Bright spots for the Jacksonville Jaguars
This past season was unkind to the Jacksonville Jaguars as they suffered through their fourth consecutive losing campaign. In two years with the Jaguars, head coach Gus Bradley has a dismal win-loss record of 7-25. Although Jacksonville’s glory years with Mark Brunell and Fred Taylor are a distant memory for its suffering fan base, there are some positives that came out of the 2014 season.
Improved receiving core: Due to the indefinite suspension of former first-round receiver Justin Blackmon, this area of the team was expected to be a major weakness. Instead, the Jags’ found some rookie talent at this position that sets them up nicely for the future.
Un-drafted free agent Allen Hurns burst onto the scene and led the Jags’ in both receiving yards (677) and touchdowns (6). In addition, second round picks Allen Robinson and Marquise Lee both showed flashes of brilliance when healthy. The duo finished third and fourth respectively on the team in receiving yards. With all three players under the age of 24, I expect Hurns, Robinson, and Lee to have fruitful careers catching passes in the Sunshine State.
Increased Attendance: Another perceived weakness of this team is that they have a weak fan base. However, the Jaguars improved upon their attendance numbers from 2013 despite their losing record. Jacksonville finished 28th in the NFL in home attendance for 2013, compared to 21st in attendance in 2014.
Believe it or not, teams with winning records such as San Diego, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Arizona, and Cincinnati did not draw as many home fans to their games than the Jaguars did this year. Jacksonville’s surprising attendance statistics just may simmer down the talk of this club relocating.
Play of Blake Bortles: The Jaguars faithful are all too familiar with failed first round quarterback experiments. Things looked good with Byron Leftwich at first, but he eventually fizzled out and was dismissed in favor of David Garrard. Blaine Gabbert was drafted in 2011 and his stint with the Jags lasted just 28 games. Blake Bortles was able to throw for more yards (2,908), complete a higher percentage of passes (58.9%), and rush for more yards (419) in his rookie season than either of his first-round predecessors.
The 17 interceptions thrown by Bortles was one shy of the league high, but I believe the standout passer from Central Florida has flashed enough promise to get fans excited about his future. In my opinion, Bortles can not only keep plays alive with his scrambling ability, but he also possesses the courage needed to stand tall in the pocket and take shots from on-coming defenders. At times, he tends to remind me of a more athletic version of Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Emergence of Sen’Derrick Marks: It is fair to say that Marks is a bit of a late bloomer on the gridiron. In his first five NFL seasons, the former Tennessee Titan collected a modest seven sacks. This past season saw Marks surpass his entire career total as he tallied 8.5 sacks while starting all 16 games for the second year in a row. In fact, the only defensive tackle with more sacks than Marks this year was Marcel Dareus of Buffalo with ten.
Despite the struggles of the team this past year, the soon to be 28-year old Marks has stepped to the forefront and has become one of the team leaders on the field and in the locker room. Marks’ outstanding play this year earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl as an alternate; the only Pro Bowl representative from the Jaguars organization.