Saturday, August 16, 2014

Dustin James Preview's The 2014-15 NFL Season: Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

Head Coach: Gus Bradley (4-12 all-time in Jacksonville)

Last Year's Results: 4-12, no playoffs

Projected Starters:


(My Player Rankings Guide:
E - Elite Starter: Franchise changing player at his position
HQ - High Quality Starter: One of the best in the game at his position
GS - Good Starter: If this guy's on your team, he's likely starting and you should be perfectly fine with it
AS - Average Starter: This guy is OK, but if possible, I'd be looking for an upgrade
BAS - Below Average Starer: This guy should not be starting, but he will because he's the best option
??? - Not enough information regarding this guy and the jury is still out on him
R - Rookie: Pretty self-explanatory
PS - Poor Starter: This guy shouldn't be starting for your football team. NO EXCUSES!)


OFFENSE:
QB: Chad Henne (BAS)
RB: Toby Gerhart (BAS)
FB: Will Ta'ufo'ou (BAS)
WR: Cecil Shorts (GS)
WR: Marqise Lee (R)
TE: Marcedes Lewis (AS)
C: Michael Brewster (PS)
RG: Brandon Linder (R)
LG: Zane Beadles (AS)
RT: Austin Pasztor (AS)
LT: Luke Joeckel (BAS)

DEFENSE:
DE: Red Bryant (GS)
DE: Chris Clemons (GS)
DT: Sen'Derrick Marks (AS)
DT: Roy Miller (BAS)
WLB: Geno Hayes (AS)
MLB: Paul Posluszny (BAS)
SLB: Dekoda Watson (AS)
CB: Dwayne Gratz (AS)
CB: Alan Ball (GS)
SS: Johnathan Cyprien (AS)
FS: Winston Guy (PS)

SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: Josh Scobee
P: Bryan Anger

Schedule:
vs. @ Philadelphia
vs. @ Washington
vs. Indianapolis
vs. @ San Diego
vs. Pittsburgh
vs. @ Tennessee
vs. Cleveland
vs. Miami
vs. @ Cincinnati
vs. Dallas
BYE WEEK
vs. @ Indianapolis
vs. New York Giants
vs. Houston
vs. @ Baltimore
vs. Tennessee
vs. @ Houston

Predicted Results: 4-12 (2-4 in division)

Team Analysis: Everyone sit down this for one. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team on the rise in the NFL. That's right, I said it! The Jags are quickly improving right in front of our eyes and no one wants to give them any credit because they are the freaking Jacksonville Jaguars. Either way, after years of being one of the worst franchises in sports (not just the NFL, SPORTS!), the Jaguars seem like they finally may have started to turn this ship around and now have the tip pointed at the island of "Success". Of course, this all depends on just how good new quarterback (and third overall pick in the NFL draft) Blake Bortles can be. Right now, I have Chad Henne listed as the starter, but talk out of training camp is that Bortles has looked better than Henne and has actually looked better than a lot of people are giving him credit for. Bortles has the look of an NFL QB, now we just need to see if he has the talent.

As for the rest of the team? Well, there are definitely question marks all over this roster, but the Jags should actually be a fun team to watch. The offense is filled with young guys (Toby Gearhart, Marqise Lee, etc.) who are looking to make a name for themselves alongside Bortles. I expect we'll see numerous times where this offense will have us shaking our heads, but I also expect that we'll see moments where this offense looks like it could be one of the most exciting ones to watch in the coming seasons. The Jaguars also aren't getting a lot of love on the defensive side of the ball, but head coach Gus Bradley is a defensive specialist and word out of training camp is that these guys are buying what he's selling and have looked tremendously improved. We'll be finding out in just a matter of weeks.

While it seems like it's been forever since the Jaguars have been relevant in the NFL, that time could soon be coming to an end. Gus Bradley has a goal and it's to make the Jaguars the "Seattle Seahawks" of the East. Will he get enough time to try and accomplish that goal? That all depends on how good Blake Bortles can be and how much the defense can improve under Bradley. Either way, I'm actually interested in seeing what goes down in Jacksonville this season. That just feels weird to say.....

No comments:

Post a Comment