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Five Teams That Could Fall To The Top Of The 2014 Draft

Terry OBrien — Fri, 31 May 2013 21:53:43 +0000

May 13, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley during organized team activities at The Florida Blue Health

The Vegas odds are in and our team, The Jacksonville Jaguars, are predicted to have the worst record in the NFL. It is actually very hard for a team to finish last in the league. It requires an incredible amount of ineptitude and then bad luck thrown in. No season starts out knowing who the bottom team will be except of course if you are the Indianapolis Colts and manage an incredibly “Lucky” horrible year.

But for most teams, it requires a complete disconcordance among all units of the team to become the league’s worst. Romeo Crennel was the anti-Lombardi of the NFL and almost always guaranteed a top 5 pick, but his greatest year was taking a team with 6 pro-bowl players to the bottom. He was a special talent.

The Jaguars came apart from a combination of really bad GM work and injuries. Unstable quarterbacks behind a patchwork offensive line while trying to develop a long ago forgotten passing game with no running back, led to disaster. Even with that, and no defensive secondary and no defensive end play the best we could muster was second worst in the league. But will we improve on that and actually finish dead last? Vegas thinks so, but here are five teams that it may also happen to.

Lions Steal Hope Away From Jaguars

Luke Sims — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:33:17 +0000

It’s difficult to admit, but Sunday’s beat-down at the hands of the Lions did everything to demoralize the Jaguars. We didn’t see the pass rush we anticipated (the lone sack by George Selvie was generously accredited), the passing offense wasn’t let off its leash until far too late in the game, and the running attack did little to whittle away at the Lions.

In fact, everything that could go wrong did.

It wasn’t as bad as the Bears/Titans game in Tennessee, but the Jaguars showed everyone that they are who they thought they were.

Marcedes Lewis needs to go from play maker to game changer for this team. Source: Melina Vastola-US PRESSWIRE.

The Jaguars are a young, developing, but – at this point – a largely mediocre team. Playmakers like tight end Marcedes Lewis and wide receiver Cecil Shorts are dependent upon consistent above average play from the other players around them. Shorts can’t succeed without respect for the run (which hasn’t existed the past three games), Lewis can’t succeed without plays underneath opening up from the threat of a long ball which isn’t coming because the running game isn’t opening things up for Shorts downfield. Are these guys playmakers? Yes. Are they game changers? No.

The only game changer on the Jaguars roster is Maurice Jones-Drew. He sets the threat of a run better than anybody else and can do it with or without blocking in front of him. That in turn opens everything else up.

Without MJD on the field the Lions were able to take the Jaguars’ fleeting hopes and dreams and run them over with a dumptruck named Mikel LeShoure. This wasn’t a tough game that was played close. This wasn’t some trap game for the Lions. This game was exactly what the Lions expected from the Jaguars.

Maybe 5-11 was much better than the strength of the roster last year. This team may finally be playing to its strengths and showing that its strengths aren’t good enough.

It’s tough to admit, but those Lions showed us just what we are.

Is there still hope? I think so. But the last tendrils are floating away in the wind each week, quickly getting out of reach.

The Jaguars need a game to reset and focus once again because this past week will be tough to get past unless the players do something they haven’t been able to do thus far: find the next level.

- Luke N. Sims

Calvin Johnson, Mikel LeShoure Decimate Jaguars Defense

Luke Sims — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 01:57:39 +0000

Mikel LeShoure and Calvin Johnson made the Jaguars’ defensive resurgence a short lived dream. Johnson returned to Megatron form with a dominant seven catch, 129 yard game. While he didn’t record a touchdown (Those almost all went to LeShoure) Johnson was able to show that despite playing hurt and resting all week he can turn it on whenever he wants and continue to be the dominant player he is.

LeShoure came into the Jags game with a bit more of a chip on his shoulder than super star Johnson. LeShoure had only 305 yards coming into Sunday’s game. His one touchdown on the season was tripled against the Jaguars as he found the endzone three times. LeShoure wasn’t even a receiving threat and was still able to put up 70 yards and threaten the defense whenever he was on the field.

Whether you love watching the other team trounce your beloved favorite team or you just like watching super good play out of strong players LeShoure and Johnson delivered. For those with either man on your fantasy team, congrats. For those of us who watched them play how they wanted with very little resistance from the Jaguars Defense, I’m very sorry.

It’s a rough time for Jaguars fans, but it’s tough to deny that both players found ways to capitalize against a defense that had some momentum coming into the game.

- Luke N. Sims

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