2003 - Leftwich, QB - Heart was there, but wind up release too much to overcome. A missed pick. 
** Passed on Terrell Suggs who was drafted by the Ravens with the next pick.  Word has it Del Rio wanted Suggs but was overruled by GM Shack Harris **

2004 - Williams, WR - a bust. Big but slow.
** Due to the Leftwich pick in the prior year, the Jags passed on Big Ben who was selected by the Steelers 2 picks later **

Those 2 first rounds picks started the downward spiral that resulted in the Decade of Hell.

My comments in red above.

---

I don’t care about how bad the picks were.

They’re in the past. No reason to bring it up unless you’re trying to be a Richard.

"Those who don't study history are bound to repeat it."

And if you don't discuss the past, why even bother being a fan?

1.  Who isn't "studying history?"  Those of us on a message board?  Even assuming those of us who read and post here don't study draft history (a very BAD assumption), the team doesn't lose out because we aren't drafting the players.

2.  Do you assert the team isn't "studying history?"  What do you base this on?  Coughlin is trying to build the team.  Coughlin has been an assistant coach on a Super Bowl winning team and a head coach on two other Super Bowl winning teams.  While I did not read the entirety of the thread, did you not just create a thread a few days earlier, the gist of which lauded Coughlin for his knowledge, experience and success?  In light of this, why the caution about not studying history?

3.  It seems the teams that have found the most success have managed to hit on QBs, mostly in the first round.  Pittsburgh had two eras of huge success after drafting first round QBs.  Dallas won 3 Super Bowls in the 1990s after drafting Troy Aikman in the first round.  Green Bay had sustained success post Brett Favre by draftin Aaron Rodgers in the first round.  Jacksonville tried emulating that success by drafting Leftwich, Gabbert, and Bortles in the first round.  Once they found their franchise QBs, these teams tended to surround them with excellent skill position talent.  Pittsburgh followed up the Bradshaw selection with Harris, Swann, Stallworth, and Bennie Cunningham, and later followed up the Big Ben pick with guys like heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, Rashad Mendenhall and Limas Sweed.  Dallas supplied Aikman with the likes of Daryl Johnston, Emmitt Smith, Alexander Wright, Alvin Harper, Jimmy Smith and Kevin Williams.  Jacksonville tried the same thing, following the Leftwich selection with Reggie Williams, Matt Jones and Marcedes Lewis, and following the Gabbert selection with Justin Blackmon.  So Jacksonville tried doing the same things the more successful franchises attempted, but weren't successful.  Could you be gracious enough tell us which history book(s) could help the Jaguars successfully implement that strategy? 

If not, what exactly is the purpose of your post?

4.  Speaking of the Steelers, that franchise did not have any success in its first 40 years of existence (literally).  The ancient Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years, if you believe the Bible.  Why didn't the Steelers of that era access those history books to achieve success earlier?  Why didn't they employ the similar strategy in the 1980s and 1990s?

The moral of the story? 

Screw your condescension.  We all know the draft is the lifeblood of any franchise.

Screw your Steelers.  We hated them from our inception when we were in the same division.  We hate them now, and their troglodyte fans.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

You forgot Donovan Darius in 1998....

Donovin

---

I don’t care about how bad the picks were.

They’re in the past. No reason to bring it up unless you’re trying to be a Richard.

"Those who don't study history are bound to repeat it."

And if you don't discuss the past, why even bother being a fan?

Oh so we should talk about how bad the draft picks are every single season?

Get lost. You’re bringing it up just to get a rise out of people.

---

"Those who don't study history are bound to repeat it."

And if you don't discuss the past, why even bother being a fan?

1.  Who isn't "studying history?"  Those of us on a message board?  Even assuming those of us who read and post here don't study draft history (a very BAD assumption), the team doesn't lose out because we aren't drafting the players.

2.  Do you assert the team isn't "studying history?"  What do you base this on?  Coughlin is trying to build the team.  Coughlin has been an assistant coach on a Super Bowl winning team and a head coach on two other Super Bowl winning teams.  While I did not read the entirety of the thread, did you not just create a thread a few days earlier, the gist of which lauded Coughlin for his knowledge, experience and success?  In light of this, why the caution about not studying history?

