01-23-2018, 01:36 PM
The perpetual life-cycle of the NFL rolls on, and the best way for me to dull the pain of Sunday is by looking ahead to our bright future. So here is my season review for each unit of the team, along with expectations for next year.
QB - Season Grade: B+
It was the biggest question starting the year, and is still the biggest question now, but full credit to Bortles for ignoring the negativity and putting together his best season as a pro. He had multiple games this year where he has looked like a franchise QB, unfortunately he has also had multiple games where he looked like a lost cause. His performances against the Steelers and Pats in the playoffs ultimately make it a successful season for him. What a fascinating career path this guy has been on, it's rare to see the public perception of someone change so thoroughly in the space of a few years. It's almost as if the 35TD season raised people's hopes too much, and as such the bad games he has had since have been piled on with much greater venom than most QBs would receive. One thing I will say, I really like the dude. He's tough as nails, always out there trying to make a play, never throws teammates under the bus. Just seems like a good guy. I'm rooting for him.
Next Season Outlook:
I think he'll be back and I think he'll start. I see no reason to sign him to a long-term contract right now. Let's give him another year with Hackett and bring ARob back, improve the O-line and get a pass catching TE and see if Blake's arrow is still pointing up. The truth is right now he is in a big group of QBs that are not in the top 10 but are not bad players. The veteran alternatives out there are probably at a similar level (not sold on Cousins). Smith could be tempting due to his reliability, but I don't see the team going in that direction. I think they will draft a rookie (not sure when) to backup Blake and potentially take the reigns if Blake falters again. It's a tricky one but I think we would be making a mistake moving on from Blake at this point, both in terms of team chemistry and the potential for significant improvement from him.
RB - Season Grade: A-
We have more money and picks invested in the RB position than any other team in the league. First of all, Fournette is a beast and I believe we only scratched the surface with him this year. I think he has been limited by the injury from the Rams game all year long. He stands to benefit greatly from a good offseason to get back to full health, and an upgraded O-Line next year. Ivory spelled him well in some games this year. Yeldon really came on strong towards the end, putting in some great playoff performances. Corey Grant is an electric player, great on special teams and provides a real change of pace on offense too. Also, Bohannon... love that dude.
Next Season Outlook:
I think they found the groove with Fournette, Yeldon and Grant. Those three all bring different skill sets to the table and I think we will see all three of them used with some regularity. I see big things for Fournette if he can stay healthy (lets hope that ankle isn't gonna be a lingering problem). I think he'll be challenging for rushing titles in the not-too distant future. Ivory clearly gone.
WR - Season Grade: B
Crazy twists and turns for this position group, and huge questions about how to move forward. Lee hasn't developed into the deep threat I thought he would become, and has actually turned into an across the middle catch in traffic kind of guy, possibly out of neccessity with ARob out. He had some good games this season and some with frustrating drops. Hurns is another tough [BLEEP] but still has struggled with injuries. Very reliable when playing but not exactly explosive. Keelan Cole is a very exciting player, actually led the team in receiving yards this year. He seems to have a skill set that could make him a full package WR, although he will need a lot of polishing to ever reach that potential. That catch he made on the sideline in the Championship game was sick, and he's repeatedly shown the ability to get deep and adjust to the ball for big catches. Very exciting. Westbrook is another rookie who had a good season, and makes the position very interesting to watch moving forward.
Next Season Outlook:
Bring back ARob. I've always been a fan, and my lord we could have done with him at some points this year. Hopefully Blake has developed to a point where he can use him without forcing it. Lee and Hurns... Lee and Hurns... I just don't know, part of me wants them both back, part says just Lee, part says just Hurns and part says neither and free up space for the young guys to come into starting roles. I really don't know. I feel like Lee could end up being a very good player if he moved on to a good spot. Either way, I want to see Cole and Westbrook start to take bigger roles in this offense.
TE - Season Grade: B
Marcedes 'Grandfather' Lewis makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Glad that dude has been able to experience success as a Jag again. He's had a good year, been a big part of the commitment to the run and caught some huge TDs. Koyack and Shaugnessy have both contributed at times.
Next Season Outlook:
Needs to be upgraded with a specialist pass catching TE. Hopefully Lewis is back, but we really need someone to provide an extra element in the passing game. There are some great prospects in the draft, a first round TE wouldn't surprise me at all. Also seen a few free-agent names shouted out, Trey Burton is intriguing. An uprgrade here could help this team, and QB, massively.
O-Line - Season Grade: B+
I was full on Modis-mode in the preseason about this group when Albert retired, but man they've been surprisingly strong. Led the league in rushing (not sure how) and great at keeping Blake upright. Getting a franchise LT in the 2nd round is massive. He and Linder are top-class options moving forward. Parnell was also generally a strong point, and I think he will hold down RT. We missed him when he was out. Omameh and Cann were both better than expected.
Next Season Outlook:
Should clearly be a focus for the team (always always always). Both Guard spots are upgradable, and hopefully we will be able to open some holes in the running game.
Coordinator - Season Grade: A-
It's hard to reach perspective on this right now so soon after the Pats game. I agree we kind of froze up as the game progressed, and I'm sure Nate would do things a bit differently if he had the chance. But up until that point I was loving what he we had done to the Steelers and Pats. It was his game plans that gave us the big leads in the first place. And looking at the bigger picture, we ranked 6th on offense this year. That is remarkable considering the very real challenges this team faced all year. If back in the last offseason somebody had told you that A Rob would be out for the year, Albert wouldn't play a snap, Fournette would miss a bunch of games... and Jags would be the sixth ranked offense you would have called them crazy...
