This may be a great read, but with my short attention span I could only get through the first paragraph.....
And that was painful.

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Good read as always, Bullseye. Here's my take, with a little history.

During the Garrard years, much was made that he wasn't good enough to get the Jaguars to the Super Bowl. I'm not going to rehash those points here, but recognize that there was a substantial portion of the board that wanted him replaced with "a QB" from the draft. In retrospect, it was obvious that replacing even a middle of the road QB was going to be difficult. Remember, when Garrard was cut, he was actually named the starter of both the Dolphins and the Jets. When looking at the top 4 choices this year, chances are that maybe 2 of them will be truly good players. "A QB" won't work. It has to be ____________(insert name here). I loved when we took a chance on Bortles, because at least it was a swing for the fences. We got our guy, not the guy that fell to us. It didn't work out the best for us, but I loved the effort.

I like Minshew. None of us know how this is going to work out, but I had a lot more fun watching Jags games last year than I expected to when Foles went down. But if __________ falls to us, I don't think we should hesitate to make the pick. If "a QB" falls to us, that's a different story. It's really, really, hard to figure out who those guys are. If we knew Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Watson or Mahommes was going to be as good as they are, of course we'd have picked them. After every team passed on him, San Diego drafted and eventually jettisoned Drew Brees, before allowing him to become DREW BREES. Every team passed on Brady and Wilson at least once. These are the obvious ones.

In this draft, I think the guy being overlooked is Hurts. You feel differently. For all we know, it might be Fromm. It's not exactly a crapshoot, but if you try for "a QB', you need a lot of luck. Unless, of course, you choose ____________.

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This may be a great read, but with my short attention span I could only get through the first paragraph.....
And that was painful.

Ouch.

Never want my posts to be "painful" to a non antagonistic reader.

In fairness, I gave warning it was long.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Hard to type with a 60 lb. dog on my lap.

I think the examples you used do not apply here. Certainly the poor choices we made instead are an argument against poor drafting in general rather than position strategy.

Leftwich was playing well and steadily improving, so that might be a similar case. He may have been the franchise QB we drafted him to be had he not been injured in 2005.

Except that in 2004 Roethlisberger should have been drafted whether or not we needed a QB because he was the last of the 1st-tier players. Had another 1st-tier player from that draft been available, say Sean Taylor, it would have been the same mistake to draft Reggie Williams instead. 

Aaron Rodgers was a "Tedford QB" and a lot of teams passed on him. Also, he had good coaching in Green Bay and could easily have failed had we drafted him. I can't fault the Jags for not drafting him. Matt Jones was a disappointment. One expects a coaches son to be a hard worker and stay clean off the field. Go figure.

Gabbert was already a proven failure when we passed on Russell Wilson. So was Bortles when we drafted Fournette over either Watkins or Mahomes. Those were decisions without a good QB prospect in hand, not like what we have now with Minshew.

All that said, if Tua is healthy and falls to pick 9 I can't justify passing on him.

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"Why should I give information to you when all you want to do is find something wrong with it?"

anonymous2112Good read as always, Bullseye.  Here's my take, with a little history.

During the Garrard years, much was made that he wasn't good enough to get the Jaguars to the Super Bowl.  I'm not going to rehash those points here, but recognize that there was a substantial portion of the board that wanted him replaced with "a QB" from the draft. In retrospect, it was obvious that replacing even a middle of the road QB was going to be difficult.  Remember, when Garrard was cut, he was actually named the starter of both the Dolphins and the Jets.  When looking at the top 4 choices this year, chances are that maybe 2 of them will be truly good players.  "A QB" won't work.  It has to be ____________(insert name here).  I loved when we took a chance on Bortles, because at least it was a swing for the fences.  We got our guy, not the guy that fell to us.  It didn't work out the best for us, but I loved the effort.

I like Minshew.  None of us know how this is going to work out, but I had a lot more fun watching Jags games last year than I expected to when Foles went down.  But if __________ falls to us, I don't think we should hesitate to make the pick.  If "a QB" falls to us, that's a different story.  It's really, really, hard to figure out who those guys are.  If we knew Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Watson or Mahommes was going to be as good as they are, of course we'd have picked them.  After every team passed on him, San Diego drafted and eventually jettisoned Drew Brees, before allowing him to become DREW BREES.  Every team passed on Brady and Wilson at least once.  These are the obvious ones.

