Jacksonville Jaguars
The Golden Boy
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Trevor Lawrence has been on the NFL radar since he was in High School at Cartersville, GA.
It is a foregone conclusion that he’ll be joining one of the league’s most faceless teams. Lawrence enters the NFL as the surest thing since the last sure thing, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
Add Lawrence with three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer, and suddenly the Jacksonville Jaguars have a chance to turn things around in a span of a few months.
The Jaguars have long been one of the first names to be mentioned when it comes to relocations. According to Jacksonville Business Journal, the Jaguars attendance was way down before the pandemic. Despite a passionate city around them, owner Shad Khan has looked into the ideas about playing overseas.
Now, the talk of Lawrence changes everything as Khan appears ready to invest in Jacksonville.
The city and Khan have recently reached an agreement to update parking. Jacksonville historically is not a professional sports town, but this vote has it trending in the right direction.
The best comparison for the Jaguars is the 1998 Colts, who drafted Peyton Manning first overall. Just like the 98 Colts, the Jaguars need a face of the franchise. They need an identity.
Khan has long championed a Lot J deal as a catalyst to the development of Downtown Jacksonville.
Khan hopes the stadium and surrounding area will become the centerpiece of a revitalized downtown, bringing hotels, restaurants, office space and housing with it.
Lawrence is coming to Jacksonville at what is the tail end of a year long quarantine that has altered business plans of every retailer in the world.
Lawrence has a unique opportunity that could make him and the City of Jacksonville the best ‘buy low’ proposition in sports history.
With most stadiums empty or mostly empty last season due to the COVID Pandemic, the Jaguars actually finished second in the league in attendance despite having the 1-15 record.
When the Jaguars hired Meyer and had the top selection in the upcoming draft (Trevor Lawrence), they raised season ticket prices by 7.2%. The team just announced that the 2021 season will involve a normal stadium experience as the Jaguars will host a full crowd.
Also, the Jaguars currently do not have an agreement with the league to play a home game in London, as they have from 2013-2019.
The team said demand for 2021 season tickets is “at an extreme high.”
Shad Khan purchased the team in 2011 for 770 million dollars. Forbes value the Jaguars at 2.45 billion dollars with a 14% increase in value since January 2021. That increase is not due to fans in the seats, it is due to the team drafting Lawrence.
Add all this up and there is a subsequent event setting up in Jacksonville. One that can change the fortunes of the Jaguars and City of Jacksonville.
Few players in NFL history have this much pressure riding on them. The marriage between Lawrence and the Jaguars begins with big expectations, and that’s what Jacksonville needs for the next decade and beyond.
Loading The Gun
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2021 NFL free agency free-for-all began on March 17, and it’s still up in the air whether or not the Jacksonville jaguars found a pot of gold.
The Jags started the league year with over $80 million in salary cap space, and found a couple of gems right off the bat.
The most noteworthy acquisition so far is, arguably, former Seattle Seahawks CB Shaquill Griffin. The four-year veteran out of UCF had a solid 2020 campaign, posting 63 tackles, 12 coverage breakups, and three interceptions over 12 games.
His deal with Jacksonville is a 3-year, $44.5 million contract with $29 million guaranteed. It is expected that he will move immediately into a starting role opposite 2020 first-round pick C.J. Henderson.
This, combined with the re-signing of Sidney Jones, most likely means that last year’s injury-riddled season will be D.J. Harris’ last in teal & black.
Another defensive position getting some much-needed attention is Safety.
Former Charger Rayshawn Jenkins signed a 4-year, $35 million deal with $16 million guaranteed.
Another Safety, Auburn alum Rudy Ford, arrives from Philly, joining the team with a 2-year, $4.2 million contract. These two alone should provide some consistency for a wildly inconsistent defensive backfield.
Via trade, first year Head Coach Urban Meyer gets some help in the middle in the form of former Saints DT Malcom Brown.
