FanPost

2015 Training Camp Jacksonville Jaguars Season Preview

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For the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, it was a roller coaster that ended in dissappointment in the eyes of the fans. They started week one with a 17-0 lead at the half against the Philadelphia Eagles, but never seemed to gain back the momentum they had in that game for the rest of the season. The initial plan for the Jaguars going into last year was to give Blake Bortles a year to learn behind Chad Henne, but after two and a half dissappointing games for the Jaguars, losing week one 34-17, week two against the Washington Redskins 41-10, and finished one half against the Indianapolis Colts down 30-0, the Jaguars let the UCF product take the field and they have not looked back since. He finished 3-10 after he came in to start games at quarterback for the Jaguars. However, the organization didn't look back towards its "youth mentality" for the roster and improvements to the team may have 2015 be a bright year for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

2014 Record: 3-13 (3rd AFC South)

Head Coach: Gus Bradley (3rd season)
Offensive Coordinator: Greg Olson (1st season)
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Babich (3rd season)
Special Teams Coordinator: Mike Mallory (3rd season)

Schedule:

Looking at the schedule with the Jaguars, the first seven games of the season will truly be a test to see how talented and how much work Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley has done for the team in his third season. Adding to the AFC South divisional games they have to play, the Jaguars will play teams from the AFC East and the NFC South for the upcoming games, as well as adding the Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers in the mix with the 25th toughest schedule in the league, dating from last season. However, each game for the Jaguars will be a testament to the rebuilding that Gus and general manager Dave Caldwell started two seasons ago, as they should improve from winning three or four games a year, and make the jump to at least staying in the playoff bubble until the end of the season. Here's the schedule for the Jaguars in the 2015-2016 season:

Week 1: Carolina
Week 2: Miami
Week 3: at New England

Week 4: at Indianapolis

Week 5: at Tampa Bay

Week 6: Houston

Week 7: Buffalo (London)

Week 8: Bye

Week 9: at New York Jets

Week 10: at Baltimore

Week 11: Tennessee (TNF)

Week 12: San Diego

Week 13: at Tennessee

Week 14: Indianapolis

Week 15: Atlanta

Week 16: at New Orleans

Week 17: at Houston

The highlight of the schedule is when they open up the season with two consecutive home games against two defensively talented teams with the Panthers and Dolphins, and then have a three game road trip early on where they will travel to extremely hostile territories in New England and Indianapolis, as well as the in-state rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the bye week, it's a relatively less strenuous route to end the season, highlighted by two important road trips in Baltimore and New York after the bye week, as well as their nationally-televised primetime game a few days after, as well as ending the regular season in the same venue, as they did last year, in NRG Stadium against the Texans.

Game to Watch:
Week 7 vs. Buffalo (London)

This game has some bad blood for the fans of the Buffalo Bills, as they will face two former coaches, now in the Jaguars' coaching staff in former Head Coach Doug Marrone, now the assistant head coach/offensive line coach of the Jags, as well as new Jaguars quarterback coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was the Bills' offensive coordinator last season. As for the Jacksonville Jaguars, this game in week seven will be a testament to see what the future of the Jaguars stands, to see if the team has improved from two seasons ago when Gus Bradley took over, or if the record will stand at zero or one win, as it has been for the Jaguars in the last two seasons when they travelled to London, as well as showing poor performances in front of the U.K. fans, losing 31-17 last year against the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers 42-10 two seasons ago. This may be the judgement day of Gus and if the Jaguars fail to perform by the bye week, there may be calls for the Jaguars to take action against the head coach for another disappointing road into the bye week.

Key Free Agency Acquisitions:

TE Julius Thomas - One of Peyton Manning's favorite targets in Denver for the last two seasons, and he should be a popular target for Blake Bortles in 2015, as well. He has racked over 12 touchdowns over the last two seasons, and while the quarterback may be different, it should not make a difference to deny of what he is capable of in the passing game as a spectacular pass catching tight end, and a deadly target to watch over in the red zone. Watch for him and veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis in two tight end sets in the red zone for the Jags this season.

