Taking the (AFC South) Crown! – Intro

The Jags are a raw, young team coming into 2012.  They have a second year quarterback set to lead the team for a season, they have a young front four that is starting to emerge as a tough force in the league, and they have a revamped defensive secondary that performed far better in 2011 than the year preceding it.  Oh, and there’s Maurice Jones-Drew.

Things are trending upward for the Jaguars and the draft only looks to make it better for the team out of Jacksonville.  However, it doesn’t really matter how the team looks unless the Jaguars win games.  Winning games lead to a good record and good records can lead to division crowns.  The Jags have never won the AFC South since its creation in 2002, but have a chance to really compete in the next coming years.

How do the Jags win?  Can they win?  Over the next four days we’re going to look at how the Jags will take the division against their AFC South rivals based on their past year’s teams.

Before getting to the first team however, we need to have a good understanding of our own team.  What are the Jaguars’ strengths?  What are the Jaguars’ weaknesses?  Fortunately, I’m here to lay it all out.  If I forget anything, feel free to tack it on in the comments!

Strengths

• A very, very good running game
• A strong starting defensive secondary
• Linebackers who are patient and play their gap responsibilities well in the 4-3
• A young and developing front four
• A young quarterback with a high ceiling

Weaknesses

• Little/no cornerback depth
• A weak right tackle position
• Lacking a dominant interior offensive line
• A young, unproductive quarterback
• No receivers to speak of
• A (recently) underperforming tight end corps

While the list is rather generic and short, I think that it mostly sums up the main problems and strengths heading into 2012.  Next time we’ll take a peek at how the Jags stack up against and can beat their AFC foes.

– Luke N. Sims