Jacksonville Jaguars 2014 Thread

[JaxRed]

It's been a very quiet off-season for the Jags after the tumult of last year. This year we have changed one assistant coach and one trainer. No players have been released yet either.

The big non-player move for the Jags this time is the addition of the worlds largest scoreboard. (or so they say). They have just started the visible portion of the work and have set up a live webcam.

http://www.jaguars.com/livecam/

The camera changes view periodically. The view of the scoreboard where you see the bridge behind is the one that going big. There's also supposed to be swimming pools and/or water features....

Free Agent Wise, the Jags will have about the second or third most room but are expected to use it judiciously. Probably not going after the first tier glamour guys.

As far as the draft, the Jags have the third pick and all the questions revolve around the QB position. The Jags will be getting a QB (according to Shad) but there is a question about whether they like any of the big 3 (Manziel, Bridgewater, Bortles) to grab them at #3.

The national guys seemed convinced they will draft one of them, the local guys think they are going after one in the 2nd or later rounds. One of the second tier guys (Garrapolo, Carr, McCarron, Mettenberger, Murray, Fales).

And the other wild card is Clowney. Jags also need a pass rusher and Clowney is the best if he wants to be....)

I am pretty sure if the Jags don't love a QB they will try to trade back.

Also a lot of talk the Jags like Khalil Mack.....

[WVRed]

It's been a very quiet off-season for the Jags after the tumult of last year. This year we have changed one assistant coach and one trainer. No players have been released yet either.

The big non-player move for the Jags this time is the addition of the worlds largest scoreboard. (or so they say). They have just started the visible portion of the work and have set up a live webcam.

http://www.jaguars.com/livecam/

The camera changes view periodically. The view of the scoreboard where you see the bridge behind is the one that going big. There's also supposed to be swimming pools and/or water features....

Free Agent Wise, the Jags will have about the second or third most room but are expected to use it judiciously. Probably not going after the first tier glamour guys.

As far as the draft, the Jags have the third pick and all the questions revolve around the QB position. The Jags will be getting a QB (according to Shad) but there is a question about whether they like any of the big 3 (Manziel, Bridgewater, Bortles) to grab them at #3.

The national guys seemed convinced they will draft one of them, the local guys think they are going after one in the 2nd or later rounds. One of the second tier guys (Garrapolo, Carr, McCarron, Mettenberger, Murray, Fales).

And the other wild card is Clowney. Jags also need a pass rusher and Clowney is the best if he wants to be....)

I am pretty sure if the Jags don't love a QB they will try to trade back.

Also a lot of talk the Jags like Khalil Mack.....

Bortles makes the most sense being a local pick, but Bridgewater would work with his mobility. I think Manziel goes first and Clowney second whether it's the Rams or a trade.

Isn't MJD a free agent? Might be worth taking a qb first round and a RB second round.

[Sea Ray]

I'd think Clowney would be a great pick at 3 if he's available. I like Bortles best of the QBs but at #3 it might be a reach. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of playing games where a top player is concerned. If Bortles is the top QB on your board and he's available when you pick then you take him

[JaxRed]

MJD is a free agent. Most think he'll go elsewhere because Jags are at least a couple years away and he's not tasted too much success. Most people think the Jags will take a RB but not till 4th or 5th round when they have a couple extra picks.

[IslandRed]

As far as the draft, the Jags have the third pick and all the questions revolve around the QB position. The Jags will be getting a QB (according to Shad) but there is a question about whether they like any of the big 3 (Manziel, Bridgewater, Bortles) to grab them at #3.

The national guys seemed convinced they will draft one of them, the local guys think they are going after one in the 2nd or later rounds. One of the second tier guys (Garrapolo, Carr, McCarron, Mettenberger, Murray, Fales).

If they're convinced that some of the second-tier guys will be as good as the top-tier guys, then I guess that could work. But they really can't mess around much here -- like every other team in the league, they're not going anywhere without a QB that is at least decent. If they have to overdraft a little bit to make sure they get what they need, fine.

[JaxRed]

The local press thinks they are not convinced any of the big 3 are franchise QB's. They thought so last year and so far have been vindicated on their decision.

