Leonard Fournette, Blake Bortles, Tom Coughlin on ESPN’s 99 people who will shape 2017
By Luke Sims
Two Jacksonville Jaguars players and one executive are among those most likely to shape the 2017 NFL season per ESPN.
In throwing together the 99 people who will shape the 2017 NFL season, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see ESPN writer Dan Graziano completely leave off some Jacksonville Jaguars members. In a seemingly constant in-joke of overlooking the Jags, the national media often forgets that the league’s least-popular team exists.
Credit to Graziano, because the Jags are not only remembered but also featured. In fact, three Jaguars make an appearance on his list of 99.
First up is executive vice president of football operations, Tom Coughlin. Coughlin is part of a five-person “Culture Changers” section that also features Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills. In writing about Coughlin, Graziano highlights “Coughlin Time” and the accountability he brings to a unit that has severely lacked it in the last four years; this is particularly true with quarterback Blake Bortles.
This is no surprise for those following the Jaguars. It also isn’t a surprise that it is gaining attention after Coughlin’s former stint as the first-ever Jags head coach and his Super Bowl wins as head coach of the New York Giants. Coughlin is a well known disciplinarian and the media loves to report on his crack downs.
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Graziano next highlights Bortles among those on the hot seat. The section before touching on Bortles, Graziano makes note of the up and coming young quarterbacks in the NFL. That is a group headlined by Derek Carr, which Bortles would have belonged to before last season.
Instead, it’s Bortles’ disappointing 2016 that lands him in a group of players that includes Trevor Siemian of the Denver Broncos and a handful of coaches. This should be no surprise for fans of the Jaguars or even fans of Bortles. He needs to cut down on the turnovers if he hopes to remain with the team.
The last Jaguars player highlighted, Leonard Fournette, leaves the trio on a high note. Fournette is mentioned as those in the running for offensive rookie of the year. After being drafted fourth overall in 2017, he better be. Fournette will have a lot of hurdles to overcome, but if he really is the best back in a generation, he can do it.