A salary cap casualty for New Orleans, Brown joins DT Roy Robertson-Harris (CHI) and DE Jihad Ward (BAL) as the first pieces of a reworked defensive line that can easily improve on last years’ 30th ranked effort against the run.
Additionally, DT Tyson Alualu, the No. 10 overall selection by the Jaguars in 2010, returns after four years in Pittsburgh.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jags signed two receivers off the Detroit Lions; ten-year veteran Marvin Jones Jr, and return specialist Jamal Agnew.
Jones should be a reliable target for assumed first overall pick Trevor Lawrence, and will help draw some double coverage away from DJ Chark.
Agnew is another player who will bring some consistency to their position (the Jaguars had six different kick returners last season), but whether or not his breakaway speed will be enough to earn him a WR3 slot on the offense over fellow free-agent acquisition Phillip Dorsett will be one of the more interesting stories to follow in training camp.
Regardless, the addition of this trio will help ease the sting of the pending shakeup in the Duval receivers corps.
While Keelan Cole has already signed with the Jets, the free-agent fates of former Bulldog Chris Conley and former Sooner Dede Westbrook have yet to be determined.
Another player re-joining the Jaguars is RB Carlos Hyde. Hyde played under former HC Doug Marrone in the massively under-performing 2018 season before being traded to the Browns. Hyde played college ball at Ohio State under Urban Meyer, so his familiarity with the system should make him a solid change-of-pace for second year back James Robinson.
At the Tight End position, the Jaguars have added former Panther Chris Manhertz, and have re-signed James O’Shaughnessy.
The team declined the option on former Bengal Tyler Eifert, and his status remains uncertain.
This position could be considered one of the few disappointments of the free-agent period so far, with the top two available TEs (Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith) both signing with the New England Patriots.
While these moves addressed some glaring needs on both sides of the ball, the Offensive Line still needs to be addressed, as does the elephant in the QB room – Gardner Minshew II.
With the departure of journeyman Mike Glennon to the Giants, the question remains who will be the backup to Trevor Lawrence when the draft makes his arrival in Duval official.
While Coach Meyer has said this week that they have no plans to trade Minshew “for now,” the lack of another veteran signal caller could be a final area to be addressed.
Alex Smith continues to be a name mentioned to fill that role, but if the Joe Flacco to San Francisco rumors prove false, Jacksonville could also be a good fit for the 2013 Super Bowl MVP.
Hard Knocks
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Since its premiere in 2001, the HBO documentary series “Hard Knocks” has given its’ viewers an inside look at the preseason preparations of an NFL franchise.
The behind-the-scenes show has given NFL fans an in-depth look at some memorable moments over the years, from Chad Ochocinco’s final moment as a professional football player to the sideshow that was Antonio Brown’s brief tenure with the Raiders to the MMA-esque atmosphere of the fight-riddled Atlanta Falcons training camp.
Regardless of the fact that the show is an Emmy-winning production, many NFL coaches and GMs aren’t exactly chomping at the bit to be given the Hard Knocks spotlight.
The intrusive presence of camera crews at every practice, meeting, and team activity is understandably seen by many as a distraction.
In fact, the show has gotten a bit of a reputation as a potential jinx with three Head Coaches being fired either during or after the season they were profiled on the show.
In fact, the tendency to avoid being selected for the show got so ingrained that the league had to take measures to make sure there would be a team for the show.
In 2013, NFL executives announced that if no team volunteered to participate in Hard Knocks, the league could force a team to participate, as long as the team was not exempted by three circumstances: they’ve already been on the show in the previous 10 seasons, they have a first-year head coach, or they reached the playoffs in either of the two previous seasons.
For the 2021 season, there are five teams that do not meet any of those criteria; the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and those media darlings the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys would seem to be the odds-on favorite to be selected this year, since they’ve been absent from the show since 2008 and they still (for whatever reason) continue to get some of the biggest ratings in the league.
A compelling case could be made for the Jaguars, however.