[chicoruiz]

I think Clowney needs to go to a team with a strong veteran leadership core that will keep him pointed in the right direction.I'm not sure the Jags are that team.

I think the best thing that could happen for Jacksonville is that some team falls in love with Clowney or one of the QBs and is willing to package some picks to move up to #3.

[Caveat Emperor]

Speaking as a Bucs fan, I hope you guys take one of these QBs -- I want all 3 gone to remove the temptation from Lovie Smith and the new front office.

If the league wasn't so QB-starved right now, none of these guys would be even considered for a top-10 pick.

[IslandRed]

The local press thinks they are not convinced any of the big 3 are franchise QB's. They thought so last year and so far have been vindicated on their decision.

Right, last year was definitely a weak QB class for sure. There was only one first-round QB and most analysts didn't think he should have been.

The risk here is, talent is a moving target but so is opportunity. After the Gabbert fiasco, I can understand not wanting to pick a QB primarily out of desperation. But if the Jaguars improve in 2014, they may not be in draft position to get whatever franchise QB(s) might be in the class of 2015. So if their strategy is to assume they'll be able to find a franchise QB in the discount aisle within the next year or two, well... it could work but they'd better be right.

[JaxRed]

A big step for the Jags yesterday.... with the release of the Tampa Bay new uniforms the Jags are no longer in contention for worst uniforms.

[JaxRed]

The President of the Jags, Mark Lamping had an interview on radio today and said there will be no blackouts in 2014.

He also talked about how there is a required minimum "average ticket amount" in the NFL and all the new luxury seats the Jags are developing in their new sections, allows the average price to go up while keeping low ticket prices available.

[JaxRed]

Well, the Scoreboard cam shows that the entire top sections of seats underneath the new scoreboard have been removed, and some sort of crane is up the old scoreboard now.

The Jags have now made some moves, the most notable signing Chad Henne to a 2 year deal before he hit free agency. It's a fairly cheap contract. 2 years about 8 million total with only about 4 million guaranteed.

That gives the Jags the flexibility to take a QB in rounds 2 or 3 and still have a starter while they scope out the new guy.

They released a moderately expensive OL in Uche Nwaneri, but resigned some others. None were big names.

There's been more talk of Jags not draft a QB in 1st round and rumors of Jags beeing bigger players in FA then originally thought.

[TheBigLebowski]

Unless Clowney is there...or perhaps Robinson....I don't see how the Jags could pass on Bridgewater or Bortles.

[JaxRed]

Jags did make a couple signings on Day 1 of FA. A OL (left guard) out of Denver is the 'big one'. Should be a starter.

The bigger news is that the Jags traded Blaine Gabbert. They got a 6th rounder and a conditional 2015 pick. Most assumed he would be cut for nothing.....

[Sea Ray]

Jags did make a couple signings on Day 1 of FA. A OL (left guard) out of Denver is the 'big one'. Should be a starter.

The bigger news is that the Jags traded Blaine Gabbert. They got a 6th rounder and a conditional 2015 pick. Most assumed he would be cut for nothing.....

I agree. They did well to get that much for him.

Gabbert is not only a bust, he's a hit to Todd McShay's resume. McShay was pimping him as franchise QB before the 2011 draft

[JaxRed]

Another "name" signing. Jags pick up RB Toby Gerhart from Vikings....

[Kingspoint]

The Seattle-to-Jacksonville Express is full steam ahead.

[Sea Ray]

The Bengals are bringing in former Jags OG Uche Nwaneri . Jax, what can you tell us about him? My guess is you're underwhelmed

[Kingspoint]

The Jags added another Seahawk and now have DE bookends of ex-Seahawks in Clemons and Bryant.

[Kingspoint]

The Bengals are bringing in former Jags OG Uche Nwaneri . Jax, what can you tell us about him? My guess is you're underwhelmed
Nwaneri really struggled last season run-blocking. His previous years had him being league average in both run-blocking and pass-blocking.

Last year's troubles could have had to do with his recovering from right-knee surgery as he performed well as a run-blocker the last four weeks of the season.

Here's what he faced last June (from Rotoworld)....

