Portland Timbers Player Rankings #11: Jack Jewsbury

Jack Jewsbury comes in at #11 in our player rankings. Captain Jack has been a mainstay in Portland's lineup since he was acquired from Sporting Kansas City before the start of the 2011 season. This year not only was Jewsbury used as a central midfielder but also as a right back in the middle of the season when the outside back situation looked like it would become Portland's own version of the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. His stay at right back was brief and he was switched back to the center of the pitch once Kosuke Kimura was acquired.

Jewsbury played in 32 games, starting 31, scoring 3 goals and passing for 4 assists. One of his goals will most likely be the only goal Portland Timbers fans remember from the 2012 season when he struck the game winner in Vancouver to secure the Cascadia Cup.

Should he stay?

Even though Captain Jack's production was half of his 2011 production he still contributed to the team's success (when there was success) during the 2012 season. The drop in production can be attributed to the fact that he did not take a majority of the set pieces this year and that his role as a central midfielder shifted away from joining the attack as often as he did in 2011. With all of that said, Captain Jack can still offer more to this team -- even though his minutes may be drastically lower than his previous two seasons -- because he can play multiple positions. The only drawback would be his salary in relation to the minutes he may earn; of course, it all depends on what Caleb Porter sees in Jack and where he would be used.