Next Season Outlook:
I know some people will hate on this, but of course Hackett is safe. I really hope he and Blake can develop together to give us an offense where we have faith in the QB to win us games, not just trying not to lose. If we can get to that point this team can be really special.
QB - Season Grade: B+
It was the biggest question starting the year, and is still the biggest question now, but full credit to Bortles for ignoring the negativity and putting together his best season as a pro. He had multiple games this year where he has looked like a franchise QB, unfortunately he has also had multiple games where he looked like a lost cause. His performances against the Steelers and Pats in the playoffs ultimately make it a successful season for him. What a fascinating career path this guy has been on, it's rare to see the public perception of someone change so thoroughly in the space of a few years. It's almost as if the 35TD season raised people's hopes too much, and as such the bad games he has had since have been piled on with much greater venom than most QBs would receive. One thing I will say, I really like the dude. He's tough as nails, always out there trying to make a play, never throws teammates under the bus. Just seems like a good guy. I'm rooting for him.
Next Season Outlook:
I think he'll be back and I think he'll start. I see no reason to sign him to a long-term contract right now. Let's give him another year with Hackett and bring ARob back, improve the O-line and get a pass catching TE and see if Blake's arrow is still pointing up. The truth is right now he is in a big group of QBs that are not in the top 10 but are not bad players. The veteran alternatives out there are probably at a similar level (not sold on Cousins). Smith could be tempting due to his reliability, but I don't see the team going in that direction. I think they will draft a rookie (not sure when) to backup Blake and potentially take the reigns if Blake falters again. It's a tricky one but I think we would be making a mistake moving on from Blake at this point, both in terms of team chemistry and the potential for significant improvement from him.
RB - Season Grade: A-
We have more money and picks invested in the RB position than any other team in the league. First of all, Fournette is a beast and I believe we only scratched the surface with him this year. I think he has been limited by the injury from the Rams game all year long. He stands to benefit greatly from a good offseason to get back to full health, and an upgraded O-Line next year. Ivory spelled him well in some games this year. Yeldon really came on strong towards the end, putting in some great playoff performances. Corey Grant is an electric player, great on special teams and provides a real change of pace on offense too. Also, Bohannon... love that dude.
Next Season Outlook:
I think they found the groove with Fournette, Yeldon and Grant. Those three all bring different skill sets to the table and I think we will see all three of them used with some regularity. I see big things for Fournette if he can stay healthy (lets hope that ankle isn't gonna be a lingering problem). I think he'll be challenging for rushing titles in the not-too distant future. Ivory clearly gone.
WR - Season Grade: B
Crazy twists and turns for this position group, and huge questions about how to move forward. Lee hasn't developed into the deep threat I thought he would become, and has actually turned into an across the middle catch in traffic kind of guy, possibly out of neccessity with ARob out. He had some good games this season and some with frustrating drops. Hurns is another tough [BLEEP] but still has struggled with injuries. Very reliable when playing but not exactly explosive. Keelan Cole is a very exciting player, actually led the team in receiving yards this year. He seems to have a skill set that could make him a full package WR, although he will need a lot of polishing to ever reach that potential. That catch he made on the sideline in the Championship game was sick, and he's repeatedly shown the ability to get deep and adjust to the ball for big catches. Very exciting. Westbrook is another rookie who had a good season, and makes the position very interesting to watch moving forward.
Next Season Outlook:
Bring back ARob. I've always been a fan, and my lord we could have done with him at some points this year. Hopefully Blake has developed to a point where he can use him without forcing it. Lee and Hurns... Lee and Hurns... I just don't know, part of me wants them both back, part says just Lee, part says just Hurns and part says neither and free up space for the young guys to come into starting roles. I really don't know. I feel like Lee could end up being a very good player if he moved on to a good spot. Either way, I want to see Cole and Westbrook start to take bigger roles in this offense.
TE - Season Grade: B
Marcedes 'Grandfather' Lewis makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Glad that dude has been able to experience success as a Jag again. He's had a good year, been a big part of the commitment to the run and caught some huge TDs. Koyack and Shaugnessy have both contributed at times.
Next Season Outlook:
Needs to be upgraded with a specialist pass catching TE. Hopefully Lewis is back, but we really need someone to provide an extra element in the passing game. There are some great prospects in the draft, a first round TE wouldn't surprise me at all. Also seen a few free-agent names shouted out, Trey Burton is intriguing. An uprgrade here could help this team, and QB, massively.
O-Line - Season Grade: B+
I was full on Modis-mode in the preseason about this group when Albert retired, but man they've been surprisingly strong. Led the league in rushing (not sure how) and great at keeping Blake upright. Getting a franchise LT in the 2nd round is massive. He and Linder are top-class options moving forward. Parnell was also generally a strong point, and I think he will hold down RT. We missed him when he was out. Omameh and Cann were both better than expected.
Next Season Outlook:
Should clearly be a focus for the team (always always always). Both Guard spots are upgradable, and hopefully we will be able to open some holes in the running game.
Coordinator - Season Grade: A-
It's hard to reach perspective on this right now so soon after the Pats game. I agree we kind of froze up as the game progressed, and I'm sure Nate would do things a bit differently if he had the chance. But up until that point I was loving what he we had done to the Steelers and Pats. It was his game plans that gave us the big leads in the first place. And looking at the bigger picture, we ranked 6th on offense this year. That is remarkable considering the very real challenges this team faced all year. If back in the last offseason somebody had told you that A Rob would be out for the year, Albert wouldn't play a snap, Fournette would miss a bunch of games... and Jags would be the sixth ranked offense you would have called them crazy...
Next Season Outlook:
I know some people will hate on this, but of course Hackett is safe. I really hope he and Blake can develop together to give us an offense where we have faith in the QB to win us games, not just trying not to lose. If we can get to that point this team can be really special.