Jacksonville Jaguars Under Pressure to Succeed in 2015

When he was hired after a disastrous 2012 season, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell immediately made it clear that the plan was to undergo a complete overhaul. The roster needed to be purged, so the expectation was that it would take 3 years to get back to a competitive state.

As we approach the 2015 NFL Draft, the pressure is starting to build heading into Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley’s third season together. While the win total dropped from 4 to 3 in year 2 of their regime, the general consensus is that the team is more talented than they were two years ago. There are an abundance of positive vibes emanating from the franchise, from the new scoreboards to an uber-popular owner intent on keeping the franchise in Jacksonville. The only thing missing is the emergence of a playoff-caliber team on the field.

While the bar isn’t being set too high going into 2015, it’s clear that the Jaguars need to be more consistent and competitive in order to instill tangible confidence in this regime moving forward. Adam Schein over at NFL.com recently discussed this, but he thinks the Caldwell-Bradley tandem isn’t on any kind of hot seat this year.

"Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars fell victim to unfair expectations of a major jump. While I did think they’d win more than three games, I recall hearing preseason playoff chatter in some circles. That was simply batty.The Jaguars aren’t a playoff team this year, either. But I don’t think coach Gus Bradley and GM David Caldwell should be on the hot seat. 2016 — Year 3 for Blake Bortles and Year 4 of the Bradley/Caldwell plan — is the big campaign. I still like this duo. I still believe in it. Remember, these guys inherited a mess. Slowly but surely, they are upgrading this roster."

I was one of those jokers who thought the Jaguars were primed for a surprise postseason run last year, so don’t take too much stock in my overzealous predictions moving forward. Even so, it’s a little bit naive to think there isn’t any pressure on Bradley and Caldwell this year. The team just spent an exorbitant amount of money in free agency to upgrade the roster, and the team has a top 3 draft selection for the 3rd year in a row. It’s about time for the Jaguars to be competitive for 4 quarters against good teams.

It might come off as short-sighted, but having these expectations is a good thing. The mindset of fans with this team used to be “well we expect to lose, so why bother getting worked up?” – that’s not the case anymore. This team should be better in 2015. It’s more talented, better coached, and has promising young players at multiple positions. The Jaguars might not make the playoffs in 2015, but they better start getting close.

Next: Bortles ready for a big year in 2015?

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