Bortles is better than any QB we've seen around here in a long time. Robinson has made some nice catches, and Lee will do well too, once he stays healthy. Linder and Bowenko are getting better, and in time have a chance to be solid starters. Storm Johnson was still a nice value pick for the seventh round. And Hurns, despite his frustrating drops, has been pretty amazing for an undrafted rookie.
Where Caldwell is catching heat is on his first draft. Do you guys see anyone from that draft who could help us long term?
Joeckel, Cyp, Gratz, McCray, and Robinson are still promising young players.
Joeckel,Gratz (in a lesser role than initially intended), Cyp, McCray all may be solid contributors at a minimum going forward. I think Joeckel ends up being a solid LT as he grows back into the position and his LG handed himself better. Beadles is probably a one year player here barring a huge turnaround on his part.
Criticism? The only people criticizing Caldwell in terms of talent acquisition are clueless.
Caldwell has done his job in that realm.
Quote:Criticism? The only people criticizing Caldwell in terms of talent acquisition are clueless.
Caldwell has done his job in that realm.
I agree with you.
Caldwell has done a hell of a job.
His drafts have been solid, but his FA signings have been disappointing. Definitely need to make a splash this offseason.
I'm in the minority and that's fine but No I don't think Caldwells done a very good job of upgrading the roster. In most area's were just as bad if not worse off then when he was hired. Things can change and players can develop but I just think Caldwell has taken two steps back one step forward.
Quote:I'm in the minority and that's fine but No I don't think Caldwells done a very good job of upgrading the roster. In most area's were just as bad if not worse off then when he was hired. Things can change and players can develop but I just think Caldwell has taken two steps back one step forward.
Two steps back and one step forward as of now, but by the end of the year it should be more like 4 steps forward IMO.
Quote:I'm in the minority and that's fine but No I don't think Caldwells done a very good job of upgrading the roster. In most area's were just as bad if not worse off then when he was hired. Things can change and players can develop but I just think Caldwell has taken two steps back one step forward.
I might feel this way if not for the QB.
Quote:I'm in the minority and that's fine but No I don't think Caldwells done a very good job of upgrading the roster. In most area's were just as bad if not worse off then when he was hired. Things can change and players can develop but I just think Caldwell has taken two steps back one step forward.
He gutted a 53 man roster and is restocking it with draft picks. There's just one problem; you generally only get 7 of them a year, and out of those 7, you're lucky if you get 3 quality starters. The rest are depth, special teams players, role players, etc. Anyone who thought this was going to be a 2 year project is kidding themselves. I would say we're not even halfway there yet. Build through the draft, and use FA to patch holes. Look back at the Jags drafts prior to the Caldwell regime and tell me how many players from those drafts are still on the 53 man roster today. That's why we're in the mess we're in now.
Caldwell good..... Gus eh.
This roster is more talented, especially on defense, than the 0-6 record. That's my opinion and the lack of progression is a coaching issue. The coaching on this team stinks. Period. Changes have to be made at the coordinator spots, at a minimum.
Quarterback: WAYYYYYY better. We've went from Roseanne Barr to Kate Upton.
Wide Receivers: Also better, but young. Went from a turkey sandwich to a turkey dinner.
Not a lot of upgrades elsewhere, but not that much of a downgrade in most places either. The o-line still needs work, but it'll come. It's young. We've went from crappy lite beer to wine that's not yet aged.
Quote:Quarterback: WAYYYYYY better. We've went from Roseanne Barr to Kate Upton.
Wide Receivers: Also better, but young. Went from a turkey sandwich to a turkey dinner.
Not a lot of upgrades elsewhere, but not that much of a downgrade in most places either. The o-line still needs work, but it'll come. It's young. We've went from crappy lite beer to wine that's not yet aged.
If Aaron Colvin winds up the real deal, then we have our starting CB tandem right there. McCray/ Colvin.
Quote:I'm in the minority and that's fine but No I don't think Caldwells done a very good job of upgrading the roster. In most area's were just as bad if not worse off then when he was hired. Things can change and players can develop but I just think Caldwell has taken two steps back one step forward.
The defensive line is better, the QB position is better, the strong safety position is better, the cornerback spots are generally better. You can't expect him to rebuild the whole team in one year. He's done a helluva job considering he just took over last year and already has gotten us one of the best front 4s in the league and a very promising rookie QB.
I also forgot about the receiver position. That's also highly upgraded and has far more potential than anything we've had in years.
Quote:Two steps back and one step forward as of now, but by the end of the year it should be more like 4 steps forward IMO.
that's my hope but after the Shack rebuild, then the Gene rebuild and now the Caldwell rebuild I'm in a show me mode. Right or wrong I don't believe it until I see it anymore, especially when it comes to the Jaguars.
Quote:I might feel this way if not for the QB.
I give him huge props on Bortles, in all honesty if a GM hits on the QB a multitude of sins can be forgiven. And it appears he hit on the QB.
Quote:He gutted a 53 man roster and is restocking it with draft picks. There's just one problem; you generally only get 7 of them a year, and out of those 7, you're lucky if you get 3 quality starters. The rest are depth, special teams players, role players, etc. Anyone who thought this was going to be a 2 year project is kidding themselves. I would say we're not even halfway there yet. Build through the draft, and use FA to patch holes. Look back at the Jags drafts prior to the Caldwell regime and tell me how many players from those drafts are still on the 53 man roster today. That's why we're in the mess we're in now.
That was his own doing. Plenty of people myself included though gutting the roster was only going to make things worse. We had SOME talent we couldn't built around and used as a bridge into this new era. But that's water under the bridge, this is the road they picked but let's not pretend it take 4 years to build a competitive roster, did we learn nothing from the Gene Smith era?
Quote:The defensive line is better, the QB position is better, the strong safety position is better, the cornerback spots are generally better. You can't expect him to rebuild the whole team in one year. He's done a helluva job considering he just took over last year and already has gotten us one of the best front 4s in the league and a very promising rookie QB.
I also forgot about the receiver position. That's also highly upgraded and has far more potential than anything we've had in years.
Agreed except for the corners. I think the secondary as a whole is no better then what we had in 2012, and that's after redrafting or bringing in all new guys. That's a huge disappointment to date. The other issues I have with him is the mishandling of the offensive line and the horrible moves at RB.
Quote:If Aaron Colvin winds up the real deal, then we have our starting CB tandem right there. McCray/ Colvin.
I agree, I think Gratz can be a very good nickel too
Quote:I agree, I think Gratz can be a very good nickel too
Well, we'll see...Gratz hasn't been a good anything so far. I have my doubts about the above.
Players have set backs when they think about the game plan and don't trust in the guy next to them. Let's face it the real world isn't Madden, it takes real humans time to learn to play together. You add youth to that and you have our team. I don't magically believe 2015 will be the promised land but we should see that upswing.