Quote:In an attempt to gain a broader perspective and better understanding on our losing, I examined the starting lineups of the worst teams in football dating back to 1980.  No team I examined had a record of better than 4 wins.

 

That's a lot of work. ProFootballReference.com is spotty about listing starters.


 

Of all of the teams with 4 wins or less dating back to 1980, only three (3) teams besides this year's Jaguars team has had 6 or more rookies in the starting lineup at any one time.  Number in parenthesis is the number of rookie starters, according to profootballreference.com   Those teams were the 1983 Oilers (8), the 1999 Cleveland Browns (6), and the 2001 Buffalo Bills (6). 

 

Looking at their records after those seasons does not bode well. The Oilers had three more losing seasons before going 9-7. The Browns managed one 9-7 season in 2001 before returning to their losing ways. The Bills also managed but one winning (9-7) season in the next four years.


 

5.  Maybe despite the current record, the Jaguars rookie class was actually a very good one.

 

I thought it was a good draft. No one is threatening the Pro Bowl so far, although Bortles and Hurns have flashed at times. Bortles is playing because he's far better than Henne, but that's division by zero. Lee and Robinson have been just guys so far. Linder and Bowanko would not start for most teams (if any) but are playing OK. Johnson looked good Sunday in his first playing time, although he didn't look like much in preseason.


 

Of course, Dallas' ascent to champion is a well chronicled journey.  Landry's last year in Dallas (1988) was 3-13, while Jimmy Johnson's first year in Dallas (1989) was 1-15.  Even though their records were horrible those two seasons (4-28 overall), they had several key contributors to Super Bowl teams already on that roster, which included HOF WR Michael Irvin, Pro Bowl LB Ken Norton Jr., 5 time Pro Bowl G Nate Newton, OL Kevin Gogan, and 1989 rookie draft picks HOF QB Troy Aikman, and pro bowlers FB Daryl Johnston and C Mark Stepnoski.

 

You might also want to bring up the name 'Herschel Walker.' It's a shame Caldwell couldn't trade MJD for a boatload of high draft picks.