Luke Sims, Black and Teal
Gus Bradley got his dream LEO edge rusher in Dante Fowler Jr. during the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. I can only imagine the smile that is spread across his face on a daily basis right now.
Gus Bradley deserves to be feeling good.
It wasn’t just Dante Fowler that should have him happy, though. Bradley has come away with three decent to strong drafts since he took the reins of the Jacksonville Jaguars. His partnership with general manager Dave Caldwell has been fruitful, though not in the win column.
In 2015, it may be time that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Gus Bradley finally started to put the wins together. That third decent draft combined with a massive free agency period has finally put the right pieces in place for the Jags to make a push toward .500.
For some of us, the optimism began early. The day the 2015 NFL Schedule came out, the Jaguars looked like they were ok. Maybe they could double their wins from 2014 (giving them six for 2015) or maybe even make a push for 9-7! That optimism was well and good back then, but with the 2015 NFL Draft in the books, it may actually be time for all of us to start thinking optimistically. The Jaguars were decently competitive in many games in 2014 and with even better talent on both sides of the ball, they could pull off a few more wins.
Dante Fowler, Dan Skuta, Julius Thomas, Devon House, Jermey Parnell, these are all guys who are going to make a big difference in their first year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then with young players like T.J. Yeldon, Allen Robinson, and Blake Bortles expected to carry big loads, the Jaguars are looking like a highly talented team.
Talent doesn’t always bring wins, though. The pieces are being given to Gus Bradley. He has players with the skill to be successful. But they are young. They are raw. They need to be polished, nurtured by a coaching staff that knows how to get the best out of each player. They need to be developed into players who can execute down to the smallest detail and improvise effectively when it all hits the fan.
Gus Bradley has his work cut out for him, but at least the material he is working with is high quality. Owner Shad Khan didn’t say there is a specific number of wins that Bradley and Caldwell must reach to save their jobs, but as the team gears up for the 2015 season we should all keep that .500 benchmark in our minds as a possibility and realistic measurement of the 2015 season.
