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Disclaimer: I am not a professional or a psychic. Your guess is as good as mine, unless it's something really crazy
2014 Record: 3-13
Losses: Alan Ball, Cecil Shorts
Signings: Sergio Brown, Davon House, Jared Odrick, Jeremy Parnell, Julius Thomas, Dan Skuta, Stefen Wisniewski
Draft Class: Dante Fowler (IR), T.J. Yeldon, A.J. Cann, James Sample, Rashad Greene, Michael Bennett, Neal Sterling, Ben Koyack
Questions:
Will Blake Bortles have a better season than he did in 2014?
Can the Jaguars offensive line allow fewer sacks and allow the Jaguars run defense to succeed?
Defense:
The Jaguars signed Jared Odrick to bolster a defensive front with Chris Clemons and Sen'Derrick Marks. Andre Branch is also entering a contract year and it would do him and the Jaguars well if he was able to stay healthy and have a big season. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, rookie Dante Fowler tore his ACL and will miss the entire season. The Jaguars also made moves to beef up their secondary, as they signed Sergio Brown and Davon House and they drafted James Sample.
The Jaguars defense had the sixth most sacks in the NFL in 2014, but they were among the league's worst in generating pressure. And with no pure pass rusher on the roster the Jaguars will need to get creative with getting pressure or else their new secondary will suffer.
Offense:
The Jaguars made it a point to fix the offensive line in the off-season. They signed Jeremy Parnell to be the right tackle, they signed center Stefen Wisniewski away from the Oakland Raiders, and they drafted guard A.J. Cann. That should improve a line that has Brandon Linder, who was secretly good as a rookie. All they need now is for Luke Joeckel to perform.
The Jaguars also got Blake Bortles some more weapons. They signed Julius Thomas, who at the very least should be an improvement over Marcedes Lewis, they drafted wide receivers Rashad Greene and Neil Sterling, to join 2014 draftees Marquise Lee and Allen Robinson and undrafted standout Allen Hurns (You can tell that they aren't putting any eggs in the Justin Blackmon basket) and they drafted runningback T.J. Yates in the second round to improve Jacksonville's rushing attack.
With an improved line and better weapons to go along with Blake Bortles' offseason work, the Jaguars offense should improve in 2015.
Best Case Scenario:
Blake Bortles improves drastically with an improved offensive line, running game, and more experienced receivers. The Jaguars defense can get some more pressure on quarterbacks. The Jaguars show enough progress to give Shad Khan a reason to keep things the same, as the Jaguars should be contenders in the near future.
Worst Case Scenario:
The Jaguars don't look any better and Shad Khan decides that it's time for a new regime.
Predictions:
Blake Bortles has 3,200 yards passing, 24 Touchdowns, and 13 Interceptions.
The offensive line only allows 38 sacks.
The Jaguars move on from Luke Joeckel.
Julius Thomas has 800 yards receiving and 7 Touchdowns.
Allen Robinson had 900 receiving yards and 6 Touchdowns.
T.J. Yeldon has 900 rushing yards and 8 Touchdowns.
Marcedes Lewis is cut after the season.
Wins: Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons
Losses: Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts (Twice),Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers
Record: 6-10
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