Jaguars 2014 Season: Still Plenty to Play For

The feeling is eerily similar to that of 2013.

The Jaguars went to London and got their keister’s handed to them by a well-known NFC team, and now the morale is at a season-low after a rush of energy through the start of the season.

It’s impossible to persuade anyone that the Jaguars season is reparable at this point in the season, but the expectations that were put on the Jaguars this season need to be put into a more realistic picture now that we are creeping upon the final six games of the season.

Most importantly, the Jaguars feel that they have found their franchise quarterback.

Bortles is learning exactly how fast the game truly is, and it’s quite apparent that it is a bit faster than he expected, as he leads the league in interceptions (14) despite throwing the ball the 19th most in the league (278 attempts).

However, Bortles has done plenty to give hope to this team.  The game will slow down the more snaps he gets and he has shown with his feet and arm, that he has the skill-set to play in the NFL.  The key now is for Bortles to stack up a few consistent games together, and perhaps cut down on throwing the ball to the other team.

If Bortles is capable of showing progression, the Jaguars can truly look to 2015 as being a playoff-contender.

Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart need to continue to elevate the rushing attack in order to sustain a balanced offense.  Robinson is now the clear-cut starting running back, so the question will be whether or not he can remain healthy.  He has proven his consistency through four starts, as he is proving to be the real deal.

Gerhart is clearly not what the team hoped, but he has shown that he can be the change of pace back behind Robinson.  His receiving abilities are also slowly being showcased by OC Jedd Fisch.

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Wide receiver will be a strength come 2015 for the Jaguars, but right now the drops need to end.  Allen Hurns has the skill set to become a top notch wide receiver in the NFL.  At 6’3″, Hurns’ has been a complete surprise this season, but has had plenty of drops along the way.  Currently dropping nearly 11% of the passes thrown his way, that ranks the third worst in the NFL.

The Jaguars will get to see more of WR Marqise Lee with Allen Robinson sent to the IR, which should allow the Jaguars to truly see what they have in their early second round pick.

The offensive line is one to watch very closely.  Being incredibly young and inexperienced has plagued this team, but the progression needs to accelerate a bit quicker now that the group has been together for over half a season.

Luke Joeckel has been average, and the Jaguars need their second overall pick from a year ago to be better than average.  Joeckel got smoked by the Dallas Cowboys’ mediocre defense, which is not a good sign.  Watching the line gel and giving their franchise signal-caller an extra half of a second is crucial to the success of the team.

Rookies Brandon Linder and Luke Bowanko have shown bits of promise, but consistency remains to be seen at all positions on the line.  Expensive FA acquisition Zane Beadles has been unimpressive thus far, but the second half of the year is when the expectation is to see improvement from such a new group that was compiled together.

Defensively, the Jaguars have proven that it doesn’t matter how many sacks you have if you can’t stop the big play.

Currently tied for fourth-best with 28 sacks, the Jaguars have not been able to utilize the successfulness of the pass rush due to the lack of talent on the back end.

Safety John Cyprien has been a let-down after showing a great deal of promise at the end of 2013.

Cyprien has seen a slip in his tackling ability that has to have left Bradley wondering if he is capable of being the Kam Chancellor that he was drafted to be.

Free safety Josh Evans was thrown into the fire after Winston Guy Jr. did not pan out in Jacksonville.

Unfortunately, there is a reason why Evans did not beat him out originally, and in all likelihood will be returned back to a reserve role come 2015 if he remains on the team.

The Jaguars will need to highly evaluate the likes of Dwayne Gratz and Demetrius McCray on the outside at corner, as Alan Ball is at the end of his contract

Gratz and McCray are both average corners who lack creating turnovers.

Aside from Alan Ball’s interception in week one against Philadelphia, the Jaguars went until week nine until they saw another one by a defensive back in CB Sherrod Martin.

The Jaguars will get to see how rookie Aaron Colvin is capable of playing after taking a chance on him in the fourth round in 2014.  Colvin has a great opportunity to find a starting gig in 2015 with solid play in the final six games of the season.

Aside from Colvin, another rookie to watch the rest of the season is LB Telvin Smith.

Smith showcased his playmaking skills against Cleveland with a sack and an interception.  He is the only player this year on defense that has shown the athleticism to make the game-changing plays.  The Jaguars need to get him in the game more often to get him those chances.

In order to continue their impressive pass rush, the Jaguars need to see continued progress from DE Ryan Davis and DE Andre Branch, when he returns from injury.  Combining for 7.5 sacks, these two are the future of the LEO position at this time.

DE Chris Clemons is starting to show his age despite his 4 sacks, and is replaceable come 2015 if the Jaguars are able to either sign or draft a premier pass rusher that fits the LEO position.

The OTTO position that was created and thought to be a fit for Dekoda Watson is now up in the air after the team parted ways with Watson earlier this week.  The opportunity is now LaRoy Reynolds to seize.  If he cannot, do the Jaguars try out recently-signed Khairi Fortt at the position?

Lastly, the Jaguars need to continue to see the dominant play from Sen’Derrick Marks and Red Bryant.

Both of these players are staples for the 2015 squad, and the hope is that the players around them will begin to accelerate in their development.

Marks is on pace for nearly 10 sacks and Bryant’s large frame has done exactly what was needed of him, which is stopping the run.

Despite their 1-9 record, the Jaguars are starting to see growth from a team that was completely remade after Gene Smith was let go.

The question now is simple.  Can the Jaguars get better?