The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the butt of many jokes over the years. They haven’t been good for years, get high draft picks and blow those draft picks on quarterbacks that sound more like female stars on The CW (Blaine and Blake). See, it’s so easy to make fun of them.
The Jags do have one thing going for them. They play in a division that is one of the worst in the NFL. Well, one of the reasons it is the worst is because Jacksonville plays in it.
I do believe Jacksonville has improved on both sides of the ball. The improvements aren’t night and day, but their younger players have gained experience the last few years. They will be better…but not good.
Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
2014 Win/Loss Record: 3-13
Key Additions: TE Julius Thomas, FS Sergio Brown, RB Bernard Pierce, WR Bryan Walters, OT Jermey Parnell, OT Austin Pasztor, C Stefen Wisniewski, DT Jared Odrick, OLB Dan Skuta, CB Davon House & QB Jeff Tuel
Key Losses: WR Cecil Shorts, RB Jordan Todman, C Jacques McClendon, DT Red Bryant, OLB Geno Hayes, OLB J.T. Thomas, CB Alan Ball, S Sherrod Martin, CB Teddy Williams, WR Tommy Streeter & WR Ace Sanders
2015 Draft Picks: DE Dante Fowler Jr., RB T.J. Yeldon, OG A.J. Cann, S James Sample, WR Rashad Greene, DT Michael Bennett, WR Nate Sterling & TE Ben Koyack
Non-Division Schedule: AFC East, NFC South & (San Diego/Baltimore)
Fantasy Sleeper: WR Allen Robinson – I agree with BigCatCountry and think Robinson could be a steal. He did a great job filling in for Cecil Shorts last season before getting injured himself. He has the body and skills to become a nice fantasy receiver. It all depends on how much Blake Bortles improves this season. A season of 80 receptions and 900 yards shouldn’t be too crazy to assume from him.
Projected Starters
Offense – QB Blake Bortles, RB T.J. Yeldon, WR Allen Hurns, WR Allen Robinson, WR Marqise Lee, TE Julius Thomas, LT Luke Joeckel, LG Zane Beadles, C Stefen Wisniewski, RG Brandon Linder & RT Jermey Parnell
Defense – DE Jared Odrick, DT Sen’Derrick Marks, DT Roy Miller, DE Chris Clemons, OLB Telvin Smith, MLB Paul Posluszny, OLB Dan Skuta, CB Davon House, CB Demetrius McCray, SS Johnathan Cyprien & FS Sergio Brown
Team Analysis: Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley knew the Jaguars were going to need a complete overhaul when he took the job in 2013. It has been a slow process, but he is starting to get some playmakers on both ends. I don’t expect a big season from them, but maybe six wins isn’t out of the picture. They haven’t won more than five in a season since 2010, so it would be a step in the right direction. This season rests on the arm of quarterback Blake Bortles. Franchise quarterbacks always see improvement in their second year. If you don’t see improvement, it’s time to start scouting college quarterbacks. Jacksonville’s biggest offseason acquisition was tight end Julius Thomas, so Bortles will have a big target to throw towards. Like I said before, this won’t be a great year for Jacksonville, but they will win a few games that they wouldn’t have won last season.
2015 Wins Over/Under Line: 5.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2015 Projected Win/Loss Record: 6-10 (3rd (tied) in AFC South)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.