Can Gus Bradley Get Jags to Overachieve Following Bye?

Gus Bradley had a big job cut out for him when he came to the Jacksonville Jaguars from the Seattle Seahawks.

Never having been a head coach, being paired with a first time general manager in Dave Caldwell, and being given a roster severely lacking in talent following years of mismanagement, Bradley’s job was going to be rough no matter which way he cut it.

The Jags were coming off of a disastrous 2-12 campaign under one-year head coach Mike Mularkey in Gene Smith’s last attempt to keep his job as GM. Smith was fired and Mularkey along with him (tough break for Mularkey, though, truly).

Taking a 2-12 team with no quarterback, a top receiver who would end up indefinitely suspended, a running back on his last legs, and a defense that couldn’t identify a quarterback in a lineup of Mike Ditka, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and their own Blaine Gabbert (much less sack one!), in a positive direction is difficult.

More from Black and Teal

• 3 centers the Jacksonville Jaguars should draft with pick 57
• Jacksonville Jaguars won’t get to see TE Dalton Kincaid perform drills at 2023 NFL Combine
• Jacksonville Jaguars have exceptional meeting with OL McClendon Curtis at 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
• The Jaguars should trade up for this receiver at 2023 NFL Draft
• NFL Combine 2023: Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke will speak on Tuesday

You may be saying, “but the only way they could go is up!” That’s true. But “up” doesn’t necessarily mean wins. It also doesn’t necessarily mean immediately apparent gains.

The Jaguars started the 2013 season 0-8 but finished out at .500, ending the season 4-12.

This set the stage for a “breakout” year of progress and success in 2014. “We could actually be good” we loyal fans thought to ourselves! “We could sneak into the playoffs!” we quietly thought to ourselves while our friends who root for perennial contenders laughed at us.

Instead, we’ve been treated to a 1-9 start and now our thoughts turn to “Is Gus Bradley the right guy for the job?” rather than misplaced postseason thoughts.

The sad truth is that the 4-12 Jaguars from a year ago were overachievers.

Chad Henne had a minor renaissance at quarterback, yes. He proved it wasn’t for real through the first three weeks of 2014.

The real reason the team overachieved was the defense. The young players suddenly “put it together” in the second half of the season and managed to make games competitive for the inept offense to stay ahead.

It wasn’t that the defense played above their talent level. It’s that they played above their experience level.

They went from a talented group of kids almost comically out of place to a talented group of youngsters who were in the right place at the right time. This was a result of being in the same positions and learning to understand what was expected of them at those positions more than it was understanding how to play against individual opponents and be successful in any situation.

Now, however, they appear to be out of place all the time.

Play has regressed all along the secondary, particularly from Dwayne ‘Bubblelicious’ Gratz who has found himself back in the starting lineup with Alan Ball’s injury. 2013 seventh round pick Demetrius McCray had outplayed him and replaced him earlier in the season. Without Alan Ball and nickelback Will Blackmon (who has also regressed), the Jaguars are a ridiculously thin secondary. Somehow Josh Evans has found himself back in the starting lineup at safety due to inept play by those above him on the depth chart. For more on the defense, check out this in depth article.

So while the team continually gets shuffled, young guys aren’t able to solidify themselves in roles to gain experience. This is also true along the linebacker positions, which have almost become revolving doors since losing fixture middle linebacker Paul Posluszny to injury.

The Jaguars don’t just have inexperienced talent, they have confused, misplaced talent.

So, can Gus Bradley get his team to overachieve again?

As much as I would love another .500 outing after the bye week to end the season 4-12, the Jaguars just don’t seem to be there. Wide receiver is as shifting as the defensive positions and the offensive line has been in “next man up” mode almost since the start of the season. The only really reliable position right now is running back and that is largely because of the individual effort of Denard Robinson.

I think it’ll be tough for the Jaguars to get to 4-12 with six games left.

It’s time to we reassessed out expectations heading into the season. It’s time we recognize 2014 for what it is: a rebuilding year. This isn’t going to be a two-year turnaround. Heck, this may not be a three-year turnaround. Gus Bradley and Dave Caldwell are still cleaning up from before. In the process, they’re throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.