Quote:The lack of a pass rush by the front four is obvious to everyone from the waterboy on up. So why haven't the Jags tried to compensate. In the last three games the Jags faced QBs and offensive lines that were ideal to blitz against.


 

1. Indy had a QB who, if he ran, risked disaster since they had no real backup. Their OL was cobbled together and using extra rushers was very likely to create confusion and an free path to the QB.


 

2. Tampa Bay had a rookie QB, a guy who had just thrown a boatload of interceptions the previous game, and their best offensive lineman was out.


 

3. Houston also had OL injuries, and when the Jags did blitz it affected Hoyer.


 

Watch the three plays starting at 6:15 in the 3rd quarter of the Houston game and tell me again why Gus' and/or Babich's (whoever was in charge of that call) failure to to blitz on 3rd down was anything but an obviously stupid decision. That failure is 100% the fault of Gus Bradley since Babich is his chosen DC, and that series of plays is a microcosm of the overall failure of the coaching staff.


Have the Jags improved? Of course! The personnel has improved a lot. Yet we just lost three consecutive games to some of the worst teams in the NFL. Close losses is an improvement, but not close losses to really bad teams. Starting in week 5 of last year the Jags had close losses too, but against mostly good teams. Even considering closer losses there's no improvement in the results. It's obvious to anyone who has followed the team this season that Bradley is one of the worst head coaches in NFL history. Waiting another ten games isn't going to change that.

 

Play calling is something that's certainly open to scrutiny.  We know we don't have the horses to create a pass rush with the front 4, but for some reason that's what Babich has continued to try to do, and because we're not getting pressure on the QB, we're getting picked apart.  And when they make a play against our secondary, the message board GMs immediately blast the DBs for not doing their job despite the fact that the QB had 7-10 seconds to stand back there and wait for a receiver to get open.  People lambasted Branch last year when he would get a sack because they had to scheme the defense to get him to the passer.  They're not even doing that this year, opting to put everything on the DBs to hold their coverages for a ridiculous amount of time.  Even the best in the business can't lock a receiver down for as long as they're expecting our guys to do here.

 

Nobody is lauding the coaching prowess of Gus Bradley.  There's plenty to question where he's concerned, and if the team doesn't make significant improvements across the board the rest of this season, I wouldn't expect to see him get a year 4 at the helm.  For a team built around youth, Gus was a good hire to help the younger guys transition to the NFL.  I don't see him as the guy that's going to take them from acclimating to the NFL to competing for the post season at this level.  He could certainly change that perception if they suddenly start to click, and that's a remote possibility.  I'm not expecting it to happen.  But, the team has improved, and should continue to do so as these younger players develop and continue to mature.  If a new coach is brought in next year, he'll have a good core to work with. 

 

Firing anyone with 10 games to go isn't going to change anything, IMO.  Especially if you're dumping the head coach.  He's got this season to prove himself.  Nothing short of a catastrophic collapse will assure he makes it to the end of the year. 

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