Quote:No amount of "continuity" would have meade brewster acceptable. Tell me, have you disagreed with any decisions caldwell/bradley have made? Because if you're answer is "i trust the coaches", that's the definition of being a sheep.
Dude, it's one position. Quit acting like a butt hurt 12 year old cause they didn't draft a center. [BLEEP] does that even mean, being a sheep? Like there's some big conspiracy down at Everbank to trick the fans about the center position? They don't have a very good one. They tried to get one of the best ones. It didn't work out, and it will probably be the ONLY reason we don't go to the Superbowl this year. Lighten up brosef
Quote: We know he's better in games than practice, so why take him out of that environment? Explain that one to me?
Because he's still learning to be better...When he finally gets to play, he will be even better than he is now...We all know we won't be making a playoff or superbowl run this year so what's the rush to get him in there? Why not let him learn more and get even more comfortable so he will be even better as our starter?
Quote:Dude, it's one position. Quit acting like a butt hurt 12 year old cause they didn't draft a center. [BAD WORD REMOVED] does that even mean, being a sheep? Like there's some big conspiracy down at Everbank to trick the fans about the center position? They don't have a very good one. They tried to get one of the best ones. It didn't work out, and it will probably be the ONLY reason we don't go to the Superbowl this year. Lighten up brosef
The point is that's not a position you dont address early in the draft if you miss in FA. It's not just another position, he's the quarterback of the o-line.
Of course there wasnt a conspiracy. This situation wasnt intentional. But they could have handled it better. Nobody is above criticism. Drafting a 6th round center certainly wasnt the next best option.
Quote:The point is that's not a position you dont address early in the draft if you miss in FA. It's not just another position, he's the quarterback of the o-line.
Of course there wasnt a conspiracy. This situation wasnt intentional. But they could have handled it better. Nobody is above criticism. Drafting a 6th round center certainly wasnt the next best option.
Thanks for the clarification on the center position. Sooooooo, should I be critical of the regime now because of this? I just don't want to be a sheep. I kinda want to be a tiger, or maybe a lion.
Quote:Because he's still learning to be better...When he finally gets to play, he will be even better than he is now...We all know we won't be making a playoff or superbowl run this year so what's the rush to get him in there? Why not let him learn more and get even more comfortable so he will be even better as our starter?
But he's thriving while playing, and his weekly routine really wont be THAT much different if he's starting. He's gonna watch tape and get reps with the 1s regardless. If ever there was a season for him to get his mistakes out of the way, this is it. Gus and Dave are playing it very, very safe right now. That aint gonna fly if we lose the first 3 games, and I dont think that those extra 3 weeks on the bench will make THAT much of a difference.
Quote:Thanks for the clarification on the center position. Sooooooo, should I be critical of the regime now because of this? I just don't want to be a sheep. I kinda want to be a tiger, or maybe a lion.
The point is "trust the coaches" isnt a reasonable defense for every decision that is made.
Quote:The point is "trust the coaches" isnt a reasonable defense for every decision that is made.
Ok, Fantastic. Great point. Well said. Genius. Insightful.
We should probably march down with pitch forks and run those bastards out of there.
Quote:Wrong. You're a sheep
Not a very convincing argument...I mean oh my bad, sorry :whistling:
Quote:The point is "trust the coaches" isnt a reasonable defense for every decision that is made.
Now that's enlightening. Especially since many of us were so enthralled by everything JDR and Mularkey were doing the past 6 years. I had so much trust for those guys.
Take a look at the amount of roster turnover that's happened here in 2 years time. It's impossible to have everything fixed right now. Center happens to be one that couldn't be fixed by a big FA offer or a 3 year vet many had high hopes for. These things happen. It's a minor swing and miss by Caldwell and staff and we'll probably endure some rookie growing pains.
Given the improvement at QB, D-Line, LB, and WR.... I can swallow the center taking a bit longer.
Quote:You dont wait til ROUND 6! Read the full comment before reacting. They could have tried in round 3 or 4.
Linder was drafted in the 3rd. Starting RG - check.
Tell me where Shaun O'Hara was drafted.
Starting Centers in this league are typically late round and undrafted prospects. Anyone drafted in the first three rounds, are rare.
Do yourself a favor and chart the starting Cs in the league and their draft position. You just might be surprised by the results. Only recently have they been overdrafted by some clubs, when they truly don't have to be.
Quote:Linder was drafted in the 3rd. Starting RG - check.
Tell me where Shaun O'Hara was drafted.
Starting Centers in this league are typically late round and undrafted prospects. Anyone drafted in the first three rounds, are rare.
Do yourself a favor and chart the starting Cs in the league and their draft position. You just might be surprised by the results. Only recently have they been overdrafted by some clubs, when they truly don't have to be.
Exactly, and I'm willing to bet he can't name five starting centers without google.
Quote:
Given the improvement at QB, D-Line, LB, and WR.... I can swallow the center taking a bit longer.
It's not much different than rightly passing on Geno, to later find Bortles.
If a guy isn't there, you don't force the wrong pick just because you feel compelled by need.
Quote:Linder was drafted in the 3rd. Starting RG - check.
Tell me where Shaun O'Hara was drafted.
Starting Centers in this league are typically late round and undrafted prospects. Anyone drafted in the first three rounds, are rare.