LB Dan Skuta - Taking over Gus Bradley's OTTO role in the linebacking core, Dan Skuta looks over to be an upgrade over what they had in the position last year. The OTTO is a more versatile role where a player takes over roles of linebacking and rushing the passer, and Dan Skura showed major presence at the pass rush for the 49ers in the last 10 games of last season with 5 sacks and showed that he can stuff the run, as well. Skuta will look to be the final piece of the linebacker puzzle in Jacksonville that has been filled up with veteran Paul Posluszny and promising second-year linebacker Telvin Smith.

OT Jermey Parnell - After an impressive showing with the Cowboys late last season replacing strongside tackle Doug Free protecting Tony Romo, he earned a big contract to show he can do the same for the Jaguars and Blake Bortles. At 6'6" and 316 pounds, he shows nice strength and freakish athleticism for his size, shown for his college basketball days at Ole Miss. His power and quickness also hopes to reduce the sack count on Blake Bortles, who was sacked 55 times last season.

DE Jared Odrick - Jared Odrick got paid a heavy 5 year, $42.5 million deal to hold down the big end spot for the Jaguars for many years to come. He earned the contract impressing the coaches on his ability to play outside and inside on the defensive line, replacing veteran defensive end Red Bryant in that role for the Jaguars last season. He's shown major presence on the run stuffing game for the Dolphins in his five seasons prior in the league, but can give a boost on the pass rush, if needed, and looks to improve an already deep rotation for the Jaguars defensive line.

CB Davon House - After spending last season as a back-up to the Green Bay Packers, he was given a big contract by the Jaguars to prove his worth in the secondary. Last season, he was given some opportunities to cover some of the game's best big targets in Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, and Julio Jones, as he made most of it with his size and ability that impressed Gus Bradley to give him an opportunity to shine in Jacksonville. He will look to be the second outside corner with Demetrius McCray to improve an unheralded secondary for the Jags in 2015.

C Stefan Wisniewski - As one of the Jaguars late free agency pick-ups, as a shock to many, he ended up going to the Jaguars from the Oakland Raiders. He is reuniting with his offensive coordinator from the Raiders last season, Greg Olson. He played most of 2014 with a torn labrum, and when healthy, he can hold down the center spot pretty well. He should be a massive upgrade to now second year player Luke Bowanko, as a training camp will ensue for who should start as center for the Jaguars in the upcoming year.

Other Free Agency Acquisitions:

S Sergio Brown, RB Bernard Pierce, WR Bryan Walters, QB Jeff Tuel

Free Agency Losses:

RB Jordan Todman, C Jacques McClendon, DE Red Bryant, OLB Geno Hayes, ILB J.T. Thomas, CB Alan Ball, S Sherrod Martin

There isn't much to say about the free agency losses in the team, with Red Bryant being the most notable on the list starting every game for the Jaguars last season, however, they did upgrade the position with Jared Odrick. The only other starters on the list from day one that were lost was Geno Hayes, who played decent over his time with the Jaguars, but with the emergence of Telvin Smith, his time was up in Jacksonville, as well as Alan Ball, who was lost to injury in late October. However, the player that the Jaguars could miss the most is J.T. Thomas who signed with the New York Giants in the offseason, finished last season with 84 tackles with two forced fumbles and interceptions in replacement of Paul Posluszny that would have given the Jaguars valuable depth with the linebackers.

Key Players to Watch:

QB Blake Bortles - All eyes will be on quarterback Blake Bortles in Jacksonville next season from fans and critics alike to see if he can carry the Jaguars back into relevance in the eyes of the general public. The front office has been nothing but supportive and giving him every opportunity he can to succeed in the NFL and now he has to take control of his offense in year two. He has often been compared to Ben Roethlisberger in his ability of play to make plays outside on the pocket, and he has to reach that potential, as well as staying consistent and avoid turnovers, throwing 17 interceptions in his rookie campaign, to become a top quarterback in the league. Now loaded with weapons and an offensive line that will seem to hold better than last season, there will be no excuse to make sure the Jaguars get over three wins this year and even hope to stay in playoff contention late in the upcoming season.