Yes, they have a first-year head coach in Urban Meyer. Although that could allow them to be excluded, the Jaguars have volunteered several times to be on the show but have been turned down every time (that NFL Network spinoff in 2004 doesn’t count).
The team & its fans are starving for some prime-time exposure. This upcoming December will mark ten years since the Jags last Monday Night Football appearance, and the 2018 matchups against the Steelers were the first Sunday Night Football slots since 2008.
Jagnation just wants some prime time attention that doesn’t involve a dreaded Thursday Night Football appearance.
The 2021 season of Hard Knocks seems to be just what the doctor ordered.
How will Urban Meyer fare getting his feet wet by diving headfirst into the NFL pond?
What will camp look like for the worst kept secret of a #1 overall pick in Trevor Lawrence?
Which leads into the side-story of what happens to the Legend of Gardner Minshew II?
How will James Robinson follow up his history-making rookie season after notching the most yards from scrimmage by an undrafted rookie ever?
It all adds up to an intriguing preseason for a dismal 1-15 team.
Will the Jaguars wind up on HBO? NFL.com writer & host of the Around the NFL podcast Dan Hanzus seems to think so, even though he “doesn’t lean on any behind-the-scenes awareness of the decision-making process” but instead relies on his “broad institutional knowledge and an understanding of the shifting league landscape.”
In fact, he calls it a premonition that the 100+ cameras of the Hard Knocks team will be camping out on the St. Johns this year.
If past seasons hold true, we should know for sure one way or another at the earliest by the end of March.
Life Of A Dawguar
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Every fan has at least one moment in their sporting life that they remember precisely where they were and what they were doing when it happened. I have two.
The first is January 1, 1981. I was 9 years old, and I remember clearly watching my quiet, reserved, school teacher mom literally jumping up and down on our living room couch screaming “GO! GO! GO!” as Hershel Walker rumbled up the middle for 25 yards against some Irish dudes.
It’s the first Georgia game I can remember watching, and it’s when I first realized there was something special about this game called “football.”
Those were some good days. The three years of Hershel Walker between the hedges was enough to spoil a budding football fan. A national championship, a trip to a second championship game, and a Heisman Trophy?
One could get used to this! Oh, how I wish I could go back in time and pat early-80s me on the head and say “there, there.” Football life for the Dawg Fan was not sunshine & roses for large swaths of the coming decades.
Oh sure, there were some great moments – the 2018 Rose Bowl, the 2005 SEC Championship over LSU, the 2007 “storm the field” victory over Florida. But for every great moment like these, there’s a Prayer at Jordan Hare, a 2nd & 26, and pretty much any game against Florida in the Spurrier years.
The second defining sports memory in my life came on November 30, 1993. I was throwing darts with some fraternity brothers at a place called The Brick in downtown Milledgeville when I looked up to the TV over the bar to see the announcement that Jacksonville had been awarded the 32nd NFL franchise.
I let out a massive holler that literally left everyone else in the place silent. Under normal circumstances, I would have been mortified, but I was elated. My hometown was getting an NFL team! (Yes, I know. I’m from Brunswick, but as Jim Rome once said, Brunswick is just a suburb of Jacksonville that happens to be in another state. Again, tell me I’m wrong.)
Much like my early days as a citizen of Dawgnation, the early days of Jaguars fandom was the stuff of legends.
The AFC Championship game in our second year. Three consecutive trips to the postseason in the years following. That epic 14-2 season in 1999. And then, much like the post-1983 Dawgs, it all came crashing down. The Blaine Gabbert years. The Justin Blackmon debacle. Those damn tarps. The Tennessee &!%$*#@ Titans.
Yes, you could say I’m a glutton for punishment. Doubly so when you realize how few people fall into the Venn Diagram intersection of “Dawg fan” and “Jags fan” – “Dawguars,” if you will.
Most Dawg people are Falcon fans simply due to geography, regardless of how allegedly infrequently the Falcons draft UGA players – three since 1995 by the way.
