Jacksonville Jaguars: The #DeflateGate Snub

Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team itself, and the whole citizenry of Jacksonville must be broiling with anger. Despite all the newfound excitement for this upcoming season, respect seems as far off as it has ever been. Smarmy talking heads of the sports world have written the Jaguars off as a “gimme” to the point that even hobbling, poorly constructed, rudderless teams can mark them off as a win on their schedules. If you were to listen to the sports media, a team helmed by a one-eyed, three-legged dog with mange at quarterback could defeat the Jags (or, at the very least, with Brian Hoyer after a very large meal). There is no better example of that than discussion revolving around the now notorious New England Patriots and their schedule.

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Granted, the New England Patriots are no chumps but the Super Bowl champs have reshaped themselves in the offseason in a way that have left some questioning whether they can make a deep run into the playoffs. They have emptied their once stifling defensive backfield, gutted their deep running back stable and have sent Vince Wilfork into the wilderness never to return. The top brass decided not to address the wide receiver position in any meaningful way nor did they upgrade their offensive line with a substantial, high round pick. Instead, they decided to do as they always do – play the value game with numerous mid to late round draft picks, hoping more hit than miss. In some years this strategy works for New England but quite often it doesn’t. The whole operation has been kept afloat by a superstar quarterback and a Hall of Fame coach who occasionally strikes it rich in the draft. With the recent suspension of Tom Brady due to the Deflate-Gate scandal, the moves will have to pay off in the long run as they certainly will have little impact in the short-term.

In the Deflate-Gate aftermath, analysts have looked into their crystal balls (no need to check their air pressure) to determine the likely record of a Brady-less Patriots squad. The Jacksonville Jaguars play the Patriots in the third week of Tom Brady’s infamous suspension. With utter certainty, they have written the Jaguars off as a win as if no other conclusion is even remotely considerable. They tend to overlook the inherent risk of starting a new quarterback – a quarterback who has little to work with at the skill positions outside of Rob Gronkowski. Jimmy Garoppolo may one day prove himself a capable starter but even an eventual Hall of Fame quarterback has to take his first baby steps in the league. Thinking that an inexperienced second year quarterback can deftly handle an NFL secondary with nary a turnover is a bit bold regardless of organizational pedigree. In a league that prides itself on parity and significant year-to-year roster upheaval, this kind of smug, self-assured thinking is downright dangerous.

The Patriots are much further into a full roster rebuild than many are willing to acknowledge. In fact, if a keen observer were to read between the lines, he might surmise that Bill Belichick is looking well past the immediate future as he overhauls his aging stable of talent. It is clear that there is no confidence in the old pool of talent and plans are under way to reshape the team in hopes that Brady can keep them afloat long enough that no one will notice as they tinker in the background. It is this same lack of confidence that suggests the Patriots are beatable while Brady takes what is essentially a four game vacation.

Jimmy Garoppolo is not a mangy, three-legged dog but he better play with more than one good eye against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Next: Blake Bortles Was the Worst QB Without Pressure in 2014

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