Kampman Relegated to Part-Time Role With Jaguars

It’s one of the reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Kampman to a four-year, $26 million contract last year.

Now, after ending the last two seasons on injured reserve, his role is changing.

Kampman will be a part-time player for the Jaguars in 2011. Coach Jack Del Rio said Saturday the former Pro Bowl defensive end will play about 45 snaps a game, way less than the 70 or so he has averaged throughout his career.

“The idea of having him roll through there for 70, 75 snaps game-in and game-out, I’m not sure how much he’d have left at the end of the year if we approached it that way,” Del Rio said.

Kampman seems OK with the decision, at least publicly.

“I’ve tried all offseason to get my mind around that,” Kampman said, adding that he’s not sure how firm the 45-play limit will be. “I do think it’s obviously wise that we do what’s best for the team. I’ve always played high 90s as far as percentage of the game, but if it makes more sense and I’m more effective and the rest of the D-line is more effective, then we’re going to do that.”

Kampman missed the final seven games in 2009 with Green Bay after tearing a ligament in his left knee. He signed with Jacksonville the following year and pushed to be ready for training camp and the season opener. He did, but he missed the final eight games of the season after tearing a ligament in his right knee.

The Jaguars beefed up the defensive line by signing Matt Roth on Friday. Roth has 20 sacks in seven seasons, the first five in Miami and the last two in Cleveland. They also expect more from second-year players Tyson Alualu, Austen Lane and D’Anthony Smith as well as third-year starter Terrance Knighton.

“The arrow is pointing upward,” Del Rio said. “Anytime you can increase your talent base and guys are working their way back into a healthy position it helps strengthen you and so I feel like we’ve fortified ourselves recently.”

Keeping Kampman healthy might do even more for a defensive line that recorded 26 sacks last season. Taking him off the field for some plays some could be the best way to make it happen.

“It’s more probably a pride issue for myself because I’ve always loved to be on the field,” Kampman said. “I’ve always loved to just be a guy that never comes off, but I think the reality is if it helps our team, if I’m fresher and able to mount a better rush in crucial situations then absolutely I think it’s a wise move.”

Kampman has been more cautious with his recovery this time around. He was held out of 11-on-11 situations and full-contact drills during the first two weeks of training camp and didn’t even make the trip to New England for Thursday’s preseason opener. Del Rio said he will start getting Kampman involved in team drills Saturday night, but said he won’t play in next week’s exhibition against Atlanta.

Kampman welcomed the extra rest, but said “it’s always good to get your feet wet” before the regular season.

One thing that would bother him is being on the sideline in crunch time, something he’s never done at any level of football.

“That would be a tough one to swallow,” he said. “Again, whatever is going to be best for our team. The reality is that you’ve got to earn a spot on this team to be able to be one of those four guys that’s going to rush on third down or in definite passing situations, so there are no free tickets for that one, myself included. Our best guys have to be out there when we need to get after the quarterback in passing situations.”

Jaguars TE Lewis Signs 5-Year, $35M Contract

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Pro Bowl tight end Marcedes Lewis has signed a five-year contract worth about $35 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Lewis will get nearly $17 million guaranteed.

The Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Lewis after he caught 58 passes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns — all career highs — in 2010. The 6-foot-6, 262-pounder signed a one-year tender worth $7.28 million, the average salary of the five highest-paid tight ends in the league.

The NFL lockout prevented Lewis’ agent and the Jaguars from working out a long-term deal, and Lewis skipped the first five days of training camp while waiting for a new deal. He reported Monday, but sat out full-contact drills while the contract was being negotiated. He signed it Friday morning and should practice soon.

A Meaningful December for the Colts

But next Sunday, , should provide an answer to a question that has hung over much of the season: Is this the end of the ’ remarkable playoff streak with ?

The ’ on Sunday set up that rarest of events: a meaningful late-December game for the Colts. At this time last year . The answer came on Dec. 27, when the Colts pulled Manning in the third quarter against the Jets. That allowed the Jets to come back to win and begin their stunning playoff run, which made them Super Bowl favorites — perhaps prematurely — this season.

Not this year for Indianapolis. The Jaguars are 8-5 and lead the A.F.C. South, one game ahead of the Colts, who must win out to ensure themselves a playoff spot. In peril is the Colts’ postseason streak, which stretches to eight seasons. That puts Manning in league with , who took the to the postseason eight straight times; , who did it with the 49ers seven times; and Terry Bradshaw, who went with the eight times, although in 1974 Joe Gilliam wound up as their leading passer.

Still, Manning’s struggles in the Colts’ recent three-game losing streak — he threw 11 of his 15 interceptions (including four that were returned for touchdowns in two games) — have captivated an audience that is used to his machinelike consistency. , which included a familiarly flawless Manning performance (25 of 35 for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions), pulled some fingers off the panic button, but Sunday’s showdown with the Jaguars, who have given the Colts trouble in the past, will stand as the litmus test of the season.

The Colts’ biggest concern this week is probably not how their offense will perform — it generally does well against Jacksonville — but how often it will get the ball. The Jaguars, with an impressive running game and quarterback David Garrard excelling on third down, can play keep-away better than most opponents. When they met in Week 4, each team had nine possessions. But against the Giants — the Colts’ best performance of the season — the Colts had 12 possessions. Against the , they had 10.

Still, , the former quarterback who is now an analyst, watched every one of Manning’s passes from four games this season and saw “absolutely zero” indication that Manning might be losing something off his throws.

“I watched mechanics and ball speed and all that stuff,” Dilfer said. “There’s nothing. There’s not one iota of drop-off.”

That should not be surprising. Manning started the season with 15 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions, and there were early-season murmurs that this could be his best season.

The problem, then, seems to be something Manning’s former coach distilled simply on : Manning is pressing because since that early-season run, the Colts have been decimated by injuries, forcing young, inexperienced players into critical roles and making the Colts even more reliant on Manning than they traditionally have been.

The Colts are passing on 64.1 percent of plays, a significant uptick from the 61.3 percent they passed last season, when they went to the Super Bowl. They were especially lopsided during the three-game losing streak as Manning threw 52, 48 and 48 passes, versus 20, 13 and 17 runs.

“They’re not running the ball real well,” Giants quarterback said. “He’s in a tough spot having to throw it every down, and teams know it.”

That’s a bad formula no matter who is playing offense. It’s especially dangerous when there is a rotating cast of characters, some of whom, Manning acknowledged with a laugh after Thursday’s game, are so unfamiliar that if he had been told before the season they would be playing, he would have said the Colts were in trouble.

The Colts have 16 players on injured reserve, including tight end Dallas Clark, receiver Anthony Gonzalez and six safeties. Running back Joseph Addai has missed seven games, and receiver Austin Collie has missed five.

The Colts have a staggering 19 undrafted free agents on the active roster (including seven undrafted rookies, part of their 14 rookies). And there are 10 players who were not on any team’s active roster on opening day, including receiver Blair White, who against the Titans , earning what appeared to be a screed from Manning that would make his ears bleed. Things may even get worse.