Full Jacksonville Jaguars Report Card Heading into Week 11 Bye
Finally, the 1-9 Jacksonville Jaguars have reached their bye week. As fans, we finally get a change to sit back and exhale.
Better yet, the week off allows us an opportunity to reflect on this rebuilding franchise, and how they’ve grown throughout the 2014 season.
For the most part it’s been a brutal season for fans. The one-win Jaguars currently rank in the bottom-third in the league in every major category, and there is nothing that suggests things will change as the season comes to a close.
Fortunately, the expectations for the Jaguars weren’t that high coming into the season. Instead, the focus was on the development of young talent, which we can call a big success. The team has been able to identify a large group of young players who will become its core moving into the future.
Let’s examine each positional group and see how they grade so far in terms of player development and their 2014 performance.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Position MVP: Blake Bortles (1,921 yards, eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions)
The Jaguars made the decision early this season to commit to Blake Bortles, and the results have been inconsistent.
There are moments when Bortles does things that blow me away. Unfortunately, there are also moments when he drives me absolutely insane.
Bortles has really improved his footwork and pocket presence. He looks substantially more comfortable and is starting to show progress in making reads. However, Bortles has also displayed some regression in his ability to deliver accurate passes on simple routes.
Overall, Bortles has been a roller coaster and needs to show some progress on his mechanics. The fear here is that Bortles gets too comfortable with losing and doesn’t focus enough on his development.
Grade: C-
Running Back
2 of 10
Position MVP: Denard Robinson (100 carries, 483 yards and four touchdowns)
What a tale of two halves for this running back group. After a slow start by Toby Gerhart, Denard Robinson got his opportunity and hasn’t looked back.
Robinson has looked like a legitimate feature back with his explosive running. What I really like about Robinson is that he isn’t afraid to engage in contact when he needs to. Behind that incredible speed and acceleration is a surprising amount of power that allows him to finish runs.
The future is bright for the Jaguars at the running back position; I’m really excited to see how they continue to develop.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
Position MVP: Allen Robinson (48 receptions, 548 yards and two touchdowns)
If there ever was a position where the Jaguars were stocked full with potential, it’s the wide receiver position.
The Jaguars focused on adding young talent this past offseason, acquiring Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns to go along with the superstar-caliber talent of Cecil Shorts.
So far, it’s paid off.
It’s hard to stand out in a group with this much potential, but somehow rookie Allen Robinson has managed to do so. Robinson is the prototypical “possession receiver” with his unique skill set. Besides his size and speed, Robinson has excellent focus, hands and awareness. I truly believe he’s poised for a great career.
Grade: B
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Tight End
4 of 10
Position MVP: Clay Harbor (25 receptions, 272 yards and one touchdown)
After losing Marcedes Lewis to injury for most of the season, the Jaguars turned to Clay Harbor to pick up the slack.
The results haven’t been what I expected.
Harbor has been a reliable option in the passing game, but when it comes to blocking he’s as inept as they come. There have been multiple occasions where Harbor has whiffed on blocks that have completely ruined a play.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Jaguars will look to upgrade this position in the offseason.
Grade: D
Offensive Line
5 of 10
Position MVP: Brandon Linder
As a whole it’s been a pretty abysmal season for the offensive line. So far it's allowed a league-leading 39 sacks and based on its recent performances, things aren’t getting better.
While things have been disappointing, it’s important to remember that this is a very young group. The Jaguars have three starters on the offensive line who have less than three years of NFL experience.
If nothing else, it’s good to see these young guys mesh and grow together. The biggest bright spot has been rookie offensive guard Brandon Linder. Pro Football Forcus (subscription required) grades Linder as the sixth-best guard in the league with a 10.8 overall grade.
Overall, this group has been one of the worst in the league, but it is young and has shown potential. Hopefully it can grow and develop over the course of the season and become something special.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line
6 of 10
Position MVP: Sen’Derrick Marks (29 tackles and five sacks)
The defensive line has easily been the most consistent unit for the Jaguars this season. Through 10 games this unit has amassed 28 sacks, good enough to rank it third in the league.
Sen’Derrick Marks has led the defense all season. Marks is an explosive pass-rusher who consistently finds ways to pressure the quarterback.
Aside from Marks, the Jaguars have benefited from a productive rotation. It seems like it doesn’t matter who the Jaguars put on the edge, as almost everyone has the potential to get to the quarterback. A player to keep an eye on moving forward is defensive end Ryan Davis who has 4.5 sacks in limited snaps.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
7 of 10
Position MVP: Telvin Smith (40 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one interception)
The linebackers are easily the most frustrating unit on this team, not because of talent but because of the amount of boneheaded mistakes they make. Every week this unit misses tackles, blows assignments and is caught in over-pursuits.
In my opinion, the lone bright spot has been the play of the youngsters in this group, J.T. Thomas and Telvin Smith. Smith has easily been the biggest playmaker and always seems to be around the ball. Additionally, his fiery demeanor seems to spark the defense whenever he’s on the field.
There is a lot of room for growth with this group, but it has a great foundation of young players. Unfortunately that potential has yet to translate to the playing field. Nevertheless, the future is bright here.
Grade: C-
Secondary
8 of 10
Position MVP: Johnathan Cyprien (67 tackles)
Let’s just be frank, the Jaguars secondary is young, inexperienced and extremely inconsistent. While there seems to be promise in young cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz and Demetrius McCray, the simple fact is that this group is the biggest liability on this defense.
The most consistent player in the secondary is second-year safety Johnathan Cyprien. Cyprien is a hard-hitter who is most productive when able to roam. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Cyprien is the Jaguars' only legitimate safety, he often is asked to take on assignments that don’t align with his strengths.
One thing is for certain, until the secondary gets an upgrade at free safety, it’ll never reach its full potential. However, I am excited to see how much Gratz and McCray can develop with increased playing time over the homestretch of the 2014 season.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
9 of 10
Position MVP: Josh Scobee (10-of-14, 17 extra points made and 46 total points scored)
The Jaguars special teams unit is hard to grade. On one hand, they have a very reliable group of special teams positional players in Josh Scobee and Bryan Anger. On the other, there have been some costly errors made by the special teams units themselves that have cost the Jaguars points.
So far boneheaded special teams plays have resulted in a blocked punt, a blocked field goal, a few costly fumbles and some really stupid penalties.
Overall, it’s been a disappointing effort from a special teams unit that has been relied on heavily this season. If the Jaguars’ coaching staff can’t limit the mistakes, they’ll be lucky to see another victory this season.
Grade: C
Coaching
10 of 10
I wouldn’t blame fans for being frustrated with Gus Bradley. There have been moments of questionable clock management and baffling game strategy. That being said, I firmly believe that Bradley is the right man for the job.
The thing I really love about Bradley is that he isn’t just committed to the team; he’s committed to the city of Jacksonville. Bradley seems to be in sync with the fans, and he legitimately seems to care about building a consistent contender.
Bradley certainly has some growing to do, but I believe when all is said and done he’ll be the greatest coach the franchise has ever had.
Grade: B-
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
