The Jacksonville Jaguars week 15 game is in the books. The Jaguars have now lost nine straight games. While this is frustrating, fans are likely relieved now that Head Coach Gus Bradley has been fired. Bradley was high on optimism but the NFL is a business and you need wins to compete. Aside from the coaching change, there were some on the field positives and many areas for improvement.
Jacksonville Jaguars Week 15 Takeaways
The Head Coaching Search Begins
The most prominent news from the Jaguars loss yesterday is the firing of Head Coach Gus Bradley. At this point in the season it seemed inevitable. Bradley ends his tenure in Jacksonville with a 14-48 record. This season was his fourth in Jacksonville and despite a stronger roster the outcome is the same. Jaguars owner Shad Khan and General Manager Dave Caldwell now have their work cut out for them.
With Coach Bradley fired, the coaching search will begin. There is at least one name in particular that Jaguars fans would be interested in: Tom Coughlin. General Manager Dave Caldwell mentioned Coughlin in his press conference today. Of course there are many other possible candidates. Coughlin was the franchise’s first Head Coach and did well in Jacksonville. But he will be 71 by the start of the 2017 season so he may not be a long term answer. There are many possibilities among current coordinators, some of which have head coaching experience. Time will tell, but the search is under way.
Jalen Ramsey Is The Real Deal
In case there was doubt, rookie Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a good football player. Yesterday he recorded the first interception of his career as well as five passes defensed. Ramsey held Deandre Hopkins to 8 receptions for 87 yards and showed some intensity. If the numbers aren’t good enough, here is a look at Ramsey using physicality to deny Hopkins a catch.
Ramsey deserves the game ball against the Houston Texans and he is likely to become a leader of this franchise. Each week the young rookie shows emotion and grit. Yes, he does attract penalties at times but he’s hungry for a win. Ramsey is talented and ambitious. He is easily in the conversation for defensive rookie of the year and has the potential to play at a pro-bowl level.
Marqise Lee Contributes Wherever He Can
Throughout this season the Jaguars special teams has muffed punts, missed tackles, and made various blunders. However, there was a beauty of a kick return by receiver Marqise Lee. He ran 100 yards for a touchdown on a kick return and showed some great speed while at it. Former Offensive Cooridnator Greg Olson once called Lee an “Albino Tiger”. This reference was because Lee barely practiced for a while due to hamstring issues. The good thing is those issues have not hindered Lee this year and that is great news. He was a second round draft pick in the 2014 NFL draft and for his first few seasons he wasn’t living up to his potential.
It’s no surprise that the Jaguars offense is struggling this year. If you look at Allen Robinson, you can see that no Jaguars receiver is having the same production as last year. Some would say that Quarterback Blake Bortles is the major problem with the offense and also why the receivers are struggling. Strangely Marqise Lee was not targeted against the Texans on offense but that didn’t matter. He still found a way to score and is proving himself valuable to the team this year. It will be interesting to see Lee’s role in a hopefully improved offense in 2017.
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