FOLIO
This was the season of hope, when the rebuild would bear fruit, the year to win the division … or so we were led to believe.
What fans got was a 3-13 team that ditched its offensive coordinator, fired its coach, questioned its quarterback and finished last in its division.
Where does the road to next season lead? And what does it mean for fans?
Season ticket surveys and renewals will be going out soon and it’s safe to say the responses won’t be too pleasant.
The firing of former head coach Gus Bradley paves the way for some form of hope in the off-season. Ultimately, the next coach will dictate fan enthusiasm. This individual will decide if quarterback Blake Bortles is given another season and which members of the coaching staff will stay — and likely control the fate of general manager Dave Caldwell.
This is the second head coach Caldwell has hired in his short time here; another flop would surely sound the end of his era in the Bold City.
Flickers of hope sparked the week after Bradley’s release, and into the first half against the Indianapolis Colts. Interim coach Doug Marrone made a compelling case to have his name included on the list of potential head coaches. But a poorly coached and executed second half reminded fans that “New year, new me” resolutions are doomed to fail, even for NFL teams.
Sure, there are franchises worse than the Jaguars, but fans are sick of this being the fallback. This is a team that should be bragging about the teams it’s better than. The talent is there, for the most part, and given the many tears players shed at the end of games, the drive must be there, too.
Yet here we are. 3-13. Discussing draft picks and head coach prospects. Thinking about all the Sunday afternoons we spent drinking too many beers and yelling at guys dropping passes, missing assignments, getting penalties and throwing interceptions off their teammates’ feet.
I’ve said it before: The fans don’t deserve this team. Year after year, they are promised hope and improvement, only to be the laughingstock of fans and experts across the nation.
Do you have hope for next year?
I’d like to have it, and I wish we all could have it, but why should any Jaguars fan buy into it?
We do it for Jacksonville. We do it because one day our team will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, even if we’re all sitting in nursing homes when it happens. And we can’t wait to talk smack to Titans fans come that fine day.
I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to buy season tickets next year, but don’t give up. The Jaguars are a dumpster fire, our dumpster fire, and at least this fan plans to be there until the flames are put out.
“Duval ’till we die” isn’t just a phrase meant for the good times; it’s for the dark times, like these, most of all.
Get ready for the rebuild, version 2.0.
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