Quote:This year was our year. Never again will the stars align like they did this year.
Really? Lol
The stars aligned when Marks got injured twice and missed almost the entire season? The stars aligned when Fowler tore his ACL in rookie camp and missed the entire season? The stars aligned when our best offensive lineman went down early in the year and missed 13 games? The stars aligned when our big FA TE got injured in the first pre-season game and missed the first 4 games?
Give me a break. We've been just as unlucky as every other team with injuries if not more. The clots are missing Luck and who else exactly? The Texans aren't exactly reliant on having a good QB.
We have the youngest starting roster in the NFL. We have so many talented pieces and the most talent in a long long time. There's a reason we see NFL.com saying the Jags could become the next great offense. The core of this team is made up of players in there first 2 years:
Bortles
Yeldon
A Robinson
Hurns
Lee
Greene
Cann
Linder
Fowler
T Smith
Colvin
All of those guys are rookies or second year players, all are getting better. People have such a "win now" mindset but look at the bigger picture. You add another draft to those guys, you bring in some more free agents, you throw in some talented vets like Marks, Thomas, House, Miller, Parnell and Walters. The future is extremely bright. I hate losing as much as anyone but this season was never win now, I'd have taken 6 wins at the start of the year as long as we stayed in most games. We've been blown out once and blown out another team once. Caldwell always said it was going to be a 5-year plan to become a team that can sustain winning over a long period of time.
Maybe people have the "win now" attitude because the NFL season is so short and the offseason is so long but the future of this franchise is great. We've got a great owner and a great GM.
I'm almost thinking we should take an LT, rather than a DE in the first round.
Quote:I'm almost thinking we should take an LT, rather than a DE in the first round.
There's no way. This defense needs way too much help. DB's/passrushers should be it early.
Quote:I'm almost thinking we should take an LT, rather than a DE in the first round.
Unfortunately I think LT and SS have shot way up on the list of priorities for this team. I wouldn't mind seeing us spend a high pick on either position.
Quote:This year was our year. Never again will the stars align like they did this year.
This year was our year?? No, so very un true. You have high expectations of a very young team.
Quote:There's no way. This defense needs way too much help. DB's/passrushers should be it early.
You can supplement this team with another decent FA class and if a top notch LT is there in either of the first two rounds, I think you have to take a chance on it. Of course the defense could stand to be upgraded in a lot of spots, but I think a scheme change would help tremendously.
Quote:I'm almost thinking we should take an LT, rather than a DE in the first round.
Seriously, come on. What are you all thinking?
Quote:You can supplement this team with another decent FA class and if a top notch LT is there in either of the first two rounds, I think you have to take a chance on it. Of course the defense could stand to be upgraded in a lot of spots, but I think a scheme change would help tremendously.
This doesn't make much sense to me. I'm guessing Gus is coming back next year so a scheme change is not happening. So you draft good defensive players early and add any FA passrushers that are out there. Better players will make the scheme magically look better.
When the Jags pick in the first round, if the choice comes between a stud LT or a DE with question marks, I say go for the LT. I hear that LT from Ole Miss is pretty good.
Quote:That Joeckel sucks lol
Yet the offense has been pretty good as Bortles is able to mask Joeckels deficiencies. Who or what has masked the deficiencies of the defense for this team? Nothing
Quote:That Joeckel sucks lol
Bingo. He's played adequately in spots, but nothing like a franchise LT and he doesn't have the mean streak, or enough size and strength to play the position at a high level. He gets worked constantly and today was probably one of his worst overall games. Granted he's a year back in his development, but he hasn't shown the ability to play the position at a high level consistently and therefore the position could stand to be upgraded.
Quote:Yet the offense has been pretty good as Bortles is able to mask Joeckels deficiencies. Who or what has masked the deficiencies of the defense for this team? Nothing
The coaching staff and defensive play calling have certainly done nothing to mask the deficiencies in defense, that much is abundantly clear.
Quote:The coaching staff and defensive play calling have certainly done nothing to mask the deficiencies in defense, that much is abundantly clear.
Even the blitzes and rushing look lame most of the time (scheme wise. It always looks like 3 blitzers/rushers want to shoot the same gap and they just get piled up by the other team's O-Line. Looks like bad coaching to me.
Quote:The coaching staff and defensive play calling have certainly done nothing to mask the deficiencies in defense, that much is abundantly clear.
That doesn't answer the question. What the more pressing need? A new LT or the defense? If you're honest with yourself you'll realize it's the D.
Quote:This year was our year?? No, so very un true. You have high expectations of a very young team.
Gus was the one who said it was built not the fans. He set expectations he couldn't deliver on
Quote:Even the blitzes and rushing look lame most of the time (scheme wise. It always looks like 3 blitzers/rushers want to shoot the same gap and they just get piled up by the other team's O-Line. Looks like bad coaching to me.
Yes. Today's pressures were laughably transparent and often left House alone to deal with Juilo on so many critical 3rd downs. Towards the end of the game, the Faclons were just picking us apart on 3rd down by constantly generating mismatches, with Justin Hardy being either covered by a linebacker or completely uncovered several times. We let a listless offense completely control the game today. The few chances the offense did have down the stretch were wrecked by Denards clumsiness and Marshalls continued ineptitude on special teams (it's OK to just let him be a nickel CB)
Quote:That doesn't answer the question. What the more pressing need? A new LT or the defense? If you're honest with yourself you'll realize it's the D.
Just because it's a more pressing need doesn't mean that we should pass on a LT if he's the BAP in that spot. We need to supplement the secondary and the pass rush through free agency because realistically, we aren't likely to dramatically improve the defense by playing a bunch of rookies. That's just a historical fact.
If Bosa winds up in our division (probably with the Titans), then upgrading the LT position becomes a priority. I wouldn't be opposed to selecting a DE if he's the BAP, but if an LT is the BAP, I say go for it, no questions asked.
We're drafting a CB in the first round. And a FS in the 2nd round.
Fowler is our DE that everybody is wanting.
And Marks is the DT we need.
Then we will get a LB and another SS.
In FA we will get our center and depth.