For most of the past few years, the Cincinnati Bengals have been thought of as the NFL team having the most players with the most off-field problems.  But news of the shooting of offensive lineman Richard Collier has prompted some league insiders to wonder whether the Jacksonville Jaguars have supplanted them.

Since we started tracking arrests and convictions/guilty pleas in February 2007, ten different Jaguars players have been arrested:  Charles Sharon, Gerald Sensabaugh (twice), Ahmad Carroll, Khalif Barnes, Justin Durant, Richard Collier, Stocker McDougle, Brett Hawkins, Matt Jones, and Fred Taylor.

And these incidents all weren’t the garden-variety marijuana possession or DUI charges.  Sharon was arrested for grand theft of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.   Carroll was arrested for possession of ecstasy and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.  McDougle was busted for felony battery on a person over the age of 65.  And Jones was pinched for possession of cocaine.

So why has this happened?  As one league source opined, “They take chances.  And I don’t think they have any good veteran leadership.”

The source also pointed out that Jack Del Rio has a reputation for being a players’ coach, and that Shack Harris has a reputation for being a players’ G.M.  As a result, there’s no one there to either weed out the potential bad guys or to straighten them out once they get there.  (Assistant head coach Mike Tice should recommend a team boat trip as a good way to improve things.)

The bottom line is that the Jaguars have been every bit as bad of late, if not worse, than the Bengals or any other team.  Unfortunately, it has taken the shooting of one of the team’s players to get people to really start focusing on the situation.