(04-20-2020, 04:02 PM)Caldrac Wrote: It's unfortunately a rebuild. The best part? The guys they traded away were all apart of a team that finished 5 - 11 in 2018 and 6 - 10 in 2019. So even with their "best" players? They were below average. 2017 was a mirage. A fluke. I'll keep beating that drum for years to come.
Keeping these players for another year wouldn't have changed the identity of the team. As long as Caldwell, Marrone and Wash are involved? That's your indentity. A team that's constantly in an identity crisis now hoping Minshew can commit identity theft and save this team from it's below average decision makers.
Hopefully starting Thursday they begin fully investing and restoring the offense to set up Minshew, Gruden and McAdoo for success and Wash is able to utilize the defense a little more effectively with another key addition or two. But to Bullseye's credit. He smelled rebuild in the water miles away.
I will say this much: a rebuild was obvious to me, but this seems like more than a rebuild, or at least a different type of rebuild.
Based upon what I've seen and heard, this seems like an offensive reconfiguration in addition to a defensive rebuild, and overall fumigation. A rebuild far more comprehensive than I envisioned.
Marrone and Caldwell emphasized the desire for playmakers. They dumped Foles, and have seemingly placed their faith in Minshew (at least for now). He seems to have shown them enough to restructure the entire offense around him. He certainly seems to be a better passer than BortlesFoles, and has the confidence of the team. It seems the biggest Foles advocates (DeFilippo and TC) are gone and they have brought in Jay Gruden. They are shopping Fournette (and it looks like he may be released). I think they are getting away from the power running attack. We won't know for certain until Saturday, but given the depth of the receiver class and the abundance of picks, I would not be surprised to see 3 new receivers and another TE by the weekend. Think about it. We just cut Lee. Conley is just a guy and has one year left on his deal. Cole is just a guy, is being shopped, and may be cut. Westbrook, despite the value we thought we were gitting with him when we drafted him in the 4th, is just a guy. Just from a pure numbers standpoint, we will need some receivers. Over the years, many posters on this board have wanted to be a passing offensive based team. This weekend may finally give you your wish.
I really won't go too much into the defensive rebuild. All I say was that was the rebuild I was expecting, especially considering Caldwell and Marrone were retained. If we had a new GM/coach combo, this sort of thing was to be expected. But I figured keeping Marrone and Caldwelll, we'd have enough pieces to fill on the defense to consider it a rebuild.
But after learning more about the team shopping Fournette-that it wasn't just a recent reaction to Fournette advocating for Cam Newton-but a month long endeavor, I rethought it. It wasn't a lack of talent that short circuited what should have been a longer playoff or respectability run. No, Bortles was not a consistent QB. Yes, the OL has been problematic, especially in 2018. But there is too much mounting evidence showing the Jaguars winning ways were as much the result of endemic dysfunction as it was any talent deficiencies. You had the Ramsey GQ interview. Not bad on its own. But then you add Yan and Fowler's simmering feud that finally boiled over in a public and ugly training camp fight-ultimately ending in Fowler's trade to the Rams. Add in Fournette's lack of conditioning and discipline problems in 2018. Telvin Smith inexplicably retired. Throw in a healthy pinch of contract squabbles from Ramsey and Yan, Ramsey's tantrum in Houston, TC iron fisted reaction which led to the Ramsey trade, Fournette persistent tardiness and inattention in meetings, and the apparent contempt many of the players showed towards Calais Campbell-a guy who should have been deemed an unquestioned leader, and you have a recipe for disaster.
The thing is, there have been plenty of championship caliber teams that have been riddled with dysfunction. The 1970s Yankees fought among themselves. The Jim Kelly and Marv Levy era Bills were often known as the bickering Bills due to the squabbling and egos. The Raiders built their legacy on getting outcasts, malcontents and troublemakers from other teams. The 49ers had and Cowboys had the special brand of dysfunction provided by Charles Haley. But they had strong enough leadership-from the owners to the front offices to the head coach and throughout the locker room-and apparently not enough dissenters- to tip the balance into chaos. Obviously, the Jaguars lacked that right balance. Whatever voices of reason the team had seemingly were being drowned out.
In addition to talent and scheme fit, I'm betting the team will look harder for good team players.
Worst to 1st. Curse Reversed!