3.  It seems the teams that have found the most success have managed to hit on QBs, mostly in the first round.  Pittsburgh had two eras of huge success after drafting first round QBs.  Dallas won 3 Super Bowls in the 1990s after drafting Troy Aikman in the first round.  Green Bay had sustained success post Brett Favre by draftin Aaron Rodgers in the first round.  Jacksonville tried emulating that success by drafting Leftwich, Gabbert, and Bortles in the first round.  Once they found their franchise QBs, these teams tended to surround them with excellent skill position talent.  Pittsburgh followed up the Bradshaw selection with Harris, Swann, Stallworth, and Bennie Cunningham, and later followed up the Big Ben pick with guys like heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, Rashad Mendenhall and Limas Sweed.  Dallas supplied Aikman with the likes of Daryl Johnston, Emmitt Smith, Alexander Wright, Alvin Harper, Jimmy Smith and Kevin Williams.  Jacksonville tried the same thing, following the Leftwich selection with Reggie Williams, Matt Jones and Marcedes Lewis, and following the Gabbert selection with Justin Blackmon.  So Jacksonville tried doing the same things the more successful franchises attempted, but weren't successful.  Could you be gracious enough tell us which history book(s) could help the Jaguars successfully implement that strategy? 

If not, what exactly is the purpose of your post?

4.  Speaking of the Steelers, that franchise did not have any success in its first 40 years of existence (literally).  The ancient Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years, if you believe the Bible.  Why didn't the Steelers of that era access those history books to achieve success earlier?  Why didn't they employ the similar strategy in the 1980s and 1990s?

The moral of the story? 

Screw your condescension.  We all know the draft is the lifeblood of any franchise.

Screw your Steelers.  We hated them from our inception when we were in the same division.  We hate them now, and their troglodyte fans.

1st of all, I never asked you not to hate the Steelers. If you're not being hated, you ain't [BLEEP]. We wear hatred from others like a badge of honor. 

Secondly, you really don't need to have such vitriol towards people, in general. Hate the STeelers, no need to hate on other human beings. 

Lastly, there is a book: It's called don't draft bad QB's in the 1st round. You act as if their plan was iron clad. Not when you draft QB's that everyone knew were bad picks from the  start.

---

"Those who don't study history are bound to repeat it."

And if you don't discuss the past, why even bother being a fan?

Oh so we should talk about how bad the draft picks are every single season?

Get lost. You’re bringing it up just to get a rise out of people.

Wow. I'm bringing it up because it's worthy of conversation and relative.  I didn't even realize how bad the Jag's 1st round picks were until I made this post.

---

Screw your Steelers.  We hated them from our inception when we were in the same division.  We hate them now, and their troglodyte fans.

I'm treated very friendly everywhere I go, with my Steeler gear on (at the beaches at least, don't cross the ditch much). Everyone is very kind, even when Big Ben pulls out another win. Like I said, hate does come with the territory, but all the Jag fans I meet are very civil.

---

1.  Who isn't "studying history?"  Those of us on a message board?  Even assuming those of us who read and post here don't study draft history (a very BAD assumption), the team doesn't lose out because we aren't drafting the players.

2.  Do you assert the team isn't "studying history?"  What do you base this on?  Coughlin is trying to build the team.  Coughlin has been an assistant coach on a Super Bowl winning team and a head coach on two other Super Bowl winning teams.  While I did not read the entirety of the thread, did you not just create a thread a few days earlier, the gist of which lauded Coughlin for his knowledge, experience and success?  In light of this, why the caution about not studying history?

