Quote:This is basically how I feel. I know some people were expecting playoffs or 9-7 this year or whatever, but I was expecting around 4-6 wins and calling that a successful season.

 

But, this is just so much worse than what I can handle. I suffered through David Garrard's 2006 end of season meltdown. I suffered through mediocre Garrard for however many years it was after that 07 season. I suffered through Gabbert. But I always suffered through it. I watched. I hoped for the next year. I laughed at how bad the team looked (my old sig was a quote from a poster here reading "Garrard can throw the deep ball. Just not accurately." It's currently something along the lines of "The season's not over... There's still a bunch of games left to lose.") because that's how I got through bad seasons. I can't even laugh at how bad this team is though. I'm at the point of complete apathy and disbelief. I don't even understand how it's humanly possible to get to this point on a professional team.

 

I have a friend who has sworn to me for years that any college football game on any given Saturday was better than any professional game on any given Sunday. Last week I asked what he thought about that 70-3 drubbing. Yesterday I asked about the 66-0 game. Today, he texted me and asked how I could make fun of Kent State playing Ohio State and then watch the Jags. And you know what the most upsetting part is? He's right. the Jags have been that D3 team playing the Top 25 team for the last three seasons. They've barely sniffed looking competitive at any point.

 

There's almost nothing redeemable about this team. Bortles is waiting in the wing, the WR's are young, Cyp, Marks, Davis, and Anger exist, and Poz and Lewis are still under contract (I guess you could include Scobee in here too, but I'm still a bit worried after last week). That's basically it. Caldwell's had two off-seasons, and on a roster of 53, you can point to literally no more than 10 players and say, based on actual production and what they've shown, and not draft position or coach speak; "these guys are the future. They're the core that a championship team is going to be built around." Can some other guys get to that point? Sure, the team is still young. But by that point, most of the guys who actually know what they're doing out there now will be on the decline or gone and then they'll need to be replaced.

 

I've never seen a team so devoid of talent. I'd even go so far as to say that this year's team is worse than last year's because this year they're not all rookies. Last year was a wash. Last year was a bunch of guys who didn't belong in the league mixed in with rookies who were going to be the core of this team. This year? The only guys on defense who didn't start multiple games on the team last year are Chris Clemons, Red Bryant, and LaRoy Reynolds. And the defense still looks absolutely atrocious. And its not all Henne, because they got beat like a drum by Jackson on the second play of the game. We were told "patience" because we'd see "improvement." There's been none, minus one half of Nick Foles not knowing how to play football, on the defensive side of the ball.

 

On the offensive side? The team is fielding the single most embarrassing offensive line ever assembled with a "workhorse power back" who drops the second a defender gets an arm on him. Compare Morris' short yardage situations to Toby's. See how many times Toby got anywhere close to where he needed to. See how many times he broke a tackle or pushed the pile. Then see what Morris did for Washington. I know the offensive line is awful so I'm not expecting Toby to have major yards rushing, or long runs, or even consistently good runs. But at some point this "workhorse power back" needs to convert on 2nd and 2, or 3rd and 1. I'm pretty sure he hasn't done that once this year. That's on him; make a play.

 

I had low expectations this year. I expected next year to be the first real year to make a playoff push. I preached patience. I still believe in patience. I thought Bortles should sit for a while, just like I did with Gabbert. I still think Bortles should sit. I'm not wavering from the idea of patience. But there needs to be some indication that this team is a professional football team and we haven't seen much of that over the past 2 years. And that's what kills me. I can be patient, but there needs to be some sort of improvement. Something that shows me that this team can compete with others in the league. Not necessarily win. Just compete. Look like they belong. Scare a couple of teams and force it down to the wire. Sure, they won 4 games last year. They beat the Browns, who fired their coach specifically because the Jags won. Now, one year removed from that, they beat the Saints, led by one of the best QB's in the league. They beat the Texans twice, who imploded so bad neither of the 2 QB's who started their games last year even made the roster. And now they're 2-0. They beat the Titans, who also fired their coach. And now, one year removed from losing to the Jags, they beat the Chiefs, who made the playoffs last year. Where are the Jags? Exactly where they were during the first half of last year; getting blown out embarrassed ("blown out" isn't even severe enough to explain what happened today against a team who lost its starting QB and best WR early on, and then didn't even need to be bothered passing to their 2nd best receiver to still win by 30) by teams. Now that great second half the Jags had last year is coming into question; how much of it was improvement and how much of it was facing a cupcake schedule?

 

All I want is a competitive team that looks like they belong in the NFL and improves every week. Those expectations aren't that high. But they sure as heck aren't being met. I think fans who invest their time and energy into whatever this Jacksonville Jaguars team is doing (because it sure isn't playing football) have a right to be upset at this point.

 

(And before anyone asks, I feel a lot better after writing this manifesto that no one will read. Its sorta like group therapy, I guess. Very therapeutic. Thanks for allowing me this space to vent about completely inconsequential events in my life. )