In this draft, I think the guy being overlooked is Hurts.  You feel differently.  For all we know, it might be Fromm.  It's not exactly a crapshoot, but if you try for "a QB', you need a lot of luck.  Unless, of course, you choose ____________.

Agreed with the sentiment it has t be what the team believes to be the right QB.  To an extent, I agree with the idea that just because a QB falls to you doesn't necessarily make him the right QB.  But I draw a distinction-one borne of clarity and not necessarily of disagreement-that just because a QB falls to you, it doesn't follow that he isn't your guy.  Without question, Josh Allen fell to us last year.  I don't think anyone on the Jaguars would argue that he wasn't their guy when he was on the board at 7.

I will say taking a QB early this year, at least theoretically, gives the team yet another bite at the positional apple and, depending on how things go, could allow for the Jaguars to take another bite at the position in 2021.  There is no telling how long it will take before the Jaguars are in a position to get a true franchise changing franchise QB.  There is no telling how long it will take us to have enough ammo/draft capital needed to maneuver up to get one of those passers.

Until we get things right at the position, we should take every available opportunity within reason to get the right guy.  If only we had the Pym particles and the machine to go forward through the Quantum Realm to see...

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Agreed.

I think Minshew is a better Romo, and an incredible leader

I think by surrounding him with talent doesn’t mean “putting all the eggs in his basket” , it just means acquiring more offensive talent we’ve been lacking for 10+ years.

I wouldn’t mind drafting a QB 3-7 rounds, but let’s give Minshew this year to prove himself. If he doesn’t, draft competition or his replacement next year

I’m a Dallas fan and a Minshew fan. I actually am here because of Minshew’s similarities to Romo. 

Gotta give Romo his due: he retired 4th highest rated passer all time. He was held back by poor coaching and a poor GM. Possibly the same problem Minshew will have.

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Hard to type with a 60 lb. dog on my lap.

I think the examples you used do not apply here. Certainly the poor choices we made instead are an argument against poor drafting in general rather than position strategy.

Leftwich was playing well and steadily improving, so that might be a similar case. He may have been the franchise QB we drafted him to be had he not been injured in 2005.

Except that in 2004 Roethlisberger should have been drafted whether or not we needed a QB because he was the last of the 1st-tier players. Had another 1st-tier player from that draft been available, say Sean Taylor, it would have been the same mistake to draft Reggie Williams instead. 

Aaron Rodgers was a "Tedford QB" and a lot of teams passed on him. Also, he had good coaching in Green Bay and could easily have failed had we drafted him. I can't fault the Jags for not drafting him. Matt Jones was a disappointment. One expects a coaches son to be a hard worker and stay clean off the field. Go figure.

Gabbert was already a proven failure when we passed on Russell Wilson. So was Bortles when we drafted Fournette over either Watkins or Mahomes. Those were decisions without a good QB prospect in hand, not like what we have now with Minshew.

All that said, if Tua is healthy and falls to pick 9 I can't justify passing on him.

You and I agree on Leftwich's.performance here  I think had he been able to stay healthy and been given adequate surrounding support instead of Ephraim Salaam at LT, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones at WR.  But irrespective of the reasons why-whether its an innate lack of talent as some assert, or the reasons delineated above-his selection ultimately represents a team miss at the position.

Regarding the analysis of Gabbert and Bortles, generally I do not disagree with yout analysis, other than to say how long does it take to prove a QB a success or failure?  Is there a rule of thumb that applies generally, or does it depend on the QB?

Finally, I am with you 100% on Tua.  If he fell to us at 9, I take him and don't look back.  In fact, if he falls past the Chargers at 6, I look for a way to move up to 7 or 8 if necessary.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Hard to type with a 60 lb. dog on my lap.

I think the examples you used do not apply here. Certainly the poor choices we made instead are an argument against poor drafting in general rather than position strategy.

Leftwich was playing well and steadily improving, so that might be a similar case. He may have been the franchise QB we drafted him to be had he not been injured in 2005.

Except that in 2004 Roethlisberger should have been drafted whether or not we needed a QB because he was the last of the 1st-tier players. Had another 1st-tier player from that draft been available, say Sean Taylor, it would have been the same mistake to draft Reggie Williams instead. 