3.  It seems the teams that have found the most success have managed to hit on QBs, mostly in the first round.  Pittsburgh had two eras of huge success after drafting first round QBs.  Dallas won 3 Super Bowls in the 1990s after drafting Troy Aikman in the first round.  Green Bay had sustained success post Brett Favre by draftin Aaron Rodgers in the first round.  Jacksonville tried emulating that success by drafting Leftwich, Gabbert, and Bortles in the first round.  Once they found their franchise QBs, these teams tended to surround them with excellent skill position talent.  Pittsburgh followed up the Bradshaw selection with Harris, Swann, Stallworth, and Bennie Cunningham, and later followed up the Big Ben pick with guys like heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, Rashad Mendenhall and Limas Sweed.  Dallas supplied Aikman with the likes of Daryl Johnston, Emmitt Smith, Alexander Wright, Alvin Harper, Jimmy Smith and Kevin Williams.  Jacksonville tried the same thing, following the Leftwich selection with Reggie Williams, Matt Jones and Marcedes Lewis, and following the Gabbert selection with Justin Blackmon.  So Jacksonville tried doing the same things the more successful franchises attempted, but weren't successful.  Could you be gracious enough tell us which history book(s) could help the Jaguars successfully implement that strategy? 

If not, what exactly is the purpose of your post?

4.  Speaking of the Steelers, that franchise did not have any success in its first 40 years of existence (literally).  The ancient Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years, if you believe the Bible.  Why didn't the Steelers of that era access those history books to achieve success earlier?  Why didn't they employ the similar strategy in the 1980s and 1990s?

The moral of the story? 

Screw your condescension.  We all know the draft is the lifeblood of any franchise.

Screw your Steelers.  We hated them from our inception when we were in the same division.  We hate them now, and their troglodyte fans.

1st of all, I never asked you not to hate the Steelers. If you're not being hated, you ain't [BLEEP]. We wear hatred from others like a badge of honor. 

Secondly, you really don't need to have such vitriol towards people, in general. Hate the STeelers, no need to hate on other human beings. 

Lastly, there is a book: It's called don't draft bad QB's in the 1st round. You act as if their plan was iron clad. Not when you draft QB's that everyone knew were bad picks from the  start.

---

Oh so we should talk about how bad the draft picks are every single season?

Get lost. You’re bringing it up just to get a rise out of people.

Wow. I'm bringing it up because it's worthy of conversation and relative.  I didn't even realize how bad the Jag's 1st round picks were until I made this post.

1.  Leftwich was a consensus top ten pick.  Baltimore was trying to trade up to get him.  Bortles was under serious consideration by the Texans. It was far from universal opinion that these were bad QBs.  So again, which book helps to distinguish the good QBs from the bad ones when they haven't played a down in the NFL?

2.  Your Steelers are going to wear more than hatred with a badge of honor. You guys are going to wear some [BLEEP] whippings this year, too. More than last year.

3.  I don't have vitriol towards people generally, just those who condescend, especially without any particularly interesting insight.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Screw your Steelers.  We hated them from our inception when we were in the same division.  We hate them now, and their troglodyte fans.

I'm treated very friendly everywhere I go, with my Steeler gear on (at the beaches at least, don't cross the ditch much). Everyone is very kind, even when Big Ben pulls out another win. Like I said, hate does come with the territory, but all the Jag fans I meet are very civil.

Well that's good you haven't been mistreated due to your allegiance.   I think football loyalties are a bad reason to fight.  The players wouldn't fight for any of us.

That said, just because you haven't been mistreated anywhere doesn't mean the Steelers and or their fans are not reviled.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

I'm treated very friendly everywhere I go, with my Steeler gear on (at the beaches at least, don't cross the ditch much). Everyone is very kind, even when Big Ben pulls out another win. Like I said, hate does come with the territory, but all the Jag fans I meet are very civil.

Well that's good you haven't been mistreated due to your allegiance.   I think football loyalties are a bad reason to fight.  The players wouldn't fight for any of us.

That said, just because you haven't been mistreated anywhere doesn't mean the Steelers and or their fans are not reviled.

I don't have a problem with the Steelers per say.

Their entitled fans...

---

Well that's good you haven't been mistreated due to your allegiance.   I think football loyalties are a bad reason to fight.  The players wouldn't fight for any of us.

That said, just because you haven't been mistreated anywhere doesn't mean the Steelers and or their fans are not reviled.

I don't have a problem with the Steelers per say.

