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Things to Watch

It's June, y'all. Mini-Camp and OTAs are over. No more sneak peeks of the players jamming out to Biggie Smalls and Tupac. No more previews of all the different hats modeled by the debonair and cherubic Gus Bradley. So now what? We dont have the draft and the free agent signings are basically over. What do we look forward to? Here's a little list of the things I'm excited about.

By Chaps McNealy
USA TODAY Sports

1. Development. It seems like it has been years and I do mean years since we have seen true player development on the Jaguars. Sure there is a few players that get better. Cecil Shorts is the exception and certainly not the rule. Gus Bradley and his staff are concentrating on bringing in younger, faster, and more inexperienced players. In addition to the slew of rookies and second year players, guys like Kyle Love will be given the opportunity to really showcase what they have. I am a Mississippi State fan so I cant wait to see what Kyle has to offer.

2. The Special Teams. Like player development, our special teams play has been downright awful for the last few seasons. Ace, Denard, and company should drastically improve that unit. It wont just be those guys that make the impact. It has been said countless times that the goal in this offseason was to "get faster." It's easy to point to the actual return men as the focus but if team speed was an issue at every position, it was an issue for all 11 men on the field during special teams. Not only will Ace and Denard be faster but the guys sealing their blocks, shooting gaps, and providing blocks downfield will be faster as well.

3. The pace of play on offense. I always hated the pace that the offense "moved" last year. Just off the top of my head, Blaine did better in "hurry-up" / "no-huddle" situations. Some of his best throws came when they weren't lining up and letting the clock get down to zero.

4. Andre Branch. I had high hopes for him. If our passrush improves, it will be because of Branch.

5. The offensive line. This has been the excuse for 3 years. The line was bad. Well, with the best overall player in the draft and a top 5 LT in the league anchoring the line, the line shouldn't be an excuse anymore.

Overall, it's nice to have hope. Last season we all pretty much knew that we weren't a playoff team. We didn't see the direction. This season is much different. We know that we aren't a playoff team but we do see the direction. Remember this season. It will be the turning point.

What are you most interested in seeing this season?

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