Now that the draft is over, the rosters are pretty much set going into training camp. There are still some lingering free agents out there for teams who, for whatever reason, did not fill in the holes at a particular position.


Tyreek Hill could be kicked out of the league.


Telvin Smith may or may not be on the team by the start of the season.


Players may retire before going through another training camp.


But as a whole the teams are pretty much set. Are any of you prepared to make predictions on the season, record wise or individually?


Here are some of my thoughts:


Given that DeFillippo often clashed with Mike Zimmer over not running the ball enough, and that Marrone and TC believe in pounding the rock, with run/pass balance be an issue here? I know TC and Marrone have said they want a more balanced team -ostensibly between offense and defense, but every indication from the offseason to date showed a determination to improve the balance between run and pass. They signed Foles. Until Allen fell into our laps, the draft emphasis appeared to be upgrading TE and RT in the first round. As it stands, we got the same guy at RT in the 2nd round many thought we'd take in the first, and TE seems upgraded but perhaps not to the extent it would have been had we drafted Hockenson or Fant. I think some will be pleasantly surprised over the improved passing, but this isn't going to be an air raid attack, or even the TC offense from 1996. I still think this iteration of the team will be run the ball, ball control.



Of the UDFAs, I'm thinking 2-3 have a shot of making this team. My early money is on G Bunchy Stallings, the WR from Boston College, and Savion Smith.


I'm curious as to why they brought in Corey Liuget. Not that I don't think he's had a good career. But we seem pretty set at DT, considering Campbell should see snaps there on many passing downs. Had they signed him, who would they have replaced on the roster for him? I think THIS is a classic reason why the Bortles extension hurt this team. If Bortles' cap figure were not on this team, I believe Liuget would be a Jaguar.

My game by game thoughts on the schedule...

1. KC-I think their DL, with Frank Clark acquired from Seattle, pro bowler Chris Jones moving inside to DT, and with rookie Khalen Saunders at the other DT spot, their DL will be certainly more effective against the run, but I still think their transition to the 4-3 is not complete. I still think they have weakness at LB and the secondary. Add that to the likely absence of Tyreek Hill, KC, while still a formidable team, is looking far more winnable to start the season.

2. With that defense, Houston will always be tough. But I don't see any significant upgrade in their disastrous OL. The two guys they drafted have some promise, but they reached for both players. Getting reps against studs like Watt, Clowney and Mercilus will help, but Houston could have a tough time this year-both against us and throughout their schedule.

3. I hate Thursday night games, especially when we are playing against the tacks. It never seems to go well for us. It'll be interesting to see Allen go up against those tackles. A very good test for him. Given it's a short week and we're at home

4. After being tested against the likes of Watt, Clowney and Mercilus, Landry and Casey, the Jaguars' OL gets no breaks in Dever, where Von Miller and Chubb offer an outstanding pass rush duo. As long as I can remember, Denver has always been tough at home, but I see this as a winnable game if we stay out of long yardage and don't turn the ball over. I don't see their offense having too much success against our defense, though Fant is a concern.

5. Another winnable game in Carolina. They are switching to a 3-4, which is usually a tricky transition. Though he is a great player, I wonder how much Kuechly will be impacted by having to take on guards as opposed to having DTs in front of him allowing him to move freely.

6. New Orleans is the most complete team on our schedule. But is Brees on the decline? Their offense sputtered some down the stretch last year. Glad this one is at home.

7. At Cincinnati. Bengals crowd should be pumped up for the rematch between Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Green. After this draft, the Bengals certainly have no shortage of RBs. But I don't see how the Bengals win this game.

8. Darnold will be in the middle of his second year by the time the Jets come to town. He will have Leveon Bell toting the rock, which will help some, but how much help did they give him otherwise? All but one of their draft picks were on defense, and the one guy on offense they drafted is an undersized third round pick in USC T Chuma Edoga. A likely win for us.

9. Houston-The game is in London, so hopefully the change in routine and long travel will be enough to limit their effectiveness. A tough divisional battle.

10. We match up well with Indy. Despite being in Indy, and despite Indy's improvement last year, this is another game I feel confident in winning.

11. Conversely, though I feel better about our chances against Tennessee than I did before the draft, I still don't feel confident against them at all. I wonder what the feeling in Tennessee will be about Mariota by this stage?

12. The first time we played tampa at home in 1998 stands out as one of the most exciting atmospheres ever at a Jaguars game, and the game itself was just as exciting. Good, contending teams. Big plays.
While I think we match up well with them, I do not underestimate Bruce Arians. Remember, he torched us in 2017 with Blaine freaking Gabbert.

13. In 2017, I was very concerned about facing Phillip Rivers and the Chargers. While we controlled him far better in that game than we had in past games and inexplicably won a game we should have lost, I was concerned about them last year if we met in the playoffs, and the matchup this year still concerns me.

14. At Oakland? I think we win this game, even though we suck going out west. I wonder what the atmosphere will be like there, considering it's the last game they will play in Oakland, barring the playoffs, which I don't see them making.

15. An interesting interconference game. I think Atlanta has a formidable passing game with Ryan, julio Jones, Calvin ridley and Sanu. On top of that, they added two big, physical and nasty tempered offensive linemen that many Jaguars fans coveted in Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary. Their running game should be better by this time of the year. I see this as a very tough matchup for our defense, but if any team can slow that Falcons attack down, it's us.

16. Home against the Colts to close the regular season? Chance to at least play spoiler, or catapult into the postseason with some momentum? Again, I like our chances.


Somewhere between 9-7 and 11-5 is what I see for this team assuming good health.

---