In addition to a knee scope, Jaguars RG Uche Nwaneri is recovering from a stem-cell procedure on his troublesome knee. Dr. James Andrews performed the routine arthroscopy, and two weeks later Nwaneri had stem cells removed from his hip and injected into the knee. Nwaneri played through a meniscus tear and torn cartilage in the knee last season. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has filed a lawsuit against the stem-cell procedure (called "Regenexx") and contends it's a public health risk.

Source: Florida Times Union

[Kingspoint]

A Seahawk the Jaguars didn't sign...

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:

Free agent CB Walter Thurmond has left his Jaguars visit and will meet with the 49ers next.

A previous report had Thurmond set to visit the Bucs and Redskins, but they may either take place later on, or have been canceled. Thurmond is our No. 2 free agent cornerback left, behind only Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Source: Walter Thurmond on Twitter

[JaxRed]

Uche was always considered a decent OL. The one thing that stood out was he was a good regular guy. To the point that he would sometimes post on the Jags message board. He'll be popular if he plays ok.

[JaxRed]

Well, the first round is in the books and the Jags have their (hopefully) QB of the future. Apparently he had been #1 target of Jags for quite some time but Jags did a very good job of keeping that interest quiet. According to Dave Caldwell, only he and Bradley knew the pick, and they informed Shad Khan the night before. As you can see in this war room video, apparently the other scouts etc, did not know the pick until Dave told the guy in NY what name to write on the card.

http://www.jaguars.com/media-gallery/videos/EXCLUSIVE-Inside-the-War-Room/c50f1331-5d29-4b36-a2be-09de377e8c7b

[JaxRed]

Here's an interesting read on the road to drafting Bortles

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/74930640/jacksonville-jaguars-evaluation-of-blake-bortles#!LMTZU

[Slyder]

I wish to thank Jacksonville for taking Bortles. It meant Oakland was guarenteed one of the Mack, Watkins, or Robinson at 5! You all did better day 2 IMO.

[Sea Ray]

I think the Jags were wise in doing this. He'd have been #1 on my board too

[JaxRed]

Post draft recap: First the phrasing and feel about Justin Blackmon has changed over the past couple weeks from "we don't know and we'll treat him like a bonus when he comes back" to "we've moved on for this year" and even a "it may not be going well". Somehow, something had told the Jags that Blackmon's drug suspension is not going well. I think that impacted he draft.

The Jags had done a lot in FA on the defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, they picked up a left guard (Beadles) and RB Tony Gerhart. But they needed playmakers. In the 2nd they chose between consensus 1st rounder Marqise Lee from USC and Penn State WR Allen Robinson. The went with Lee. Later in the 2nd with Robinson still on the board they swapped picks and got him in the 2nd also. So now they had their playmakers.

They needed to continue to shore up the offensive line. Our center retired, and RG had been an issue all season. They got a big 6'6 320 OG from Miami Brandon Lindner to fill that spot. Ratings were all over the place with him. From 7th round/UDFA to 9th best OL in the draft.

In the 4th, the Jags drafted CB AAron Colvin. Colvin was projected as high 2nd round/possible bottom of first guy until he tore an ACL practicing for the Senior Bowl. Building for the long haul the Jags now have a guy projected in top 40 for 2015 that won't count against roster in 2014.

The rest of the draft also seemed very solid for the Jags, as they targeted defense on next 2 picks before going back to address center and RB.

[JaxRed]

Well training camp opened yesterday. The enthusiasm for the Jags locally is high. The Jags fans are convinced we finally have the right owner, the right GM and the right coach. And they are all on board with the plan. Let me give you an update on Khan and the local situation.

Tonight the Jags unveil the worlds largest video boards. Tonight at Everbank field (which just renewed it's naming rights for 10 more years) there will be a Soccer exhibition between Khans soccer team Fulham and DC United. It will be followed by a Carrie Underwood Concert. You can buy tickets, but Season Ticket holders get in free.

It's part of a major effort to reward season ticket holders. Season ticket holders with 10 year runs have their names listed on a plaque in the stadium, they get to meet with Khan and the Jags management. Last week at one of these meetings the President Mark Lamping made some announcements. First that the Jags are leading the league in new season ticket sales (not total sales), and there would be no Jags blackouts this year. He followed that up with a statement from Jags owner Khan that there would NEVER be another blackout in Jacksonville.

