David Rosenblum
As we enter the halfway point of the 2014 NFL season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s time to get a look at what to expect and even some predictions for the second half of the season.
It’s hard to put together what Jaguars fans were expecting this season. Prior to the season, everyone was pumped for what was thought to be a huge turnaround — the first full year the Jags really take on a different look from the previous era. The Jags were young, full of potential, and the fact that Head Coach Gus Bradley had helped form a championship team in Seattle seemed to have Jags fans pumped that the same was going to happen here.
After the first half of the opening game of the season against Philadelphia, when the Jags jumped up to a quick 17-0 lead against a team high up on the NFC power list, most fans had to pick their jaws up off the floor, amazed at the reality that the Jags were dominating a team expecting to do big things this season.
The second half brought everyone in Jacksonville back to reality. And things haven’t changed much since.
It didn’t take much more time for Bradley to finally budge from his preseason vow that quarterback Chad Henne was the starter for the season, and highly touted rookie Blake Bortles would be the backup. A 30-0 first half beating by division rival Indianapolis was enough to convince Bradley it was time for a change and much to the crowd at EverBank Field’s delight, Blake Bortles was inserted into the lineup for the second half of that game, and has been under center since.
While Bortles has gone though the learning curve of a rookie quarterback in the NFL, the offense has taken on a whole new look since his first start against San Diego.
Most observers would agree the Jags had a whole new look them, but the wins still weren’t coming. Bortles has impressed everyone, yet he was also building the league-high total in interceptions in the process. Bortles is currently on pace to set a rookie record for interception, one held by Peyton Manning.
The running game has been an absolute low point for Jacksonville this season. After years of stars such as Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew tearing up defenses, the Jags have unproven running backs such as Toby Gerhart, Jordan Todman, rookie Storm Johnson taking the bulk of the carries, though lately the all-purpose Denard Robinson has quietly taken the position over with two straight 100-yard games.
By midseason, the Jags did manage to record a win, against Cleveland at home, but still sit at the bottom of every NFL power ranking out there.
So what does the near future hold for Jacksonville?
The Jags start the second half of the season this week at Cincinnati before heading to London to face the Cowboys. The follow with a bye week then face relatively week schedule for the remainder of the season.
But for the Jags to add more W’s to the record this season, Bortles will have to settle down and lay off the picks, the running game will have to stay on the current path with Robinson leading the way and the defense will have to find a way to keep opposing teams out of the end zone.
Only two teams remaining on the schedule have losing records at the midpoint of the season (Giants, Titans). The rest of the schedule includes playoff-bound Cincinnati, Dallas and Indianapolis.
The best outcome for the season would be two or three more wins and another early draft pick for 2015.
Jacksonville is still in a rebuilding stage. There is no denying that. The team rebuilt the stadium to make it one of the most unique one in the league. Now it has to finish rebuilding the product.
The promise is there. But success is still a few players, and seasons, away.
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