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Sacksonville Gets Sacked

  • Writer: Christopher Zeiner
    Christopher Zeiner
  • Dec 24, 2019
  • 5 min read

In 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars were on the verge of being one of the top in the AFC or hell, even the NFL. They were that close to defeating the New England Patriots and advancing to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. The Jaguars figured the future was going to be bright.

The next two seasons would be the tire fire that the Jags didn't want.

BLAKE BORTLES/NICK FOLES/GARDNER MINSHEW II

Bortles had an effective 2017 season, where he played somewhat mistake-free football in the playoffs. In 2018, Bortles regressed a lot (13 TDs, 11 INTs) as the franchise had enough of Bortles not really making progress and released him after the season. The Jaguars won the Nick Foles sweepstakes at the tone of (cough, cough) 4 years, $88 million. I mean, he did win a Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP. Foles would get injured in the first game. The Jaguars decided to roll the dice and start a mustachioed rebel named Gardner Minshew II. GMII would play well enough to gain the fans' praise not just in Duval County, but in the entire NFL. So when Foles came back and regained his starting job, he struggled and they reinserted GMII. Right now, it seems as if Jacksonville wasted $88 million.

LEONARD FOURNETTE

Fournette came into the league as the next big thing at running back. He has showed flashes of promise despite the fact that the Jaguars don't have the greatest offensive line. 2018 was not the season Fournette had envisioned. He was injured most of the season and when he was healthy, he seemed unglued. Against Buffalo, he punched a Bills player and was ejected which led to a suspension. By the way, he's a captain on the team.Then during the final game of the 2018 season, Fournette and former teammate T.J. Yeldon sat on the sideline looking disinterested. The upper echelon of the team fined Fournette a ridiculous amount. (As of this writing, he is close to getting that money back.) 

DANTE FOWLER JR.

The #3 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft tore his ACL on the first day of mini-camp and missed his entire rookie season. He has stated that he was fined more than $700,000 for not completing his rehab at the team's training complex, which is against the collective bargaining agreement. Fowler was considered a bust in Jacksonville until he traded to the L.A. Rams in 2018, where he is flourishing. An arbitrator ruled that Fowler would get his money back.

CALAIS CAMPBELL

Ok, this is a positive point here. The Jaguars signed Campbell in 2017 and has churned out Pro Bowl seasons and is active in the community with his charitable work. 

TELVIN SMITH

Smith was the Jags' best defensive player. He decided to retire out of nowhere and the events after his surprising retirement have been bizarre to say the least.

MYLES JACK

Jack fell to the second round in the 2016 NFL Draft, but has shown everyone that he was first round talent and has replaced Smith as the team's best defensive player, but his character issues caused him to fall to the second round. In Week 1, Jack punched Chiefs receiver DeMarcus Robinson and was ejected. Though he wasn't suspended, Jack seemed to continue the Jags' long string of disciplinary problems. Also, he is a captain.

JALEN RAMSEY

Oh, boy. The now former Jags corner has been a talkative one since entering the league. Self-proclaiming himself as the best corner in the NFL, Ramsey wasn't shy about telling the Jags that he wanted to get paid by the team. However, after a disagreement with head coach Doug Marrone, Ramsey asked for a trade and got his wish, going to the Rams before the deadline. He seems to be in a better situation, despite throwing a teammate under the bus after a blown coverage that led to a crucial long gain. Your problem now, LA.

THE END OF THE SEAHAWKS GAME (2017)

1. The Seahawks started the scuffle towards the end of the game. 2. The player wasn't at fault, because the fan threw a drink at him. 

This incident was probably the start of the shenanigans that would plague the franchise for the next two years. If the home fans are throwing drinks at their team's players, then you have a problem. By the way, the Jaguars WON the game.

THE LONDON INCIDENT (2018)

During one of the Jaguars' many ventures to London, four players were detained by police after a scuffle over an unpaid tab of $60K. Clearly, these players could afford the bill. For a commissioner who has a secret obsession of having NFL teams play in the United Kingdom, this is a black eye for him, since the rumors of a certain team moving to London in the near future. That team: the Jacksonville Jaguars.

DOUG MARRONE

The head coach has become the most used cliche in sports when a team is in disarray: He has lost the locker room. Marrone has lost that and then some. It sucks, because Marrone is a good coach. His problem of not installing discipline to his players may have led to his downfall.

DAVE CALDWELL

Since becoming GM in 2013, Caldwell has whiffed on first round picks (Luke Joeckel, Bortles, Fowler) but has scored on some (Fournette, Jack, Cam Robinson). Note: Jack and Robinson were second round picks. He has also signed top tier free-agents in Campbell and corner A.J. Bouye to help the Jags become a contender. Now that the team has underachieved and are an undisciplined mess, Caldwell might be on the chopping block.

TOM COUGHLIN

The elephant in the room. Coughlin's tenure showed promise as Jacksonville showed they could be a contender. Then it all fell apart. Coughlin's strict tactics caused the NFLPA to investigate and tell other free-agents to not sign with them. I mean, turning clocks ahead to prevent players from being late is what you do with a child. The rehab at the team's facility is a ridiculous notion since players have the right to rehab wherever there are trained medical personnel. The Jags finally saw through this facade and fired Coughlin.

SHAD KHAN

Oh, Shad Khan. I can't get a read on him. He has done his best to make the Jacksonville Jaguars a profitable franchise despite the fact the team doesn't have the nationwide as the Cowboys or Packers do. He could make it work in Jacksonville.....or London?

The Jaguars will be a franchise who could reach the top again, but it's going to be a big mess to clean up.

Side note: Shad Khan's son, Tony has decided to bankroll a wrestling promotion where he can give Stone Cold Stunners to talent....despite not being the talent.

And thank you, Randy Orton for bringing the name "Jacksonville Dixie" to the mainstream.

(References: SB Nation, ESPN, Jaguars.com, NFL, Bleacher Report, Football Reference, SI)

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