There is an axiom that everyone is a contender in March.
The axiom speaks to the hope-often false-that is a new season, with the chance to add that missing piece or two that will lead to glory in the fall and early winter.
However, this particular off season-the free agency period in particular-will be more reflective of the degree of hope this team actually has than past free agency periods.
The obvious reason for hope is that a successful free agency season for this team will be an acknowledgement that ownership and management are willing to spend what it takes to attract big name players here. Too often, fans and outside observers have dismissed the Jaguars as being too cheap/broke to spend money on talent. One can only wonder what impact this perception has had on players who may have otherwise been interested in playing here. However, while this may reflect a reason to hope, and while money is a huge factor, I don't think it is the most important factor in this analysis.
To me, the most important and not so apparent reason has little to do with money.
One of the great fears fans have of free agency expenditures is what I call the Hugh Douglas factor. One the signed player has his lucrative deal, his incentive to play hard for the team disappears. He mails in his effort, wrecking an otherwise healthy salary structure and offering nothing on the field or in the locker room to the team.
It stands to reason, then, that the kind of player fans would want in free agency are those who are not necessarily motivated by money. While they want to be paid, their competitiveness and desire to win are not extinguished by the big payday. Ultimately, they bust their butts on the field, and are good in the locker room.
There is a challenge, however, in luring the guys in this desired group to come here. They have to be convinced they have a shot to win here. They have to be convinced the team wants to win, and they have to be convinced the team is headed in the right direction. Jaguars fans were absolutely giddy in the immediate aftermath of last year's draft. We landed what we believe to be a franchise QB, some good young WRs for him to throw to, a couple of good interior OLs, a 5th round steal at LB in Telvin Smith, and Aaron Colvin, who, after returning from the torn ACL flashed some of the ability that had him projected to be a first round pick before the injury. Outside observers in the media almost universally lauded the Jaguars for their draft. But despite all of the enthusiasm and optimism spawned by the last offseason, it did not translate into a winning season for the team-resulting again in another top 3 draft choice. I think players that want to win want to share in the enthusiasm the fans had last year.
However, if the winners that hit the market come here, it would be something of a confirmation of the excitement the fans had. These guys may have played against them at some point, and saw how hard they played despite the bad record. They may have seen first hand the potential some of these young guys displayed, or they may have heard from their friends in the league about those things. Whereas they may have cringed at the thought of playing with Gabbert, they may be more open to playing with Bortles.
If that plays into the decision at all, it would be a rousing endorsement of the direction Khan, Caldwell and Bradley have taken this team. To me, that is the exciting possibility this free agency period represents. The possibility that the hope every fan entertains about this team winning in the season to come is actually legitimate hope.
Is it me or does this seem like a stronger Free Agency class then the last few years? It didn't bother me too much that we were patient the last few years. There are a few players that I wish had stayed but in general this team needed the clean sweep.
It has been a tough period as a fan but I'm hopeful that we will actual see an arrow make an upward appearance this year.
Quote:Is it me or does this seem like a stronger Free Agency class then the last few years? It didn't bother me too much that we were patient the last few years. There are a few players that I wish had stayed but in general this team needed the clean sweep.
It has been a tough period as a fan but I'm hopeful that we will actual see an arrow make an upward appearance this year.
There are arguments for both propositions.
It is rare a player of Suh's caliber hits the open market. In addition, there are a lot of guys that can help the Jaguars, including Bulaga, Thomas, McCourty.
However, the team has also given indication it will be active in free agency.
For the longest time, that wasn't the case. As a result, I think Jaguars fans became conditioned to think the team would not be active in free agency, and players the fans might have considered for the Jaguars were considered out of reach for the Jaguars.
I am thinking this team could use a Reggie White type signing.
Not only a guy in his prime who is a dominant presence on the field, but a guy whose signing would signal to the league that Jacksonville is no longer the NFL's version of Siberia...the place where careers go to die.
Culture is a strange animal that morphs on its own as it moves further away from home.
There is no doubt that the Culture has changed at the "Bank" how that is perceived in Orlando and
beyond is another entirely different matter.
Signing Suh would be a signal, how it is read depends on the mecurial attitude of said reporter on that day.
However, the return of the Black and Bruised division, the days when we were in the North with Blitzburg.
D-Cords having to gameplan for Suh and someone else getting through.
The frustrated look on QB's faces when they have less that 2.2 before violent contact.
Now that would show a CULTURE change.
I long for the daze when Teal, Black and Gold were not only the Teams colours but the hues of
the hematoma's present on your victims Monday at the training table.
#DTWD
HeadSlap
Quote:Culture is a strange animal that morphs on its own as it moves further away from home.
There is no doubt that the Culture has changed at the "Bank" how that is perceived in Orlando and
beyond is another entirely different matter.
Signing Suh would be a signal, how it is read depends on the mecurial attitude of said reporter on that day.
However, the return of the Black and Bruised division, the days when we were in the North with Blitzburg.
D-Cords having to gameplan for Suh and someone else getting through.
