(07-06-2023, 06:55 PM)JagFanatic24 Wrote: If they lose Agnew that would be a tough loss. Ridley is already going to cut into his touches on offense and then you add Bigsby in the mix.

It’s always tough losing a Pro Bowl player. I’ve been keeping an eye on him throughout the offseason. We need him if we’re going deep in the playoffs.

The guys I’m watching in camp will be Bigsby, Harrison, Litttle, Fortner, Walker, Strange, Miller, Lacy, and Abdullah.

A guy like Parker Washington could make Agnew expendable, and a player like Strange could make Engram’s days in Jacksonville short. But gotta wait and see how they play against the best players in the world and if they can find a role within the team. You could really say that about any player, just like Abdullah could push Walker to the inside, which I hope happens. I’ll be watching Muma and Lloyd to see if they are more comfortable than their rookie seasons. We need big things from Lloyd this season (he led all LB’s in the NFL with 5 takeaways in 2022). He also led the team in assist.

With so many rookies, this camp is going to be lit. If we go back to last preseason, I would have never guessed a guy like Tim Jones would do what he did. This year is pretty much the same for Tim. He’s going to need a big time camp to stick around.

I’ll have my eye on McManus and Little too. I’ve seen articles saying he will play RT and I’ve seen the Jaguars depth chart on their website with him listed as the LT. I’ve also seen about 3 or 4 different websites that have him listed as a RT. One thing is certain, he will get a chance to shine, and I hope he shines bright. I just want the kid to block until the echo of the whistle on every play and improve his feet and strength no matter what position he ends up playing.

But the Ferrari in the garage is going to be Ridley….scored 26 TDs in his first 3 seasons with Atlanta, but only has one 1,000 yard season in his career. He will either fit right away, or Kirk and Jones will keep doing their thing. I think Kirk and Jones are still the captains of the WR group and Ridley will have to turn up. As Madden used to say, this guy can put up points in bunches.

I’ll keep an eye on the hometown kid Hodges too. Even if he makes the practice squad that would be cool, but if he makes the roster, that would be a great story.

Then there is the man…Trevor Lawrence. His legacy is growing already. It’s a great time to be a Jaguars fan. Him and Pederson could be the next great duo along side Andy Reid and Mahome Boy, Manning and Dungy, Tom and Bill, Brees and Peyton, etc.

I hope the fans are supporting by going to the games and being loud like the 2022 Titans game. That place was electric and on par with the bruiser 9-0 game against Pittsburgh.

The Jaguars will be the darlings of the NFL media to start the season and there will be tons of pressure to answer the call of the best team in the AFC South and across the league.

And I’ll be hoping we can stay healthy and not lose any guys for the season. We’re going to need guys like Campbell, Williams, Oloukon, Scherff, Hamilton, and Allen to just find ways to take the next step. Campbell is on the verge of becoming a star along with Etienne.

Another cool story line is can Parish make the team as a FB and help spring board the running game to that next level.

With all that said, it’s important to know that this is still the NFL and a rookie QB or a veteran backup can still go out there and hang 40 points around your neck on any given day. The league is t going to crown us in week 1, we still have to go out there and make plays and find ways to win ball games. A team like the Titans could battle the Jaguars for the division or even a team like Indy who just drafted Richardson. This kid is oozing with Lamar Jackson type talent. The Texans just drafted two guys in the 1st couple of picks that could make a huge impact on the division. We don’t need none of that talk about “games were supposed to win.” We’re supposed to win every game we play but those guys are getting paid just as much as our guys so we could lose every game we play. They run 4.3’s and can hit just as hard and tackle just as good, etc. Prossor made a good point on 1010 today, we still gotta play against Henry. He’s literally broke our defense in the past. He can still churn out 200 and 3 on you. We gotta play Cleveland. KC with Mahome Boy. The Ravens and Lamar Jackson. Bills and Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and the Bengals. We gotta play long time rival Pittsburgh who always plays us tough and we still have all of our division games. I hope we go 6-0 in the south but doubt it.

Dobbs almost ruined our playoff chances and he was a backup. We handled the Jets last year, but we didn’t break any team records or hang 50 points on them. One practice at a time, one game at a time, one play at a time. This ain’t college with Florida playing South Dakota State so please none of that “we should win this game.” The best teams in the league lose to the worst teams in the league every year. Sorry for the long post, but I’m hyped for 2023 and I’m ready to roll. Tons of playmakers on offense. Tons of rookies getting after it. Defense is deeper already than last season. I expect playoffs and hoping for a chance at our 1st Super Bowl. We have the pieces right now to make it happen. Last year felt like 1996, this year feels like 1999.

Very good points made through and through but I highlighted the bold for emphasis. We were very, very fortunate last season with the injury bug not being too heavily rooted throughout the roster. It's rare that happens in the NFL. That's something to keep an eye on. Especially during training camp this year. It's going to be hotter than usual this summer. Expect a lot of guys cramping up, getting tired and getting lazy from time to time during practice. Laziness can lead to injuries.

Also agree with you there regarding the QB's. It's the NFL. It can go either way in most games and you don't always need a top shelf QB to win in the NFL. It helps. However, even the best in the business can sometimes get taken down because a defense can make a play here and there, the opponent's offense takes control of the clock, the special teams unit makes a field flipping effort, etc. We should not assume anything in the NFL. We're being heavily favored to win the AFC South. 

I understand that from the media's perspective. However, I think it's still going to come down to a potential dog fight, a slug fest in 2023, just like last year. I don't see us running away with this division with a giant lead in the W column overall. Dobbs and the tacks made us work hard last year in the season finale at home. That was not easy by any means. I remember being furious when they converted a pair of 4th downs on one drive. They used the same exact play on the 2nd conversion, they just flipped it. 

It'll be an exciting year though as long as we have Lawrence standing upright and within a clean pocket more times than not. Parish though, that's the guy I cannot wait to see out there running around. I expect his name to come up a lot during training camp and preseason. I expect to hear a lot of shoulder pads popping when he gets squared up on somebody and jars them or trucks them. Two way athletes with his size and speed are fun to have on the roster. He can play FB, DE and ST's as a blocker, an edge setter or rusher on FG attempts, etc.

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