Tomorrow we will probably all hear about how much progress has been made on the financial front, and about the brand new projects going forward. What will probably be discussed much, much less is where this team stands from a football standpoint.

 

Win Total: 7 in two years certainly isn't good.

Offense: A very young unit, probably too young (Dave Caldwell would admit as much). There has been a lot of talk about signing Cobb or Julius Thomas, when in reality the areas that need to see improvement most are the QB position and offensive line. We drafted a project at QB, a guy who wasn't a great "thrower" in college. Sure he looked good in preseason and in the months leading up to the draft, but when teams started blitzing in the regular season, he reverted back to some bad habits (watch his combine tape and then games from late in the year. He developed a loop in his motion.) He  reminded me of a right handed version of a certain left handed quarterback who also struggled to overcome mechanical flaws. Let's hope this story ends better. To fix the second worst offense in the league we replaced our offensive coordinator with the man who was in charge of the only offense that was worse. Time will tell if better personnel will make a difference in Olson's offense, but unless the Jags sign a couple of substantial free agents, it's hard to argue that our roster is much more talented than Oakland's at this point. Most of all Bortles has to overcome his mechanical flaws. Cobb and Thomas won't fix that.

 

Defense: Despite ranking, the defense made significant strides last season, particularly in terms of pass rush. The secondary remains a question mark, as the team desperately needs to pair a decent FS in the back end with Cyprien. Cyprien's supporters have suggested that his iffy play has been due to him feeling the need to compensate for the failures of those around him. In that sense, finding a good FS will go a long way toward determining if Cyprien is actually any good. The linebacker unit is probably the area of biggest concern, as it's both ineffective at times, and older than the secondary. They need to get speedier and younger at those spots (fortunately it looks like Telvin will be a building block).

 

All in all, if Caldwell can fine some young talent for the D-line and Linebacker groups, and a true FS, the defense should be at least competent. Therefore, the win total this year will largely depend on the offense, and consequently Greg Olson. He has a tall, tall task, and his track record doesn't inspire confidence. He has to fix Bortles and also prove to be a competent playcaller.

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Just curious.... What left handed QB are you comparing Bortles to?

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I'm certain he was comparing his "mechanical flaws" to Leftwich, certainly not Brunell.

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I'm certain he was comparing his "mechanical flaws" to Leftwich, certainly not Brunell.

WOOSH

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Tomorrow we will probably all hear about how much progress has been made on the financial front, and about the brand new projects going forward. What will probably be discussed much, much less is where this team stands from a football standpoint.

 

Win Total: 7 in two years certainly isn't good.

Offense: A very young unit, probably too young (Dave Caldwell would admit as much). There has been a lot of talk about signing Cobb or Julius Thomas, when in reality the areas that need to see improvement most are the QB position and offensive line. We drafted a project at QB, a guy who wasn't a great "thrower" in college. Sure he looked good in preseason and in the months leading up to the draft, but when teams started blitzing in the regular season, he reverted back to some bad habits (watch his combine tape and then games from late in the year. He developed a loop in his motion.) He  reminded me of a right handed version of a certain left handed quarterback who also struggled to overcome mechanical flaws. Let's hope this story ends better. To fix the second worst offense in the league we replaced our offensive coordinator with the man who was in charge of the only offense that was worse. Time will tell if better personnel will make a difference in Olson's offense, but unless the Jags sign a couple of substantial free agents, it's hard to argue that our roster is much more talented than Oakland's at this point. Most of all Bortles has to overcome his mechanical flaws. Cobb and Thomas won't fix that.

 

Defense: Despite ranking, the defense made significant strides last season, particularly in terms of pass rush. The secondary remains a question mark, as the team desperately needs to pair a decent FS in the back end with Cyprien. Cyprien's supporters have suggested that his iffy play has been due to him feeling the need to compensate for the failures of those around him. In that sense, finding a good FS will go a long way toward determining if Cyprien is actually any good. The linebacker unit is probably the area of biggest concern, as it's both ineffective at times, and older than the secondary. They need to get speedier and younger at those spots (fortunately it looks like Telvin will be a building block).

 

All in all, if Caldwell can fine some young talent for the D-line and Linebacker groups, and a true FS, the defense should be at least competent. Therefore, the win total this year will largely depend on the offense, and consequently Greg Olson. He has a tall, tall task, and his track record doesn't inspire confidence. He has to fix Bortles and also prove to be a competent playcaller.

