There is little point in rehashing the bad bad W-L record our Jaguars have endured over the past few years.  We've endured it first hand.  Nevertheless, it is understandable that fans, weary from all of the losing, have a visceral response to the product and throw any and everyone under the bus, from players to coaches to the GM to the owner.  However, what often gets lost in the moment of frustration is a broader perspective.

 

One of the things people, including myself, people have cited to explain the poor performance of the team thus far is the role of inexperience.  Yesterday, the Jaguars played SIX (6) rookies yesterday, starting 5-all on the offensive side of the ball.  Those rookies were:

 

QB Blake Bortles

WR Allen Robinson

WR Allen Hurns

C Luke Bowanko

RG Brandon Linder

 

and RB Storm Johnson had playing time.

 

If I had to read the tea leaves, I suspect Johnson will be a starting RB for the Jaguars soon.

 

Also keep in mind Marqise Lee has started two games thus far this season, and he likely would have started at least one of the last two barring his own injuries.

 

In an attempt to gain a broader perspective and better understanding on our losing, I examined the starting lineups of the worst teams in football dating back to 1980.  No team I examined had a record of better than 4 wins.

 

Of all of the teams with 4 wins or less dating back to 1980, only three (3) teams besides this year's Jaguars team has had 6 or more rookies in the starting lineup at any one time.  Number in parenthesis is the number of rookie starters, according to profootballreference.com   Those teams were the 1983 Oilers (8), the 1999 Cleveland Browns (6), and the 2001 Buffalo Bills (6). 

 

A few points of explanation are in order.  First, the 1983 draft was known as the best and deepest draft in NFL history.  It was 12 rounds in length and only 28 teams picked.  Guys like Richard Dent and Mark Clayton were found in the 8th and 9th rounds.  Secondly, the 1999 Cleveland Browns were an expansion team.  Finally, with all of those teams, the rookie starters were evenly distributed between the offense and defense.  With the Jaguars, all of the rookies that started yesterday were on offense.  Based upon history, that is a most unusual distribution of talent.

 

But surprisingly, very few of the teams had as many rookie starters as this years Jaguars.

 

I see several possibilities to explain this.

 

1.  Coaches are generally loathe to start rookies, even in rebuilding situations like the one we face here in Jacksonville.  I think this is due to one of two related factors below: 

 

2.  rookies typically are not refined enough in their games to readily supplant starters in their rookie years.

 

3.  Rookies make mistakes that make it more difficult for teams to win, even in rebuilding situations.

 

4.  The Jaguars roster was so talent depleted coming into this offseason, the team had no real choice but to start rookies, even in positions where more experienced players were preferable;

 

5.  Maybe despite the current record, the Jaguars rookie class was actually a very good one.

 

This ties into my second conclusion.  Just because the team is in the midst of a horrible stretch of losing, that fact in itself does not necessarily mean the team is headed in the wrong direction.  There are several teams within the parameters of this study that leap to mind.

 

The 1985 Buffalo Bills finished with a record of 2-14, which followed a 2-14 record the year before.  However, despite finishing that season with a 2-14 record, they wound up drafting a couple of Hall of Famers in that class who would eventually take them to four straight Super Bowls:  DE Bruce Smith and WR Andre Reed.

 

The Carolina Panthers hav had several disastrous seasons in their history.  2001 was one of those seasons, and they finished 1-15 that year.  However, their rookie class that year produced three quality starters that played in their one Super Bowl year a couple of seasons later:  DT Kris Jenkins, LB Dan Morgan, and S Deon Grant.

 

Of course, Dallas' ascent to champion is a well chronicled journey.  Landry's last year in Dallas (1988) was 3-13, while Jimmy Johnson's first year in Dallas (1989) was 1-15.  Even though their records were horrible those two seasons (4-28 overall), they had several key contributors to Super Bowl teams already on that roster, which included HOF WR Michael Irvin, Pro Bowl LB Ken Norton Jr., 5 time Pro Bowl G Nate Newton, OL Kevin Gogan, and 1989 rookie draft picks HOF QB Troy Aikman, and pro bowlers FB Daryl Johnston and C Mark Stepnoski.

 

Of course, history is also replete with teams that never ascended from the dregs to above mediocre within a reasonable period of time.  But the point is it is probable better days lay ahead for us despite the poor record over the past few years, and it is quite possible we'll see the results sooner (within the next year) rather than later.

First team since 96-97 Falcons to go back to back on 0-5 starts.


Yay!!

I keep hearing this phrase tossed around but don't see it executed fully.  Why does the brass hold certain players accountable but not hold the coaches or even the GM account.  Lets get real here, the team sucks all the way around.

 

Lets look at reality here:

 

Caldwell:  With his roster we are 4-17.  Yes I know the excuses about all the young guys starting but it's his fault all of these young guys are starting.  He let go of key veterans and spent very little money in Free Agency the past two years.  Yes you build through the draft but you don't leave your roster totally void of talent while doing it.   The few free agents he has signed mostly suck.  Where is the accountability?

