4 Struggling NFL Teams That Need To Remain Patient
By Keith Myers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Current Record: 1-7
There is a rumbling coming from the state of Florida. No, it isn’t some long-dormant volcano that has suddenly come back to life. It is fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars that are unhappy that their team is performing horribly once again.
This isn’t anything new though. The Jaguars have had only seven winning seasons in their entire history, and none since 2007. Losing is part of Jacksonville’s culture, but this season was supposed to be different.
The Jaguars were supposed to have turned the corner last season. It was head coach Gus Bradley’s first season at the helm, and after starting 0-8, Jacksonville won 4 of their next five and looked surprisingly competitive. It was a brilliant display of coaching by Bradley to get such a talentless roster playing decent football.
Year two was supposed to be even better. They drafted their quarterback of the future. Signed the power running back that Bradley wanted, and picked up both starting defensive ends from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Unfortunately, things have worked out as planned. Toby Gerhart, the power back, hasn’t lived up to expectations in any way. Chris Clemons, one of the defensive ends, has looked old and slow and hasn’t been effective. The talent on the roster isn’t as improved as it was supposed to be.
Going forward from here, the hope for Jacksonville lies in the combination of Bradley and rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. Bortles has made his share of rookie mistakes, but the potential for greatness is clear when watching his game tape. If the Jaguars could run the ball better and take a little pressure off of the rookie, that would certainly help him and his development process.
In Bradley, the Jaguars have a great leader with a clear vision. He won as a coordinator in Seattle, and was able to turn water into wine with Jacksonville’s 2013 roster. If given enough time, he has the ability to get things turned around for the Jaguars.
The road to contending will be longer and more winding than Jacksonville originally intended. If they they patient, Bradley and his staff will get this team to where they want it to be.