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JagJohn
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01-17-2020, 02:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-17-2020, 02:40 PM by JagJohn.)
I'm already suffering withdrawls from the lack of football, and as such I've been thinking a lot about how the Jags should manage this offseason. I know this idea will catch a lot of heat from people but hear me out.
I think we should invest the vast majority of our significant resources this offseason (FA money and draft picks) on the offense, at the expense of probably having a terrible defense next year.
To start, here are 2 things that we need to accept about next season:
1. I don't think we have enough resources to make this team competitive (as in challenging to win a superbowl) in one offseason. We already have a whole bunch of holes on the roster, plus underperforming incumbent starters. The cap situation is basically a catch-22 - restructure and retain our existing players and we have no money to spend in FA, OR release a bunch of veterans and we have FA money, but the number of massive holes on our roster basically doubles.
2. The one thing we do have is good draft capital, but relying on rookies to immediately improve a team is a fool's game. Even last year's draft haul, which appears to be very good and generally performed well, was not enough to make a significant difference in the W/L column. It's foolish to think we can make a competitive team with rookies filling multiple holes.
So, ultimately, IMO it's impossible for us to be truly competitive next year.
Once we accept that, the question becomes: What is the quickest way to get this team to a state where it is truly competitive?
My answer to that may seem counter-intuitive (because it was clear to see that the defense was more of a problem for this team last year): WE SHOULD INVEST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO BUILD AN EXCELLENT SUPPORTING CLASS AROUND THE QB.
Why?
1. I think it takes longer to get an offense operating at a consistently high standard in this league, than it does for a defense. A defense can be fixed relatively quickly, an offense takes time for players to be on the same page, to really get the timing down and learn the intricacies. As such, it makes sense to start the development of the offense first or you risk putting together a good defense (which is hard to keep together) but waste it on a bad offense (ring any bells?). Start building the offense first.
2. Like I said, the offense is at least a bit more functional than the defense right now. With an offseason of additions we could actually take it up to a pretty good level, with obviously the potential to improve greatly on top of that.
3. We have some of the pieces in place that are often most dificult to find. A young and talented QB (hopefully), a very good WR1, a strong RT, and a workhouse RB, and other players who could be part of a good offense. A few big additions could really go a long way.
4. Possibly most importantly, you would be building a foundation on which a young QB could have success. Whether that is Minshew, or a rookie next year, or whoever. Significantly investing in the offense will help us to evaluate whoever is playing under center, and will give them a platform for success.
So, I think we should approach the offseason with a plan of focussing on the offense. We should cut as many vets as possible on defense, and only allocate small parts of the FA money to replace them. The truth is it is easier to find adequate players at many positions on def such as run stuffing d-tackle, off the ball linebacker, free safety. The majority of the remaining FA money should go to young offensive players who could add another dimension to this team, such as Hooper or Henry at TE, or O-line. Then the draft should again be skewed to the offense: O-line, WR, TE, RB.... look to add big boys and playmakers. Let's give our QB protection and weapons.
TLDR: Focus all offseason resources on building an offensive cast that will provide a QB a stable platform to have success. This means defense will suck next year, and we won't be close to being a complete team, but at least we will be half-way there. Trying to improve everything in one offseason will only leave us with mediocrity (at best) all over.