared to the safety position, Mathis and Cox are sure things every
Sunday.

The constant turnover and fluctuating lineups have been vexing to say the
least. The Jaguars ranked 28th in the league in pass defense last season,
allowing the third most pass plays of at least 20 yards (58) and the second most
of at least 40 yards (13).

“It’s a challenge,” Mathis said. “Just from the communication standpoint,
getting used to how a certain guy plays, knowing what to expect from a certain
guy, it creates a challenge. Frustrating it can be. But then you have to come
back to the reality of NFL football and understand this is the game that we
play.

“A revolving door at any position could be on a weekly basis, whether it’s
an injury or from a front-office standpoint. The frustration has to be limited.
As a pro, we have to check ourselves and understand that we still have to play
football come Sunday.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Aaron Kampman(notes) is following protocol. He’s skipping
practice, working extra with team trainers and wearing a full brace on his right
leg.

It’s not what he wants to do.

It’s what he has to do.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are being extra cautious with their top
pass-rusher, giving his knee more time to heal before putting the former Pro
Bowler back on the field. He’s not going to play Sunday at the New York Jets and
isn’t sure he will be back on the field this month.

“Everyone wants a timeline; I want a timeline,” Kampman said Wednesday.
“But it’s not like you can give me X number of days and OK, here we go. I have
an irritated knee, I’ve had an irritated knee and we’re trying a different
method now.”

The new course calls for more rest, more rehabilitation and more time on the
sideline.

It’s certainly not ideal for the Jaguars (1-0), who have high hopes for
their revamped defense. Jacksonville ranked 30th in the league last season with
26 sacks.

Kampman’s return was supposed to bolster the line. He missed the final eight
games last year after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
He had surgery in November and spent the offseason trying to get back to full
speed. He expected the recovery to be similar to his left knee, which he injured
in November 2009.

But that hasn’t been the case.

“I’ve realized that it’s pretty unique to go through two of them in two
years,” Kampman said. “I’m trying to put that in perspective and realize that
you can’t always compare everything to (2009). That’s what my tendency wants to
do. I’m kind of rolling with it and trying to help the team the best I can by
not being on the field.”

Without Kampman, the Jaguars got off to a decent start in Sunday’s opener
against Tennessee. They sacked Matt Hasselbeck(notes) twice in the first half and kept
steady pressure on him.

Coach Jack Del Rio believes his defense is better prepared to play without
Kampman than it was a year ago.

The Jaguars parted ways with 2008 first-round draft pick Derrick Harvey(notes) and
signed free agent Matt Roth(notes) to a one-year deal worth $3 million. Roth recorded a
sack on the game’s first play. They also have high-motor ends Jeremy Mincey(notes) and
John Chick(notes).

Mincey led the team with five sacks last season, and Chick is a former
defensive player of the year in the Canadian Football League.

“A lot more experience, a lot more bodies,” Mincey said. “You can’t go
wrong with that.”

Chick could be the X-factor.

Jacksonville signed him to the practice squad last week, then promoted him
to the active roster after one practice. The move was done partly because of
Kampman’s slow recovery and partly because of what general manager Gene Smith
believes Chick can do.

The Jaguars tried to sign Chick in 2010, but he chose Indianapolis instead.
The Colts offered Chick a larger signing bonus, and it kept him closer to home
in Wyoming. Chick spent all last season on Indianapolis’ practice squad,
watching and learning from Dwight Freeney(notes) and Robert Mathis(notes).

When the Colts waived him in final roster cuts, Chick got several offers to
rejoin the CFL. He turned them down for another chance to play in the NFL.

“Very thankful for the journey,” said Chick, who has a wife, four young
children and another one on the way. “We had a great time in the CFL. Loved the
football, loved everything about it. It was a learning opportunity and I’m
looking forward to what’s ahead.”

It could be more playing time.

He played 18 snaps against the Titans, mostly on obvious passing downs, and
finished with one tackle.

“He did a nice job,” Del Rio said. “He got here and picked things up
quick. John was able to carve out a little role for himself and he had some
effective plays.”

Nonetheless, the Jaguars are counting on Kampman to return soon. When,
though, is the team’s most pressing concern.

“I sure hope (it’s this month),” Kampman said. “I really don’t know. If I
could say absolutely, or if I could say I don’t know, I would.”

Evans wrapped up its spring practice on Monday with San Diego Chargers linebacker Brandon Siler (Evans/UF), Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker (Edgewater/UCF) and former NFL running back Alex Haynes (Evans/UCF) on the field with players at Barnett Bank.

“It’s inspiring to have players like that out here talking to us,” said Dominic Walker, a junior receiver for the Trojans.

Siler was fired up, charging out onto the field several times to coach up defensive players in between plays.

New Evans head coach Chip Gierke said all three former Orlando high school stars stressed the importance of taking care of school work and that was a message Gierke repeated at the end of the workout.

“It’s not good enough to just be an Evans football player,” Gierke said with his team huddled around him. “We want the total package.”

Read More: Bob Sanders (DB – IND), Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this morning that recently released S Bob Sanders will be meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars later today:

Former Colts S Bob Sanders is in Jacksonville, visiting Jags today. As a released player, Sanders is free to sign w/ a team until March 3.

The Jaguars are obviously very familiar with what a healthy Sanders can do on the field, being in the same division as the Colts. This could be the first of 3 stops inside the AFC South for Sanders, as all could be potential landing spots for the former Defensive Player of the Year.