With the 2016 season thankfully finished for Jacksonville, this installment of “Talking Teal” featuring John Shirey, William Frost, Paul Martin, Sam Vancini, and I will discuss how we felt about the Jaguars’ season, cover our thoughts on the Doug Marrone and Tom Coughlin hires, try and figure out which direction the defense will go from here, debate whether Dave Caldwell is a good GM or not, and finally predict who we think will win Super Bowl 51.
Talking Teal: Change on the Horizon
Thoughts on the 2016 Season
John: This season was like unwrapping a gift on Christmas morning and seeing a PS4 box, then opening that box to reveal a fresh pair of tube socks. To say it was disappointing would be a gross understatement. That’s not to say there weren’t any positives; the play of some of the young defensive players, namely Jalen Ramsey and Yannick Ngakoue, was impressive.
William: We’ve finally got an elite defense, but I watched the majority of offensive snaps with my hands over my eyes. The only thing that I can say about 2016 is that it has landed us another blue-chip prospect and got rid of Gus Bradley. Other than that, it was a horror show.
Ben: This was probably the most disappointing season I’ve ever gone through watching the Jaguars. All the hype and talk of the team’s potential only to end up with a whopping three wins. The best part of the season is that it’s over. Jacksonville will be hard pressed selling fans on how talented this team is going forward after subjecting the fans to 16 weeks of terrible football.
Paul: The 2016 season was hard to watch, but maybe it was needed to get Gus Bradley out of Jacksonville. The Jaguars added some good talent last offseason in the draft and found a few good players in free agency. It’s time for some wins.
Sam: This was a rough season. In hindsight, I wish we had fired Bradley earlier, so that we could have seen what Marrone could do with a sample size bigger than two games.
How do You Feel about the Marrone Hire?
John: I’m cautiously optimistic about Doug Marrone. I think he could do some good things with this team. Even in his short time as the interim head coach, the team played better. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, but if he can do that in two weeks, I’m interested to see what he can do with a full offseason. He wouldn’t have been my first choice, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the right man for the job.
William: It’s uninspiring. My biggest concern about this hire is that Marrone didn’t seem like the man who would bring a championship culture to Jacksonville. The Jaguars seem so close to contender status, but somebody who has won it all might have kick started a revolution in attitude at EverBank Field which could have put an end to the nine year streak without a winning season.
Ben: I wasn’t thrilled in the least bit. We spent money on a hiring firm just to end up choosing a guy we’ve had on the staff the past two years. Marrone is 16-18 as a head coach, so he’s proven to be an average at best NFL head coach. The culture of this team needed a complete makeover, but instead the players end up in a familiar environment that has netted them eight wins in the past two years.
Paul: I was initially angry and am still skeptical. Marrone has had success in the past, but I won’t be excited until we see improvement next year.
Sam: It’s a boring hire, I get that. But I think he checks off a lot of boxes that Jaguars’ fans were looking for in experience and being a disciplinary guy. If Coughlin has faith in him, I’ll have faith in him.
Happy to Have Coughlin back Home?
John: Absolutely. Tom Coughlin is a great football mind and a pillar of the Jacksonville community. The only thing I worry about is his cap management. A lot of people are a little blinded by nostalgia and tend to forget how poorly he managed spending in his first stint. I think he and Dave Caldwell could work well together.
William: Everybody and their mother should be ecstatic that Tom Coughlin has come back to Jacksonville. While many people wanted him to come back for the head coach role, a front office position allows him to have greater influence both on and off the field. Hopefully, Shad Khan gives Coughlin enough authority over Caldwell that he’s able to build his third championship team.
Ben: Coughlin being back in town is great. He’s head and shoulders the best football mind in the facility. Caldwell needed someone to check his decisions since Khan clearly hasn’t been able to do so. I expect the atmosphere around the team to be more hard-nosed and professional which is exactly what a young team needs to keep their players focused and well-prepared week in and week out.
Paul: Coughlin coming back to Jacksonville was my favorite part about the big news for the Jaguars. Even though he’s getting older, he has a winning mentality. It will be interesting to see how Marrone, Coughlin, and Caldwell work together.
Sam: I’m overjoyed about Coughlin coming home. I think just his presence and being able to provide wisdom to everyone in this organization from players, to coaches, to Caldwell, to Khan will be incredibly useful. Definitely the right move to make in my opinion.
Where Does the Defense Go from Here?
John: I think the defense is just scratching the surface of their potential. A lot of people overlook the improvements they made in 2016 because it didn’t translate to wins, but they play extremely well at times. Aside from Paul Posluszny, all of the major contributors are under 30. Another season playing together and growing as players will only benefit the unit. The sky is the limit for a lot of these guys.