I agree with many of the things you said; but be prepared to take a lot of heat just for questioning the wisdom of the management, and the on-field product.

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Just curious.... What left handed QB are you comparing Bortles to?

Tebow, in the sense that both had wacked out mechanics coming out of college. Tebow's were certainly worse. But in both cases the consensus was essentially that their mechanical flaws were limiting their arm strength and accuracy. Not to mention both relied a lot on their legs. They were guys with ideal size, athleticism, and intangibles. GMs were blinded by these attributes so much that they overlooked the fact that they struggled to actually throw accurate passes at times. If gms looked strictly at throwing ability and not physical makeup, teddy would have been the no brainer, and should have been

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Bortles had the most upside, but teddy would have come in ready to perform at a reasonably high level already, and in turn elevate the play of the rookie receivers. Harder to guage the talent of your weapons when the qb struggles. Some of blakes regression certainly falls on jedd, but i wouldnt put the mechanical issues on him.

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Tomorrow we will probably all hear about how much progress has been made on the financial front, and about the brand new projects going forward. What will probably be discussed much, much less is where this team stands from a football standpoint.

 

Win Total: 7 in two years certainly isn't good.

Offense: A very young unit, probably too young (Dave Caldwell would admit as much). There has been a lot of talk about signing Cobb or Julius Thomas, when in reality the areas that need to see improvement most are the QB position and offensive line. We drafted a project at QB, a guy who wasn't a great "thrower" in college. Sure he looked good in preseason and in the months leading up to the draft, but when teams started blitzing in the regular season, he reverted back to some bad habits (watch his combine tape and then games from late in the year. He developed a loop in his motion.) He  reminded me of a right handed version of a certain left handed quarterback who also struggled to overcome mechanical flaws. Let's hope this story ends better. To fix the second worst offense in the league we replaced our offensive coordinator with the man who was in charge of the only offense that was worse. Time will tell if better personnel will make a difference in Olson's offense, but unless the Jags sign a couple of substantial free agents, it's hard to argue that our roster is much more talented than Oakland's at this point. Most of all Bortles has to overcome his mechanical flaws. Cobb and Thomas won't fix that.

 

Defense: Despite ranking, the defense made significant strides last season, particularly in terms of pass rush. The secondary remains a question mark, as the team desperately needs to pair a decent FS in the back end with Cyprien. Cyprien's supporters have suggested that his iffy play has been due to him feeling the need to compensate for the failures of those around him. In that sense, finding a good FS will go a long way toward determining if Cyprien is actually any good. The linebacker unit is probably the area of biggest concern, as it's both ineffective at times, and older than the secondary. They need to get speedier and younger at those spots (fortunately it looks like Telvin will be a building block).

 

All in all, if Caldwell can fine some young talent for the D-line and Linebacker groups, and a true FS, the defense should be at least competent. Therefore, the win total this year will largely depend on the offense, and consequently Greg Olson. He has a tall, tall task, and his track record doesn't inspire confidence. He has to fix Bortles and also prove to be a competent playcaller.

 

 

I'm only here so I don't get fined. 

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State of the Franchise....

 

The stadium could use more ticket sales, but has been better than expected given the team's performance.  The London game provided a needed financial lift for the team, and will do so again this year.  The facelift and improvements received positive fan feedback and should pay dividends to fan experience in the future.  The shipyard plans being discussed could give the team and the city a world class environment. 

 

The team has not had the recent performance that the fan's desire, but the youth movement investment should point the arrow in the up position, and improvement should be realized this next season.  Shad will express faith in the direction and plan that Caldwell has laid out for the team. 

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Bortles had the most upside, but teddy would have come in ready to perform at a reasonably high level already, and in turn elevate the play of the rookie receivers. Harder to guage the talent of your weapons when the qb struggles. Some of blakes regression certainly falls on jedd, but i

wouldnt put the mechanical issues on him.

Teddy would also be dead behind our oline

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For the record, I'm not pretending to be the 'mouth of the Jaguars fans' in stating my opinion here. Having said that...

 

I couldn't care less about swimming pools, shipyard development, big billboard/scoreboards... I care about winning football in Jacksonville. 

