Post by bullseye on May 23, 2017 6:50:53 GMT -5
The title of this forum is called "Jaguar playoffs," a defiant tribute to Jaguars fandom. I label it defiant because it flies in the face of the last ten years, during which time, the team has been far from playoff contention. Those last ten years would enable any Jaguars detractor or less confident Jaguars fan to point and say that is why this team can't make it.
But in a league that has seen teams jump from worst to first, it's theoretically possible for this team to contend. More substantively, however, this is clearly a more talented team than the one Caldwell inherited. But how could it happen? What would it take for this team to come together and sneak into the postseason for the first time since 2007? As the team begins OTAs today, here are my thoughts on how the Jaguars can go from not even pretenders to contenders:
1. Marrone has to establish his stamp on the team. We got an inkling of how the team might perform under Marrone the last two games of last year when he became interim coach. Even though they split those games, the quality of play those last two games surpassed any two game stretch last year, including the back to back wins over Indy in London and the sleepwalking win over Chicago. While I was not privy to the happenings in the locker room, most of the speculation is that Bradley was way too soft on the players, and that has been evident in some of the comments by the players this offseason and the actions of the team. Campbell states Marrone is "cut from the same cloth as Arians," Campbell's former coach in Arizona. Malik Jackson has been quoted as saying Marrone "...isn't taking any BS" which some may infer to mean Bradley DID take BS. Bradley took much criticism from players and fans for not demanding enough from his players. Marrone has to instill in his players that excellence, success, and winning are the only options. To that end, he has the backing of the team's new evp of football operations, noted disciplinarian, two time Super Bowl winning coach and first coach in team history Tom Coughlin, who shares his no nonsense approach, as evidenced by the removal of the ping pong table from the locker room.
2. Bortles has to perform better. In 2015, while there were still warts in Bortles' game, he showed considerable potential, shattering the team records for TD passes thrown in a season, and making some throws in his first two years that excited Jaguars fans. However, last season, he regressed a great deal. His accuracy fell off a cliff. He suffered some bad luck on some of his INTs. Some say he had some sort of mental issue, and it appeared he was pressing in many instances. Some attribute the regression to not training with his guys in California. Still others questioned his work ethic. Whatever the case, he has to perform to his capabilities. That said, the offense's regression was not just on him.
3. The offensive line has to perform better. In fairness, the sacks have been reduced over the past three years. However, that only tells a small part of the story. With very rare exceptions, the team was not able to run the ball at all. Short yardage was a complete lost cause. Furthermore, even though the sack numbers were down, the team was still woefully ill equipped to protect Bortles against the league's better pass rushes. Ostensibly, two of the team's higher profile acquisitions-veteran T Branden Albert and rookie 2nd round pick T Cam Robinson-will address those shortcomings. But the improvement has to come from more places than T. Cann, who once showed promise as a G, regressed last year. The other G spot was a revolving door of mediocrity. Some of the running game failures were attributable to the G play. Much of the speculation is that Robinson may slide inside to G if Albert approximates his pro bowl form. But whether he slides in at LT, LG, or even supplants RT Jermey Parnell, the OL as a whole must improve to the point where they are moving people off the ball and matching up better against the likes of Houston.
4. Fournette has to do his thing. Fournette has to be a legit impact player. He has to provide the running attack that Ivory and Yeldon did not. With improved blocking from the OL, and Fournette running with the kind of authority and anger he showed at LSU, Bortles will be in better down and distance situations, there will be more 8 in the box, more man to man opportunities for the Jaguars WRs, more big play chances, and presumably fewer turnovers that sabotage this team.
5. The defense has to improve. Yes, the defense made a statistical leap to the 5th overall defense last year. However, it was exploited in many instances. There were times-most notably in that two game stretch against Oakland and Tennessee-where the team did not stop the run. Too many times the team was unable to get a key stop when needed. The team could not get the pressure or the sack to get opponents off the field, nor could they force the turnovers needed to run games around in their favor. If Calais Campbell has another good year or two left in the tank, and can mentor guys like Ngakoue and especially former first round pick Dante Fowler, that will help with the pass rush and run defense. Furthermore, the team got next to nothing out of second round pick Myles Jack last year, though nobody blames Jack for that at all. This year, the team is dedicating itself to getting him on the field, going as far as to move former MLB Pozluszny to Sam, clearing the way for Jack to play inside and remain on the field for all three downs. Jack has to provide stoutness against the run and has to cover as well has he did in the brief glimpses we saw of him last year. A.J. Bouye can't be the latest FA miss. He has to be the CB he was last year at Houston, and allow the CBs to be a matchup win in most games, while Barry Church must be an upgrade over Cyprien. In short, the Jaguars' defense can't just be good on paper. They have to dominate and take over games, especially during those times the offense can't get it going. It has to be a catalyst to win.
6. Special teams can't be an unmitigated disaster any longer. With the possible exception of 2015, special teams have been a complete dumpster fire since 2013. costing the team multiple games a year with shoddy play. From long returns allowed against Detroit and Cincinnati, to blocked punts allowed against Cincinnati, to missed extra points, special teams ineptitude has kept this team mired in also ran status. Former special teams coordinator Mike Mallory was demoted to assistant, and noted longtime special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was brought in to get this part of the team under control.