Three players, coincidentally, is how many UGA alums the Jaguars have drafted in that same span…and also how many North Avenue Trade School “players” have snuck their way onto the Jags roster as well.
All of those numbers are dwarfed by the massive 11 players from Gainesville that have gone on to wear teal & black.
Eleven hated amphibians that we booed on Saturdays that we now have to choke down the bile and root for on Sundays.
Players like Fred Taylor, one of the Pride of the Jaguars, that broke our heart for years at the WLOCP. First rounders like Taven Bryan & CJ Henderson. And now, after the Marrone era, we now welcome a former Gator to the Head Coaches’ office – Mr. Urban Meyer. Ugh.
Whether or not this winds up being another Pete Carroll success or another rare Nick Saban failure in the NFL is yet to be seen.
I hold high hopes that Urban will be able to take that “generational talent” headed our way from Clemson (really? I’ve gotta support a Clemson player now, too? Fine…) and return us to the halcyon days reminiscent of those first five years of our franchise history.
If he gets us our first Lombardi, this Dawg will be understandably ecstatic.
I’m just glad it’s not Spurrier. Even I have limits.
False Start
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We all love to make predictions and nowhere is that more than in sports.
Not only do we love to predict which teams will win and what players will receive end of the year honors, but each sport’s draft is predicated entirely on how a team predicts a particular player will perform.
For the most part I try to stay away from making predictions as much as I can; I’m not very smart and there are so many outside factors it can be a pretty risky business.
However, when it comes to the length of Urban Meyer’s tenure in Jacksonville, I’m willing to make an exception.
If I had to guess as to how much time will elapse before Meyer has another medical condition forcing him to retire, I’d put the over/under at 3 years. And just to clarify, I’m not mocking anyone with a medical condition, just those who seem to have them at the most opportune times.
There are a myriad of reasons why I don’t think this relationship between Meyer and the Jaguars will work out, but they all come back to one single fact most others have already touched on- Meyer isn’t in college football anymore.
There’s a reason why Pete Carroll’s transition from college to the NFL is the exception and not the rule- it’s damn hard.
Meyer was an excellent college coach and the one person I believe would’ve given Nick Saban a run for his money had he stuck around in either Gainesville or Columbus.
But, besides not being sure his systems will work in the NFL, I’m not convinced his approach to coaching will work.
The fiasco that was the Chris Doyle hire, followed by the even more ridiculous press conference, is a perfect example.
In college you may lose a player or two after bringing in someone with the history of a Doyle, but for the most part it’s a storm that passes without much fallout.
(The student athlete has become much more vocal recently, so in all fairness, the storm may be louder now than a few years ago.)
As Meyer found out really quickly, those types of hires don’t fly in the NFL. Players aren’t relying on a head coach to get them to the next level, they’re already there.
And specifically speaking to a strength coordinator, most of the work NFL players do is on their own with their own trainer. Making a decision like that is almost all risk with absolutely no reward, not that the possible reward is an excuse to sell that hire anyway.
Meyer’s history of making these types of bonehead decisions and choices to double down on them because he could in college, is an indication he isn’t really prepared for what he’s about to embark on.
Winning cures a lot of ailments, but it doesn’t cure them all. If he’s going to be successful, he’s going to have to change more than just X’s and O’s.
Who knows, maybe Meyer has been able to figure out how to manage the day-to-day stresses of being a head coach and put those issues behind him.
Maybe he’ll wind up having a very successful stint as Jacksonville’s head coach, lasting into the next decade. Those are all things that could very well happen, I’m just not willing to predict it.
Picks Of The Litter
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After a very disappointing 2020 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars are making major changes to their organization.
First, the Jaguars promoted Trent Baalke to General Manager and then hired Urban Meyer as their Head Coach.
Both Baalke and Meyer have their work cut out for them to rebuild this depleted roster. The good news is the Jags have the most cap space in the NFL and multiple first round draft picks.
