Ravens vs Jaguars: These are not your same Jaguars

I was doing a podcast, based in Florida earlier this week and even the host mentioned that the team sucked and they had little confidence that the Jaguars would win on Sunday. Yet after looking at the roster and the talent surrounding the team, I had to second guess the thought that the Jaguars were the same ole Jaguars from the last few years. You know the ones. The teams that regularly drafted in the top-5 and couldn't muster any offense or defense. The same team that wasted the good years that Maurice Jones Drew had and screwed over David Garrard.

Make no mistake, the football gods are still sticking it to these Jacksonville Jaguars much like the Ravens are seeing this season. Injuries combined with poor coaching has them sitting at 2-6 and trying to figure out what they are going to do at the end of the season. But this is a team on the verge of doing something rather interesting. It's a team in a similar mold as the Oakland Raiders.

They have Blake Bortles, on pace for roughly 4400 yards through the air and 34 touchdowns. They have two, big bodied and fast wide receivers to go with their newly acquired tight end from the Denver Broncos this offseason. They drafted a very fast and capable running back. On offense, they are a young group that just needs a little time to gel with each other and they could be a very potent, high scoring offense.

Defensively, they need some help. They rank 25th in passing yards allowed and 30th in points allowed. Really, they almost look like the Baltimore Ravens this season when you compare those numbers. Yet, they have time to grab a few defensive players in the draft, add some veterans through free agency with all the cap room they have and they could be a top-10 defense in a matter of a year or two.

Now I'm not saying that the Jaguars are a really good team, not by any stretch. But they do have the talent on the roster and with a new set of coaches that can maximize it and a little patience, they could have a major playoff contending team shortly. Even this week; week 10 of the NFL season against a team that was favored to win the Super Bowl in the Baltimore Ravens, they are not the stepping stone that everyone thinks they are. The Ravens for all their talk about taking the rest of the season one week at a time might want to overlook these Jacksonville Jaguars. If they do, they are fools and will be 2-7 come Sunday night.

You don't have to fear the Jaguars, but they are definitely not the same old Jags.