NFL 2016: Regular season grades for every team
By John Buhler
Nice guys finish last and you’re running out of Gus. Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was a swell guy, but 14 wins over nearly a four-year period was all she wrote for the toothless Jaguars.
This was supposed to be the year that Jacksonville was going to pop as a contender in the AFC. Jacksonville went 5-11 in 2015, but had so much upside on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Blake Bortles looked like the next great franchise quarterback and wide receiver Allen Robinson looked like a perennial Pro Bowler on the outside. Instead, they had horrendous years and Jacksonville was one of the four worst teams in football.
Owner Shahid Khan and general manager David Caldwell have laid the foundation for what could be a decent football team one day. Khan has patience as an owner despite being an eccentric billionaire from the automotive industry. Caldwell comes from the New England school of team building. Coaching and in-game execution is what failed this team.
Jacksonville had been one of the worst teams in football for the last decade, yet somehow still found a way to leave us all completely disappointed. The truth is that this team is not that far from getting it right in 2017. Add the right coach and get Bortles’ mechanics back on track and this team could go worst to first in the AFC South. Bradley was so bad, but Jacksonville is in position to land a really great head coach for next season.