I agree. I would love for Gus to turn things around, but I think he gets too much of a free pass. Even if this team goes into the bye at 0-10 I don't think Bradley will be on the hot seat.

 

I think he could be getting too much of a free pass too. We'll see....he shouldn't be getting one at this point, however. Last year? Yes. 

 

Bortles only had one game with a sub 6.8 YPA so far.  I think it's a bit premature to say he's closer to the Henne 5.5 YPA.  You can't expect 9.0+ YPA's all the time.  

 

Look at Bortles YPA in the last 6 quarters of football. 

 

Its like 5.0

 

 

He's actually looked very Henne-like in the last 6 Q of football. Just more mobile. 

 

 

I don't blame Bortles, for it. We KNOW what he CAN do. We've seen him put up a 9.3 YPA his final year of college and an over 9.0 YPA every game of his first 5 Jaguars appearances....

 

The coaching is trying to neuter/ ruin him with the play calling of the last 6 quarters of football. 

 

 

Hopefully we see an abrupt end to this starting quarter 1 of this weeks game. 

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The last time I was allowed to post we had just lost the Eagles game. Well, since then, we've won zero games...

 

Hate to say it folks, but I think what we are seeing is the culmination of a head coach that is in over his head. 

 

We are not getting any better and the 4-4 record to end last season seems to be merely the result of happenstance of playing equally bad (or dead) teams.

 

We were at the bottom of the league in offense and defense last year, and we are right there again this season, in the total rankings. In the big picture, nothing is improving. 

 

As I look back, things that I remember posting about being concerning with Bradley's initial hire have pretty much come to roost - first and foremost - the Coordinator hires. Both Fisch and Babich were seen as poor hires by me (and a few others) when they happened and neither has done anything to prove those initial fears wrong. 

 

Guess what though - bad assistant coaching hires falls on the head coach. That is part of his responsibility. 

 

The 2 Coordinators are likely not the only bad hires on this staff, however. It seems to be filled with subpar hires all around it. With only a few standout decent to good hires. I'f say at this point after 21 games, the only assistants that I'd point to that seem to have been good hires would be the WR coach, the DL coach, and maybe the QB coach. The rest all don't seem to be doing a good job in getting their prospective player groups improving over time. I understand that not every player is going to be a "pro bowler" but solid position coaches do at least get their group to show some improvement over time regardless of talent ceiling. 

 

I think the poor assistant coach hires can be partially linked to the fact that Bradley had zero head coaching experience coming into this job. There obviously a LOT of other aspects of Bradley's coaching (where he seems to be failing) that can also be attributed to his lack of HC experience as well. - such as poor clock management. 

 

Through 21 Games, Bradley is now 4-17. The only other successful head coach over the last 25 years that I can remember starting out this bad was Jimmy Johnson of Dallas who started out at 4-22. But at least with his team, they indeed were showing improvement in their 2nd year. Also, while their offense was still struggling in the 2nd year, at least their defense was showing clear signs of ascension. They only gave up around 300 points for that entire season after giving up close to 400 the previous year. 

 

The Jags offense and defense overall continues to be bad. Bottom of the league bad. Last week seemed to be more the result of playing safe defense as opposed to actual improvement. When they needed a stop in the 4th Q on Pitts last drive - they couldn't do it. Didn't Pitt keep the ball for what seemed like the final 7 and a half minutes of the game to run out the clock???

 

 

I'm very close to the point where I advise the owner to pretty much pull the plug on the head coach at seasons end. 

 

 

The most important thing that this staff MUST not mess up is the QB- Bortles, and IMO, it appears they are doing just that. 

 

Look at Bortles play in preseason, and then the 3 games this season. He's clearly regressing. His YPA went from consistently in the 9's or above in all preseason games as well as the 2nd half of the Indy game, to 7.8 two weeks ago to Gabbert-like 5.3 last week. You can't tell me that Bortles this past Sunday is resembling ANYTHING like the gunslinger that we saw in his first 5 appearances. 