Their entitled fans...

Under the heading of "damning with faint praise," I will say the Steelers fans are not quite the knuckle draggers that Bills fans proved to be after the playoff game here.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

I don't have a problem with the Steelers per say.

Their entitled fans...

Under the heading of "damning with faint praise," I will say the Steelers fans are not quite the knuckle draggers that Bills fans proved to be after the playoff game here.

If I ever meet another Bill's fan, it'll be to soon. Squeeler fans are just annoying. Bill's fans are dealing with mental health issues.

---

I'm condescending. That means I talk down to you.

Under the heading of "damning with faint praise," I will say the Steelers fans are not quite the knuckle draggers that Bills fans proved to be after the playoff game here.

If I ever meet another Bill's fan, it'll be to soon. Squeeler fans are just annoying. Bill's fans are dealing with mental health issues.

I will definitely agree with that.  After the playoff game I gained a new found disrespect.

---

If I ever meet another Bill's fan, it'll be to soon. Squeeler fans are just annoying. Bill's fans are dealing with mental health issues.

I will definitely agree with that.  After the playoff game I gained a new found disrespect.

It's one thing to be obnoxious at the stadium.

But setting fires throughout town?

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Who cares?

Who cares? That would be like saying "Who cares if we are any good or a contender?" I'm not saying you can't feel that way, but that certainly isn't the mindset of the vast majority of fans: They do care. Drafts are critically important to a team's quality, especially the first round. You simply can't afford bad 1st round picks and expect to be a contender.

---

While most are harping on our deficiencies of our first round draft picks, we seem to forget that we had a serious stretch of success picking in the second through the fourth rounds. The success of your first round picks are only an percentage of successful yearly drafting. Teams that hit on one draft w/respect to selecting multiple productive players are the real winners as been proven.

NH3...

All of it matters. Football is the most collective sport there is, in so many ways. Of course the other rounds matter too, but if you botch the 1st round, it just puts you behind the 8 ball, so to speak, making it that much harder to field a contender.

Yes, "All of it matters". Not just the first round while missing on the first round doesn't necessarily cripple a team. 

NH3...

---

"AZANE"

It's kind of sad seeing Blackmon and Williams categorized the same way.
Williams was always available and seemed to try his best. Lots of passion and attention in his face. excellent blocking for a wide receiver. dude just couldn't get open and couldn't break free. Williams just didn't have as much talent as they thought he would have when they drafted him.
Blackmon dominated in a few games. He put on Terrell Owens like performances. He legitimately showed Hall of Fame level potential at the highest level, but didn't seem to want to use it.

---

My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

I refuse to put Bortles in the worst picks.

---

I refuse to put Bortles in the worst picks.

He was the #3 overall pick. He led the league in turnovers during his 5 year run.
“Bust”  is a loose term but he most certainly did not live up to his selection.

---

I refuse to put Bortles in the worst picks.

He was the #3 overall pick. He led the league in turnovers during his 5 year run.
“Bust”  is a loose term but he most certainly did not live up to his selection.

I often question what Bortles could have been if not for the Gus Bradley regime.  He has everything you want physically...if he'd had someone to craft and sculpt him and hadn't been thrown in the fire right away (sound familiar?) he definitely could have been better.  But that's water under the bridge.  Let's get it, Foles!

---

He was the #3 overall pick. He led the league in turnovers during his 5 year run.
“Bust”  is a loose term but he most certainly did not live up to his selection.

I often question what Bortles could have been if not for the Gus Bradley regime.  He has everything you want physically...if he'd had someone to craft and sculpt him and hadn't been thrown in the fire right away (sound familiar?) he definitely could have been better.  But that's water under the bridge.  Let's get it, Foles!

Are you really still defending Blake?

God forbid the #3 overall selection is asked to play as a rookie.

Mayfield, Darnold, Wentz, Goff, Watson... all played as rookies and learned valuable game experiences. Playing as a rookie is not a bad thing.... unless you’re just not good and then it exposes you to the league earlier than expected.

---

I refuse to put Bortles in the worst picks.

You don't have to but he was one of them

---