Is Jones tough enough?

Matt Jones is getting a reputation in Jacksonville for being soft. Lower leg injuries continue to bother the former quarterback, as he missed three weeks of OTA work because of hamstring injuries. Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford surprisingly opened the offseason as the team’s starters, which looks like Jack Del Rio trying to send a message to Jones. It doesn’t appear to have taken hold.

My initial projections for Jones were optimistic, but our buddy Mike Dempsey at 1010XL in Jacksonville doesn’t believe he’ll ever be consistent. Dempsey has kicked my fantasy teams around enough to listen closely. He also believes Mike Walker, the team’s third-round pick, has a big future with the team. Walker had a setback in his recovery from his ACL surgery that may slow down his rookie year, but he could start in 2008. When you throw Dennis Northcutt into the mix, it’s quite possible all the Jacksonville receivers will cancel each other out. Again.

The friction between Byron Leftwich and Jack Del Rio is getting a lot of attention in the press, but it’s not a huge story. Leftwich will have the job if healthy. Staying on the field has been his biggest problem the last two years.