Jacksonville Jaguars bye week: 3 Jags who need to improve

Oct 23, 2015; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley (L) talks to receiver Allen Robinson (15) during practice at Allianz Park in preparation for the NFL International Series game against the Buffalo Bills. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It seems like just last week that we were waiting for the regular season to start, it’s hard to believe the Jaguars have already played seven games. The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the bye week with some positives to build on, the offense has shown significant improvement from last year. The Jags are averaging 21 points per game this season which is the still the eighth lowest in league but its a big jump from only 15.6 points per game last year. A big reason why the Jaguars offense has shown so much growth is because of the play of young quarterback Blake Bortles. He is currently tied for the third most passing touchdowns in the NFL with 15 and his 1,812 passing yards are good for tenth in the NFL.

The play of the Jaguars young playmakers on offense is easily the most encouraging thing for this team, T.J Yeldon is coming off his second career 100 yard rushing game and he has the second most rushing yards among all rookies. The Jaguars rushing attack still needs work but the team has the opportunity to have their first 1,000 yard rusher since 2011.  The Play of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns has been very impressive, so impressive that people want to give them a nickname. The good folks over at Big Cat Country already have this one covered and I love it! 

"If you need a touchdown, if no one else can help, and if you can find them…….maybe you can hire The A-Team."

Now that we have the nickname settled, it’s time to talk about what players on the team need to improve. The first player is a no brainer, I’ll give you a hint, he was supposed to be a power back in the Jaguars running scheme but he struggles to score from the one yard line. If you guessed Toby Gerhart then you’re right but honestly who else would I be talking about.

1. Toby Gehart

Oct 18, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Toby Gerhart (21) runs for a first down as Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing (56) pulls on his leg during the second half of a football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Not once, not twice, not three times, but four tries for Gerhart and he still can’t find the end zone.

This is absolutely unacceptable, should the Jaguars have called a different play? Probably, but there is no reason why Toby Gerhart shouldn’t score from the one yard line in four different tries. Gerhart has been extremely disappointing this season,  he is only averaging 2.2 yards per carry and he has no rushing touchdowns so far this season. Toby Gerhart was very disappointing last season but to his defense, he was dealing with injuries. However, Gerhart has no excuse for his poor play this year, he has to find a way to be better in short yardage situations or he may see his playing time disappear.

Next: It's time to earn your paycheck