 

Bradley: He has the whole Tony Robbins rah rah rah thing going on but thats it.  Supposedly a defensive minded coach who currently runs a team dead last in total defense.  Last in yards and last in points allowed.  He flat out sucks.  I'm tired of hearing "the team is improving" "we saw some good things" "we are getting better" "competition" blah blah blah.   Real pour job and he keeps the inept assistant coaches working right along with him

 

Fisch:  His offensive game plan sucks every week.  He holds back bortles from throwing the long ball and allows opposing teams to shrink the field on us.   The whole zone blocking scheme is a joke.   This team is near last or dead last in almost every major offensive category.  Why does this guy still have a job?

 

Babich:  His whole gameplan has sucked.  The defense is too soft and never have I seen a jags defender press a receiver to break up his route.  This was the first week the Jags defense actually showed some life outside the first half against Phili.   I can't say if the defense played well or the Steelers just suck right now.  We played the same Steelers team that just got beat by the horrible bucs. 

 

The Fans:  You have two different ends of the spectrum crowd here.  

1. You have the fans that drink the koolaid and the ignorance is bliss crowd.  They support the team no matter what and support whatever regime is in power till the death.  The same fans who supported Gene Smith and the Jack Del Rio regime.  It does not matter how bad the jags are doing it's always right with them.

 

2. The Negative crowed, soilers, bed wetters, etc.   I admit I fall in this bunch but I don't know why I shouldn't.  This team has been horrible since 2007. This new regime comes in and "cleans house" and the roster looks worse than before they took over.  I know we have heard their young 1000x over but that does not mean they will become good.   4-17 31st in offense and 32nd in defense is nothing to cheer about.

 

 

 

 

How young is our current starting 11 on offense?   This should give you some perspective.


 

chargers - 22, 29, 29, 28,26, 23, 34,  24, 33, 32,26


avg - 27.8

<div> 
steelers- 26,25,28,25 , 24,26, 31, 25, 22, 32,23 

avg  - 26.1

</div>
 

<div>jaguars - 22, 23, 27, 22, 22,23, 27,22, 22, 27, 28   (Hurns and Robinson currently starting WRs)

 avg - 24.1

 
I think I'll wait till a few of these guys get a season under their belts before I run about calling for Caldwell's head. 

He said he'd build through the draft and supplement with FA.  He's doing exactly that.  There is no instant gratification. 

</div>
 

Looks like it's back to Driskel.

 

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida...al-matter/

Per rotoworld:

Quote:Jags already fed up with Toby Gerhart?


Toby Gerhart | JAC


(October 6, 2014 8:55 AM EDT)


Toby Gerhart played on just 10-of-57 snaps in Sunday's Week 5 loss to the Steelers.


The Florida Times Union says it "sure seems like" the Jags are already fed up with Gerhart, who is now averaging 2.56 YPC with one touchdown on 48 rushes this season. His weekly snap count has gone from 48 to 35 to 30 to 20 to 10. Gerhart will not be a realistic fantasy option at Tennessee in Week 6.


SOURCE: 


FLORIDA TIMES UNION

I been a jag fan for a long time. No jokes aside do you think this team can go 0-16? I looked up the stats from the 2008 Detroit (0-16) Lions team look:

 

Points Scored: 27th

Yards: 30th

Points Allowed: 32nd

Point Scored(defense): 32nd

Rushing: 352 attempts 1332 yards 10 TD

Passing: 2960 TD: 18 Int: 19

 

I know it sounds crazy but this Jag team may have trouble reaching some of those numbers the Lions had especially in rushing, and we know how horrible that Lions team was (worst ever). That's why I ask do you think 

its feasible for this team to go 0-16?

 

PS. 2011 Jags vs 2014 Jags who wins?

For some reason I'm just highly annoyed by posters on the board lately. I don't normally much care as I like coming on here and reading things. However, lately I've had the severe misfortune in watching a lot of posters just post the most brain-dead, idiotic drivel that one should never have wasted life reading. 

 

Yes I get it, it's a message board, you are supposed to post and argue and blah blah blah blah. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally for that. But lets make sure we're actually making sense about what we are arguing about. Yes I also get that we've been a pretty bad team for awhile now and that can lead to making irrational decisions. Kinda like when you get mad and suddenly punch the wall without thinking then suddenly realize that was dumb and irrational to do. 

 

All I'm saying is don't go posting stuff ranting and raving about something when you can't look at the whole thing and weigh the good and the bad. 

 

So here are my observations: 

 

-Gerhart isn't what we thought he would be. It could be him playing through an injury that he got earlier in the year and is toughing it out. I've went back and looked at old film and the guy's just missing a step. He's not hitting the hole with conviction. But he has some good things about him. 

