Jacksonville Jaguars: Ending the worst stretch in franchise history
By Luke Sims
The 2015 Jacksonville Jaguars have a monumental task ahead of them. In the third year of the Dave Caldwell/Gus Bradley rebuild, the expectations are building and winning some games is expected.
Another season of three or four wins isn’t going to be enough for the young Jaguars. The team is hungry for more, the front office is hungry for more, and the fans are hungry for more.
Frankly, we fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars deserve better. The Jags are going through the worst stretch in franchise history. In no other time during the 20 years the Jags have been playing football has the team went this long without a playoff game. In no other point in franchise history has the team gone this long without a winning season.
There have been seven seasons since the Jaguars last finished above .500. That 11-5 season in 2007 was something special. Since then, it’s been an absolute mess.
The Jags have amassed a 34-78 record since going to the playoffs in 2007. That 5-11 season in 2008 set the tone for a near decade of futility for this once-impressive franchise.
Things are certainly on the upward trend and 2015 would be an excellent time for the Jaguars to end their drought. Whether it’s going 9-7 or finishing at 8-8 (a very real possibility), the Jaguars need to put something together. At no point in franchise history has the team struggled for this long or as greatly.
That isn’t to say there haven’t been lulls. From 2000-2003, the Jaguars never managed to get above .500. That 24-40 stretch wasn’t nearly as bad as it is currently. It was endurable. Four seasons of mediocrity (the team never did worse than 5-11) is far more palatable than seven seasons of absolute futility.
It’s time for the 2015 Jacksonville Jaguars to make a dent in that horrendous record over the past seven seasons. We the fans deserve better, the players deserve better, and the front office deserves better. Hopefully things are coming together enough for the Jaguars to put something special on the field and prove they can win some games in year three of this rebuild.
Next: Predicting every Jaguars 2015 game
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