Besides the Scoreboards, the Jags installed Cabanas and a swimming pool for enhanced revenue seating. Last I heard the non-pool cabanas were sold out and the pool cabana was close to being sold out. Next year all clubs will be required to have enhanced in stadium Wifi for the customers. The Jags will have it this year.

And on the field, the Jags will continue to improve. As long as they hit 6 wins and are competitive I'll be satisfied. That will take them from 2 to 4 to 6 wins. More would be nice but GM Dave Caldwell is taking a steady approach to the Jags. They are young. Only 3 players above 30 and one of those is the kicker.

It's finally good to be a Jags fan.

[Kingspoint]

I really like Khan as an owner,...and as a person from what I've seen.

[JaxRed]

Jags had their first pre-season game and we are pretty happy after one game. The Jags went out of their way to beef up the defensive line in Free Agency and really showed up on the first few series when it was Ones vs Ones. But the story of the game was Blake Bortles. Told he will sit all season and working on improving his footwork, Blake came in halfway thru the 2nd quarter and was VERY impressive. His official stats were 7/11 for 117 yards with no picks or TDs, and a 99.7 rating. But every ball he threw was catchable. His worst throw was one were you said " should have been lower....but still should have been caught".

And he just looked the part. He stood in the pocket (we call that the Gabbert test). It was a very good game for the Jags.

[Sea Ray]

Jags had their first pre-season game and we are pretty happy after one game. The Jags went out of their way to beef up the defensive line in Free Agency and really showed up on the first few series when it was Ones vs Ones. But the story of the game was Blake Bortles. Told he will sit all season and working on improving his footwork, Blake came in halfway thru the 2nd quarter and was VERY impressive. His official stats were 7/11 for 117 yards with no picks or TDs, and a 99.7 rating. But every ball he threw was catchable. His worst throw was one were you said " should have been lower....but still should have been caught".

And he just looked the part. He stood in the pocket (we call that the Gabbert test). It was a very good game for the Jags.

I doubt he'll sit all year. He's too good. It'll be interesting to follow. Keep us updated

[cincrazy]

Bortles looked even better in game 2. The guy seems to have a pretty good grasp of the offense, and doesn't have happy feet in the pocket. He goes through his progressions pretty well and has made some really nice throws. I don't see what harm it does in having him start the season at this point.

[JaxRed]

They are going to give him some work with/against the ones this week against Detroit. The offensive line which was a question mark coming into the season, has been it hard with injuries that will last for first month or so of the season. If they decide he's ready, they may let him wait until the line solidifies.

[JaxRed]

Well, game 3 is in the books and Blake was very good again. Everything just seems to change when Henne leaves and he comes in. Officially he was 10/16 158 Yards 1 TD no picks and a 116.1 rating. However 2 of his incompletions were spikes.

He also had a 2 point conversion dropped. I don't know if that counts in stats. Will be interesting to see what Jags do. They've said all along it's Chad Henne but Blake clearly looks like the better QB already.

[Sea Ray]

Well, game 3 is in the books and Blake was very good again. Everything just seems to change when Henne leaves and he comes in. Officially he was 10/16 158 Yards 1 TD no picks and a 116.1 rating. However 2 of his incompletions were spikes.

He also had a 2 point conversion dropped. I don't know if that counts in stats. Will be interesting to see what Jags do. They've said all along it's Chad Henne but Blake clearly looks like the better QB already.

I don't see how they start Chad Henne. Forget NFL experience. Bortles is the better NFL QB right now and I'm sure the players know it. They risk losing the team early if they start Henne and lose a couple close ones right out of the gate

[JaxRed]

As we prepare for Game 1 on the road at Philly, I see I didn't post about Game 4 for Bortles. In limited duty he was 4/6 1TD, O picks and a 149.3 rating. 1 real long TD pass on your last play will do that for you, as well as leaving a real good way for people to remember-- you. He ended p with a 110.0 rating for entire pre-season. He looked very good each game but was also the beneficiary of some dropped interceptions. But we have to wait for the Bortles era to begin.

