Jacksonville Jaguars: Slim To None

It was yet another ugly loss in a season full of nothing but ugly losses.

The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped to 0-3 last Sunday after they were completely outmatched by the Seattle Seahawks in the home of the 12th man. It was every bit of the blowout that everyone thought it would be and maybe more.

Sep 22, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley applauds his team following a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Jaguars can’t run the ball. The Jaguars can’t stop the run. The Jaguars can’t pass the ball. The Jaguars can’t rush the passer.

It’s as simple as that folks.

Coming into 2013, we all knew that this was a young team. So why is everyone acting so surprised? Ladies and gents, this team was run into the ground by Gene Smith and company. What do you do after four years of bad drafts and bad free agent signings? You blow up the roster and start from scratch.

Yes, there are some players from the old regime who still remain, but there are also several new, young ones as well. The Jaguars are currently trying to find pieces to build on and you do that by finding young talent.

The youth on this team is the best thing about the Jaguars right now. Why? Because the Jaguars have done a poor job of finding and developing young talent in years passed which is why the team is in its current state. The Jaguars inability to draft effectively and groom homegrown talent is the biggest reason why the Jaguars have been so bad over the last 5-6 years. How do you find and develop young talent? You find it in the draft and you play that young talent in NFL games and let them get actual NFL game experience. That’s what you’re seeing right now.

It’s important to take this thing in stride. I for one don’t look past the next game which brings division rival Indianapolis Colts to JAX.

The way these young players on this team learn from their mistakes and respond is key in building for the long run, and make no mistake-this is a rebuilding year. I know the Jaguars have been rebuilding for the last 4 years. Tough. It was rebuilt with cheap parts. It’s time to start over and this is ground zero.

So how will things shake out this Sunday?

Indy is coming off a huge win. They completely thumped the San Francisco 49ers in San Fran. They traded for Trent Richardson last week. Andrew Luck is still a blossoming, premier NFL quarterback. There’s no telling how good he will be on down the road.

Andrew Luck aside, the biggest challenge that the Colts tend to present at this time is their ability to run the ball. Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson each had a rushing touchdown, and Indy combined for 179 yards rushing. It’s obvious what Andrew Luck and company want to do. They want to run the ball. That’s why they traded next year’s 1st round pick for Richardson. If Jacksonville wants to stand any chance of winning whatsoever, they will have to stop the run. Even then it won’t be easy.

Defensively, the Colts aren’t exactly fielding an elite unit, but they did enough to completely shut down Colin Kaepernick. That in itself is very impressive. I’d really, really like to see Maurice Jones-Drew take over this game. This defense can be run on. If the Jaguars offensive line actually improves their run blocking and opens holes for Jones-Drew, then maybe just maybe the Jaguars can finally get this run game going.

All in all, I’d say that Jacksonville’s chances of winning this game are slim to none. However, since it is a divison opponent at home, I’d say that the Jaguars chances of maybe keeping the game somewhat competitive are slighty improved.

-David R. Johns