Where do the Jaguars go from here

The Jaguars are back in Jacksonville searching for answers. The Jaguars played well against Steelers and the Steelers in back-to-back games, but only won one of those games. So where do the Jags go from here?

The Jags have a few questions they must answer going into the off-season. Next year, the Jaguars will have a tougher schedule than this season. Here is what I think the Jags will need to do this off-season to insure that they return to the AFC Championship game.

Find offensive linemen

The Jaguars need to find a way to protect their quarterback better, who ever that might be. The Jags gave up 24 sack this season and 164 over the span of 4-years, which could be a reason why Blake Bortles hasn’t been comfortable in the pocket. Some of it could be from him holding the ball too long, while most of the blame could come from the offensive line. In Blake’s rookie year, he was sacked 55-time; now that’s crazy.

How does anyone expect a quarterback to play well if he is getting sacked every time he drops back to pass. I always believe that a quarterback career is dictated on whether or not he has a solid offensive line in his first 2-years in the NFL.

Jacksonville should draft the best offensive linemen they can get for the first 2-rounds, and then go after the best offensive lineman in free agency.

Resign The Kicker

The reason I said resign the kicker is because it is very hard to find a solid kicker in the NFL now. Ever since they moved the extra points back, Kickers have been missing the chip shots, and from what I saw in the playoffs was a kicker who can kick a 40+ field goal right down the middle.

It is one thing for a quarterback to miss a pass, but another thing if the safety net for an offense, the Kicker, misses the field goal. If I was Jacksonville, I would make sure he stays on the team as long as possible.

Draft a slot receiver 

Jacksonville found a lot of diamond in the ruff players last off-season. We saw rookie receiver, Keelan Cole, lead the team in receptions, we also saw rookie, DeDe Westbrook, play well. I think the Jaguars should build off what these young receivers did for Bortles, and get Bortles a receiver that can catch the ball where the linebackers are.

Short quick receiver could help Bortles get the ball out of his hands a little faster that what he has been doing so far. With Allen Robinson expecting to return to full health this off-season, adding another guy that can force defenses to respect the short range passes should only help Robinson get open even more.

Resign Blake Bortles

Blake has not always done well in his career with the Jaguars, but what quarterback other than Mark Brunell has. Blake has lead the Jaguars to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, and all of a sudden people want them to change quarterbacks.

I personally have not seen a team, that has made it to the AFC Championship, game drop their quarterback for a guy who has never played in their system before lead that same team to the Super Bowl.

The Jaguars have finally put together some of the pieces needed for Blake to succeed in this league long-term, so why let him go now? Blake is better than any of the quarterbacks going into the NFL Draft.

The Jags should sign Blake to a 2-year deal, that can become longer if he produces better with the guys around him. I just think quarterbacks in the NFL are drafted in bad situations, and are expected to win sooner than the team is able too.

Remember, football is a team sport. So if the Offensive line is bad, most likely the quarterback will not have a great season.

 

(Featured photo from Gambling 911)

 

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