In Depth 2017: Jacksonville Jaguars
After years of struggle, some experts thought the Jacksonville Jaguars could push .500 in 2016 and maybe even contend in a weak AFC South.
Those hopes were quickly dashed, as a brutal backslide by young QB Blake Bortles and an 0-3 start denigrated into a nine-game losing streak that eventually cost head coach Gus Bradley his job.
Still, through a disastrous 3-13 season, the Jaguars did play some pretty solid defense. And the offense still has some young, high-level talent. Can Doug Marrone rescue Bortles? Can Bortles recover and take this team on a long-awaited turnaround? Or will the next couple of years signal the need for yet another rebuild?
Luke Sims, editor of Black & Teal, shares his insights:
Zoneblitz: Heading into the season I don’t think I was alone in expecting the Jaguars to take a step forward this season. That didn’t happen. But there still seems to be some rising talent here. What was your assessment of the season?
Sims: 3-13 was definitely a disappointment, especially as the .500 goal was modest. Going from 5-11 in 2015 to 8-8 should have been achievable in the fourth year of a rebuild. Interestingly, the progress on the defensive side (the liability in 2015) did pay off. The Jags fielded a top defense in yards allowed and also managed to create some turnovers in the latter half of the season. There’s still room for growth, but the defense looks like it is in a position to be a strength going forward. The offense was the big letdown. Where there should have been progress, there was regression. With much of the same talent that brought an exciting 2015, it was easy to put blame on the coaches. Greg Olson was rightly canned and Gus Bradley’s long tenure as modern-era head coach with the worst record also deservedly led to his dismissal. If the Jags could combine 2016’s defense with 2015’s offense, they could be real contenders. There was just a disconnect there, even with 10 games being decided by seven points or less.
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