(01-19-2025, 06:23 PM)TheDuke007 Wrote:

(01-19-2025, 12:55 PM)JagFan81 Wrote: I get fans looking at successful teams for the current season and seeing that as a blueprint to success. The problem with that, and what makes football so awesome, is every year is a completely clean slate. Last year people were praising Houston, Niners, Packers and this season it's Lions, Commanders and Rams. Every fan wants success and want a coaching staff to walk in and just make it happen.

Doug looked like the right choice and was making progress towards success and then hit a wall. Every HC is going to have up and down seasons. The path to success is teams like the Bills, Chiefs, Ravens. Build a FO and coaching staff that work together and have a style and system they want to implement and then add players that work and excel in that system. Those teams have had years of stability and progress towards that goal.

That for me is the biggest thing with the new coaching staff. We need to find someone that the whole building from top to bottom can align with and give 5 years to build the roster and franchise, regardless of how good/bad those 5 seasons are.

I think the Jaguars could easily have a winning record and even be a playoff team next year if they have a good off-season and get better coaching.  Last year, they lost 10 games by 7 points or less.  They lost 9 of those by 5 points or less.  They lost 5 of those games by 3 points or less.  It wouldn't take much to turn a lot of those games around.  It often came down to one mistake, one penalty, one bad break, one bad play call, one bad coaching decision, etc.

It's not to say that we don't need to upgrade the roster, we do, but I feel like our major holes are very fixable.  On offense, I think a new guard and a center would do wonders.  We have good running backs, but they kept running into a wall of defenders. Guard and center are non-premium positions that are relatively easy to find.  Improve our running game, and our passing game will suddenly look much better.  Getting Kirk and Engram back from injury would help as well.

On defense, we need a new SS, FS and CB.  SS and FS are non-premium positions that are easy to find.  As for CB, I think it's likely we take Will Johnson at #5 in the draft.  We need an edge to compliment JHA and Walker, but I think a decent one may be available at our 2nd round pick.  As for interior defensive line, maybe we use a draft pick, but our solution may already be on the roster.  Move Armstead from edge to the interior.  Maason Smith, a rookie, started looking good late in the year.  Jefferson, another rookie, might take a step forward in his second year and even Hamilton has looked better in prior seasons. 

I'm optimistic that this team can turn itself around quickly.

You make good points and I don't think this is a bad roster by any means. There are definitely areas we can get better and better coaching on both sides of the ball will make a big difference. 

My only worry, and I completely get it being a fan of this team for 25 years, is the fanbase is worn out and frustrated and just wants to find someone who can turn us into a winning team. I'm not talking SB's but playoff runs, double digit win seasons. If we get Johnson and he has a difficult first year, I just want fans to be patient and give him time. Like you say, we lost so many close games and we do have takent on the roster so it's not like we are starting from scratch, but this team has holes and there were worrying signs this season. 

This team is desperate for some confidence and belief and if we start well and win a few big games, I can see us going on a roll but if we still have this hangover that we can't shake, it may be a tough year of figuring out who fits what Johnson wants to do and who doesn't.

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