Going into Game 1 against a good Philly team, the big question mark will be the O-line where no one is back from the end of last season. LT Luke Joeckel will be playing in just his 6th game and 2nd at LT. LG Zane Beadles will play his first game as a Jag, McClendon his first game as starter at Center, RG Lindner his first game ever and RT Bradfield played LT last year after the Joeckel injury. So they take a while to meld.

Hopefully Jags are at least competitive which will be a big step p from beginning of last year.

[Sea Ray]

I picked up Bortles as my 3rd QB in my Keeper league so I'm expecting big things out of him eventually

[JaxRed]

Well Jags had a very interesting opening week against the Eagles. In the first half they completely dominated the Eagles and went to a 17-0 halftime lead. The offense failed to captitalize on a couple nice drives that would have made it worse.

But in the second half, a few crucial mistakes and the inability of the offense to sustain drives led to a 34-17 loss that sounds worse than it really was. On opening drive Eagles had a 4th and 1 around midfield, and Jags got caught with a mixture of their punt defense and their normal defense on the field, and the result was a 41 yard TD run. A time out there would have been a very nice thing.

We lost our starting safety Cyprien to a concussion and his replacement bit on a play fake and left open a wide receiver for another long TD. There were a series of other mistakes also. We had no timeouts in crucial situations because we burned all 3 to avoid delay penalties. The score ended p worse than it seemed because we went on 4th down late in game on our own 20 yard line and Henne misssed an open receiver for a 1st down, and after quick FG, we got a fumble returned on us.

All, in all... after you get over the disappointment of losing a game it looked like you might win, it was an encouraging because we went toe-to-toe with one of the better teams on their turf. We might have better luck this week against skins, but we still have a bunch of guys out.

[JaxRed]

I always try to pause for a couple days to avoid knee jerk reactions to the game. Whereas against Philly the game was closer than the score, against Washington our 41-10 loss was worse than the score. We were totally dominated in every sense. Even our touchdown seemed like an accident. We lost Marcedes Lewis for half the season. The Jags released on the starters from the O-Line. This was a very discouraging week.

[KronoRed]

Can only go up from that.

[IslandRed]

It would be easy to say "put in Bortles," and that might help, but it might also get him killed. It's hard for anyone to succeed behind a bad line and with mostly-rookie receivers. Tough to say for sure, but they might be doing the right thing keeping him out of that mess for the moment.

[Sea Ray]

It's the NFL and due to parity every team has silver linings week in and week out but by NFL standards the Jags are still terrible.

[JaxRed]

Heading into preseason the plan for OL was Joeckel - LT, Beadles -LG, Brewster - C, Lindner - RG, Paztor - RT. Paztor has been hurt, he's active for this game, with a club on his hand, but the plan is to play Young at RT. Young relieved Bradfield late in the game and played better. Bradfield was released. The plan now is Paztor in a week or 2 with Young as backup.

At Center, when Brewster didn't cut it, they seemed to like draftee Bowanko, but went with the experienced guy in McClendon. Late in the game they replaced McClendon with Bowanko and he will start this week.

So the eventual starting line is only 1 player (Pazstor) away from being together but the group now contains 4 guys who have a combined 13 NFL starts. A lot of how we do today depends on how well they come together.

[JaxRed]

Well, the Jags got mauled yesterday 44-17 but it's the feel good game of the year!! After being humiliated and down 30-0 at halftime, the Jags finally made the move and put in Blake Bortles. Was he great? No, there were mistakes, most notbaly a pick 6 interception (that wouldn't have been a pick 6 if the Jags could tackle). But he brought an excitement to the team that hasn't been seen in a long time.

Scored 17 points versus 0 for Chad, 233 yards passing versus 33 for Chad.

He made a sensational play on a naked bootleg when he turned and 2 Colt defenders were waiting for him. He eluded them and completed a 20 yard pass. The defense which gave up 30 in first half gave up 10 in the second. For one thing they were not constantly on the field because of 3 and outs, and as Gus Bradley said, Bortles seems to elevate the whole team.

So the future is here.....

[JaxRed]

I was out of town (in Ohio) for the Jags/Chargers game. As expected the Chargers won and won relativity easily, as Jags did nothing in the second half. Bortles continues to impress in his first start. As we head into Pittsburgh game at home, the Jags are getting healthier as their regular right tackle returns (with a cast).

