Jacksonville Jaguars Need to Win in 2016
It is time for the Jacksonville Jaguars to walk the walk. It
is the third year for quarterback Blake Bortles and head coach Gus Bradley is in his fourth. It was made clear by team owner Shad Khan before the end of last season, that
things were going to have to turn around in 2016.
Khan has been a man of his word since getting to
Jacksonville, whether it was his plans for the team or upgrades to EverBank
Stadium, he has followed through. There is no reason to think he won’t follow
through on changing things up if this team struggles this season.
Bradley was known as a defensive specialist when he took the
job in Jacksonville, mainly because of the Seahawks defense he built in 2013
that allowed 15.3 points per game. Yes, that team had different personnel and
at a lot of positions, better personnel, no one would argue that. The issue is,
the Jaguars and GM Dave Caldwell have brought in defensive upgrades in the last
two seasons. It has done no good.
The Jaguars defense has regressed in the last two seasons,
despite those moves and there is no denying that the Jaguars hierarchy can’t
watch another 16 games that follow that path. Bortles has been The fear is real
for the guys at the top, as well as for Bortles, who has been sacked 106 times
in the last two seasons.
Those factors caused them to overpay for Super Bowl
champion, Malik Jackson who signed for six years, $86.1 million in the
free-agency period. Add youngsters including first-round cornerback Jalen
Ramsey and second-round linebacker Myles Jack, along with 2015 third-overall
pick Dante Fowler, who never saw the field last season, due to a torn ACL and
the pieces, though young are in place.
Jacksonville has also revamped their defensive backfield
with players like Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara. Will that be enough?
History says no, but history can be re-written and it has to be.
Fans are getting restless; Bradley’s name is being used in
the same sentence as hot seat by the national media. He is the only one that
can change his fate, because as it is now, he is going to fall on a very sharp
sword if the Jaguars don’t make the playoffs.
While much of the attention is on the defense, the offense
needs to step up its game as well. Bortles has had some growing pains, but he
is now in the same offensive system in consecutive years, which should help. He
also has weapons, including one of the best wide-receiver tandems in Allen
Hurns and 2016 Pro Bowl participant Allen Robinson. The two of them will be
counted on heavily this season and should be.
Chris Ivory was added to the backfield as a free-agent and
joins T.J. Yeldon, heading into his second year and Denard Robinson, who was
drafted in 2013. There are other names at the position during this preseason,
but those three are the main ones to watch in the upcoming season.
The Jaguars are 0-2 in the preseason, but it’s not the
record that matters, it’s the position battles that matter and the Jaguars are
fully entrenched. This is a season that matters in so many ways for
Jacksonville.
Hopes are high, expectations are high and there are a lot of
positive things being said and written about this team. Now, they need to live
up to those expectations. No excuses, no exceptions.
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