Quote:Expectations should be 6-8 wins this year. Anything else would be considered a failure. More than just wins you want to see a team molding into something greater.
Quote:I don't think reasonable "expectations" for 2014 should go any higher than 6 wins. Thats just one man's opinion, but I see 7/ 8+ wins as a pleasant surprise, not an expectation.
I will be expecting 9+ for 2015, and think thats fair, provided things keep progressing.
I think this range is about right,
As I've said before, I think the team could start this season off slowly, given how the OL has to gel, and the quality of the QBs we face in the first 5 games.
I don't doubt the team will hold together through that stretch.
I wonder about the fans though. I think the die hards will see that and understand. But will the casual fans/new fans see the promise beyond that slow start?
But a more important question for you guys:
What do you think would accelerate the progress record wise...and what would delay that progress?
Quote:Is it too early to tank?
Still upset that we won those games and missed out on Teddy...
Yeah, I can't believe we had the gall to win those four games when a gem like TB was waiting there to single-handedly save our franchise. The memory of winning still haunts me. Hopefully Bradley and Caldwell are on board with the program this season. 0-16!! FULL CONSISTENCY, BABY!
Quote:I think this range is about right,
As I've said before, I think the team could start this season off slowly, given how the OL has to gel, and the quality of the QBs we face in the first 5 games.
I don't doubt the team will hold together through that stretch.
I wonder about the fans though. I think the die hards will see that and understand. But will the casual fans/new fans see the promise beyond that slow start?
But a more important question for you guys:
What do you think would accelerate the progress record wise...and what would delay that progress?
I think the fans will hold together if things are rough initially. The shiny new stuff in the stadium will keep them occupied until the team gets on track.
What would accelerate the progress record wise?
If the offensive line can gel quickly, and the running game proves to be more effective than it was last year, that will certainly help move things along faster.
What would delay the progress?
Injuries.
Quote:Yeah, I can't believe we had the gall to win those four games when a gem like TB was waiting there to single-handedly save our franchise. The memory of winning still haunts me. Hopefully Bradley and Caldwell are on board with the program this season. 0-16!! FULL CONSISTENCY, BABY!
Yeah, there's a kid in the 9th grade who is supposed to be some sort of football phenom out in Texas. If we can tank for another 7 years or so, we might be able to draft him!
Lol I remember being in my freshman year in high school when the Leftwich/ Garrard battle was rampant on here.
Say what you want about the players and how annoying each sides fans were, but those were great football debates.
Quote:Yeah, I can't believe we had the gall to win those four games when a gem like TB was waiting there to single-handedly save our franchise. The memory of winning still haunts me. Hopefully Bradley and Caldwell are on board with the program this season. 0-16!! FULL CONSISTENCY, BABY!
Ya know the great thing about making fun of the tankers?
That awkward moment when they realize we could of tanked for Teddy, or won the superbowl for Teddy.
Tankers suck. Losing is NEVER the answer.
Quote:Perhaps it's because it's in the midst of the dead zone.
Perhaps it's because I'm simply not as active on the board as I once was and maybe not reading as many threads as before. Maybe I'm not the rabble rouser I once was.
But something seems different here.
Here we are, a month removed from the draft, and a month and a half away from training camp, and the board seems completely devoid of any major controversy.
Over the years, there have been major debates that have dominated Jag Nation that tended to dominate board discussion-even through the dead zone.
BL vs. DG.
Did Gene Smith reach on Alualu and could he have traded down?
BAP vs. Need.
Tebow or not Tebow.
MJDs holdout, incident at the Conch House.
If nothing else, TMD's skeptical takes would be enough to rankle the board masses engage in skirmishes.
But when I look around the board now...nothing. The boards two most notorious "bad guys" (for want of better phrasing-not an indictment on them as people), TMD and Krayz, have wholeheartedly applauded this draft class and this offseason as a whole. I've seen more people on this board agree with TMD in the last month than I have over the course of several years combined.
To me, it seems the only thing close to a board controversy is what to do with Blackmon. Maybe whether Bortles should start sooner rather than later. But compared to those other subjects, these barely even register.
