Jaguars' Babin undergoes groin surgery
JACKSONVILLE -- News wasn't good for defensive end Jason Babin last week when he got a second opinion on a groin injury that has been bothering him during the Jacksonville Jaguars' OTAs.
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley confirmed that the veteran defensive end had surgery on Tuesday to correct the problem.
"He went to Philadelphia, got a second opinion and he had the surgery," Bradley said. "He won't be back for mini-camp but he will be ready to go. I guess it went really well. (Team trainer) Mike (Ryan) just confirmed that with me, so it went really well."
Babin joined the Jaguars in late November last year after he was waived by Philadelphia. The ninth-year pro was leading the Eagles in sacks (5.5) at the time and had added 30 QB pressures.
He started the last five weeks of the season in Jacksonville, recording 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks while forcing two fumbles and recovering one. Babin was brought in to bolster a weak Jaguars pass rush, but only managed the sack and a half in five games.
Bradley indicated that second-year player Andre Branch would see more time at the end position with Babin out until training camp in late July.
--The Jaguars did not endorse the idea of playing more than one game a year in London that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested at an appearance in New York on Tuesday.
Goodell said that the league could ask the Jaguars to play two games a year in London, one of which would be a home game, the other as the visiting team.
Jacksonville has committed to playing one game a year in London for the next four years. A spokesman for the Jaguars on Tuesday said, "Our focus is on the one game per year that we are committed to play there the next four years. That's all we're thinking about."
There are currently two NFL games scheduled for London the next couple of years. But the commissioner made reference to expanding that to three such games. "If we go to three London games, what we'll likely do is ask Jacksonville potentially to play two or ask three different teams to host," Goodell said.
A team would be placed at a competitive disadvantage if it had to play two games in London each year. When a team plays a game overseas, it has a bye week after the game to recover from the jet lag. Unless a team was to play successive Sundays in London -- which London authorities would likely not welcome -- it would have to play the following Sunday upon return from London as it couldn't receive a second bye week.
Jacksonville is scheduled to play San Francisco in London on Oct. 27 this year and then will have a bye the following Sunday.