Aaron Rodgers was a "Tedford QB" and a lot of teams passed on him. Also, he had good coaching in Green Bay and could easily have failed had we drafted him. I can't fault the Jags for not drafting him. Matt Jones was a disappointment. One expects a coaches son to be a hard worker and stay clean off the field. Go figure.

Gabbert was already a proven failure when we passed on Russell Wilson. So was Bortles when we drafted Fournette over either Watkins or Mahomes. Those were decisions without a good QB prospect in hand, not like what we have now with Minshew.

All that said, if Tua is healthy and falls to pick 9 I can't justify passing on him.

You and I agree on Leftwich's.performance here  I think had he been able to stay healthy and been given adequate surrounding support instead of Ephraim Salaam at LT, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones at WR.  But irrespective of the reasons why-whether its an innate lack of talent as some assert, or the reasons delineated above-his selection ultimately represents a team miss at the position.

Regarding the analysis of Gabbert and Bortles, generally I do not disagree with yout analysis, other than to say how long does it take to prove a QB a success or failure?  Is there a rule of thumb that applies generally, or does it depend on the QB?

Finally, I am with you 100% on Tua.  If he fell to us at 9, I take him and don't look back.  In fact, if he falls past the Chargers at 6, I look for a way to move up to 7 or 8 if necessary.

Gabbert was an obvious bust after his rookie year, because you can't teach a player to not be afraid to get hit. 

Bortles had clearly regressed in 2016. I guess and argument was made that he still could be "developed" but he never passed the eye test, even in 2015 with 35 TD passes. I confess I was still in the hopeful category at that time.

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"Why should I give information to you when all you want to do is find something wrong with it?"

You and I agree on Leftwich's.performance here  I think had he been able to stay healthy and been given adequate surrounding support instead of Ephraim Salaam at LT, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones at WR.  But irrespective of the reasons why-whether its an innate lack of talent as some assert, or the reasons delineated above-his selection ultimately represents a team miss at the position.

Regarding the analysis of Gabbert and Bortles, generally I do not disagree with yout analysis, other than to say how long does it take to prove a QB a success or failure?  Is there a rule of thumb that applies generally, or does it depend on the QB?

Finally, I am with you 100% on Tua.  If he fell to us at 9, I take him and don't look back.  In fact, if he falls past the Chargers at 6, I look for a way to move up to 7 or 8 if necessary.

Gabbert was an obvious bust after his rookie year, because you can't teach a player to not be afraid to get hit. 

Bortles had clearly regressed in 2016. I guess and argument was made that he still could be "developed" but he never passed the eye test, even in 2015 with 35 TD passes. I confess I was still in the hopeful category at that time.

Bortles was so bipolar.  His highlight reel looked like 2002 Rich Gannon and 60% of his game tape looked like 2000 Ryan Leaf.

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Under normal circumstances, I don't think a team should spend a high draft pick on a QB in two straight years. Reason being, I don't think you can tell if you have "the guy" until at least the middle of year 2. And during that time, you need to give him as many practice reps as possible, and he needs to start. Drafting a starting QB in back to back drafts handicaps both of them, because they would both have to be developed and evaluated, and there aren't enough practices for both of them and they can't both start regular season games. When we draft a QB to start, you have to focus all your resources on that guy.

In the case of the Jags, Minshew was arguably the best rookie QB last year. That's why I would put our focus on him this year, and not draft another starter. If he doesn't work out this year, look for a new one next year. We have to be a little bit disciplined about this. This isn't the last time we'll be able to draft a QB. There will be more candidates next year.

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As much as i want to believe this year is a make or break year for Caldwell and Marrone, I'm doubtful in it. But with taking that in consideration, i don't think drafting a qb with a high pick makes sense this year. Give Minshew his chance. If he succeeds awesome, if he doesn't then let the new coaching staff bring in their guy.

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In Dougie I Trust!

Under normal circumstances, I don't think a team should spend a high draft pick on a QB in two straight years.  Reason being, I don't think you can tell if you have "the guy" until at least the middle of year 2.  And during that time, you need to give him as many practice reps as possible, and he needs to start.   Drafting a starting QB in back to back drafts handicaps both of them, because they would both have to be developed and evaluated, and there aren't enough practices for both of them and they can't both start regular season games.  When we draft a QB to start, you have to focus all your resources on that guy.  