 

IMO, why this is happening is because the coaching staff is overreacting to the INT's he's throwing and shortening the pass play routes which isn't doing anything but hurting him. 

 

That pick 6 against the Steelers last week was on Fisch just as much as it was on Blake. What do you expect to happen when every pass play you call is a shorter route???? Eventually the defense is going to jump one of them and you get what happened. 

 

They threw one stinking deep pass attempt last week for the ENTIRE game and it was picked off, so then Fisch totally abandoned it. Thats not how you help a young QB. They should be trying about one deep pass every quarter, just to keep the defense honest. Otherwise, all you are doing is helping makie the defenses life easier and hurting the development of your own QB. I remember Andy Reid would take a deep shot downfield with McNabb just about every 8-10 attempts (on average) - to keep the defense from bunching up and playing the game in a 10-15 yard box. 

 

 

If things don't improve drastically, and soon, I am hoping Khan is investigating the availability of a proven winner like Jim Harbaugh at seasons end. Harbaugh has head coaching experience, has been susccessful and seems to get the most out of his QB's. (Alex Smith) and even Kap. 

 

He's not 4-17.  He's 0-2.  His and Caldwell's clock officially started when Blake did.  And if you don't see improvement then you're blind.  Please get banned again.

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Bortles only had one game with a sub 6.8 YPA so far.  I think it's a bit premature to say he's closer to the Henne 5.5 YPA.  You can't expect 9.0+ YPA's all the time.  

 

 

Considering the inexperience and the struggles of the offensive line and receivers, and the kinds of exotic blitzes for which the Steelers have been known under Lebeau, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that the offense would have taken a more conservative approach against the Steelers.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

How exactly does it benefit the coach in "trying to neuter" Bortles?  Does he get a bonus for losing or something?

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Formerly known as The Real Joker

He's only started two games and played in the second half of the Colts game.  What first 5 games are you talking about? 

 

If you are including preseason, I already cited some of the reasons the regular season performance would be less than the preseason performance.

 

But Kotite IS a relevant basis for comparison when the point is the first twenty or so games is not necessarily a good indication of whether a guy can coach or not.

 

Bullseye, you are entitled to your opinion. 

 

All I know is the Bortles I saw in his first 5 appearances as a Jaguar (and 1st half of the SD game) was pretty much the same Bortles that I saw at UCF that produced a 9.3 YPA. 

 

The Bortles of the last 6 quarters of football looks like a QB that is artificially being neutered by bad play calling. Mostly every thing short. All that does is make life easier for the defense.

 

 

I disagree that Kotite is a good comparison because Kotite took over an established playoff roster.

 

A good comparison for Kotite would be Barry Switzer.

 

Jimmy Johnson is not a good comparison for Kotite, but is a good comparison for Bradley, since they both have similar starting points (rosterwise)  in the NFL. 

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He's not 4-17.  He's 0-2.  His and Caldwell's clock officially started when Blake did.  And if you don't see improvement then you're blind.  Please get banned again.

 

He is 4-17.  Yes, there is improvement, but damn is it slow.

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One of these years.............

Considering the inexperience and the struggles of the offensive line and receivers, and the kinds of exotic blitzes for which the Steelers have been known under Lebeau, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that the offense would have taken a more conservative approach against the Steelers.

 

Mike Glennon didn't seem to struggle against that "vaunted" Steelers D the week prior. 

 

 

 

 

How exactly does it benefit the coach in "trying to neuter" Bortles?  Does he get a bonus for losing or something?

 

 

Well, I can't figure out why the play calling has shifted to Henne Like over the last 6 Q of football. 

 

Its not helping Bortles or the offense, I can tell you that. 

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Considering the inexperience and the struggles of the offensive line and receivers, and the kinds of exotic blitzes for which the Steelers have been known under Lebeau, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that the offense would have taken a more conservative approach against the Steelers.