Hopefully, the OL can start to gel as we finally have what should be our starting 5 in place after weeks of figuring out which guys they are, and injuries. We are still pretty young with 2 2014 draftees at C and RG, and 2013 draftee who has played in 9 games total at LT (and has under-performed his draft position). And LG Beadles has not lived up to his FA salary.

The defense has been (unexpectedly) the biggest problem. But they have shown signs.

The key is to playing an entire game. We've had 1/2's and quarters against some of the better teams (Eagles and Chargers). We need a consistent full game. If it happens we could beat Pittsburgh.

[JaxRed]

Well, we didn't beat Pittsburg. we had a chance, we played them pretty close. The defense showed back up this game. If they can keep that up and the offense can get going we might start to win a few games. At times the offense was playing 6 rookies and 1 second year player. Bortles continues to look good despite some rookie mistakes.

[JaxRed]

Heading into the game against the Titans in 30 minutes, I'm cautiously optimistic that this might be our first win. (note for the record I said cautiously). They are back to near full strength at Wide Receiver and OL. They are starting Storm Johnson at RB, which means no more using a hobbled Toby Gerhart who's been slowed by a bad ankle since Week 1.

There's not a fan base in the NFL who needs a win more than this one........ Go Jags.

[JaxRed]

The Jags were probably the better team last week but it didn't translate to a win. Defense played well enough, and Bortles continues to look good. Too many mistakes such as wide receiever falling down causing an interception, or Cecil Shorts coughing up the ball deep in Titans territory.

Unfortunately, Cleveland is playing well so this may not be the week either.

[KronoRed]

This is the week. :D

[JaxRed]

Yes it is.... the city needed this win.

[Boston Red]

That's just Cleveland being Cleveland for ya.

[Sea Ray]

Yes it is.... the city needed this win.

And they won w/o Bortles doing much to contribute

[RedTeamGo!]

And they won w/o Bortles doing much to contribute

Jags D played well, but good lord the Browns played like garbage.

How do NFL punt returners not understand when you are standing on the 2 yard line you do not attempt to field the ball?

That Poyer dude should be cut today.

[Sea Ray]

Jags D played well, but good lord the Browns played like garbage.

How do NFL punt returners not understand when you are standing on the 2 yard line you do not attempt to field the ball?

That Poyer dude should be cut today.

The punt return play of the day happened in the Sea-St L game. I've never seen anything like it at any level. The Ram return team duped the Seahawks into thinking that a player on one side of the field was going to return the ball whereas in reality the punt was going to someone on the other side. Amazing

[JaxRed]

Like I said previously, I like to stew on the results for a few days. Getting the first victory was very sweet. This organization and city needed it. Looking back you can see how we were seeing improvement. We COULD have beaten Pittsburgh, we SHOULD have beaten Tennessee, and then we did beat Cleveland. The key to the streak has been the defense finally playing to the level we expected after free agent signings this off-season and defensive backfield being an area on concentration in the 1st draft.

After having been one of the few offensive brights spots in the previous games, Bortles had a 'rookie' game throwing 3 costly picks. But we saw the first emergence of Denard Robinson (former UM QB) as a real running back going for 127 yards. It will be interesting to see whether that was just a fluke.

Going into Miami game, the defense is now depleted again as late in the game we lost 2 key members (Pozluzney and Branch). Poz is out for the year and Branch for 8 weeks. And had enough guys nicked up at cornerback that we had to activate a guy from the practice squad.

So Miami will be a test to see whether the Jags will be able to string together a few wins or whether the Cleveland win was just a fluke...

[JaxRed]

Have fallen behind on my updates. Jags are 0-2 since the Cleveland win. Against Miami, they could of/should of won..... Blake Bortles had far and away his worst game throwing 2 pick six TD's and then also fumbling away the ball after a run deep into Miami territory.

And then the next week against the Bengals, special teams was the worst component giving up 2 blocked punts among a host of errors, and Blake threw a pick.

Injuries are starting to be an issue again, at least in the short term. We just lost safety Will Blackman to IR. One of the guys that was filling in for Pozluzney, LB Jeremiah George is out a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. And the OL which had seen great improvement, has lost RT Lindner at least this week with a shoulder strain.