Here is a breakdown of the Jaguars overall picks in the 2021 NFL draft.
Round 1: The Jaguars have their pick the first overall and the Los Angeles Rams via the Jalen Ramsey trade number 25.
Round 2: Jags have the 33rd overall pick and the 45th overall pick via trade with Minnesota for defense end Yannick Ngakoue.
Round 3: Jags have the 65th overall.
Round 4: Jags have their own selection and Los Angeles’ part of Ramsey’s trade.
Round 5: Jags have two picks: their own and The Cleveland Browns via the Ronnie Harrison trade.
Round 6: Jags have no picks due to trading for Kamalei Correa.
Round 7: Jags have their pick and Tennessee Titan’s pick.
Reminder: there will likely be compensatory picks at the end of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth round, so the total number of picks will not be determined until all compensatory picks are awarded by the NFL.
The Jags will determine their draft needs after shopping in the free agent pool. The Jags are projected to have $74 million in cap space, so the “Urban Renewal Project” is underway.
I will be assessing the Jags’ needs heading into the 2021 offseason starting with the least significant to the most significant.
Secondary: The Jags had a huge drop off in secondary play. Injuries within the group only made things worse, and as a result they were ranked 30th in the NFL.
At safety, the Jags could use one starter alongside Jarrod Wilson. I could also argue Wilson needs to be replaced.
The 2021 free agent class is very strong with Justin Simmons, Anthony Harris, Marcus Maye and John Johnson.
Changing Times
By: Buck Blanz
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Change is coming in Jacksonville and it’s coming fast.
After concluding the 2020 NFL season with a horrendous record of 1-15 (earning them the first overall pick) the Jaguars have quite a bit of soul searching to do.
The Jaguars are looking to hire a new General Manager as well as Head Coach, and with the number one pick most people are looking at this offseason as one of the most important offseasons in franchise history.
The first two items on the list for the Jaguars this offseason is to find a Head Coach and General Manager, but not in a rush.
Jacksonville has been given an extremely unique opportunity to gut the franchise and rebuild to a talented roster all in the same offseason.
While it is a unique opportunity for Jacksonville, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a tall task. Ideally, the Jaguars would like to look for candidates that will be able to engage with the young talent within the franchise getting them to buy in, in order to create a winning culture.
The Jaguars met with former Ohio State and University of Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer about the Head coaching position. Meyer has since begun to put together a coaching staff in case he is able to get the job.
If the Jaguars do decide to go with Meyer, the Jacksonville fans as well as Meyer are going to have to deal with a few changes.
Meyer would come out of college having won three National Championships and a record of 187-32 as a college coach, which is incredible. However, in the NFL a three loss season is terrific where at Ohio State he might’ve been fired after three losses in a season, so both the fans of Urban Meyer and Meyer himself will have to be ready to handle some tough losses.
Also, throughout Meyer’s coaching career he has been one of the best recruiters, but that won’t transfer to the NFL very well, Jaguars fans will quickly be able to see how Meyer is able to develop the talent given.
All-in-all, whoever is able to get the Head Coaching job for Jacksonville next year is faced with turning around the worst record in franchise history.
The Jaguars are looking for leadership throughout the offseason, the franchise needs a clear vision and a plan of action for the franchise to get back on track.
For many fans, getting back on track would mean executing with their first overall pick this year.
Having said that, the Jaguars don’t have a good track record in recent years with quarterbacks, Jacksonville has passed on two marquee picks in Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.
With the Jaguars getting their first number one pick in franchise history this upcoming draft they are looking to capitalize on it, helping change the culture.
However, fans will get more insight as to how Jacksonville will use their first overall pick after they find a General Manager and Head Coach.
Jacksonville is looking to greatly improve their status heading into the 2021 season and hoping to compete in another AFC title game in the near future.
Southern Charm
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 11 of the NFL season is in the books.
The contenders are starting to rise to the top and separate themselves at this point.