Did Bradley and Caldwell achieve the impossible and bring unity to the fan base with this draft?
Am I imagining this lack of dissonance?
Is the absence of a major controversy for board fodder a good or bad thing?
Will training camp and the preseason see controversies develop?
I blame the lack of major controversy on Coach Bradley for being too darn upfront and honest about most everything. TC, and more so Del Rio, would leave plenty to the imagination, but Bradley lets us know the slightest issues along with the reasoning for their actions leaving very little to question. That said, TC was even more brutally honest when it came to slamming players, wherein Bradley has this reluctance to throw his players under the bus.
Quote:Tankers suck. Losing is NEVER the answer.
Well, consider who it is that is normally on board with tanking, and I think you'll understand why it is they would take such a stand.
Hello, my name is TMD and - former tanker right here <raises hand>
I've seen the error in my ways, with the help of how this offseason went.
I thought we'd need the 1st pick to get us back on track and have an excellent offseason via the more opportunities that would afford us.
I was wrong.
We had a very, very good offseason despite NOT tanking.
I can't see myself ever being a "tanker" again.
Quote:Hello, my name is TMD and - former tanker right here <raises hand>
I've seen the error in my ways, with the help of how this offseason went.
I thought we'd need the 1st pick to get us back on track and have an excellent offseason via the more opportunities that would afford us.
I was wrong.
We had a very, very good offseason despite NOT tanking.
I can't see myself ever being a "tanker" again.
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Quote:Hello, my name is TMD and - former tanker right here <raises hand>
I've seen the error in my ways, with the help of how this offseason went.
I thought we'd need the 1st pick to get us back on track and have an excellent offseason via the more opportunities that would afford us.
I was wrong.
We had a very, very good offseason despite NOT tanking.
I can't see myself ever being a "tanker" again.
We'll see what the tune is if the team starts off slowly.
Quote:We'll see what the tune is if the team starts off slowly.
lol Can't even just give the guy props for admitting he was wrong. Love is stronger than Hate my friend. Turn away from the dark side Lord Vader and embrace the Jedi ways.
Quote:lol Can't even just give the guy props for admitting he was wrong. Love is stronger than Hate my friend. Turn away from the dark side Lord Vader and embrace the Jedi ways.
History makes future behavior far more predictable than lip service. There's a long, long track record there to support a healthy dose of skepticism.
....And let me add, not only did we not need the benefit of tanking, The Texans of which I felt DID tank from about week 8 onward, never really got the benefits from it that I feared they might. Going into the final week leading up to the draft, up until their actual pick, I kept waiting for the Texans to get their windfall RG3 type trade reward......welp, it never happened. As a matter of fact, rumors still swirl that pretty much all that happened is the Texans were still undecided on who to pick as recently as minutes before the selection, having TWO cards made up for the 1st overall pick - one with Bortles and one with Clowney.
In closing, even IF they did tank, it simply didn't benefit the Texans.
Quote:I can buy this, except that the overwhelming majority of posters here applauded the draft. If everyone were jaded, the praise for the draft on this board would be minimal. Unless you are indicating that the initial excitement surrounding the draft has worn out and fans are now in "show me" mode.
Maybe it isn't so much that everyone 'aplpauded' the draft as it is that the choices made were reasonable and respectable. This, as compared to what we were getting after years with Gene Smith. I'm inclined to think that what you said, "fans are now in "show me" mode" is more likely.
Quote:I agree there was overall optimism, but there was still disagreement then (the first offseason), specifically over the wisdom of trading a 2 the next year for Derek Cox. That disagreement persisted for a while.
By this time in Gene Smith's tenure (year 2), the controversy was over Tyson Alualu, whether the team reached for him, whether there was the opportunity to trade down, whether we should have taken Tebow, etc. Even though many remained optimistic, the chorus against Gene Smith began to grow.
TBH I'm not sure if this is optimism based or not.
It could be...but there are reasons to think otherwise too.