 

I'm going to wager a guess and say that what TMD would've liked to have seen was the coaching staff disregard conventional wisdom regarding Lebeau and his penchant for feasting on rookie QBs and go at them full bore with no regrets. The problem with that particular tact is dealing with the overwhelming amount of negative feedback that would have resulted if they had done that and say, Bortles had thrown 4 picks or something along those lines.

 

He's hoping Bortles can transcend the "take what the defense gives you" mantra we've heard for so long and can evolve into one of those "I take what I want, type players." I get that but what I don't think is fair is to expect that from an extremely young team being guided by a relatively inexperienced coaching staff. I feel like that mentality is something that you grow into as an organization, not something you walk through the doors with.

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<i>Behold man's final mad disgrace.</i>

<i>He chops his nose to spite his face.</i>

 

-Etrigan the Demon

 

The Bortles you saw didn't really have teams game planning to stop(no real nfl film breakdowns). SD made adjustment..Isnt that simple to understand.  The rookie(s) will adjust!

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Formerly known as The Real Joker

He is 4-17.  Yes, there is improvement, but damn is it slow.

 

32nd in offense/ 31st in defense....

 

Theres really not that much improvement at all (big picture). 

 

 

Are there facets of improvement? Yes. The DL's sack number is up and thats good. The fact that it still doesn't matter overall to the defensive total ranking illustrates just how bad we are on D, tho. 

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Mike Glennon didn't seem to struggle against that "vaunted" Steelers D the week prior. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I can't figure out why the play calling has shifted to Henne Like over the last 6 Q of football. 

 

Its not helping Bortles or the offense, I can tell you that. 

 

 

Glennon has a year of experience under his belt.

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I'm going to wager a guess and say that what TMD would've liked to have seen was the coaching staff disregard conventional wisdom regarding Lebeau and his penchant for feasting on rookie QBs and go at them full bore with no regrets. The problem with that particular tact is dealing with the overwhelming amount of negative feedback that would have resulted if they had done that and say, Bortles had thrown 4 picks or something along those lines.

 

He's hoping Bortles can transcend the "take what the defense gives you" mantra we've heard for so long and can evolve into one of those "I take what I want, type players." I get that but what I don't think is fair is to expect that from an extremely young team being guided by a relatively inexperienced coaching staff. I feel like that mentality is something that you grow into as an organization, not something you walk through the doors with.

 

 

Exactly!!!

 

Personally, I'd rather have that. If it winds up with 3-4 INT's so what? Because over time those INT's will lessen and Bortles and the WR's will ultimately benefit from the aggressive mentality and repetition. 

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I completely agree we need to see more and regular deep shots, as well as the fact the pick-6 could have been predicted.


As well, the youth experience-wise of the OC/DC isn't a good fit with a team full of rookies. I never liked that recipe.


And that does indeed fall on Caldwell/Bradley. Nevertheless, important progress has been made in a number of areas, and while the whole team is in over its head at the moment, they are all learning together. It's not the 'plan' I would have chosen, but that doesn't mean it can't be at least partially successful going forward.


Bradley has some excellent qualities, and for my part, I'm willing to reserve too much critical judgement until they/he has had time to find a good formula for BB. The fact they are giving him some freedom, and have articulated 'trust' in him is highly encouraging. Blake, and his development, are paramount to our future success. While many will disagree, I like thw cobservative approach they have taken with him.


This season was gone 4 weeks in. From here we measure by just the sort of thing you offer. Deep shots, sacks/picks, missed tackles, fumbles, 3rd down conversions, sustaining drives, etc. Wins/losses are not important, competitiveness is what counts.


We have had huge lapses yes, but have also shown flashes of solid football too. I will be surprised if we don't start showing a much better quality very soon.

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The Bortles you saw didn't really have teams game planning to stop(no real nfl film breakdowns). SD made adjustment..Isnt that simple to understand.  The rookie(s) will adjust!

 

Had the Jags simply maintained the play calling they were using, that WAS WORKING, we wouldn't be having this convo. 

