Category: Uncategorized

John: I don’t think we can definitively say Bradley has “lost the locker room,” although there’s no question there’s more frustration this season than the past few seasons. That frustration seemed to show up on the field in the fourth quarter against Oakland and the second quarter against Tennessee. If it continues in that vein, then it’s indeed not a good reflection on Bradley and the coaching staff. But for now my sense is it’s not as much about players not listening to coaches as an overall frustration with losing – and with an offense that is struggling to get first downs. When that happens, frustration is a logical end – though it’s still disturbing to see it manifest itself in the manner we’ve seen in recent weeks.

John: I will not be stepping in as offensive coordinator.

John: The odds are from any objective point of view are small – very, very small. Arrowhead is a brutally tough place to play. That’s one issue. Another is the Chiefs are playing very smart and mistake-free – as evidenced by their plus-nine turnover margin. The Jaguars are not playing smart or mistake-free – as evidenced by their minus-eight turnover margin. The Jaguars also haven’t beaten a team two or more games over .500 in the last four seasons. None of that means the Jaguars can’t win Sunday, but it does mean that a Jaguars victory would be one of their bigger upsets in recent memory.

John: Yes, it would be wonderful for the Jaguars if Bortles was one of the young quarterbacks in the NFL playing at a high level. He’s not. So, what … he should just stop trying?

John: I have written often that there is a lot going wrong with the Jaguars, but in the NFL, quarterback play trumps all else. No, the play-calling has not been perfect, but to my experience in the NFL, play-calling can always be questioned. And yes, the defense has played poorly at times – particularly against Tennessee – and the run game has been weak. But struggling quarterback play is a bigger concern than those issues, and it’s why Bortles remains a focus. The No. 1 issue for this team entering the season was whether Bortles would continue the improvement he showed last season. The No. 1 issue is now whether he can pull out of the struggles he is having now and get back to something like he was last season – and then develop after that. For whatever else is going on, that remains Storyline No. 1.

John: Welcome, Luke. My perspective is you’re right about these players and coaches caring. My perspective is that they care very much, and that’s why the frustration level is so high. This team and fan base generally had a very strong belief it was going to be better this season, and with that being the case it’s not surprising that poor on-field results have caused negative reaction. I don’t think what’s going on is as much of a mystery as players and coaches are saying publicly. The offense has struggled mightily in the first seven games, and those struggles have caused what might have been a 3-4 or 4-3 start to be a disappointing 2-5 start. A huge part of the offensive struggles has been the play of Bortles and another huge part has been the inability to run the ball. Some of the perception that the Jaguars “don’t know what’s going on” stems from the team not really wanting to call these areas out over and over again. The move to promote Nathaniel Hackett to offensive coordinator and for Bortles to work with his personal quarterbacks coach this week were made at least in part to address those issues. We’ll see if those moves work – and if they do, we’ll see how much of an effect they have on the Jaguars’ results.

John: The season is not over, but at 2-5 they need to win some games fast – and those games probably need to come on consecutive weeks with very few losses mixed in.

John: #DTWD

John: There’s realistically not a whole lot of new, creative ground to cover when a head coach dismisses a coordinator. The talk typically is about a need for a change, and a need for improvement. They’re usually made with an understanding that a departing coordinator is not all at fault but that something needed to be done and changing the coordinator is possible while changing a roster of players is not. Will Hackett cure every Jaguars offensive problem? Highly doubtful. Can a change lead to at least some improvement? That’s certainly the hope and the rest of the season pretty much hangs in the balance. We shall see.

John: I suppose it’s possible that two or three years working on mechanics would have helped Bortles. But you’re right that we’ll never know and I think the cases of first-round quarterbacks getting that much time to develop will continue to be very, very rare.

John: Quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator are two dramatically different jobs. Bortles has not flourished this season, but that doesn’t mean Nathaniel Hackett can’t call plays effectively.

John: #DTWD

John: Bill, if I had the answer to Bortles’ mechanics issues I not only would be on the Jaguars’ coaching staff, I’d pretty much be the star of the show around these parts. I also would be making a far sight more than is currently the case. The best answer I can give is that Bortles’ accuracy issues seem to stem from inconsistent footwork and body positioning, which at times seem lead to mechanics that are poor enough to cause him to throw really, really inaccurately. That’s not all of the time, but it has happened often enough this season to be a serious concern. It also has happened often enough that he addressed it by working with Adam Dedeaux – his personal quarterbacks coach – in Jacksonville Monday and Tuesday. Will that work benefit Bortles? Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said Bortles looked good in practice this week. Bradley also said there overall has been a different – and presumably, better – feel to practice this week with new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett running the offense. Will that better feel translate to better performance Sunday? Ah … ‘tis indeed the question.