Gene was a terrible terrible GM. Dave appears to be, at the very least, an average GM. We don't have years worth of suspicions built up against Dave. No matter how Weaver/Vic spun Gene, you knew he was from the previous bad regime, and he did stupid moves from the very beginning (Cox trade, Alualu reach). Caldwell came from no where near that kind of problematic background. He deserves, and I believe, is getting a fair shot to prove himself.
Gene never should have been promoted, and tried to shift blame away from himself the entire time he was here, especially the last two years. I think Gene was excellent at trying to 'kick the can,' but he finally met with new management in Khan who saw right past that. I have to say I was suspicious of Khan at first, but he is a phenomenal owner so far IMO. And if the Jags stay in J-ville, it will be because of him.
Quote:Gene was a terrible terrible GM. Dave appears to be, at the very least, an average GM. We don't have years worth of suspicions built up against Dave. No matter how Weaver/Vic spun Gene, you knew he was from the previous bad regime, and he did stupid moves from the very beginning (Cox trade, Alualu reach). Caldwell came from no where near that kind of problematic background. He deserves, and I believe, is getting a fair shot to prove himself.
Gene never should have been promoted, and tried to shift blame away from himself the entire time he was here, especially the last two years. I think Gene was excellent at trying to 'kick the can,' but he finally met with new management in Khan who saw right past that. I have to say I was suspicious of Khan at first, but he is a phenomenal owner so far IMO. And if the Jags stay in J-ville, it will be because of him.
Gene was spun by Tom Coughlin originally. He wasn't part of the Harris regime as much as he was a holdover from the Coughlin era. Tom thought enough of him to recommend Weaver hold on to him because as a scout, he was considered one of the best.
I don't recall Gene shifting blame. In fact he actually took blame for decisions Shack made. I never heard him trying to blame anyone else for the mistakes this team made personnel wise.
Khan signed off on retaining Smith when he bought the team. That contract he signed before Weaver sold the team never would have happened otherwise. So, Khan was willing to give him a chance to prove himself. After a year, he'd seen enough.
At this point, I think it's okay for people to let go of Gene Smith. He's gone, as are almost all of the players he brought to Jacksonville. This team is Caldwell's from top to bottom now.
Quote:Gene was spun by Tom Coughlin originally. He wasn't part of the Harris regime as much as he was a holdover from the Coughlin era. Tom thought enough of him to recommend Weaver hold on to him because as a scout, he was considered one of the best.
I don't recall Gene shifting blame.
In fact he actually took blame for decisions Shack made. I never heard him trying to blame anyone else for the mistakes this team made personnel wise.
Khan signed off on retaining Smith when he bought the team. That contract he signed before Weaver sold the team never would have happened otherwise. So, Khan was willing to give him a chance to prove himself. After a year, he'd seen enough.
At this point, I think it's okay for people to let go of Gene Smith. He's gone, as are almost all of the players he brought to Jacksonville. This team is Caldwell's from top to bottom now.
He did with Del Rio, and I would imagine he sold both Khan and Smith on him being different. For Weaver it would have to do with being different than Shack, and for Khan, it would be the argument that he just needed a different coach. I think Khan wised up quickly, Weaver never did IMO. And I applaud that Khan acted fast on an employee with such an extensive bad record. Like I said, Khan is taking us places, while we could say its Dave or Bradley, the real difference is Khan. We never get Dave or Bradley without him.
If we had Weaver still, we might still have Gene and Mularky while Weaver was being patient. I personally am glad we have Khan, and am glad Gene is gone. Ironically Khan is the reason I am hopeful for us. When he first bought the team I thought for certain that he was prepping us for movement, and started to distance myself. But now I actually believe him when he says he wants to keep the team here.
Anywho, lots of good reasons to be optimistic right now, I think our Jags are gonna be real good in a couple years.
Quote:I blame the lack of major controversy on Coach Bradley for being too darn upfront and honest about most everything. TC, and more so Del Rio, would leave plenty to the imagination, but Bradley lets us know the slightest issues along with the reasoning for their actions leaving very little to question. That said, TC was even more brutally honest when it came to slamming players, wherein Bradley has this reluctance to throw his players under the bus.
Agree. Transparency has apparently lent itself to much less drama.
...and the less drama, the better.