JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Here are five observations from the Jaguars' training camp.

Camp Classic Moment

Scores of stories have been written about "Camp Coughlin," the annual summer sessions in which the Jaguars coach conducts some of the toughest and most physical training camps in the league. But it was in a non-contact situation last year that offensive right tackle Leon Searcy ruptured the quadriceps tendon in his right knee, an injury that sidelined the former Pro Bowl blocker for the season. The injury occurred in the first 15 minutes of the initial practice of camp and set the tone for what would be a disastrous season for the Jacksonville offensive line and the team in general. It would be hyperbole to suggest that all of the team's problems in 2000 could be traced back to the loss of Searcy on the opening day of camp, but the injury certainly cast a pall over the team. "When you lose a warrior like that the first day, it kind of makes you stop and wonder if things aren't going to go your way," said wide receiver Jimmy Smith. "(Searcy) was one of the leaders on this team and we missed him on the field and in the locker room." Veteran players who were with the team last season recall seeing Searcy's knee just crumble beneath him in a pass-block drill, the tackle screaming in pain as he went down. The loss of Searcy forced Coughlin to shuffle his line, moving guard Zach Wiegert out to tackle, and the season deteriorated into a maddening game of musical chairs for the once-stable unit. Searcy departed the Jaguars this spring, signing with AFC Central rival Baltimore. During a press conference two months ago he ripped Coughlin, although not by name, for the tough training camps the Jacksonville players had to endure. — Len Pasquarelli

1. Even with the line still unsettled and the status of wide receiver Jimmy Smith uncertain for the regular-season opener, the Jacksonville offense figures to score points in 2001. So how do we deduce this? Because it is one of the great constants of the NFL over the past several seasons. Let's face it, the situation on offense can't be any worse than it was in 2000, when the blocking unit lost right tackle Leon Searcy the first day of camp and the line had to be shuffled on a regular basis. Quarterback Mark Brunell was a walking welt, and the Jaguars still managed to finish seventh in the league in total offense, the same spot they held in 1999, and No. 8 in scoring. In Brunell, tailback Fred Taylor and wide receivers Smith and Keenan McCardell, the Jaguars still have an estimable collection of offensive playmakers. Brunell has dropped off a bit the last couple years, but the southpaw remains one of the top 6-7 players at his position. In this league, if you've got a trigger man and a tandem of wide receivers like Smith and McCardell, you're going to put up some points. Second-year wide receiver R. Jay Soward has looked good early in camp but must sit out a four-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. One red flag is the status of Brunell's throwing elbow. He missed practice Tuesday, with coach Tom Coughlin citing "wear and tear" and, if the Jaguars don't have him, then they are in big trouble.

2. Taylor is arguably the best tailback in the league to never finish a complete 16-game schedule. He might be the best tailback, period, but we'll never know that until he successfully gets through a year without the kind of nagging injuries that have forced him to miss 10 games in three seasons. This is clearly a different, more potent team with Taylor in the lineup. In addition to being a very creative runner, he has the long speed to score from virtually anywhere on the field and is also an accomplished receiver. The problem for Jacksonville this year, as it was in 2000, is that there is no proven backup to Taylor on the roster. A couple years ago when Taylor got hurt, Coughlin could simply plug former starter James Stewart into the lineup and know that he would get a workmanlike performance. But Stewart exited in free agency to Detroit and neither Stacey Mack nor Shyrone Stith have come close to replacing him. Notable is that Mack is in some trouble with Coughlin, having been recently arrested for soliciting oral sex from an undercover policewoman.

3. Maybe the biggest problem for the Jaguars is a defense that lacks speed, especially in the back seven. First-year coordinator Gary Moeller has dramatically simplified the scheme and will count more on individual matchups than did predecessor Dom Capers. But when your players don't run well, schematics hardly matter, and the Jaguars seem to be a step slow. Outside of Kevin Hardy, the linebackers are primarily run-stuffers. The secondary doesn't have enough playmakers and could be particularly vulnerable at the safety spot. Fourth-year strong safety and former No. 1 pick Donovin Darius certainly looks the part, but is more like a linebacker playing out of place in the defensive backfield. Free safety Carnell Lake is coming off foot surgery that sidelined him the entire 2000 season and, even before the injury had lost the ability to consistently get to the ball. While his leadership is a nice element, the fact is that Lake has never posted more than four interceptions in a season. The best of the secondary players is left cornerback Fernando Bryant, who is looking to rebound from a subpar 2000. Three rookie defenders who will merit increased playing time as the season wears on are safeties James Boyd (No. 3b) and Marlon McCree (No. 7a) and linebacker Eric Westmoreland (No. 3a). All are good hitters and can run well to the ball.

4. Despite some local criticism, it says here that Coughlin made a wise move in the first round in choosing defensive tackle Marcus Stroud of Georgia over offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker of Florida. Not that Walker won't be a terrific player in the NFL, because he will be. But the Jags, who surrendered seven 100-yard rushing games in 2000, desperately needed an inside plugger and the mammoth Stroud fills the bill. Stroud suffered a minor setback during a Tuesday session when he broke his hand in a brief scuffle with backup offensive lineman Mark Baniewicz, but it won't hold him back for long. He is a man-mountain, a young and still-developing player who fills a doorframe when he enters a room. Someone recently referred to his weight as 304 pounds, but that might have been what he weighed at birth, because the guy is simply big all over. Chances are good that Stroud, who already is penciled into the starting lineup, won't even reach 40 tackles as a rookie. No big deal. He will consistently command double-team blocking, make a better player of tackle partner Gary Walker and permit rush-end Tony Brackens to play one-on-one with left tackles around the league. You don't win without someone bouncing folks around inside, and Stroud should be the Jaguars' bouncer for the next 10 years.

5. Probably because of last year's 7-9 record, the injuries the Jaguars sustained, a well-documented offseason battle to squeeze under the salary cap and an aging nucleus, the perception is that this is a team on the downside of the hill. Granted, the window of opportunity is sliding shut, but no one should underestimate a club still capable of a wild card spot. Coughlin and his staff have to figure a way to contend with two powerhouse teams in the same division, Baltimore and Tennessee, for sure. Still, the Jaguars return 20 of 22 starters and still have enough bullets to cause problems for every team on their schedule. The air of quiet confidence on Tuesday was palpable. And while his critics are many, the rigid Coughlin knows how to prepare a team. When the Jags were 2-6 at the midway point of last season, naysayers suggested the team had quit on Coughlin, that his words were falling on deaf ears. Jacksonville rallied to win five of six contests at one stretch, and actually clawed its way back into playoff contention, before losing its last two games. There are some holes with the Jags, and the salary cap woes have rendered depth non-existent, but no one should bet against a nine-win season.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.