 

The playcalling of the last 6 Q has been much more conservative than the play calling for Bortles pre-halftime of the San Diego game. 

 

You're looking for an excuse when none is needed. The Jags didn't change their playcalling when it stopped working, they changed it while it still WAS working. 

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Bullseye, you are entitled to your opinion. 

 

All I know is the Bortles I saw in his first 5 appearances as a Jaguar (and 1st half of the SD game) was pretty much the same Bortles that I saw at UCF that produced a 9.3 YPA. 

 

The Bortles of the last 6 quarters of football looks like a QB that is artificially being neutered by bad play calling. Mostly every thing short. All that does is make life easier for the defense.

 

 

I disagree that Kotite is a good comparison because Kotite took over an established playoff roster.

 

A good comparison for Kotite would be Barry Switzer.

 

Jimmy Johnson is not a good comparison for Kotite, but is a good comparison for Bradley, since they both have similar starting points (rosterwise)  in the NFL. 

 

But the underlined is precisely why your analysis in this thread is hopelessly premature.

 

Without experienced  & refined NFL caliber talent, how can you determine whether a coach is a good coach or not?

 

By your own words, you acknowledged Kotite (and later Switzer) looked better in their first 20 games as coach than they otherwise should have because they had better than average talent on their rosters.

 

Conversely, Jimmy Johnson did not look good in his first 20 games or so due to a lack of talent.

 

Ditto for Bradley.

 

Now Jimmy Johnson's team DID show improvement from year one to year two-and the first five games in year two specifically.  But the teams JJ beat in those first five games weren't very good, as opposed to the array of very good to elite QBs the Jaguars played in the first five games here.

 

Also keep in mind, in going from year 1 to year 2, Johnson had Aikman going from his rookie year to his second year, a rookie Emmitt Smith, a finally healthy Michael Irvin, Ken Norton Jr, Mark Stepnoski, Nate Newton and Kevin Gogan already on the roster. 

 

Bradley went from Gabbert and Henne his first year, to a rookie Bortles in his second year, with no Emmitt Smith in the backfield at this point, two rookies along the OL (3 counting Joeckel), 3 WRs, etc.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Glennon has a year of experience under his belt.

 

The point being that Pittsbugh's defense this season isn't all that....

 

They were even without arguably their best player in Shazier.  

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Mike Glennon didn't seem to struggle against that "vaunted" Steelers D the week prior. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I can't figure out why the play calling has shifted to Henne Like over the last 6 Q of football. 

 

Its not helping Bortles or the offense, I can tell you that. 

 

Glennon > Bortles

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Mike Glennon didn't seem to struggle against that "vaunted" Steelers D the week prior.

 

1.  Glennon is a second year QB, not a rookie like Bortles.

2.  The Tampa OL does not have two rookies starting on it like Jacksonville

3.  Tampa actually has a credible RB in Martin, unlike Jacksonville.

4.  Tampa actually had an established talented experienced WR in Jackson.  Jacksonville only had Ace Sanders as an experienced WR against Pittsburgh.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Exactly!!!

 

Personally, I'd rather have that. If it winds up with 3-4 INT's so what? Because over time those INT's will lessen and Bortles and the WR's will ultimately benefit from the aggressive mentality and repetition. 

 

Oh please.  If they called plays that resulted in Bortles throwing deep consistently resulting in 3-4 INTs a game you'd be on here complaining that they are forcing him to throw deep and not taking what the defense is giving him.  You'd rant that the play calling was going to destroy his confidence and turn him into another Blaine Gabbert.

 

Its what you do.   

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Hey TMD, very glad to see you are back.


I was wondering what happened with you. How did you manage to get baited into typing something to get in trouble? What a complete joke. Been reading your knowledgeable and fact-based comments for years, and am usually in agreement, it is rare indeed to even see you get close to the 'line' of writing something anti-community.


How some of these 'moderators' have avoided losing their titles is beyond me. Would love a PM outlining exactly what happened.

Whatta you know, TMD's mom has an account here too.  

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