Blake Bortles today was 2 slightly better thrown balls away from another 300+ yard 3 td/ 1 rush td 1 int WINNING performance today. The BETTER news is he made those 2 reads correctly and attempted the throws as a year 2 quarterback, one being in crunch time. The JT throw was JUST out of reach and the read to Hurns at the end was a TD if he hits him in stride and the throw is just a little better. Blake Bortles is for real, our offense is for real. We made the right calls and reads, but were JUST off from having 30+ points up again. We get a better starting or depth LG with a healthy Linder and Cann next year, this offense is set. Also, that Lee catch showed some AMAZING ball skills and concentration from Lee, I flipped out when I saw the effort on that catch. High effort guys like that who make plays are what we need, he just needs to stay healthy.
Now the defense, we are a range safety and a rusher or 2 away from having a serviceable/good defense(assuming our corners develop at all). They played a poor game on third down, but also gave us some shots to win today with turnovers. Everywhere else on defense is at least OK, Linebacker might be something we need more depth at.
Coaching is such a crap chute, I honestly feel like if the defense has a bit more talent we win 10 game sthis year despite of who is the head coach. I would prefer a new HC, but change for the sake of change COULD be worse than what we have in Gus. I think Babich is done though, leaving more optimism to be had about the defense.
The loss hurts today, sure. It was deflating for me as well and all of us should be pretty upset. BUT! This team is CLOSE, for real this time (Not Mularkey, Jeans Miff close).
This is my positive outlook on things as of now, even if this loss hurts.
There are a ton of bright spots on this roster.
Bortles, Telvin Smith, Aaron Colvin, ARob, Hurns, Yeldon, Linder, Cann, JT, Greene, House etc are all pieces to the puzzle.
I have two issues with the starting roster today. Poz and Marshall. I know why Poz was out there and I get it but do we really think he gave the defense the best chance to succeed? He made a few nice plays but overall I thought he struggled. He was slow to react more often than not and his coverage ability is damn near non-existent most of the time. I thought Jordan Tripp deserved another chance after last week and let Poz continue to heal his hand.
I like Nick Marshall but I don't want him covering veteran guys like Roddy White this early into his career. Moncrief is one thing but Roddy White is another. Roddy might not be in his prime but he is still a crafty veteran. I thought McCray would have been the better option but I've said that for weeks. McCray isn't Revis but I think him playing gave us the better chance today.
Quote:There are a ton of bright spots on this roster.
Bortles, Telvin Smith, Aaron Colvin, ARob, Hurns, Yeldon, Linder, Cann, JT, Greene, House etc are all pieces to the puzzle.
I have two issues with the starting roster today. Poz and Marshall. I know why Poz was out there and I get it but do we really think he gave the defense the best chance to succeed? He made a few nice plays but overall I thought he struggled. He was slow to react more often than not and his coverage ability is damn near non-existent most of the time. I thought Jordan Tripp deserved another chance after last week and let Poz continue to heal his hand.
I like Nick Marshall but I don't want him covering veteran guys like Roddy White this early into his career. Moncrief is one thing but Roddy White is another. Roddy might not be in his prime but he is still a crafty veteran. I thought McCray would have been the better option but I've said that for weeks. McCray isn't Revis but I think him playing gave us the better chance today.
I agree about Poz. He is a fan favorite and I understand why (great tackler, workhorse effort guy). He's played well at times this season but the reality is he's an average player and his lack of speed has really started to show with age. I was actually a little bummed that Poz got the start over Jordon Tripp today who played great last week.
Quote:I agree about Poz. He is a fan favorite and I understand why (great tackler, workhorse effort guy). He's played well at times this season but the reality is he's an average player and his lack of speed has really started to show with age. I was actually a little bummed that Poz got the start over Jordon Tripp today who played great last week.
I was a little worried about him playing with a cast on his hand, but that didn't seem the matter. The guy was beasting today, and even caught an INT despite the cast.
Quote:I was a little worried about him playing with a cast on his hand, but that didn't seem the matter. The guy was beasting today, and even caught an INT despite the cast.
He's a shell of his former self. Cast or no cast.
His is a great team guy but I don't know how people think he's "beasting" at this stage in his career. He's average at times and below average at others.
I love the guy and his toughness, work ethic and leadership but he needs to be upgraded and soon.
As long as Gus remains HC, we will never improve to the point of winning the division.
