JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With six games down and Jacksonville hitting the bye week, the Jaguars are 1-5. Is that better or worse than expected? Who has surprised and underachieved? Justin Barney and Jamal St. Cyr answer those bye-week questions.
Six games are in the books. What is the biggest takeaway from those first six games?
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Jamal: My biggest takeaway is that Urban Meyer had a lot more to learn than he expected. Meyer has an impressive resume at the college level but through the first six games the Jaguars Coaches have done nothing scheme wise that has impressed me. Meyer has mismanaged situations and not managed the calls on the field. It is understandable that Meyer would need to do some learning on the job but maybe he didn’t put together the correct staff for to support him in the process. Meyer will need to continue to improve his in-game coaching for the Jaguars to win more games.
Justin: The coaching staff had a lot of learning to do. The roster wasn’t ready to compete in Week 1. Trevor Lawrence looked like a rookie for half of those games. The team forgot it had James Robinson for half of that stretch. All sorts of disappointment pockmarked those games. At its worst, Jacksonville has looked disjointed and not on the same page. It was ugly at times. Meyer’s actions in his Columbus, Ohio restaurant after the Bengals loss was a poor look for he and the franchise. Had the Jaguars not beaten the Dolphins in London in Week 6, things would feel significantly worse. When things are going bad, every crack in the foundation becomes that much more visible. But going into the bye with a victory, and how that game-winning sequence happened, certainly helped end things on a high note. That shifted the narrative considerably on the first slice of the season for Meyer and the Jaguars.
The start has been tough. Did you expect the Jaguars to have a 1-5 record at the bye week when the season began?
Jamal: No. I expected them to start the season 1-0. I expected by now that the team had two wins. Not exactly a far off number but it has always looked to me that the majority of the winnable games for the team are in the second half of the schedule. If the Jaguars can stay healthy they should have a much better record in the second half of the season. But no doubt, the bar is set pretty low.
Justin: I thought the floor for the Jaguars at the bye was two wins, the Texans and the Dolphins, with a foolish pick on our News4Jags podcast for them to beat the Titans after the Meyer scandal broke. There was no reason that Jacksonville should have lost to Houston in Week 1. Realistically, this team should be 3-3 at this point. The giveaway on the road to Cincinnati was a tough one to digest.
Who has been the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment through the first six weeks?
Jamal: The biggest disappointment through the first six weeks of the season has been any corner that lined up on the field opposite Shaquill Griffin. The Jaguars have not gotten a solid player from any player at that spot. Tyson Campbell has shown the ability to be in excellent position but struggles to play the ball while Tre Herndon and Chris Claybrooks have just flat out struggled. The biggest surprise for me has been Andrew Wingard. Wingard was not on my radar as a possible starter and he has done a good job. Wingard has got his hands on an interception and has done enough to keep rookie safety Andre Cisco on the sideline.
Justin: A lot of disappointments for me. The secondary has been soft. There’s not nearly enough pressure from the front seven. The receivers have just been OK. The biggest surprise to me has been a combination of Lawrence’s development from the Bengals game onward, as well as the impact of Jamal Agnew. He’s been magnificent in the return game. When was the last time the Jaguars had any sort of threat in the return game?
What are the realistic expectations for the remaining 11 games?
Jamal: With the Colts (twice), Falcons, Jets and Texans on the schedule there are five very winnable games left. Plus, the Seahawks that have been riddled by injuries. Best case scenario the Jaguars win six of the last 11. Is that realistic? Probably not. Realistically, I expect the Jaguars to win three of the next 11 games. But if Lawrence continues to improve then anything is possible.
Justin: Visible improvement. Lawrence’s strides beginning in Week 4 have been substantial. He’s got a much better grasp of the offense and moving around the pocket. A switch flipped for Lawrence between Weeks 3 and 4 (the Cardinals and Bengals games) and he’s played far more confidently since. Home games against the 49ers, Colts, Texans, Falcons and even the Patriots are winnable games. The Colts and Jets on the road are winnable games. Of course, they won’t win all of those, but they’re games on the schedule that I see and think they are possible wins. If Jacksonville can go 4-3 in those games and perhaps scratch out an unlikely road victory (Seattle, perhaps?), then I see a 6-11 final record. Not great. Not bad.
Knowing what you know now, what is one thing the Jaguars should have done differently last offseason?
Jamal: They should have thrown a bag at Matt Judon. He ended up signing with the Patriots but he is the type of player that could help the Jaguars defense right now. Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen is familiar with Judon after coaching him in Baltimore. Judon is a versatile player that can do a little bit of everything. The Jaguars as a team have eight sacks this season, while Judon has 6.5 sacks by himself.
Justin: Only one? The offensive line and tight end positions needed some work. The tight end spot remains a weak link, even with guys like Jacob Hollister and Dan Arnold brought in. The offensive line was brought back in its entirety and, while not awful, has been average to above-average. Instead of drafting Travis Etienne in the first round, the Jaguars should have focused on offensive line, defensive line or a pass rusher with that pick. He was a luxury selection when the Jaguars had far greater needs. As Jamal said, the pass rushing position could have been addressed better with a guy like Judon instead of nickel and dime additions like Jihad Ward and Roy Robertson-Harris.