In the case of the Jags, Minshew was arguably the best rookie QB last year.  That's why I would put our focus on him this year, and not draft another starter.  If he doesn't work out this year, look for a new one next year.   We have to be a little bit disciplined about this.   This isn't the last time we'll be able to draft a QB.  There will be more candidates next year.

I agree with this. Use the picks to put talent around Minshew. If he plays well, there you go. If he doesn’t, you have talent around the next guy.

If a QB is sitting there at 9, trade back.

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Hard to type with a 60 lb. dog on my lap.

I think the examples you used do not apply here. Certainly the poor choices we made instead are an argument against poor drafting in general rather than position strategy.

Leftwich was playing well and steadily improving, so that might be a similar case. He may have been the franchise QB we drafted him to be had he not been injured in 2005.

Except that in 2004 Roethlisberger should have been drafted whether or not we needed a QB because he was the last of the 1st-tier players. Had another 1st-tier player from that draft been available, say Sean Taylor, it would have been the same mistake to draft Reggie Williams instead. 

Aaron Rodgers was a "Tedford QB" and a lot of teams passed on him. Also, he had good coaching in Green Bay and could easily have failed had we drafted him. I can't fault the Jags for not drafting him. Matt Jones was a disappointment. One expects a coaches son to be a hard worker and stay clean off the field. Go figure.

Gabbert was already a proven failure when we passed on Russell Wilson. So was Bortles when we drafted Fournette over either Watkins or Mahomes. Those were decisions without a good QB prospect in hand, not like what we have now with Minshew.

All that said, if Tua is healthy and falls to pick 9 I can't justify passing on him.

You and I agree on Leftwich's.performance here  I think had he been able to stay healthy and been given adequate surrounding support instead of Ephraim Salaam at LT, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones at WR.  But irrespective of the reasons why-whether its an innate lack of talent as some assert, or the reasons delineated above-his selection ultimately represents a team miss at the position.

Regarding the analysis of Gabbert and Bortles, generally I do not disagree with yout analysis, other than to say how long does it take to prove a QB a success or failure?  Is there a rule of thumb that applies generally, or does it depend on the QB?

Finally, I am with you 100% on Tua.  If he fell to us at 9, I take him and don't look back.  In fact, if he falls past the Chargers at 6, I look for a way to move up to 7 or 8 if necessary.

Leftwich's windmill delivery and immobility held him back. That is all.

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"I am only an average man, but by George, I work harder at it than the average man." - Teddy Roosevelt

Got to agree with a lot of what Malabar said at 24. There's a lot of hindsight that skews this scenario. GMs generally don't put their chips in on one QB this year, and by next, push in on a different one. Last year's scene with AZ was a complete regime change, and they took a big loss to move on from the prior QB.

You could say we did the same thing - we paid Foles a buttload to be the fixture at the position for years, and ate a bunch of cap to move on once Minshew proved he could handle the starting role. That *might* suggest the FO likes their chances of getting a franchise QB through the draft, but I see it more as confidence in the guy they picked up last season not named Dobbs. For them to dump Foles AND spend early draft capital on a new QB would signal that they failed completely to address the position the year prior in any of the three moves they made, including the trade for Dobbs.

If someone falls, maybe the value is there. I don't see any of the top 3 QB dropping to us, and history has shown that teams that covet a top QB are willing to move to get them (heck, look at AZ two years ago!). I personally don't see Love as anything more than a Jacoby Brissett-level player, one who is good enough to start, get a few wins when expected, but you're not banking on a career of deep playoff runs, which is essentially what you can expect from Minshew already. If any move is made at QB, it will be to seek out a replacement for Dobbs, in my opinion. For all we know, though, the FO and coaches may like what he's got, and we stand pat.

And of course, two years down the road we'll have all the hindsight available to cry out about the misses we could have had in teal. I'll be happy to eat crow too, if this all ends up being wrong.

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I feel we will draft another late round QB to compete with Dobbs. Nothing before round 6 though.

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Just curious on what some of your takes are on this scenario:

Given our plethora of draft picks, would you guys be in favor of drafting Jalen Hurts if he was available in the 3rd round?