John: My guess is Bortles will start the entire season because I think he would have to struggle the way he has the last two games for several more games for the Jaguars to consider starting someone else. I can’t imagine him continuing to play this poorly because I have seen him play better than this in the past. As for pie … OK, maybe I was exaggerating. I don’t hate all pie – just the kind you like.

John: There’s no way to determine exactly how much of what happens on the field truly falls on a head coach. If a head coach, for example, tells a player multiple times in practice to run a pass pattern in a certain way and he doesn’t, is that the fault of the player or coach? If a player physically isn’t good enough to win a matchup and he loses that matchup, is that the fault of the head coach? Reason tells you in both cases that the head coach couldn’t control that situation. At the same time, this is professional sports. In professional sports, the head coach gets credit when teams win and blame when they lose. In that respect it’s all the responsibility of the head coach.

John: He must improve decision-making and pocket presence. Both typically improve with experience, and both have been areas of concern at times for Bortles.

John: Well, the Jaguars would have a franchise left tackle – and Kelvin Beachum probably wouldn’t be on the roster. Beyond that …

John: Well, that wasn’t very nice now, was it?

John: The Jaguars’ offensive line actually has pass-blocked OK for the most part this season. The unit has not run-blocked well. There is optimism that that will change under new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. I understand people not sharing this optimism. We’ll see if it looks different Sunday.

John: OK.

John: No. I don’t think the Jaguars would take that approach. First, while Bortles’ mechanics could improve and solidify a bit this week from his work with Dedeaux, there’s a limit to how much you’re going to get done in this area during the season. Second, anything Bortles does with Dedeaux will be on his own time rather than within the framework of normal game preparation.

John: I’m assuming for the purposes of your question that the Jaguars will no longer be in playoff contention. If that is the case in your scenario, I would start Brandon Allen.

John: Hypothetical is the operative word here because with nine games remaining there is still a lot of time this season to get a better read on Bortles’ future. It also is important to note that the support for Bortles as the starter for this organization right now remains strong. A lot of this issue also obviously depends on how Bortles responds to the work done with Dedeaux – and to the changes Hackett implements to the offense. I’m skeptical that we’ll see dramatic immediate change. The question in that case would become whether or not you believe that more diligent work in the coming offseason can allow Bortles to first get back to how he played last season but – more importantly – develop and improve from that point. If the team decides he’s not the guy, the process would be much the same as for any team seeking a quarterback: determine what’s available via free agency/trade and decide if that is the solution you seek. If not, draft the best quarterback you can. The positive in that scenario is that the learning curve for a young quarterback needn’t be as long as once was the case. The negative is that a new quarterback by definition is a mammoth upheaval and you don’t know the results until it plays itself out.

John: This is one of the key areas to watch in the coming weeks. I say “coming weeks” and not Sunday because I don’t know that you’ll see the totality of what Hackett wants to do offensively in just one game. Still, the change in coordinator is perhaps the best chance to see if this line indeed can improve as a run-blocking unit. The line actually has pass blocked well this season – well enough, certainly, for the passing offense to function at a higher level. But the running offense with rare exceptions hasn’t worked this season. Is that simply because the unit can’t run block? Should the offense be more committed to it? Can Hackett find down-and-distance situations from which to run that can give the Jaguars more success? Those are some questions that should get answered in the coming weeks.

John: There are a couple of reasons. One is that a coordinator essentially would have to rewrite and retranslate an entire playbook upon arrival with a team, something that would add to the complexity of the situation as opposed to simplifying it. Making the changes also would cause time to be spent on minutiae and details rather than teaching the playbook. Perhaps the biggest reason you wouldn’t force a “Team Language” is you would significantly cut down your coordinator pool of candidates. If a coordinator had a choice between a team at which he could use his own playbook/language system and one at which he had to “translate” his system into the verbiage of another team, he almost certainly would opt for the place where he could use his own system.

John: Sure. Why not?

John: Your email indicates that Jaguars coaches are somehow forcing Bortles to change his mechanics against his will. Nothing could be further from the truth. Coaches really don’t care how a quarterback throws if the passes are effective and accurate. That hasn’t been the case with Bortles. Also, it’s Bortles who in two-plus seasons in the NFL has focused on mechanics – and with reason. He knew upon entering the league they were – and perhaps – always would be an issue on which he had to focus. He has worked hard on this front at times in his career – and there have been times that diligence has produced results. He got some work in this area again this week – sort of a touch-up, if you will. We’ll see if that touch-up has the desired effect.

John: I know.