RB T.J. Yeldon - Drafted in the second round by the Jaguars, he hopes to become a three down running back for the Jaguars. At the University of Alabama, he never truly received the full helm in Nick Saban's crowded backfield, but he still managed to carry 979 yards on 194 carries with 11 touchdowns with the Crimson Tide in his junior season. Now he will be the main support behind Blake Bortles and the Jaguars to give a rushing offense that finished 21st last season, as the main focus of the draft class from the team are all eyes on him following Dante Fowler's ACL injury back in May.

WR Allen Robinson - The second year wide receiver will look to be the number one wide receiving target for the Jaguars this year, as he was the most consistent player of the position before a foot injury sidelined him at week 10 of last year. He is a big target for Blake Bortles at 6'3" and 210lbs. and he finished last season with 48 catches and 548 yards with two touchdowns in the 10 games he played for the Jaguars in his rookie season. With the injury that seemed to healed quicker than what the team expect, he will be looking to make an impact for the team and make that big step in his second season.

LB Telvin Smith - There seems to be a theme in Jacksonville with second year players looking to make an impact and there's no difference here with Telvin Smith. He played all 16 games for the Jaguars last season and started 10 of those games, and he made an immediate impact in year one. He finished last season with 99 tackles, one interception, and multiple forced fumbles last season to give a bright spot on a linebacker corps that missed Paul Posluszny for the last nine games of last season and weak performances by prior free agent signing Dekoda Watson prior to his name being called up, and after finishing the last four games of last season with over 10 tackles in each game, he will look to be a potential star for the defense.

CB Demetrius McCray - After last year's starting cornerbacks Alan Ball, who ended last season on the injured reserve, and Dwayne Gratz seemed to underperform for the Jaguars secondary, Demetrius McCray stood in and took over the number one corner spot after last season. He started for the Jaguars in 12 games last season, and he didn't disappoint either, as he finished 4th in Pro Football Focus' statistics in yards per covered snaps, behind only Chris Harris of the Denver Broncos, Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks, and Josh Norris of the Carolina Panthers. Look for him to lead an unheralded secondary in Jacksonville to a surprisingly successful year as a full-time starter in his third year in the NFL.

Biggest Questions for the Upcoming Season:

How improved will the offense be for the Jaguars?

The Jaguars finished last season with offensive statistics in the lowest tier in the NFL, with being last in points per game with 15.6 points per game, second-to-last in yards per game (289.6) and passing yards per game (187.6), and 21st in rushing yards with 102.1 yards per game. However, with these stats being in the bottom of the league, the Jaguars started many games with rookies or second year players, with Bortles, Denard Robinson, Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns, Luke Joeckel, Luke Bowanko, and Brandon Linder. With player progression coming into play, as well as players who had injury issues finally having the offseason to work as being healthy, in 2013 first pick Luke Joeckel and potential breakout target Allen Robinson, the Jaguars will probably make monumental strides for the upcoming season. More depth has been added for the Jaguars, as well for the passing game, with fifth round draft pick Rashad Greene from Florida State, who was Jameis Winston's favorite target with the Seminoles, with big free agency signing Julius Thomas and seventh round, blue chipper Neal Sterling from Monmouth (NJ) who has a similar playing style to Julius Thomas. With weapons already added, the offensive line needs to step up from allowing more than 70 sacks to both Chad Henne and Bortles from the year before. Additions of Parnell and Wisniewski will make big statements for the stability of the offensive line, as well as a potential change in the middle of the season with the third round draft pick A.J. Cann to see if Zane Beadles was worth the 5 year, $30 million contract he signed back in 2014.

How will the Jaguars defense look for the entire season?