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Just curious on what some of your takes are on this scenario:

Given our plethora of draft picks, would you guys be in favor of drafting Jalen Hurts if he was available in the 3rd round?

No. I didn't like him at Alabama and I didn't like him at Oklahoma.

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This may be a great read, but with my short attention span I could only get through the first paragraph.....
And that was painful.

Ouch.

Never want my posts to be "painful" to a non antagonistic reader.

In fairness, I gave warning it was long.

This is more on me than you.

---

The non-Burrows QBs this year aren't very intriguing. If Eason falls to say the third round, sure, draft and develop him. 

Tua reminds me a lot of Mark Brunell, another lefty with nice touch on the ball and fairly mobile. He'll be exciting to watch, but he's likely to fall apart. I think he'll be a solid pro when he's on the field, but I see him missing long stretches and becoming less mobile over time. Mark Brunell in his pre-injury prime is definitely worthy of a top-10 pick, but the problem here is Tua has already been badly injured, so you're getting the post-injury Brunell already, and I think a much more brittle one as time passes.

Herbert and Jordan Love have a lot of measurables, but neither has proven to be clutch. Bottomline: I'd take Minshew over anyone but Burrows in this year's draft. If Minshew flames, the Jaguars will be in prime position to nab one of the top QB prospects next year. I think that's what Caldwell & co. are thinking, too, although they'll probably be out of work if that happens.

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"I am only an average man, but by George, I work harder at it than the average man." - Teddy Roosevelt

It’s not a stretch to suggest the prevailing paradigm amongst Jaguars fans and possibly the Jaguars’ brass is to go with Minshew as the starting QB and use at least substantial portions of our plentiful draft capital in putting blockers and weapons around him to maximize the chances of him succeeding.  I readily concede this is not an unreasonable approach to next month’s draft, one I have explored if not outright advocated at various points throughout the offseason.  As unfortunate the circumstances surrounding his insertion into the lineup were, his play exceeded all reasonable expectations for a rookie 6th round passer and the performance of many veterans, and even that of first overall pick Kyler Murray.  In a rare case of unity in this franchise, the front office, coaches and fans all seem to love him.  We owe it to him and everyone above to ensure if ;ast year’s performance were not an aberration and to see just how far he can go with an improved supporting cast.  Employing this strategy, we see what we have in Minshew.  If he succeeds, the position is finally fixed.  If he fails, we can use our draft capital next year to go after Trevor Lawrence, one of the best QB prospects to come along in years.  But I would be remiss if I did not express countervailing considerations.  I submit that certainties of the past, realities of the present, and uncertainties of the future should force this front office to strongly consider taking a signal caller in the first round this year.
 
History suggests we should not put all of our eggs in the Minshew basket just yet.  There were at least three times in team history where we put all of the team’s hopes on a young QB, eschewed the position subsequent to that, and bypassed possible Hall of fame caliber talent at the position to our detriment.  In 2003 the team drafted Byron Leftwich.  Subsequent drafts saw us do what NFL teams traditionally doo when they get a signal caller-draft weapons around him in the effort to maximize his chances to succeed.  These efforts resulted in bypass signal callers like Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 and Aaron Rodgers in 2005, The effect was exacerbated when the players drafted to bolster the weapons around him failed with the busts of Reggie Williams and matt Jones.  This pattern was repeated in Blaine Gabbert in 2011, drafting Justin Blackmon in 2012, and bypassing Russell Wilson  that same year.  The third gut punch to Jaguars nation happened when the team drafted Blake Bortles in 2014.  Even though the front office was a little more successful in putting weapons around him with the additions o Marquise Lee, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, the decision to add RB Leonard Fournette at the top of the 2017 draft led to the team bypassing QBs Patrick Mahomes and DeShaun Watson.  The end result of those premature QB decisions resulted in watching teams like Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Kansas City ascend to win four Super Bowls and reach numerous playoffs subce 2003, while the Jaguars have not reached any Super Bowls in our history, and have only been to the playoffs three (3) times since 2000.  If there is a potential franchise QB available, we should not pass him up even if we like Minshew.
 