Quote:Coaching is such a crap chute, I honestly feel like if the defense has a bit more talent we win 10 games this year despite of who is the head coach. I would prefer a new HC, but change for the sake of change COULD be worse than what we have in Gus. I think Babich is done though, leaving more optimism to be had about the defense.
Quote:There are a ton of bright spots on this roster.
Bortles, Telvin Smith, Aaron Colvin, ARob, Hurns, Yeldon, Linder, Cann, JT, Greene, House etc are all pieces to the puzzle.
There are a ton of bright spots, and more seem to be emerging every week. That's a sign of good player development, which in turn is a sign of good coaching. Again this game came down to a little better execution by the players. Blake throws an INT that gets returned 85 yards. The Jaguars were in position to score, and if they get a TD there, the Jaguars win this game outright 24-20.
A reason to be pessimistic, signs point to Bradley staying
Quote:I was a little worried about him playing with a cast on his hand, but that didn't seem the matter. The guy was beasting today, and even caught an INT despite the cast.
He had some great plays, he had more plays where he was arriving late to the scene. The pic was beautiful no doubt.
Poz has his good games and bad games, but I dont think today was the day to call him out. I thought he played pretty well for the most part. Made the pick. Ran down Freeman to the sideline.
We do have some good young players on this team. We just need some more of them. And we need to just quit making stupid mistakes. So many of them game after game. Even if its just little stuff. Like Marshall taking that kick out of the endzone. Enough of those in a game and it sets you back.
Quote:Poz has his good games and bad games, but I dont think today was the day to call him out. I thought he played pretty well for the most part. Made the pick. Ran down Freeman to the sideline.
He struggled more than he played great I thought. Too many times he was non-existent in a play. Run plays where he was taken out entirely. Too many times he dropped back in coverage but not deep enough and guys ran free behind him. That was happening too often.
Quote:Blake Bortles today was 2 slightly better thrown balls away from another 300+ yard 3 td/ 1 rush td 1 int WINNING performance today. The BETTER news is he made those 2 reads correctly and attempted the throws as a year 2 quarterback, one being in crunch time. The JT throw was JUST out of reach and the read to Hurns at the end was a TD if he hits him in stride and the throw is just a little better. Blake Bortles is for real, our offense is for real. We made the right calls and reads, but were JUST off from having 30+ points up again. We get a better starting or depth LG with a healthy Linder and Cann next year, this offense is set. Also, that Lee catch showed some AMAZING ball skills and concentration from Lee, I flipped out when I saw the effort on that catch. High effort guys like that who make plays are what we need, he just needs to stay healthy.
Now the defense, we are a range safety and a rusher or 2 away from having a serviceable/good defense(assuming our corners develop at all). They played a poor game on third down, but also gave us some shots to win today with turnovers. Everywhere else on defense is at least OK, Linebacker might be something we need more depth at.
Coaching is such a crap chute, I honestly feel like if the defense has a bit more talent we win 10 game sthis year despite of who is the head coach. I would prefer a new HC, but change for the sake of change COULD be worse than what we have in Gus. I think Babich is done though, leaving more optimism to be had about the defense.
The loss hurts today, sure. It was deflating for me as well and all of us should be pretty upset. BUT! This team is CLOSE, for real this time (Not Mularkey, Jeans Miff close).
This is my positive outlook on things as of now, even if this loss hurts.
I don't understand the "change for the sake of change" argument in regards to Bradley. Maybe you can elaborate why some think that?
Let me articulate my observation/stance on Bradley. Through nearly 3 seasons of observation, it seems clear to me that Bradley lacks the leadership necessary to be a good head coach. He is a VERY NICE guy and understand Xs and Os to some degree. However, it is a fact that not everyone can be or will be a successful head coach. The one thing we do know is that he is "positive." That's great. However, his approach has led to the Jags under-performing in almost every game for the talent level they have. Is he the sole source of their woes? Not at all. But at the end of the day, if you are Caldwell or Khan, you have to ask yourself, can this coach lead this franchise to a Super Bowl and win it (i.e. can he squeeze the most out of the roster the GM gets him)? The answer for me is clearly no.
Has there been some success that we should credit to him? Probably so. However, his "body of work" overall to me shows that he is not NFL HC caliber.
So, I know myself (and I would believe most others) do not want a HC change just for the sake of change. It is because season after season and week after week, there is continual evidence that Bradley is not a good HC. It's that simple.
Quote:He's a shell of his former self. Cast or no cast.
His is a great team guy but I don't know how people think he's "beasting" at this stage in his career. He's average at times and below average at others.
I love the guy and his toughness, work ethic and leadership but he needs to be upgraded and soon.
