(08-22-2020, 04:43 AM)Bullseye Wrote: (08-21-2020, 09:10 PM)jaglou53 Wrote: As I watch this playoff win against the Steelers, the talent on the defense was incredible. Most of the starters were either in their prime or close to it. How did a this defense not win them a Super Bowl?
Campbell
Darius
Ngakwe
Fowler
Telvin
Jack
Poz
Ramsey
Bouye
Gipson
Jackson
Granted, their offense was mediocre, especially without AROB, but I doubt we'll ever see a more talented defense than the 2017 Jaguars. Those 2 big wins at Pittsburgh have to rank in the top 5 of most enjoyable Jaguar victories.
For one thing, they weren't given the time together.
They were only together a year-two tops-before they started losing main contributors.
Let's start with the defensive line.
Dante Fowler was drafted in 2015 and blew out a knee 30 minutes into his first rookie minicamp. You could make the argument he didn't fully recover from the ACL until 2017. By 2018, he was traded. Malik Jackson was acquired in 2016. He was gone by 2019. Campbell and Dareus were acquired in 2017. By this year's draft, both were gone. Ngakoue is the only DL still around from that group. He was drafted in 2016, and he has wanted to leave since last year. To say the least, his continued presence on this roster throughout this season is an iffy proposition at best.
At LB, Poz retired after that 2017 season. Telvin Smith "retired" after 2018. Of the LB trio, only Jack remains on the team.
The ridiculous and largely unnecessary turnover on defense continued in the secondary. Gipson was here three years from 2016-2018. Church was obtained in 2017 and was gone by midseason 2018. We all know Ramsey's story, and like Campbell, Bouye was jettisoned before this year's draft.
So if you used 2017 as the starting point, you can see how quickly depleted this unit was.
2018: Lost Poz, Fowler, Church
2019: Lost Gipson, Telvin Smith, Malik Jackson, and Jalen Ramsey.
That's SEVEN (7) of the eleven players you listed off the roster within 2 seasons of that 2017 season. Keep in mind Dareus sidelined for most of last year due to injury. Counting him, that's eight.
Only two players are left from that 2017 unit-Jack and Ngakoue.
That is the main reason-but not the only reason-that defense did not reach the Super Bowl.
All of your points are valid. I was just referring to the fact that the 2017 defense had an amazing amount of talent and it was a shame that they didn't win the Super Bowl that year. Yes, they did get robbed on the infamous Myles Jack play. However, as you said, the offense got way too conservative with the lead and you can't do that against a team like New England, especially on the road.
On another note regarding this game, Blake Bortles really stepped up when it was needed. He had a great knack for knowing when to take off with the ball and make key plays. He threw the "ugliest" passes I've ever seen and committed way too many turnovers, but I'll always appreciate his toughness.