7. The team needs to stay healthy. 'Nuff said.
Thoughts?
But in a league that has seen teams jump from worst to first, it's theoretically possible for this team to contend. More substantively, however, this is clearly a more talented team than the one Caldwell inherited. But how could it happen? What would it take for this team to come together and sneak into the postseason for the first time since 2007? As the team begins OTAs today, here are my thoughts on how the Jaguars can go from not even pretenders to contenders:
1. Marrone has to establish his stamp on the team. We got an inkling of how the team might perform under Marrone the last two games of last year when he became interim coach. Even though they split those games, the quality of play those last two games surpassed any two game stretch last year, including the back to back wins over Indy in London and the sleepwalking win over Chicago. While I was not privy to the happenings in the locker room, most of the speculation is that Bradley was way too soft on the players, and that has been evident in some of the comments by the players this offseason and the actions of the team. Campbell states Marrone is "cut from the same cloth as Arians," Campbell's former coach in Arizona. Malik Jackson has been quoted as saying Marrone "...isn't taking any BS" which some may infer to mean Bradley DID take BS. Bradley took much criticism from players and fans for not demanding enough from his players. Marrone has to instill in his players that excellence, success, and winning are the only options. To that end, he has the backing of the team's new evp of football operations, noted disciplinarian, two time Super Bowl winning coach and first coach in team history Tom Coughlin, who shares his no nonsense approach, as evidenced by the removal of the ping pong table from the locker room.
2. Bortles has to perform better. In 2015, while there were still warts in Bortles' game, he showed considerable potential, shattering the team records for TD passes thrown in a season, and making some throws in his first two years that excited Jaguars fans. However, last season, he regressed a great deal. His accuracy fell off a cliff. He suffered some bad luck on some of his INTs. Some say he had some sort of mental issue, and it appeared he was pressing in many instances. Some attribute the regression to not training with his guys in California. Still others questioned his work ethic. Whatever the case, he has to perform to his capabilities. That said, the offense's regression was not just on him.
3. The offensive line has to perform better. In fairness, the sacks have been reduced over the past three years. However, that only tells a small part of the story. With very rare exceptions, the team was not able to run the ball at all. Short yardage was a complete lost cause. Furthermore, even though the sack numbers were down, the team was still woefully ill equipped to protect Bortles against the league's better pass rushes. Ostensibly, two of the team's higher profile acquisitions-veteran T Branden Albert and rookie 2nd round pick T Cam Robinson-will address those shortcomings. But the improvement has to come from more places than T. Cann, who once showed promise as a G, regressed last year. The other G spot was a revolving door of mediocrity. Some of the running game failures were attributable to the G play. Much of the speculation is that Robinson may slide inside to G if Albert approximates his pro bowl form. But whether he slides in at LT, LG, or even supplants RT Jermey Parnell, the OL as a whole must improve to the point where they are moving people off the ball and matching up better against the likes of Houston.
4. Fournette has to do his thing. Fournette has to be a legit impact player. He has to provide the running attack that Ivory and Yeldon did not. With improved blocking from the OL, and Fournette running with the kind of authority and anger he showed at LSU, Bortles will be in better down and distance situations, there will be more 8 in the box, more man to man opportunities for the Jaguars WRs, more big play chances, and presumably fewer turnovers that sabotage this team.
5. The defense has to improve. Yes, the defense made a statistical leap to the 5th overall defense last year. However, it was exploited in many instances. There were times-most notably in that two game stretch against Oakland and Tennessee-where the team did not stop the run. Too many times the team was unable to get a key stop when needed. The team could not get the pressure or the sack to get opponents off the field, nor could they force the turnovers needed to run games around in their favor. If Calais Campbell has another good year or two left in the tank, and can mentor guys like Ngakoue and especially former first round pick Dante Fowler, that will help with the pass rush and run defense. Furthermore, the team got next to nothing out of second round pick Myles Jack last year, though nobody blames Jack for that at all. This year, the team is dedicating itself to getting him on the field, going as far as to move former MLB Pozluszny to Sam, clearing the way for Jack to play inside and remain on the field for all three downs. Jack has to provide stoutness against the run and has to cover as well has he did in the brief glimpses we saw of him last year. A.J. Bouye can't be the latest FA miss. He has to be the CB he was last year at Houston, and allow the CBs to be a matchup win in most games, while Barry Church must be an upgrade over Cyprien. In short, the Jaguars' defense can't just be good on paper. They have to dominate and take over games, especially during those times the offense can't get it going. It has to be a catalyst to win.
6. Special teams can't be an unmitigated disaster any longer. With the possible exception of 2015, special teams have been a complete dumpster fire since 2013. costing the team multiple games a year with shoddy play. From long returns allowed against Detroit and Cincinnati, to blocked punts allowed against Cincinnati, to missed extra points, special teams ineptitude has kept this team mired in also ran status. Former special teams coordinator Mike Mallory was demoted to assistant, and noted longtime special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was brought in to get this part of the team under control.
7. The team needs to stay healthy. 'Nuff said.
Thoughts?