Let’s take a look at the AFC South and grade the teams thus far.
Jacksonville: The Jaguars (1-9) have the second worst record in the league behind the winless New York Jets.
The lone win came in the season opener, so they’ve lost nine consecutive games.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew fractured his right thumb in Week 7 against the Chargers.
Jake Luton has been playing since then and he’s struggled. In his last two games he’s 34 of 72 passes for 320 yards, 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions.
Minshew may return next week against Cleveland. One bright spot has been rookie running back James Robinson. He’s rushed for 762 yards (3rd) and 5 touchdowns.
The Jags are 27th in total offense and 30th in total defense.
The best thing they have going for them is they can possibly land the top pick in the draft. At this pace they should pick no worse than second. Grade: F.
Indianapolis: The Colts (7-3) are tied for the division lead.
Veteran QB Philip Rivers is in his first season in Indy.
He has a problem turning the ball over and he has thrown 8 interceptions up to this point.
They don’t have a big-time playmaker on offense. The Colts have a couple of talented backs in Nyheim Hines and Jonathan Taylor.
They are coming off of a good overtime win against Green Bay Sunday.
The defense is elite, ranked second in total defense. They allow less than 300 yards per game and 21 points per game.
The offense isn’t bad, ranking 13th in total offense. This team is a contender because they have a great defense that can keep them in any game. Grade: B+.
Houston: The Texans (3-7) fired head coach Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start.
He also traded All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson is a very good young quarterback, but he does not have much to work with. Wide receiver Will Fuller V has over 700 receiving yards and Brandon Cooks has 634.
Houston is 18th in total offense and defense.
They are 2 – 1 in their last three games. The one loss was 10-7 to the Browns. They can realistically win half of their final six games that include Detroit, Chicago and Cincinnati.
They are not going to make the playoffs so that might be pointless. Grade: D.
Tennessee: The Titans (7-3) look like they are picking up where they left off last season.
They play old school football by running the ball and controlling the clock.
Running back Derrick Henry leads the league in carries (229), rushing yards (1,079) and he has 3 rushing TD’s (3rd).
QB Ryan Tannehill is good enough to make plays when the run game isn’t working. He’s thrown for 22 touchdowns; 4 picks and he’s completing 71% of his passes.
They just beat the Ravens in overtime, so they play well against good teams.
They did lose to Indy 34-17 two weeks ago. They play again this week and they cannot afford to get swept. Grade: B.
The Good Ole Days
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s hard to believe a quarter century has passed since the Carolina Panthers in Jacksonville Jaguars played their first NFL games.
I remember watching Carolina play Tampa Bay at Clemson with my grandfather and father because the stadium in Charlotte wasn’t completed yet.
I also remember all the arguments and debates going on about how you actually pronounce Jaguars; was it “Jag-wires” or “Jag-u-wars”? Speaking of which, how nice would it be if the biggest issue in sports today revolved around the pronunciation of a team’s nickname?
Even though I was only fifteen during their inaugural season and was more interested in playing sports than watching them, the one thing that always sticks out in my mind was how neither team really felt like your typical expansion team.
For instance, take a look at Jacksonville’s first five seasons; after struggling a bit their first year in the league (4-12) they made the playoffs four straight years.
Two of those years, 1996 and 1999, culminated in an appearance in the AFC Championship game.
There aren’t too many teams that can claim to make it to their conference championship game in only their second year in existence (hold onto that thought for just a minute).
As for the ‘99 season, a little bit of bar trivia for if/when we ever get to do those types of things again- Jacksonville only lost three games that entire season, all to the Tennessee Titans.
It’s almost as if that year’s Titans team was to Jacksonville like Alabama has been to Georgia recently. (Cheap shot towards Georgia fans? Yes. Unnecessary cheap shot towards Georgia fans? Absolutely.)
As for the Panthers, well, you probably remember or have at least figured out they too made the playoffs, as well as the NFC Championship game in their second season.
