The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost double-digit games the last four seasons and five of the last seven. They’ve won just nine games in three seasons and have not made the playoffs since after the 2007 season.

That said, the 3-13 campaign in 2014 may at least provide some hope for the future. This team is still quite a ways in-depthfrom a complete turnaround, but the coach/QB tandem of Gus Bradley and Blake Bortles, coupled with some young, hustling defenders and intriguing talents like Denard Robinson mean this squad may at least finally be pointed in the right direction.

How far off are they? Luke Sims, an editor with the Black & Teal, shared his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: The Jaguars followed a 4-12 season with a 3-13 campaign in 2014. In 2013 there were signs, at times, of a positive direction – how would you assess the 2014 season?

Sims: The 2014 season was about where many of us should expect the Jaguars to be at. GM Dave Caldwell has said he expected the team to be at about where they are now and there’s no reason to disagree as he came in to overhaul a roster that was incredibly mismanaged before his arrival.

Zoneblitz: The big change for the 2014 season was with Blake Bortles being brought in to start earlier than anticipated. Make no mistake, the Jags weren’t going to win 6-9 games with Chad Henne under center and he’s been a class act since his benching in favor of the rookie, but the Jaguars had to go against their plan to keep Bortles learning on the sidelines because the offense was absolutely stalled. Bortles provided a spark.

Sims: Overall, the 2014 season is a bit of a wash. The Jaguars’ young QB showed promise in some situations, concern in others. Ultimately it turned into a season they weren’t really planning on, so it didn’t accomplish all of their goals that they set out with. 2015 will be a better measurement of the rebuild and we should all expect better things from the team moving forward.

Zoneblitz: Gus Bradley is now 7-25 in two seasons – what are your thoughts on him as head coach and the front office support he gets?

Sims: Bradley has the support of GM Dave Caldwell and he has the support of the owner Shad Khan. At this point there is no reason to fear for his job and I think he comes back in 2016 even if his win total stays at five or below in 2015. That said, I think he has the right attitude and the right approach (together with Caldwell) in building this football team. Hopefully the offense can grow under new OC Greg Olson, but on the whole I think a lot of us are willing to see what more Bradley can build with such a young, inexperienced roster. He will get – and deserves – a pass in the win/loss column for the first few years.

Zoneblitz: Blake Bortles was drafted as a project in 2014 but played quite a bit to highly mixed results. What did you learn about him in 2014 and do you think he’s the future?

Sims: We learned that he’s a risk taker. That is a major improvement over the quarterbacks the Jaguars have had the last few years. Bortles isn’t afraid of taking shots when he thinks he has a chance. There are (a lot of) times when he needs to make better reads and decisions and there were many cringe-worthy moments when he dropped back to pass, but I think it’s all there. The tools can be built up and he’s physically able, he just needs the experience.

Being thrust into a starting role as a high draft pick is always going to be difficult, especially when it isn’t part of the plan you’ve been told about since you joined a team. I think the mixed results are to be expected. The key thing to focus on is that Bortles put a spark of life into the offense that simply was not there during the first 2.5 games. The team responded in a big way to him and that’s promising.

Zoneblitz: The offense finished last in scoring in 2014. Greg Olson is in as offensive coordinator replacing Jedd Fisch. What are your thoughts on that move and the impact it will have in 2015?

Sims: Olson is not an exciting choice for OC. He’s had some success as a coordinator, but the majority of his rankings each year have been mediocre at best. That said, he is well respected by many in the league and he’s known to work well with young quarterbacks. That’s great for the Jaguars. What I like more is that the Jaguars have brought in many experienced offensive coaches for support of Bortles and Olson. Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett are no slouches and expect the offense to benefit from the “brain trust.”

Zoneblitz: Despite the numbers, there is some talent there – Denard Robinson showed glimpses of brilliance. Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson had flashes. Justin Blackmon should be back – what do you think of the offense’s potential?

Sims: Well we all hope that Blackmon gets back! That said the front office isn’t holding out hope and we shouldn’t hold our breath about it either.

There is some quality potential to be built upon for the Jaguars. I love what we saw out of Allen Robinson at wide receiver. He was every bit the receiver scouts thought he could be and he was an absolute steal at his draft position. If he can stay healthy for a full year the Jags will have an incredibly reliable receiver for Bortles. Lee has a few more question marks and we’ll have to see more from him, though he had some flashes. Another to consider is Allen Hurns who showed he is a deep threat but can also out-muscle defenders for the ball. We’ve got consistency issues with his hands there but if he can work on that then he could really be a big play maker. Robinson continues to build on his transition to being a real NFL-caliber running back. For a few weeks in the 2014 season he was playing like a top-3 player at his position. Toby Gerhart being completely healthy will help him as a change of pace back. We shouldn’t just highlight the skill players, though. Brandon Linder was excellent at guard and Luke Bowanko deserves a chance to defend his starting spot at center, too.