So, although we could beat the Cowboys, it's probably not going to happen.

[Sea Ray]

Bortles threw four balls a week ago that could have easiy been intercepted by Bengal defenders; 3 hit them right in the hands. Bortles has got to get over his INT issues or else he'll be the next Jay Cutler...who was the next Jeff George

[bucksfan2]

Bortles threw four balls a week ago that could have easiy been intercepted by Bengal defenders; 3 hit them right in the hands. Bortles has got to get over his INT issues or else he'll be the next Jay Cutler...who was the next Jeff George

I wouldn't worry too much about Bortles INT's this season. He was the one QB drafted that many speculated was more of a developmental project, ie not ready in the first season. He is still raw but has a bunch of promise. If he continues to throw bad passes late into next season then it will be very troublesome. I do like his potential, I like his ability and his arm, it is just too early to really judge him.

[Kingspoint]

From Rotoworld w/ Rotoworld comments:

Jaguars WR Allen Robinson is done for the season with a broken foot.

Robinson is unsure when he suffered the stress fracture, but alerted the team following Sunday's loss to the Cowboys that his foot didn't feel right. It's a gut-punch to Robinson, but as long as he's not dealing with a Lisfranc problem or Jones fracture, he should make a quick recovery and be ready in plenty of time for OTAs. There was no reason to push Robinson back out there in a lost season. Robinson's rookie season ends with 48 catches for 548 yards and two touchdowns. He'll reenter 2015 as the favorite for No. 1 duties. In the meantime, the Jaguars will get a longer look at Marqise Lee.

It's a tough loss, as any time lost working with Bortles stunts the growth of this Offense. While Robinson has been poor all season at yards-after-the-catch, he's been the Jaguars' #1 priority when it came to receiving targets. They had been determined to get his career on the fast-track.

[JaxRed]

Last few weeks have been disappointing and the current regime is starting to be doubted by the masses. Most of us are OK with losing if we see improvement, but we've been seeing regression. That goes for Bortles also, who has gone from a exciting gunslinger to a guy who never seems to throw more than 10 yards. Hoping for some improvement today.

[JaxRed]

In Jax over the last 7 years we've found a lot of ways to lose games. Today we won a game we shouldn't have..... and it feels great. The team and city needed this one again.

[KronoRed]

Will the Jaguars get Tom Coughlin fired again? :D

[Kingspoint]

I took Jacksonville and the three points. It was just a matter of when, not if, the Giants would give this one away. I was disappointed in the Jags' Offense, though. Their Defense continues to shine.

[Kingspoint]

It's too bad Bortles had to play so much this season. Their original idea of sitting him out completely regardless of what happens sounded like a great idea. Now, he's had the bad experience of being sacked and hit too often, making bad decisions that do not help a Quarterback grow, and losing confidence as a leader.

It's been a good season for Jacksonville through from my perspective. I wish the Bengals' Defense was half-way as good as theirs. They have a formidable pass-rush with better Linebackers than the Bengals (who doesn't have?). Their Secondary needs a lot of work. They seemed to have found a decent complimentary back in Robinson. Despite Bortles' troubles, he looks like the real deal. The biggest problem has been at Left Tackle. They might need to look for one early in the draft.

2013 #2 overall pick Luke Joeckel has been a bust in his two years in the league so far. On his good days, he's average. On his bad days, he's bad. One more year of this and they'll have to see if he's better off at Right Tackle. Maybe they need to change him to RT in 2015 if they can find a LT in the draft they like. Can't have a player as bad as he is protecting Bortles' blindside. He's allowing too much pressure against Bortles every week. Left Guard Zane Beadles is an above-average Guard. Signed through 2018, GM Dave Caldwell got him a good one. Beadles didn't pack it in like so many do (see Anthony Collins, Michael Johnson, Derrick Rose, etc...pick your sport) after signing a big contract. Rookie RG Brian Lindner is the #2 Ranked RG in the NFL behind only Marshall Yanda. He's does it all. He's ranked #2 in Pass-Blocking and #5 in Run-Blocking. He was a great pick in the 3rd Round by Dave Caldwell (taken after Caldwell went for two WR's in the 2nd Round in Allen Robinson and Marquise Lee). For a 6th Round selection, Rookie Center Luke Bowanko has done as well as could be expected mixing in good days with bad ones and mediocre ones along the way. Two years in the training room and he might be better, but who knows? Could certainly give him a challenge in training camp next year by drafting another Center.

