One positive: There will be no distractions from the media touting the Jaguars as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

"The most refreshing thing is I know we won't have any of that talk during the offseason," the Jags' head coach said earlier this week at the NFL owners meeting.

Getting caught up in such hype — Del Rio describes it as players "spending time talking about something as opposed to working on the details" — was just one of the reasons these Jaguars lost their roar in 2008. Jacksonville was a mess on virtually every level, slumping from a second-round playoff team in 2007 to last place in the AFC South at 5-11.

The fallout from such a decline is significant. The front office was restructured, with Del Rio now on the hot seat after being stripped of the personnel power he had acquired. The roster was expunged of players considered trouble in the locker room or off the field. And the bold approach toward free agency the Jaguars took last offseason was replaced by a build-through-the-draft philosophy espoused by new general manager Gene Smith.

Even the Jaguars uniforms will be different as the franchise tries to rebound from what Del Rio admits was "a bad year."

"Clearly, this train got off track," he said. "We need to get it back on."

Jacksonville seemed poised for a championship run after a strong end to the 2007 season that included a playoff victory at Pittsburgh. But the Jaguar Express began getting derailed early in the ensuing offseason.

Jacksonville signed wide receiver Jerry Porter and cornerback Drayton Florence to free-agent contracts that included roughly $20 million combined in guaranteed money. This was disastrous on several fronts. Porter and Florence never proved worth such big paydays because of injuries and mediocre play. The signings also created resentment among Jaguars veterans who thought they too should be financially rewarded.

"When you don't pay a handful of guys whose contracts are expiring and you are paying a couple that come in and don't prove to be the right kind of guys, it disrupts things," Del Rio said.

The Jags have since parted ways with Peterson (Atlanta) and Taylor (New England), both of whom signed elsewhere. To replace Taylor, the Jags have elevated Maurice Jones-Drew into the starting lineup and plan to give fullback Greg Jones an expanded role carrying the football a la Baltimore's Le'Ron McClain. Jones-Drew led Jacksonville in rushing last season while scoring a career-high 12 touchdowns.

"I think you'll see some of his leadership skills emerge with the void created," Del Rio said. "He never really wanted to step on Fred's toes. Now that Fred's not there, it's going to open the door for Maurice to be more assertive."

Del Rio also remains steadfast in his support of David Garrard. Signed to an offseason contract extension last year that included $20 million guaranteed, Garrard didn't play like a franchise quarterback for most of 2008. Del Rio, though, said that was largely because Garrard didn't have a strong supporting cast.

"I think David has done a heck of a job with what he's been dealing with," said Del Rio, who in 2006 made the then-controversial decision to start Garrard ahead of Byron Leftwich.

"We've got to do a better job bringing in some weapons. He's really not had that guy outside who you get the ball in his hands and he gives you some (yards after catch) ... David's capable of doing some good things. He's the right kind of guy."

Del Rio needs more of them, especially at wide receiver (veteran Torry Holt recently took a visit but didn't sign). Besides Garrard and Jones-Drew, Del Rio cited cornerback Rashean Mathis, linebacker Justin Durant, tight end Marcedes Lewis and defensive tackle John Henderson as blocks in the foundation Jacksonville is trying to build.

Del Rio is trying to last through the reconstruction. James "Shack" Harris, who was hired along with Del Rio in 2003, resigned as Jacksonville's vice president of player personnel following last season. If the Jags don't show signs of improvement this year, Del Rio may also be out the door.

"We're going to get back to the fundamentals," said Del Rio, who has made offseason conditioning a focus under new strength coach Luke Richardson. "I think you can get away from the little things that make the difference and the work that needs to be done ... I've taken very detailed notes on what occurred and look to be better going forward."

Even if a Super Bowl berth seems much further away than at this time last year.

Alex Marvez will be co-hosting from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday on Sirius NFL Radio, Channel 124.