Lol@ shell...
He's top 10 in tackles.
Quote:...his approach has led to the Jags under-performing in almost every game for the talent level they have.
I don't see players under-performing. Rather, I see young players coming into their own and giving everything they have. Last year and in the Preseason both ARob and Hurns were dropping a lot of passes, but under Gus they've both developed into clutch receivers catching everything and laying out for passes. Gus is squeezing every last inch of talent out of them, and just look at Bortles development. Even Branch is starting to show up on the field, and he's otherwise been a ghost since he was drafted. Even our Kicker is starting to figure things out and has hit seven straight. I do see young guys making the kind of mistakes on occasional that young guys make, but I also see them giving everything they have, and if anything are for the most part over-performing. There might be a few names, such as Joekel, that just don't seem to be getting much better, but there are guys like that on everything team and I expect Caldwell to find replacements for them. But more and more guys like Telvin Smith are emerging and playing beyond expectations. Bradley's approach took longer than you'd like to start working, but it's really starting to take hold and I feel that under his guidance this can be a very good team next year. A new HC could easily stifle the progress being made.
Quote:I don't see players under-performing. Rather, I see young players coming into their own and giving everything they have. Last year and in the Preseason both ARob and Hurns were dropping a lot of passes, but under Gus they've both developed into clutch receivers catching everything and laying out for passes. Gus is squeezing every last inch of talent out of them, and just look at Bortles development. Even Branch is starting to show up on the field, and he's otherwise been a ghost since he was drafted. Even our Kicker is starting to figure things out and has hit seven straight. I do see young guys making the kind of mistakes on occasional that young guys make, but I also see them giving everything they have, and if anything are for the most part over-performing. There might be a few names, such as Joekel, that just don't seem to be getting much better, but there are guys like that on everything team and I expect Caldwell to find replacements for them. But more and more guys like Telvin Smith are emerging and playing beyond expectations. Bradley's approach took longer than you'd like to start working, but it's really starting to take hold and I feel that under his guidance this can be a very good team next year. A new HC could easily stifle the progress being made.
You and I both know Gus is "defensive minded" and it's not accurate at all to attribute the development of WRs to him specifically. That assertion is laughable.
Bortles sought help on his own in the off-season. And there's a new OC.
Branch has had a couple of plays this season.
Really can't believe you're using Myers as as evidence of Gus's success lol.
I understand you want Gus to be good, so do I...but there's a point at which you call the baby ugly...
Quote:Lol@ shell...
He's top 10 in tackles.
And he missed two games. He is a liability in covage but when it come to leadership, tackling and instinct he still got it.
Quote:You and I both know Gus is "defensive minded" and it's not accurate at all to attribute the development of WRs to him specifically. That assertion is laughable.
Bortles sought help on his own in the off-season. And there's a new OC.
Branch has had a couple of plays this season.
Really can't believe you're using Myers as as evidence of Gus's success lol.
I understand you want Gus to be good, so do I...but there's a point at which you call the baby ugly...
I'm not crediting Gus so much with developing their skills per say, but with getting their mind set right to compete for every down. What I'm seeing is a never say die attitude and a striving to make every play count, and that's what Gus has installed in them.
I don't know what game many of you were watching, but Poz was all over the field today and was racking up kills in the run game. He does nothing but rack up tackles and play his position the right way and as for many of you that rail on him for his pass coverage, why is he constantly on the field in obvious passing situations?
I was really happy with this season, honestly. We broke through that "terrible" barrier that has been looming over our heads the past few years. We have been in every game besides the Patriots game and still have a shot at playoffs as crazy as that sounds.
I'm just really encouraged by the progress of the offense. These guys seemingly want to get better. With the addition of Dante Fowler and hopefully an offseason of bringing in more defensive talent, we may take the next step. These guys are still learning how to win games. It took the Panthers a while, but they figured it out.
Quote:I was really happy with this season, honestly. We broke through that "terrible" barrier that has been looming over our heads the past few years. We have been in every game besides the Patriots game and still have a shot at playoffs as crazy as that sounds.
I'm just really encouraged by the progress of the offense. These guys seemingly want to get better. With the addition of Dante Fowler and hopefully an offseason of bringing in more defensive talent, we may take the next step. These guys are still learning how to win games. It took the Panthers a while, but they figured it out.
Not really. By year 3 of Rivera the Panthers were established in both sides of the ball, won 12 games and made the divisional playoffs. Gus has yet to top 12 wins total, so one is obviously not like the other.