William: The defense is only going to get better. With no top tier offensive talent in this draft class, that should mean that another great prospect will be added to the defense. While I strongly believe that we should’ve hired a new defensive coordinator, it will be interesting to see how much better we play without the Seattle system.
Ben: The defense took a nice step in the right direction this year, but we still have issues rushing the passer and creating turnovers (sound familiar?). A new scheme change must happen because this system clearly doesn’t work outside of the city of Seattle. The defense has good talent, but it lacks consistent playmakers.
Paul: The defense should hopefully improve. They were the bright spot in an otherwise horrid season. However, there’s still a lot of room to improve especially in scheme. A lot of defenders voiced negative opinions once the season ended and that’s not good. There should be a culture change besides improvement.
Sam: It seems like the Jaguars are reportedly going to hang on to defensive coordinator Todd Wash. This would scare me because players like Jalen Ramsey and Tashaun Gipson have said they felt “caged” in this system. However, I’m also hearing that Wash will be moving away from Bradley’s system so as of right now I’m in a “wait and see” mode to see how Wash’s new system will pan out. The talent on defense is still good though, so overall, I’m not very worried.
Is Caldwell a Good or Bad GM?
John: Dave Caldwell is a good GM. Compare the current roster to the roster he inherited before the 2013 season. It’s not even close. The job of the general manager is to supply the team with enough talent to win ball games, Caldwell has done that. It’s easy to pin Gus Bradley’s shortcomings on Caldwell since he’s the one who hired him, but the good far outweighs the bad.
William: Caldwell has done a decent job in Jacksonville. Say what you will, but he killed the 2014 NFL Draft. Yes, he may have missed on Blake Bortles and Luke Joeckel is an ugly pick in hindsight, but most of his selections have been solid. And his contract handling is almost second to none.
Ben: Caldwell is a bad GM. His 2013 draft class was terrible. He hired the worst head coach in the history of the NFL, and then waited way too long to fire him. He drafted arguably the worst QB in the 2014 draft ahead of any other QB taken. His 2014 draft class was good, but I don’t give him credit for 2016 because any rational person would have chosen Ramsey and Myles Jack. The 2015 draft class needs another year to review Dante Fowler, but so far that class has been very underwhelming as well. Caldwell is also terrible in free agency.
Paul: Dave Caldwell is a good GM. It’s obvious that Coach Bradley wasn’t successful. But who would have known that? He was a successful defensive coordinator for one of the best teams in football. I think Caldwell has done a decent job drafting players but slightly worse in free agency. Is he perfect? By no means, but I prefer him to Gene Smith and I believe he has the potential to be a great GM. However, the next three years are very important for him. Maybe even the next one or two depending on the team’s success.
Sam: I might be in the minority, but I still think Caldwell is a good GM. I think he had a bad draft his first year, but since then has improved tremendously as a drafter. I think he has struggled with free agency but showed more promise last offseason. Also, he’s great at creating contracts, so that if he does have a mistake in judgment it doesn’t hurt the team too much. I think the Coughlin hire will only benefit Caldwell.
Super Bowl 51 Predictions
John: It will be the Patriots and the Packers meeting up in Houston on February 5th. Tom Brady further cements his legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time by beating Aaron Rodgers in a shootout and getting himself a thumb ring in the process.
William: The neutral in me wants to see Pittsburgh vs Atlanta in Houston, because we’d probably see the highest scoring Super Bowl in history. However, it will likely be a contest between New England and Atlanta; with Tom Brady getting the final piece of his knuckle duster.
Ben: New England and Seattle for a hyped-up rematch. However, Tom Brady will torch the Seahawks in a blowout win for his fifth Super Bowl ring.
Paul: The Packers vs. the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I predict the Packers will continue to run the table and win Super Bowl 51.
Sam: I’ll go with a Falcons vs. Patriots Super Bowl with New England taking it all.
Be Sure to Follow Us
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out each author’s LWOS page to read more of their previous work and if you’re on Twitter give them a follow.
John: LWOS page: https://lastwordonprofootball.com/author/john-shirey/
William: LWOS page: https://lastwordonprofootball.com/author/willfrost/
Twitter: @willfrost_
Ben: LWOS page: https://lastwordonprofootball.com/author/benjaminthompson/
Twitter: @JagsBenLWOS
Paul: LWOS page: https://lastwordonprofootball.com/author/paulmartin/
Twitter: @ p_mar93