 

I'm retired and I don't have that much expendable income to waste buying tickets to watch the over paid ineptitude that has been masquerading as a football team here for the last ten years or so. All the 'cabana' and swimming pool stuff only attracts those for whom the football game was a secondary consideration. Fans... real fans... care about the game. Khan is spending millions to attract those who just want to party, not watch a football game.

 

Every time Khan spends all this money on peripheral stuff it sends me the message that HE doesn't have faith in this team and feels he has to invest in this other stuff in order to turn a profit in Jacksonville. I've no doubt that if he could 'buy' a championship team he would; too bad he can't.

 

So in my opinion, the state of the franchise is awful... until we get 'winners' on the field. Of course, my pathetic little ticket that I could afford up in the 'nose bleed' sections don't matter to a billionaire like Khan anyway. The point is... I came to the stadium to watch winning football. I can't afford to watch losers. When this team reaches or exceeds an 8-8 record, I'll buy tickets again. Until then.... phhht!

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I y'ams who I y'ams and thats all I y'ams...

In reality, what we think doesn't matter.  Will a 2 win season feel any less hopeless because we feel as though we improved in this way or that?  Right now, there is no reason to believe that our window of opportunity is open to win a championship and as fans we need that to change.  Ultimately, that's the true state of the franchise.  You can talk about how much the defense has improved and how draft picks seem to be developing all you want, but until that gives us a realistic chance to compete week in and week out with the top third of the national football league then what does it matter?

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<div>
For the record, I'm not pretending to be the 'mouth of the Jaguars fans' in stating my opinion here. Having said that...

 

I couldn't care less about swimming pools, shipyard development, big billboard/scoreboards... I care about winning football in Jacksonville. 

 

I'm retired and I don't have that much expendable income to waste buying tickets to watch the over paid ineptitude that has been masquerading as a football team here for the last ten years or so. All the 'cabana' and swimming pool stuff only attracts those for whom the football game was a secondary consideration. Fans... real fans... care about the game. Khan is spending millions to attract those who just want to party, not watch a football game.

 

Every time Khan spends all this money on peripheral stuff it sends me the message that HE doesn't have faith in this team and feels he has to invest in this other stuff in order to turn a profit in Jacksonville. I've no doubt that if he could 'buy' a championship team he would; too bad he can't.

 

So in my opinion, the state of the franchise is awful... until we get 'winners' on the field. Of course, my pathetic little ticket that I could afford up in the 'nose bleed' sections don't matter to a billionaire like Khan anyway. The point is... I came to the stadium to watch winning football. I can't afford to watch losers. When this team reaches or exceeds an 8-8 record, I'll buy tickets again. Until then.... phhht!

 

That is the reality in the NFL. The Patriots have a shopping mall connected to their stadium. The Dolphins are gutting their stadium and putting in "living room" suites. Why? Because those gimmicks are necessary.

</div>

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;

;

 

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That is the reality in the NFL. The Patriots have a shopping mall connected to their stadium. The Dolphins are gutting their stadium and putting in "living room" suites. Why? Because those gimmicks are necessary.


 

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No doubt what you're saying is true; but it doesn't mean I have to like it or patronize it. I'll continue to hold out hope that one day we'll have a good football team again.

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I y'ams who I y'ams and thats all I y'ams...

Teddy would also be dead behind our oline

That's a point some here won't be able to grasp.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

That's a point some here won't be able to grasp.

 

It's a fair point, but it only furthers this idea that Bortles probably wouldn't have been a top 5 pick if he wasnt 6-5 230 something. Not with those mechanics.

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Bottom line: If we've learned anything in recent years, it's that size is the most overrated aspect of QB evaluation.

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It's a fair point, but it only furthers this idea that Bortles probably wouldn't have been a top 5 pick if he wasnt 6-5 230 something. Not with those mechanics.

And Shaq wouldn't have been an NBA player if he was 6ft....

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It's a fair point, but it only furthers this idea that Bortles probably wouldn't have been a top 5 pick if he wasnt 6-5 230 something. Not with those mechanics.

 

*BREAKING*

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And Shaq wouldn't have been an NBA player if he was 6ft....

Size shouldn't be the most dominant stat you look for, it also shouldn't be ignored either, Bortles wouldnt be top 5 if he wasn't 6ft5 but that's bdcause the last 25 years of nfl has taught us that generally taller QBs are better

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