Currently reality also suggests we should take a QB high this year.  The overall consensus is that four (4) QBs will be drafted in the first round this year.  Joe Burrow is a virtual lock to go to Cincinnati with the first pick, while most projuect Alabama’s Tua Tagoavila and Oregon’s Justin Herbert to be top ten picks, while Untah State’s Jordan Love has been projected to go as high as 9 but mostly through the mid to late first round.  None of us have any clue as to how the Jaguars’ board is set up or will be set up by draft day, but at this point, it is not a total stretch to state the BPA on the Jaguars board may well be a QB at 9 or 20.  With Tua’s injury history, it wouldn’t be a total shock to see risk averse teams above us to pass on him.  Similarly, I know many of people who are less than enthused about Herbert, and skeptical regarding Jordan Love, which isn’t too different from 2017, when people didn’t like Mahomes and Watson.  The fact is, if Marino can fall to around 27th overall , Brady can fall to 199th overall, Rodgers could sall to approximately 24th pverall, Russell Wilson could fall to the 3rd round, and Brady to 199th overall, these guys could fall to us.  If the team has them ranked accordingly, they should not hesitate to pull the trigger on picking them.  Furthermore, we have a need at the position.  Aside Minshew, the only QB we have is Joshua Dobbs, obtained via trade from Pittsburgh after Foles was hurt.  While Dobbs is scary smart, he isn’t likely the answer to the backup QB position, much less the hall of fame long term signal caller this team needs.  Pittsburgh traded him away AFTER they lost Big Ben for the year.  It’s not as if they were loaded at the position behind Big Ben.  Neither of the current Steelers backups are very good, but were desired over Dobbs.  Finally competition at the position will make the position stronger.  A common complaint uttered during Leftwich’s tenure is that he never had to compete for the QB position.  Taking a QB high and making him and Minshew compete for playing time would let everyone on the team-including the QBs-know no position is safe, and that everyone has to perform.  That will optimize performance.  Furthermore, taking a QB early now does not necessarily defeat the idea of taking a QB high next year.  If we were to draft a QB this year and we hit on him as a franchise QB, we’d have his services one year early.  If we missed on him, we still have time to rebound.

Finally, I believe the uncertainty surrounding the future makes deferring on QB until next year a most risky proposition on any number of levels.  During normal circumstances, it’s risky because you wouldn’t know where in the draft order you would finish.  You wouldn’t know what kind of year the guy you are targeting now would have…whether his performance drops or he sustains a serious injury or develops any off field baggage.  But with the added uncertainty of the coronavirus factoring in, waiting until 2021 ccould make such a deferral a more dubious strategy.  How will the draft order be determined if the season is canceled?  Would they simply repeat this year’s draft order?  Would you be willing to expend the draft capital on players with one less season’s worth of tape and development?  Would they somehow create an order based on the average number of wins over the last 2-3 seasons?  How would the Jaguars fare in such a process?  A shortened season doesn’t add much to the certainty.  While a more jaundiced fan may think the Campbell, Bouye and Foles trades may have been calculated to reduce the win total short term over the course of a 17 game season, a shortened season –say 9 games-might not be enough  to achieve that result.  One upset win could knock this team out of range of Lawrence ore even Fields.  Alternatively, a shortened season may result in a tie where we miss out on the top pick like we did in 2013.  If it’s true the consensus of Lawrence being the best QB prospect in some time, the team with the top pick may be even less inclined than Cincinnati to trade that pick away.  That cost to acquire that pick, if it is even possible to acquire-would be more expensive for us next year than it may be to get a QB this year.  At least if we were to even trade up to get a QB this year, we’ve got two years of extra picks to use to get the QB.  Next year, we will have already spent the extra draft capital this year without having any extra picks in 2022 as an additional cushion.  Assume, arguendo, the league simply decided to keep the same draft order and Cincy remains at the top since no games have been played.   If they remained happy with Burrow and were willing to part with the top overall pick, suppose their price for moving up was 4 #1 overall picks.  Were you able to pay off that price in two years, functionally it become less expensive than it would to pay that same price over three  or four.  Think of it as spending your last $10 on something as opposed to buying the same item with your last $30.  The same item becomes more expensive because it takes a higher percentage of c your capital to acquire it.  Or perhaps more accurately, financing a loan over a shorter period of time

