Jacksonville Jaguars convincing Pete Carroll they will compete

Feb 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Jacksonville Jaguars have a fan in Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and that comes from putting together a competent franchise that can impress even the best.

Pete Carroll is a demanding coach. He expects his team to compete at a high level week in and week out and it has yielded results.

Aside from winning the 2013 Super Bowl and appearing in the game the following year, Carroll also owns a 93-67 overall record as a head coach, including five seasons with 10 or more wins. He has only had three losing seasons in 10 years as a head coach, and two of those seasons fell one game short of .500.

So when it comes to impressing a coach like that, it can be difficult. Carroll knows how to build a culture of winning and he knows what it takes to get things done in the NFL.

Gus Bradley, the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, used to work with Carroll as his defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. It isn’t shocking that Carroll would want to show support for his former DC, especially as he entrusted Bradley in helping to build the iconic Legion of Boom.

Still, Carroll does not hand out his support on a whim and it has taken a while for Bradley to impress enough to warrant Carroll considering the Jaguars a possible threat in the NFL.

But after a 5-11 season in 2015 and one of the most exciting defenses and a big free agency period, Carroll has admitted the Jags will be a team to compete in 2016. Carroll predicted the Jags will “take off” in 2016.

What that means exactly is anyone’s guess as 8-8 would be a vast improvement over anything Bradley has done so far in his tenure with the Jags.

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While it’s nice to get buy in from one of the better head coaches in the NFL, it’s no true indicator of future success. The Jaguars still need to win people over on the playing field. Maybe 2016 will be the year they compete, but we’ll have to see how the rest of the offseason shakes out before bold predictions will be more relevant.