 

-Offensively, we had 7 rookies out there. I count Joeckel a rookie due to his limited playing time. A 1/2 of a rookie if you will. Take him out and you still have majority offense there. What this means is it's going to take time to gel and mesh. it's going to take time to get on the same page, the same groove. 

 

-Coaching Staff/Management: I'm not going to say much here except state the obvious. There's conviction and desire to make this team great. Sure they aren't going to make the best decisions, but they are also learning how to work together as well. 

 

-Rebuilding. It's been going on for a long time right? Not really. What we have gone through on this regime is a total overhaul. Think of buying a house, and then literally stripping the whole entire inside of the house out. The walls, the drywall, the insulation, the wiring, the floors, the pipes, etc. And then you are putting everything brand new back into it. It takes time and sometimes things may not end up being how you wanted it. 

 

-Bortles: He is the real deal. Someone started a post giving crap about how he's a bust already because of his picks so far. I will remind said person that Peyton Manning through for 28 interceptions his rookie year. And maybe it's just me, but I don't think Manning's a bust by far. 

 

-WRs: There is work to be done. Hurns makes me happy and frustrates me. He tried to 1 hand catch an easy pass yesterday and it looked like he could have gotten some good yards out of that play. A-Rob has potential as well as Lee, but they need development. IF IF IF we get Blackmon back one day, then I think we will be good to go. 

 

-Defense: Ahhh yes the defense. It was supposed to be the thing that kept us in the things that have resulted in the exact opposite. We had a tough time here. But what you saw is that the coaches weren't afraid to make the changes needed and you know what? It's starting to work itself out. I think that it was more of a matter of them working together in trusting each to do their job and not trying to do too much. We have a good run D. We have a good pass rush, just needed to work on the pass defense. But that's something that Dave will address in the future. 

 

You should feel special. I don't ever take genuine time to share my thoughts on these things. But I felt like some of you needed to look at it with common sense and stop jumping the gun on things. You only succeed in making yourself look stupid by doing that. I don't want to think of any of my fellow Jaguar fans at idiots who possess an IQ equal to a jar of mayonnaise. 

The bortles we saw in the preseason and even in the half against Indianapolis is far different than the Bortles we've seen last two weeks. Why? I believe its simply the dink and dung playcalling. We had the same O-line and the same RB crew as we did in those two instances.So why isn't Fisch letting Bortles sling it all over the place? Its obvious opposing coordinators are being told to sit on routes. Could it be the O-line really is more inept than we think? So much so that holding a pocket long enough for WR's to get 20 yards down the field is not in the cards? How about the rookie mistakes the receivers are making?

 

Bingo. I do believe that is the culprit. Our Rookie receivers are being challenged and Fisch doesn't have complete faith in them to run a 20 yard route every down much less make the contested catches thats required. So at this point, We have to choose our death. Death by dinking or Death by mass incompletions downfield?

 

So before we all jump on Fisch and Bortles, Lets all take a step back and accept the fact that our rookie WR's and the journeymen we have at O-line isn't helping either of them very much.

A discussion we were having in the office a little bit ago.

 

Is it too easy to play football in Jacksonville?

 

In terms of pressure from fans, Jacksonville has to be the easiest environment to play in. This morning I am listening to the radio and we hear people saying that at least the game was close, we only lost be 8. We lost bro. Lost. We have a GM/Coach that are 4-21 in two years and might have the worst offense and defense in the league. The owner is 6-35 in three years. These numbers are historically bad. If this was almost any other NFL city, the pressure would be on all three. Constantly. In Jacksonville, nah. It's gettin' better. I mean we only lost by 8 and we have a lot of rookie so we need to give the guys a break. Don't be so hard on them.

 

And in terms of media pressure, Jacksonville also has to be the easiest environment to play in. And that is probably not even close. Jacksonville is the only market in the NFL where they are the only pro sports team aside from Green Bay. So every media member in Jacksonville wants to cover the team. They also don't want to be critical of the team and risk losing access to members of the franchise. It's not like that in any other NFL city. If you are a writer in Houston, you can cover the Astros or Rockets. In Chicago, you have two MLB teams, NBA, NHL. There are at least one or two other franchises in other cities. In some markets the pro sports franchises have to fight to get noticed so fielding a competitive team is crucial to even get local coverage. All the Jaguars have to do is show up. And some of their biggest cheerleaders are the media in the this town. They are basically an echo chamber for the team.

 

It should not be a surprise that veterans like Hugh Douglas and Aaron consider this a paid vacation because it is. It's easy money. Show up, collect millions, get beat up for three hours a week and go home in your Bentley or Benz.  Who wouldn't want that? Also not surprising that we see guys around the league who flunked out of Jacksonville find success elsewhere. Knighton, Nelson, Monroe, Durant, Selvie, Mosley, Mathis, Weatherford, Forsett, Boykin, Connelly, Daryl Smith. I could keep going if you'd like. Jacksonville is basically the NBDL.