The frustrated look on QB's faces when they have less that 2.2 before violent contact.
Now that would show a CULTURE change.
I long for the daze when Teal, Black and Gold were not only the Teams colours but the hues of
the hematoma's present on your victims Monday at the training table.
#DTWD
HeadSlap
This made me smile.
I'd love to see a return to the days where the defense was similar in quality to the "Might getcha" days, only with a better pass rush.
I think spending on defense helps the offense as well. Considering the learning curve and the improving talent on defense, we saw a decent and improving defensive game plan each week. Getting some talent that can flip the field faster would be great.
Very tough as a fan to know your team has 2 to 3 offensive drives a game and the defense has to die on the field because of those limitations. I like offense but the defensive plays seem to be more fabric to what this team has done since the 1999 season.
Quote:This made me smile.
I'd love to see a return to the days where the defense was similar in quality to the "Might getcha" days, only with a better pass rush.
Agreed. That would be the kind of change I think most fans would be happy to get behind.
To your point in this thread, I agree with you, and I think we'll see the team continue to target guys who aren't motivated solely by the pay check. I think that if they sit down with this team and discuss where the team was, where it is today, and where they want to take it long-term, you're going to see those players wanting to get on board for the ride.
I believe we're going to see the promised turn around for this team happen very quickly, and it will start this year. Free agency will play a huge part in that process. It doesn't mean going out and signing all of the big names. It means going out and getting the RIGHT guys to fill critical roles. I think that will happen during this off season, and more specifically in free agency. The draft is about the long-term future, but the free agents we bring in are about right now. I have a good feeling about how things will play out this year with free agency.
It would reveal that we are not settling for being [BLEEP]
Quote:It would reveal that we are not settling for being [BAD WORD REMOVED]
I'd be interested in seeing the number for the minimum cap-space that the Jags FO has to spend due to the bargaining agreement. Based on this page
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_276...-positions, the Jags carried over a league leading 21M into the 2015 year, giving them a adjusted salary cap of 168 million dollars. Based on the minimum that they have to spend, over what they do spend would be a good answer to your edited question.
Edit: Found an article that addresses my original question:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/124045...on-mailbag
Basically they have to spend, if they don't we won't see many wins and Bradley could be out and maybe even Caldwell. If we get some productive free agents we will for sure win more games and also a killer draft would put us in a really good position to compete with the Texans and Colts, that all rides back to the QB getting better this offseason.
I think it will reveal more of Caldwell's draft strategy.
I start by listing our deficiencies in my perceived order of worst to least:
RT
FS
TE
LB (otto)
young LEO
RB
When I look at this list I see that free agency has options to upgrade all of these positions. This is a rare thing that happens. There is a top flight upgrade for each position. I see Caldwell as a GM who places a lot of emphasis on having multiple options. That means various free agents (even current back-ups with upside) and draft picks to fill these needs. Next I ask what position has the least amount of options available to upgrade these positions.
The main one that stands out is free safety. There is only one true option and that is to sign McCourty. Other than all of these positions can be addressed in either free agency or the draft. If we do not sign a RT (stop-gap or long term), that tells me Caldwell will more than likely trade back in the draft and position himself to draft a RT in the first or high in the second.
If we don't sign McCourty I would expect either a Hughs and an Orakpo. Some sort of combination of players to bolster the rush even more to help the secondary out. One of the two must happen: better secondary play or better pass rush.
I think free agency would also reveal more philosophy based changes. Acquiring a Suh would signal more bear front. If we go heavy O-line like two or three players acquired, then that would tell me more of a run oriented offense.
A wideout woud signal to me how much they expect Blake to carry the team versus a TE would mean trying to get him help at this early stage of his career.
Exciting times!!!
Honestly I don't know why a RT is more favored then a FS. RT could be drafted in this years draft, there are plenty of players. I know we want experience but FS should be number 1 priority because there isn't one in the draft and the only one in Free agency might not be a free agent come March 10th.
Quote:Honestly I don't know why a RT is more favored then a FS. RT could be drafted in this years draft, there are plenty of players. I know we want experience but FS should be number 1 priority because there isn't one in the draft and the only one in Free agency might not be a free agent come March 10th.
I debated a lot over if number would be FS or RT. I initially thought free safety because that piece alone would enhance the defense and take it to top five level. The RT won out though because at the end of the day we have a young qb that needs to be up right and have time to throw in the pocket. We can give up TD's and still win but if we don't score we won't win. Due to the correlation the RT has to the qb to me it wins by default. Schematically I would say the FS but it terms of football play on the field and player development (which to me is the ultimate goal) RT is number one.
Quote:I think it will reveal more of Caldwell's draft strategy.
I start by listing our deficiencies in my perceived order of worst to least:
RT
FS
TE
LB (otto)
young LEO
RB
When I look at this list I see that free agency has options to upgrade all of these positions. This is a rare thing that happens. There is a top flight upgrade for each position. I see Caldwell as a GM who places a lot of emphasis on having multiple options. That means various free agents (even current back-ups with upside) and draft picks to fill these needs. Next I ask what position has the least amount of options available to upgrade these positions.
