(10-10-2021, 06:10 PM)OzJohnnie Wrote: I could care less if UM personally succeeds or fails.  I'm here for a player (not TLaw, surprisingly).  But if UM leaves then that guarantees this teams sucks for at least two more seasons after this one.  There is no talent.  The players are not good enough, particularly on D and in the WR/TE corp.  It's tragically obvious.  This team is on a three year (at least) turnaround and it will all happen (or not) off the magic in TLaw's arm.

Think back to the trade/draft period consensus on this board.  Everyone was certain that UM was insane for saying the OLine was the only part of the team that was solid.  Here we are five games in and... the OLine is the only part of this team that is acceptable (at a smidge better than league average performance).  There are individuals scattered around who could get a spot in another side, but as a unit the OLine is the only thing going.  Despite this board knowing better it turns out that UM was not smoking crack when he put almost all of his FA investment into the defense.

He did, by the way, try to attract TE talent and not one quality TE was willing to join the team in FA.  Not one.  Why?  Because it is a high chance of career suicide.  If TLaw is a bust then you've signed a biggish contract with the absolute worst team and your employment satisfaction is in the tank until you retire.  Not that attractive a proposition to high achievers.


Broken record time:  You want high quality talent to join this squad?  Then hope TLaw performs and the coaching ranks are stable.  Because if TLaw doesn't show superstar promise and if coaching changes again then the only people who will be willing to come to Jacksonville are the unmanageable troublemakers and the unfortunate draftees.

First, I know the Meyer apologists want to pretend that his failures in free agency were due to players not wanting to come to Jacksonville.  That's simply false.  Meyer himself has said that he had no problems with free agents wanting to come to Jacksonville.  If they didn't get a player that they wanted, it was because they were outbid.  Keep in mind that we had the most money available under the cap.  If wanted to outbid anyone, we could have.

Second, Meyer leaving in no way guarantees that this team sucks for two more seasons.  NFL stands for "not for long".  Teams can make a quick turn-around if they make the right moves.  What will guarantee us sucking for two more seasons is if we have an off-season as disastrous as the last one.  I didn't like what they did in free agency.  Outside of Lawrence (who was a no brainer), I didn't like much of what they did in the draft.  I didn't like them ignoring the benefit of having first pick on the waiver wire.  I didn't like most of their trades.  Yes, I'm an armchair gm, but it's Meyer's task to prove me wrong.  Has he?  We're 0-5 with four of those losses being by double digits.  

Three years rebuild in this case is way too long.  Teams with long rebuilds are due to one of the following:

1.  They are in salary cap trouble.  
2.  They have traded away future draft picks.
3.  They can't find a franchise quarterback.
4.  They make bad moves.

As for #1, that doesn't apply the Jaguars.  Last season, not only were we not in salary cap trouble, but we had the most available.  We're still in good shape for next year as well.  As for #2, again, simply doesn't apply here.  Not only have they not traded away picks, but they had extra picks last year and have some next year as well.  As for #3, I do believe Lawrence will be a franchise quarterback.  That leaves #4.  If this team has a long rebuild, it's because they've made the wrong moves.  Meyer and Baalke need to go.

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