All in all, the offense was a major surprise. Things felt “good” despite the poor results. Things are pointing up and should only get better.

Zoneblitz: In the first four games of 2014, the defense gave up 152 points, or 38 per game. The last 12, it gave up 260, or 22 per game. What happened to cause the improvement and is it something you expect to continue?

Sims: Despite that change, the defense was still a bit of a letdown for the season. The pass rush over-performed but the linebacker corps and the secondary need some major improvement.

I think we’ll see some development, particularly in tackling, for the defense overall. The big play killed the team repeatedly and that needs to be addressed as well. This is a side of the team that has a lot of young players who are still developing their understanding of the game and the roles they are expected to perform. The coaching staff is still finding the right mix of guys to perform optimally (especially in the secondary). As they gain more experience, expect greater returns.

Zoneblitz: At first glance, the defense appears to largely be a no name bunch – who should people know from that unit?

Sims: Sen’Derrick Marks, Roy Miller, Ryan Davis on the defensive line. These guys hustle and the first two are going to be long-term fixtures of the defense. Keep an eye on them as they develop together. Davis is one of the most productive pass rushers in the league and deserves far more playing time.

Linebacker Telvin Smith has also performed very well in situations and deserves some attention going forward. The guy absolutely deserves playing time and I think he deserves a lot more attention in 2015.

Another key person to keep an eye on is cornerback Demetrius McCray. He was playing at top-corner levels during parts of the season and will defend his starting role next year. The 2013 7th round pick deserves a lot of attention for the hard work he put in this season.

Zoneblitz: What Jaguars have a chance to break out in 2015?

Sims: With this team being so young there is a long, long list of potentials. I’ll list a few.

Blake Bortles: No sophomore slump for this quarterback. Expect him to come out slinging and really challenging defenses. I fully expect him to make big strides this offseason.

Allen Robinson: He showed he could breakout in his rookie year, expect him to stay on the field longer in year two and expect his burgeoning relationship with Bortles to yield benefits for him.

Brandon Linder: I’m going to call it now, Linder will be a top guard in 2015. He really put it together in his rookie season and can only get better at this point.

Demetrius McCray: As mentioned before, this is a guy who can really play. He’s poised to make some big plays in 2015.

Aaron Colvin: The cornerback steal of the 2014 NFL Draft, Colvin didn’t hit the field until late due to injury. He made an immediate impact, however. Expect him to live up to his potential and make a name for himself during his 2015 playing time.

Zoneblitz: – What would you like to see the team do in free agency and the draft?

Sims: Right tackle absolutely needs to be addressed. The offensive line was horrendous this season as a unit. It saw some early personnel changes and no other group of guys needs to play as cohesively as the offensive line to be effective. Finding someone to slot in and start all season will go a long way toward having a reliable offensive line unit. Free agency would be a wise place to fill this need and there are some quality candidates available.

Premiere pass rusher. The defense was great at sacking the quarterback in 2014, but there wasn’t a reliable presence wreaking havoc on every down. The pass rushing efficiency of Ryan Davis was great, but he’s a role player for now. The Jags need someone who can come in and be that threat for a full game. The draft seems like a more likely place to fill this need.

Tight end. I love Marcedes Lewis and the career he has had with the Jags, but he’s under-performing (Arguably always has). There are a few tight ends in free agency that could step in immediately and be an improvement.

Those are my big three but are in no way the only holes that must be filled. Others that should be addressed include: a top-flight, proven wide receiver, a quality free safety, and linebackers. I expect the latter two to be more focused in the draft and the receiver to likely be a free agent acquisition if at all. GM Dave Caldwell is keeping things pretty quiet so we don’t know what he’s thinking right now.

Zoneblitz: How far is this team from contending for a playoff spot?

Sims: Two years at a minimum. This is still a 5-11 or 6-10 team right now. There will be improvement in year three of this overhaul, but don’t expect them to really contend so quickly. The coaching staff is still looking to just get better and we shouldn’t pretend they’re closer than they are. Even if they end up with a better record, this team isn’t yet at a point where it’s playoff caliber. Free agency and the draft could really help and I’d love to be pleasantly surprised with playoff competition in year 2015, but don’t expect it.

Zoneblitz: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Sims: Viewing the Jags in the perspective of a major rebuild is important going forward. They aren’t good enough to compete in a division with at least one quality team (though maybe they could in the NFC South). Jags fans and the rest of the league were fooled by former GM Gene Smith telling everyone they were just a few players away. The truth was far from it. This is a major overhaul, a complete gutting. It’s about getting better and recognizing those things right now.

Follow Luke Sims on Twitter at: @LukeNSims
Follow Black and Teal on Twitter at: @BlackandTeal
Follow Zoneblitz.com on Twitter at: @ZoneblitzCom

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