The main one that stands out is free safety. There is only one true option and that is to sign McCourty. Other than all of these positions can be addressed in either free agency or the draft. If we do not sign a RT (stop-gap or long term), that tells me Caldwell will more than likely trade back in the draft and position himself to draft a RT in the first or high in the second.
If we don't sign McCourty I would expect either a Hughs and an Orakpo. Some sort of combination of players to bolster the rush even more to help the secondary out. One of the two must happen: better secondary play or better pass rush.
I think free agency would also reveal more philosophy based changes. Acquiring a Suh would signal more bear front. If we go heavy O-line like two or three players acquired, then that would tell me more of a run oriented offense.
A wideout woud signal to me how much they expect Blake to carry the team versus a TE would mean trying to get him help at this early stage of his career.
Exciting times!!!
Quote:I debated a lot over if number would be FS or RT. I initially thought free safety because that piece alone would enhance the defense and take it to top five level. The RT won out though because at the end of the day we have a young qb that needs to be up right and have time to throw in the pocket. We can give up TD's and still win but if we don't score we won't win. Due to the correlation the RT has to the qb to me it wins by default. Schematically I would say the FS but it terms of football play on the field and player development (which to me is the ultimate goal) RT is number one.
Very good stuff E.T.
Quote:I debated a lot over if number would be FS or RT. I initially thought free safety because that piece alone would enhance the defense and take it to top five level. The RT won out though because at the end of the day we have a young qb that needs to be up right and have time to throw in the pocket. We can give up TD's and still win but if we don't score we won't win. Due to the correlation the RT has to the qb to me it wins by default. Schematically I would say the FS but it terms of football play on the field and player development (which to me is the ultimate goal) RT is number one.
I looked at it in a way how much we improved on the D Line last year. They get pressure and they get sacks but why were we ranked bottom 5 in defense? Well we are missing a FS that would eventually cut down all those extra yards allowed. Adding McCourty would easily put us from bottom 5 to 16-20 ranked defense. RT, we can find a cheap veteran that has experience like Doug Free, would be in the range of 4-5 million a year. Don't get me wrong Bortles needs to be protected but that will come from improvement from LT,LG,C, and RG. RT will be a leader like Beadles with experience. I just don't want to overpay for a RT.
Jags are gonna spend some money.
I'm sure they are already crunching numbers in anticipation of offering some big contracts to guys like Suh, McCourty, and Cobb.
We'll have some big news in a week.
Quote:I looked at it in a way how much we improved on the D Line last year. They get pressure and they get sacks but why were we ranked bottom 5 in defense? Well we are missing a FS that would eventually cut down all those extra yards allowed. Adding McCourty would easily put us from bottom 5 to 16-20 ranked defense. RT, we can find a cheap veteran that has experience like Doug Free, would be in the range of 4-5 million a year. Don't get me wrong Bortles needs to be protected but that will come from improvement from LT,LG,C, and RG. RT will be a leader like Beadles with experience. I just don't want to overpay for a RT.
Now I'm not advocating over paying a RT. I personally would prefer to sign Free and drat a RT in the 2nd or 3rd round to take over in 2 or 3 years. With that said RT is still the number one priority no matter how easily it may be to fix the situation. The thing with McCourty is he is good just not great. I would love to have him on the team and think he will make us better but the issue is still both the pas defense and pass rush. Sacks are very misleading. We may have been top 3 in sacks but we are not getting consistent pressure.
JJ Watt comes to mind. When you watch him play he makes things happen and affects the game in a way that there is just no quantifiable way to show it in a stat sheet. This is why I such a huge advocate for acquiring Suh. He is that level of player. He does things that just will not show up on the stat sheet.
Back to McCourty, I do feel he should be top priority for us from a schematic stand point but RT has way more importance to how successful this team will be over the course of a season. I would be fine with getting a better pass rush in exchange for not signing McCourty and think we can have a top 10 defense still. If we don't acquire a RT we will be 3-13 again period.
Quote:Jags are gonna spend some money.
I'm sure they are already crunching numbers in anticipation of offering some big contracts to guys like Suh, McCourty, and Cobb.
We'll have some big news in a week.
The more I think about Idzik I realize this is more of a possibility. There are going to try and break the bank and structure contracts so these guys get hug he paydays up front and the money falls off in 2 and 3 years when its time to re-sign guys like Luke, Bortles and Telvin if they are worth it. Our situation is the best because we don't have current guys who need deals. We have the ability to sign multiple big time guys and possibly be back to 40-50 million with these players and able to resign our own guys in a few years.
How soon into free agency do you see the Jags signing a player? And what Major player do you see signing first with a new team?
^
I'd probably say within 8 hrs after midnight come March 10th.
Personally I would bring Suh on a visit and make sure he doesn't leave Jacksonville without a contract. The highest contract for a defensive lineman in the history of the NFL.