Last season, the Jaguars defense was on the field a lot with the inexperienced offense taking the field. The defense however, looked abysmal for the first four games of the season allowing 451.3 yards per game, but finished the last 12 allowing 343.9 yards per game. The biggest reason for the Jaguars to allow that many yards for the season was the offense being on the field for a short period of time, being tied fourth-to-last in the league in three-and-outs with 49, and being the result for more than a quarter (25.13%) of total drives the Jaguars had last season with 195. With the young core built around led by defensive guru Gus Bradley, young players will give their opportunity to shine, mentioning players like Telvin Smith and Demetrius McCray before. However, it will be interesting to see how some of the veterans will perform for the upcoming season. Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny will be an interesting player to watch coming out of a torn pectoral injury to rack up more tackles for the Jags, even if he turns 31 in October. Another veteran to look after is 33 year-old defensive end Chris Clemons, who may now lead the pass rush again for the team, as 2015 first round draft pick Dante Fowler is out with a torn ACL. Clemons is coming out of a 8 sack year, but struggled most of the year as he had three of the sacks against the Colts last November. For the team that is trying to build an identity on youth, the veterans on defense will play a key factor on how the Jaguars will perform on the defensive side on the ball. I would look to see the Jaguars improve last year's statistics, being 26th in points allowed per game (25.8) and yards allowed per game (370.8), 22nd in passing yards allowed per game (243.7), and 27th in rushing yards allowed pre game (127.1) to be in the middle tier of defenses if the offense makes the progressions that the organization expects.

Divisional Outlook:

In the AFC South, being one of the weakest divisions in the league, could this be the year the Jaguars make the jump? The heavy favorites for the division title are the Indianapolis Colts, led by Andrew Luck, looking like they are going to rule the division again this season and it is fair to say, with one of the most productive passing games in the league, as well as a top notch passing defense. After the Colts, however, it may be a toss-up for the last three spots in the division. The Houston Texans have the best defensive player in the NFL in J.J. Watt, and a returning Jadeveon Clowney may make their pass rush even scarier this season, however, even with weapons DeAndre Hopkins and Arian Foster, the Texans do not have a quarterback that would make them jump back into becoming division champions with Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. The last team in the division would be the Tennessee Titans, who are currently rebuilding led by the number two overall pick, quarterback Marcus Mariota and defensive tackle Jurrell Casey on defense. For the Jacksonville Jaguars to make an impact in the division this year, they need to show that they are ready to compete year-by-year again in the division, and that starts by sweeping the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars had an opportunity to last season, if it were not for a blocked 55 yard field goal attempt of week six of last season, but for this young team, they need to go out and prove that rebuilding the team is done and go out and prove that they are truly better than the Tennessee Titans after splitting the season series for the past six seasons. Another big step is to begin to the split season series against both the Texans and play close games against the Colts once again. For the Texans, the Jaguars need to prove defensive superiority against a weak quarterback-led Texans with their improved offensive game. As for the Colts, the last time the Jaguars beat the Colts was when Blaine Gabbert was at quarterback in 2012, and the fortune against the Colts have been ugly since being outscored 161-43 in their last five meetings.

Record Predictions:

Best Case Scenario: 9-7

Worst Case Scenario: 3-13

Prediction: 7-9

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, it will be a tough year to predict where they go from here with the youth on the roster, but one thing's for sure, they should be able to win more than four games this season. With the progression of Blake Bortles from training camp looking good early on, he should be able to make strides to be a more consistent, competent quarterback in the league. Reaching the potential of Ben Roethlisberger may be another year or two away, but I do not think that the fans will be disappointed in year two of the Blake Bortles. The defense should be able to get more opportunities to create turnovers, probably fewer than 45 from a year ago, but the young players should be able to shine and give the defense a nice year ahead for the team. For Gus Bradley, a six win season would most likely save his job, barring how well the Jaguars do in the first seven games of the year, and will make year four of his tenure as head coach the most important. As for the future, it really is looking bright for the Jaguars and Duval should be paying full attention to the team once again, as they are on the edge of something really special.

FanPosts do not necessarily reflect the views of the authors of Big Cat Country or SB Nation.

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