(06-10-2017, 07:05 AM)Bullseye Wrote:

(06-09-2017, 10:05 PM)Jaguarmeister Wrote: I just don't know how you can put a greater share of the blame on coaching then.  How do you reconcile Blake's regression and the defense showing improvement and lay a majority of blame on coaching as a whole?  Are you of the mind that Blake's 2015 season wasn't as good as most here believe?  Are you of the mind that the defense didn't improve or improve significantly enough last year?

I think where the coaching, or lack thereof, was most evident was on special teams.  The gaffes there directly cost us games, much like the QB play did.  I would just like to see a more thoughful rationale behind saying the greatest share of blame goes to coaching besides a talking head opinion on team talent being better than average, especially since QB play largely determines success in the NFL.

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As to your question, I believe the defense showed improvement despite the coaching because there was a great infusion of talent.  Last offseason, the team added Malik Jackson, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack (though inexplicably the team didn't play him much), Yannick Ngakoue, Abry Jones developed, Fowler returned, and we managed to get a decent year out of Cyprien.  Sometimes a team or part of a team can perform well despite not good coaching (see 90's Eagles under Kotite, 1994-95 Cowboys under Switzer).  Consider also the sentiments by Ramsey and others once Bradley was fired about the players not being utilized to their talents.    I think given that infusion of talent, improvement on that side of the ball was inevitable, much like there was improvement in the offense after the 2014 draft.

I agree with you that special teams cost us at least 3 games last year, and several games over the course of Bradley's unfortunate tenure.

Ultimately, the negative impact of bad coaching will be much lower than it has been in years past.  All three phases of the game should see improvement this year and in the years to come.

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(06-10-2017, 01:53 AM)Jags02 Wrote: I still say the greatest share of the blame is whatever happened to Blake's arm. If Blake's 2015 arm is back and he's able to keep it healthy from here on, there's no reason to think this team cannot eventually win the SB. 

The rest of the blame, however, is on coaching for failing to provide for a running game on offense. I primarily blame Oley for being totally inept when it comes to running the ball, but I also blame Gus for not realizing as much until it was too late. I don't blame Ivory and Yeldon because the run scheme was no good. 

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I like to hear this because I've been given a lot of grief for ranking the Jaguars so high on my current power ranking. But I feel if you honestly take into account just how much this team should have improved this offseason, the ranking is not as absurd as other NFL fans might think...

1. Patriots
2. Falcons
3. Steelers
4. Packers
5. Raiders
6. Seahawks
7. Cowboys
8. Bucs
9. Chiefs
10. Lions
11. Giants
12. Titans
13. Dolphins
14. Panthers
15. Cards
16. Broncos
17. Saints
18. Redskins
19. Jaguars
20. Ravens
21. Eagles
22. Colts
23. Vikings
24. Chargers
25. Texans
26. Bengals
27. Bills
28. 49ers
29. Bears
30. Jets
31. Browns
32. Rams

I saw your rankings and noticed something interesting.

Many people maintain ultimate team success boils down to the QB and talent should be considered and weighted accordingly.

But then I look at the teams listed below the Jaguars in your rankings above.  There are several teams nearly above and below the Jaguars that seemingly have better QB situations than we do.

The Saints have Drew Brees, Skins have Cousins, Ravens have Flacco, Eagles have Wentz, Colts have Luck, Bolts have Rivers and Bengals have Dalton.  Most, if not all of these guys would be presumed by most observers to be better than Bortles.

Do you think the Jaguars will have a better record than these teams?  If these other teams listed show them with better QBs than Bortles, does the Jaguars rankings above these teams indicate favorably disparate talent at every other position for the Jaguars?

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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/which-...also-rans/

The obvious response is that the Jags would be ranked much higher with any of those QBs.

I'm not as down on Bortles as some people here. Whatever one wants to complain about him, he shattered the team record for TD passes in 2015. Brunell never had more than 20 even with Smith and McCardell. A player can be as good as his highlights, it's just a matter of consistency.

About your prior response on defense, getting rid of Babich was a big plus along with the players you mentioned (and Amukamara). I'm not sold on Wash, and I really wish the team had gotten rid of more of Bradley's crony coaching group. 

At least the change in culture should prevent the existing players from going into cruise control mode like they did under Bradley.

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