After a very respectable 7-9 record their first year, they won their division (the NFC West, which consisted of more teams east of the Mississippi River than west) with a 12-4 record and of course, the conference championship game, as I mentioned.
The Panthers success wasn’t as consistent during those first few years as the Jaguars- they didn’t experience another winning season until 2002- but they have had the advantage over the last decade and a half, and overall.
Since the ‘95 season, Carolina has had more wins (204-183), playoff appearances (8-7) and Super Bowl appearances (2-0), than Jacksonville.
I’m going to stop any more comparisons between the teams because that really wasn’t my intention when I started writing this.
Rather, I wanted to talk about, and give credit to, what both teams were able to achieve at the start.
Like basically all expansion teams, both rosters were full of players other teams didn’t want and rookies, being coached in this case by two first time head coaches- Tom Coughlin and Dom Capers.
It showed that with the right coaching and atmosphere players can perform at levels other teams didn’t recognize or just overlooked.
In a strange way it also helped contribute to today’s way of thinking, where if a coach can’t win within the first year or two, he’s gone.
I mean, if two expansion teams can make a conference championship in both of their second seasons, anyone should be able to, right?
Neither team may have had the overall success they were looking for 25 years ago, but they’ve exceeded most expectations, no matter where they called home, or how you pronounced their name.
Tanking For Trevor
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL season is scheduled to kickoff next week.
Thirty-one teams cut down their rosters to field the best team for the 2020 season. The Jacksonville Jaguars are doing the opposite.
The Jaguars traded their best defensive player in Yannick Ngakoue and on Monday they released their best offensive player Leonard Fournette (who was the fourth overall draft pick in 2017).
Dave Caldwell is in his eighth year as the general manager of the Jaguars. Caldwell has drafted six Pro Bowl players during his tenure with the Jags, including DE Josh Allen and DJ Chark Jr.
Let’s look at Caldwell first round draft choices:
2012: Justin Blackmon (suspended for substance abuse, has not played since 2013
2013: Luke Joeckel no longer in the league last played with Seahawks 2017
2014: Blake Bortles cut after five seasons; currently a free agent
2015: Dante Fowler Jr traded to the Rams in 2018; now with the Falcons
2016: Jalen Ramsey traded to the Rams in 2019
2017: Leonard Fournette released after three seasons
Just three short years ago in 2017, the Jags were ten minutes away from the Super Bowl but Tom Brady comeback ended those Jags’ dreams.
Caldwell had the NFL world by the tail, with an AFC Championship Game and a team loaded with young talent on both sides of the ball.
Jag fans, Dave Caldwell isn’t going anywhere, his job is not at risk. After unloading Calais Campbell, AJ Bouye, Marcell Dareus, Yannick Ngakoue and Leonard Fournette, it is clear that the Jags are in complete rebuild mode.
Since Shad Khan bought the team the Jags are 38-90. Do you think Jerry Jones or Robert Kraft would allow this? HELL NO, they would clean house!
The direction of this franchise comes straight from the top. If it was a playoffs or bust directive from Khan after the 2019 end of season, Caldwell would be addressing the team’s needs. Instead, he is gaining draft capital and salary cap relief.
Let’s look at the brightside, Caldwell is one of the best talent evaluators in the business. The Jaguars are stockpiling 2021 draft picks. They currently have 11, including four in the first two rounds.
With the Jags projected to win three or four games, they should be in perfect position to draft a franchise quarterback. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields could be the quarterback the Jags have been searching for since Mark Brunell.
Also, Caldwell deserves credit for putting together the 2017 team that went 10-6. He either drafted or signed six defensive players who made the Pro Bowl or were All-Pro that season.
It is hard to win in the NFL when a team loses so much talent and doesn’t replace it. The Jag’s are on the “Tanking for Trevor” train. This team will be lucky to win 3 games in 2020.
The Jaguars have 11 picks in the 2021 draft.
