Two years ago, people were lauding the Jacksonville Jaguars for coming up out of nowhere and going on the best run the team had seen in ages. They went 10-6, won two playoff games, and made it all the way to the AFC Championship before the dream run eventually ended at the hands of the New England Patriots. In hindsight, they might’ve fallen off that cliff during the 2017 AFC Championship. They had the lead, the defense was sitting on it, but ultimately, they pissed it all away and the whole thing came crashing down.
Ya hate to see it.
Still, despite the horrible loss to the Patriots, there was still plenty of reason for optimism back then. I mean, the Jags boasted a defense that was historic…they had Leonard Fournette and a strong ground game.
And yet, they went and extended Blake Bortles at quarterback. They probably made the championship game in spite of Bortles, but he just so happened to play his best football when the lights were on bright. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bortles play his guts out like he did that day. And, we all know that if you can play on the big stage, you’re going to get paid. Just ask Joe Flacco about that. But, in hindsight, it’s easy to say that was emblematic of how the Jacksonville Jaguars were hell bent on trying to replicate that style.
The problem is that it simply didn’t work. In the two years since that AFC Championship, the Jags completely fell off a cliff, going 11-21 after 5-11 and 6-10 seasons. That’s hardly championship football, and the team looked like an absolute hot mess in 2019. Even worse, reports of a poor locker room culture and dissension among the ranks amplified the issues.
Now, there’s been a mass exodus of players from that historic defense.
- A.J. Bouye (Denver Broncos)
- Barry Church (retired)
- Aaron Colvin (current free agent)
- Marcell Dareus (current free agent)
- Dante Fowler Jr. (Atlanta Falcons)
- Malik Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Paul Posluszny (retired)
- Jalen Ramsey (Los Angeles Rams)
- Telvin Smith (retired)
Ya hate to see it.
What are the Jags doing? I have no idea. Yannick Ngakoue was franchise tagged, but he has made it painfully obvious that he wants out. Jalen Ramsey responded to the news that A.J. Bouye was traded by saying, “free all my dawgs.” Hey – at least they still have Myles Jack, right? RIGHT?!?!
Bortles obviously fizzled out in 2018, so the Jags found themselves in need of a new signal caller. What did they do? They signed Nick Foles to a big contract because they learned nothing from the experience with Bortles, and *brace yourself* it didn’t work out either. Womp womp.
Now, they’re entering 2020 with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. The guy showed a lot of promise during his rookie season, and now, he’ll get a full offseason as “the guy.” He looks like a guy they can completely rebuild the offense around. But, even Minshew’s arrival in Jacksonville seems like dumb luck and not the byproduct of thorough scouting.
Despite all of this, Shad Kahn remains committed to Doug Marrone. I don’t get it. With so many pieces missing from that 2017 team, the Jags appear to have no choice except to tear it all down completely and rebuild. They’re starting the rebuild off by signing Tyler Eifert and Joe Schobert. Okay.
I happen to be of the opinion that things aren’t going to change for the Jags organization until they make a change at the leadership level.
Something is seriously wrong in Jacksonville…with a team that is just two seasons removed from a conference championship game. Again, ya hate to see it.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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Image courtesy of 2018 Jacksonville Jaguars media guide.