Do yourself a favor and chart the starting Cs in the league and their draft position. You just might be surprised by the results. Only recently have they been overdrafted by some clubs, when they truly don't have to be.
You shouldn't have to over draft for a center, but there are some pretty good ones like Mack, who was a first round selection. Still, the overall trend is as you say.
Quote:I seriously doubt Gus is in danger of losing the locker room. I think you're spot on that Gus thinks Henne gives them the best chance to win, and that nobody outside of the organization, particularly on a fan message board, is going to know where Bortles is at in his progression better than the coaches working with him on a daily basis. I don't see how sitting Bortles could be considered the wrong choice. There's zero downside, especially considering the low expectations for this team this year. He'll start when they decide he's ready to do so, and it's not going to impact our playoff prospects this year, or anything else for that matter.
Didn't mean to insinuate that he was in danger of losing the locker room, only that if he begins making decisions that look like he's not doing everything he can to win each game on the schedule this year then players will start to lose respect for that and down the road could lead to losing the locker room. Players aren't playing for next year, they're playing for the next contract and putting in someone who isn't ready could potentially make a lot of other people on the field look bad, even our defense when they're put in very bad situations due to interceptions or fumbles, and that affects their wallets when their next contract negotiation comes up. Players can drink the Gus juice all they want right now, but if they start feeling like the best guy isn't out there and the coach knows the best guy isn't out there, they're no longer going to buy in.
Quote:But he's thriving while playing, and his weekly routine really wont be THAT much different if he's starting. He's gonna watch tape and get reps with the 1s regardless. If ever there was a season for him to get his mistakes out of the way, this is it. Gus and Dave are playing it very, very safe right now. That aint gonna fly if we lose the first 3 games, and I dont think that those extra 3 weeks on the bench will make THAT much of a difference.
But he can thrive much better with more comfort and training...Have you ever played in an NFL game? How do know that his weekly routine won't be much different? There is much more pressure on starters than there is on players who are not expected to do anything but kick back and lean...Thriving while playing is nice, but being better by sitting and learning accompanied by being more comfortable when called on to be the starter at a later date equals a better product on the field
why is there such a rush to get Bortles starting? We aren't playoff or superbowl bound, so why the rush?
Quote:Didn't mean to insinuate that he was in danger of losing the locker room, only that if he begins making decisions that look like he's not doing everything he can to win each game on the schedule this year then players will start to lose respect for that and down the road could lead to losing the locker room. Players aren't playing for next year, they're playing for the next contract and putting in someone who isn't ready could potentially make a lot of other people on the field look bad, even our defense when they're put in very bad situations due to interceptions or fumbles, and that affects their wallets when their next contract negotiation comes up. Players can drink the Gus juice all they want right now, but if they start feeling like the best guy isn't out there and the coach knows the best guy isn't out there, they're no longer going to buy in.
I don't think the players will get the impression that Gus isn't doing everything he can to get this team on the winning track, even with Henne as the starter. Like the coaches, the players can see where Bortles is in his progression.
I'll stir the pot a little and say this. At this point in time, Bortles is NOT the best quarterback on this team. He does have the greatest potential, and one day he will be "the guy", but right now he is not. I say this after listening to people that know far more than I ever will regarding player development (coaching staff, front office), as well as what I have seen.
I'm just going by what I see, and what I saw last night was a rookie making mistakes while also pulling off some good/great plays. This was done against a defense with some players that were probably cut today. In all fairness, he was also working with players from our team that are not the starters.
Make no mistake, he is going to be good. After the 3rd preseason game I was almost ready to get on the "start Bortles" bandwagon. However, seeing what the current staff is doing, I'll stick behind them and trust in their decision(s). I'm content to be patient with this organization and trust that when the time comes to start Bortles it will be the right decision.
Quote:If I cared as much about McDonald's as I care about the Jaguars, I would probably say something. I often request a particular server when I go out but that's beside the point. Blake saw the same vanilla defenses that every QB in the league sees in the preseason. The same types of defenses that Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson faced in their rookie preseasons. He played against 2s, but often with receivers, and linemen who won't even make the team. Of course I realize that my opinion is irrelevant, nothing that I or anyone else says on the board will change anything. My only point is that it seems that the primary argument against starting Blake seems to be that Gus and Dave say so and we should ignore what we see, what the numbers say and even what Super Bowl winning coaches like Gruden and Ditka say.
Agree to disagree I guess. I want Blake starting, but I'm fine with the plan that's in place to get him ready and letting those in the know make the judgment of when that is. Nothing has occurred to date that has made my confidence in Gus and Dave falter, in fact, my confidence in them has strengthened since they've been hired. I was skeptical of both at first. My final iterations on this are that I don't think you should put so much faith in what you're seeing in the pre-season or in the stats produced. It's a part of the overall evaluation but it's not the whole thing and it certainly should not be held up as a definitive example of what will happen in the regular season. Remember how everyone felt when Gabbert went into New Orleans in the pre-season a couple of years ago and did very well?
And I'm not sure what Gruden or Ditka said, I'm guessing they said to start Blake. Good for them, they're entitled to their opinion but they're also looking at it from the point of view of being members of the media, not actually being in the Jags locker room and front office. I think if they were the coach of this team, they'd likely take a similar course as Bradley based on knowing what he knows about Blake's progression.