The Rise Of The Jaguars

by PhoenixJaidin | 8 years ago | 0 Comments

After an average start where they went 2-2, the Jaguars knew they had to make changes. Despite a decent start in his first two games, coaching, playcalling, and 2 losses later, the team was struggling to find what would work. Quarterback Blake Bortles was sitting at 7 touchdowns with 7 interceptions and was averaging around 237.5 yards per game. Wideout Allen Robinson was the receiver of 3 of those touchdowns and accounted for 284 yards, while Allen Hurns had 303 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Running back TJ Yeldon balanced out the passing game with nearly 100 yards a game and two touchdowns. Knowing they needed a change, they began searching for the answer.

Going into their bye week, the Jaguars got their answer when they fired Gus Bradley and brought in the new coach PhoenixJaidin, who was nicknamed "D'Ragin Asian". Untrained, but with a background in building teams and refocusing strengths, he turned the Jaguars' balanced offense and 4-3 defense into an entirely different machine. Moving personnel around to accomodate his style, the Jaguars came out of the bye week with an entirely new look behind their 3-4 defense and vertical offense. And they came out firing on all cylinders. Putting together three different 3-game win streaks and taking losses to just the Chiefs, Broncos, and Vikings, Coach Klepper found his new system and team in a playoff spot. They also found several of their young stars being elevated for awards, as the Jaguars closed the regular season in a big way, winning their final 3 games to take and secure their division as AFC South champions.

Blake Bortles lead his team, closing with 35 touchdowns and 19 interceptions along with 4401 yards and landed himself the AFC Best QB award. He also found himself in the Pro Bowl, one of five representatives from the Jaguars team in the illustrious pre-Super Bowl event.

TJ Yeldon balanced the passing game with his running game, as he toted the ball 276 times for 1188 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, while also finding paydirt 14 times on the season. Spelling him was veteran trucking back, Chris Ivory, who ended the season with just 19 carries for 80 yards with 3 touchdowns.

Bortles' receiving corps had excellent seasons, as his top two targets also found themselves in the Pro Bowl this year. Wideout Allen Robinson ended the season with 1413 yards and a league-leading 17 receiving touchdowns, also landing himself the AFC Best WR award. Tight end Julius Thomas earned the other Pro Bowl vote, finishing with 1192 yards and 4 touchdowns. Opposite of Robinson, Allen Hurns finished the year with just 504 yards and 6 touchdowns, but spent half the season on the disabled list.

Defensively, the team was lead by standout rookie and first round pick, Jalen Ramsey, who landed the AFC Defensive Rookie Of The Year award, finishing the season with a sack, 6 interceptions, and a forced fumble, while providing a shutdown corner role all year long. He was one of two defensive Jaguars to receive mentions, along with pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr, who closed the year with 15.5 sacks, an interception, and a pair of forced fumbles. The secondary was their strongest point, as the starting tandem of Ramsey, Prince Amukamara, Aaron Colvin, Tashaun Gipson, and Johnathan Cyprien combined for 24 interceptions. The front seven, consisting of Fowler, Myles Jack, Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny, Roy Miller, Malik Jackson, and Tyson Alualu, combined for 30 sacks.

The defense combined for the 7th best team in total yardage allowed, 2nd best in rush yards allowed, 10th in points allowed, 11th in red zone defense, while the offense finished 10 in total yards gained, 11th in passing yards, 10th in total points, tied for 2nd in 3rd down conversions, 2nd in red zne efficiency, and the whole team combined for 7th in the league in fewest penalties committed, 6th in penalty yards lost, and a turnover differential of +12.

Unfortunately, the storybook tale ended in the wildcard round, as the Jaguars, beset by a sudden onset of fumbles, 3 of which were counted, forced Bortles to throw at the Browns defense while missing his #2 receiver Allen Hurns and his Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas, resulting in 4 interceptions and a quick exit from the playoffs.

With everyone getting healthy, the team now looks towards the future as several big names are up for resigning, such as Aaron Colvin, Marqise Lee, Luke Joeckel, Brandon Linder, Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny, Blake Bortles, and Allen Robinson. Past that, an interesting free agent class should spring up, followed by a draft loaded with young talent that could propel the team back into the playoffs, and possibly the big game. As a team that was never considered a true playoff threat, they came flying from the shadows to overtake their division and generate interest in players looking for a ride to the show, while forcing other teams, especially division rivals, to take notice of the young and rising team that resides in Jacksonville, Florida.