They seem well organized with everyone on the same page. No reason why they can't have the playoffs as expectations next season.

[Kingspoint]

All is looking up for Jacksonville. No team will have more money to spend in Free Agency and they'll have good places to pick from in the draft.

By Joel Corry | Former Sports Agent

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

Salary Cap Room Projection: $61.58 Million

Jacksonville leads the NFL in 2015 salary cap space partially because of having the most carry over room at $21.9 million. This isn't due to a lack of aggressiveness in free agency. The Jaguars signed transition player Alex Mack to a five-year, $42 million offer sheet that was quickly matched by the Cleveland Browns. Expect more of this approach from the Jaguars in 2015. Owner Shad Khan has pledged that the team will be very active in free agency. The Jaguars took a step in that direction heading into Week 16's action by signing impending free agent defensive tackle Roy Miller to a four-year, $16.25 million contract extension. Seven players are headed toward unrestricted free agency. Wide receiver Cecil Shorts is the best of the bunch. The Jaguars may not make much of an effort to re-sign him after selecting Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson in the second round of this year's draft, and picking up Allen Hurns, who has been the team's most productive wide receiver, as an undrafted free agent. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Jaguars continue their trend of reuniting head coach Gus Bradley with some of the players he had as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. Byron Maxwell (6-foot-1, 207 pounds) has the size Bradley prefers at cornerback. Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith would be an upgrade at outside linebacker.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24900492/agents-take-seven-nfl-teams-with-cash-to-burn-in-free-agency

[JaxRed]

Will be interesting to see the off-season. I disagree on several points. I disagree on Bortles. I think this season has been good for Bortles. He's seen and learned a lot. And it's slowly paying off. He has 2 interceptions in his last 4 games and one of those was a Hail Mary on the last play of the game, so really it was 1 in his last 4. Dude's a hard worker and he knows what he has to work on over the winter, which is his mechanics.

I disagree on the secondary also. I think the Jags are very close there. 4th round pick Aaron Colvin who missed most of the season is getting very good. Most people think they need a good safety.

The Jags are not only the youngest team in the league, but unlike other teams those youngsters start, not backup.

And the offense is where the Jags need to concentrate their improvement this winter. The need help on the O-Line. Particularly at RG. With the exception of Beadles the rest are rookies or 2nd year guys. Will be interesting about Joeckel. Tony Boselli says he's been average. So I think next year will really tell the tale with him, since he missed all but 5 games of his rookie year.

[Kingspoint]

Will be interesting to see the off-season. I disagree on several points. I disagree on Bortles. I think this season has been good for Bortles. He's seen and learned a lot. And it's slowly paying off. He has 2 interceptions in his last 4 games and one of those was a Hail Mary on the last play of the game, so really it was 1 in his last 4. Dude's a hard worker and he knows what he has to work on over the winter, which is his mechanics.

I disagree on the secondary also. I think the Jags are very close there. 4th round pick Aaron Colvin who missed most of the season is getting very good. Most people think they need a good safety.

The Jags are not only the youngest team in the league, but unlike other teams those youngsters start, not backup.

And the offense is where the Jags need to concentrate their improvement this winter. The need help on the O-Line. Particularly at RG. With the exception of Beadles the rest are rookies or 2nd year guys. Will be interesting about Joeckel. Tony Boselli says he's been average. So I think next year will really tell the tale with him, since he missed all but 5 games of his rookie year.

You would know them better than I, being so close to the situation (you actually get to see them in person...hopefully), in addition you get the beat-writers' daily information, along with local dissection of the team on a regular basis. I believe in the owner. If the Jaguars sold stock, I'd buy. Thanks for sharing about them this season and good luck to you in the future. Bortles' future is bright.

[Sea Ray]

Just curious Jax, what can you tell us about the Raiders new head coach, Jack Del Rio?

[Kingspoint]

I would trade the Bengals' entire organization from owner to management to scouting to coaches to players for the Jaguars' right now. There's a lot of positive things to like about the Jaguars.