One more thing.  For years, my argument against following up the Leftwich pick with a pick of Roethlisberger was that NFL teams simply didn’t do things like that.  Given the uniqueness of the QB position, the need to put people around him, how expensive top ten picks were in terms of contracts, teams didn’t draft back to back first round picks on QB.  Until Arizona followed up the Josh Rosen pick with Kyler Murray last year, there had only been two teams since 1980 to spend back to back first round picks on QBs”  The 1982-83 Baltimore Colts, who spent a 1 on Art Schlichter in 1982, to spending the #1 overall the following year on John Elway.  The 1989 Cowboys spent the #1 overall pick on Troy Aikman, and thanks to the subsequent Supplemental draft later that same year, they spent a first round pick (which wound up being the #1 overall I 1990) on Steve Walsh.  There would be several differences between those situations and the Jaguars.  First, taking a QB in the first round this year would not be the same as taking back to back first round QBs.  Though Minshew played well as a rookie, he was taken in the 6th round.  Secondly, even in an extreme example of taking a first round QB this year and then taking Lawrence next year, the rookie wage scale preempts the salary cap crippling contracts that #1 overall picks used to command.  From a financial standpoint, having Minshew.  Herbert/Lawrence on the roster competing for the job becomes a far more palatable proposition now than it did then.  As evidenced from the Gabbert and Foles trades, Caldwell (assuming he is still here in 2021) has proven adept at getting trade value for QBs the team no longer wants.  But if that scenario seems farfetched, I submit it would be more desirable for this team to have that kind of surplus at QB as opposed to the opposite possibility-namely that Minshew is not the answer, but the team does not draft his replacement this year, and in 2021 the team is not in position or able to get into position to draft his replacement.

To a large degree, it is fortunate that Minshew  played well enough to cause the FO to place faith in him.  Sadly the Jaguars have missed so many times at the QB position these consideration are even an issue.  But we’ve prematurely put our eggs in a QB’s basket before and paid a heavy price. We should not possibly abandon the draft board simply  for the sake of bolstering Minshew.  Instead of adopting the policy , and for myriad reasons, there’s no guarantee the future makes it possible for us to take Lawrence next year.  Instead of lving by the axiom of “Good things come to those who wair.” Perhaps we should adopt a “There’s no time like the present” approach to QB.

Minshew's situation is unique in a sense that the team seemed to rally around him last year. The fans love him. And the outside media outlets are treating him well which is only good for our marketing. His contract situation actually makes him perfect for this team to spend the next two - three years building around him financially without tying up a large percentage of the cap space at his position. 

This year's QB class all has major concerns. Burrow's one year of major production. Herbert's inconsistencies and quietness in the locker room. Tagovailoa's durability. Fromm's lack luster arm and down year. Eason's lack of experience, knee injury history and lack of competition. Love's lack of competition and down year. I don't like this year's QB class. It reeks of 2011. You might get one really, really good QB out of this class and the rest just end up as "guys" in the NFL. 

I think you have to completely go all in with Minshew in 2020. You have to. You can get away with patching up the defense in free agency, as they've done so far this off season. I don't think they've made not one single signing on offense yet if I am not mistaken. And with the top ten talent mostly favoring the defensive side of the football and the QB position? They're primed to land a quality skill position player or lineman for this year's offense. And they will have some flexibility that same night with the 20th pick and with 10 other picks (currently, that might go up with Ngakoue's situation) they can make moves to bolster the defense in area they missed out on via free agency. 

Taking a QB seems highly unlikely for me. Marrone and Caldwell are on borrowed time. There's no way they can afford to put all of THEIR eggs in a rookie's basket in 2020. They'll ride it out with Minshew. Give him every possible weapon and upgrade they can find via the draft. They brought in Gruden and McAdoo with Marrone's staff. Everything so far along with Foles being shipped up to Chicago is pointing towards Minshew, and ONLY Minshew as the primary player to help this off season with the obvious needs on defense being somewhat addressed potentially. 

If they draft a QB. I'll be genuinely shocked. I am not against drafting a QB this year. Just not in the top 20. Seems like it would be a disservice to this team. And it would instantly put Marrone's and Caldwell's butts lower to the lava pool developing underneath them. I kicked this idea around in the college forum last wee. If they DO draft a QB. I am thinking it'll be more than likely a guy like Cole McDonald out of Hawaii, who is coming from a high passing offense and has the athletic ability to run and make plays. I wouldn't rule out a guy like Colorado's Steven Montez for the same reason as Cole McDonald.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."