John: I do remember the Ross comment … who could forget? It would be hard to make an argument that the second quarter of the Titans game was a Hallmark of Effort for this team – particularly defensively – but for the most part this season I haven’t seen effort as being an issue. Concentration? Discipline? Focus? Yes, yes, yes – but not effort.

John: Yes.

John: You know what, Chad? You’re right that it’s not an automatic loss. But I’d be disingenuous to say it’s not one of the toughest tasks of the Gus Bradley era. The Chiefs make few mistakes, and you have to earn victories against them. The Jaguars have struggled in key areas in recent weeks and have done little to nothing to make you think they’re going to change that. It’s exceedingly tough to win at Arrowhead Stadium and pretty much all stories around the Jaguars right now are slanted toward off-field stuff to the degree that it’s hard to imagine there’s not some level of distraction. If the Jaguars win this game, it would be one of the more surprising victories I’ve seen in some time. On the one hand, that means it’s a difficult task. On the other hand, it gives them one more opportunity to come together as a team and pull out an impressive victory. This team hasn’t taken advantage of those sorts of opportunities. Perhaps this weekend will be that time.

John: That’s the hope.

John: I agree that the personal foul penalties must be coached out of this team. Let’s see if that can start Sunday. As for the pass rush, while the defense hasn’t gotten enough pressure, a hu-u-u-u-u-uuge factor in that has been the Jaguars’ inability to get a lead. I don’t think this defense would be putting up legendary sacks numbers if it played with leads, but it’s awfully hard to generate pass rush when the opposing offense isn’t in a situation in which it has to pass.

John: A struggling quarterback figures out why he’s struggling and improves. A bad one doesn’t. Which one is Blake Bortles? Time will tell.

John: How fortuitous for both of us. First, no one would give you hiring power – and second, I hate pie.

John: I think the Jaguars’ offense under Hackett will be significantly more committed to the run and will stick with the run even if it might appear initially it’s not working. The Jaguars believe a greater commitment and “stick-to-it-iveness” is needed in this area – and that the commitment will make a difference. That’s the general vibe. I also think you may see the Jaguars run from different formations than you previously saw this season. I imagine, too, Hackett could mix in up-tempo possessions more quickly than Olson. Will all of that make a difference? Will the Jaguars move the ball better? I suppose I’d say yes – not so much because of anything Olson was or wasn’t doing, but because it would be hard to be worse offensively than the Jaguars have been in the first half in recent weeks.

John: You may have a point – even though I have no idea what you’re talking about.

John: The real story is the Jaguars had scored six points in the last three first halves and that the offense wasn’t moving well enough to give the team a chance to win. Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley thought some sort of change was needed, and he didn’t see a change happening with Olson as the coordinator. Once he decided that was the move, he promoted Hackett partly because Hackett had NFL play-calling experience. I’ve said often this week that the move feels like a Hail Mary – and that considering how Blake Bortles has played at quarterback this season, I am hard-pressed to tell you what Olson could have or should have done differently. But considering the circumstance, Bradley felt compelled to do something – and this was it. I understand the need to find the conspiracy and the inside story, but this was a case of Bradley wanting to do something – anything – to fix an offense that by any measure has been stagnant. Hopefully for all involved it will work.

John: Many national analysts believed the Jaguars would contend for a playoff spot and an AFC South title this season – in fact, that was kind of an offseason theme. Some local analysts – myself included – predicted closer to 9-7 or 7-9. I said repeatedly I believed the defense would be at the very least OK and that the key to the season was whether or not the offense and specifically Bortles made some very difficult Year-2-to-Year-3 improvements. That doesn’t make me any sort of visionary … but it does mean I could use a rub down because patting yourself on the back can be rough on the soft tissue … but sure, listen to the national guys if you want. Considering what predictions are actually worth, theirs are as good as any.

John: OK.

John: Whoa! First off: step back, Cir-Ike. We sure don’t need you slipping. Second, while it has looked bad in recent weeks – and while Sunday’s game looks like a very difficult matchup – all hope is not lost. Things are usually not as bad as they look in the NFL – and teams usually follow up bad losses with better performances and even unpredicted victories. That’s not giving you a lot, but until the Jaguars show more, that’s what I got.

John: What you have to lose is in your scenario is Blake Bortles as a potential franchise quarterback. If you’re ready to put Bortles completely in the past tense, then start Allen. Until then, don’t.

John: I haven’t dug deep into this whole player-fan-whose-right-whose-wrong-who-said-what thing because, frankly, there’s not much digging to do. I’ve said repeatedly that fans have every right to boo and that players have every right to not like it. Players also have every right to complain about it – but if they do, it will never, ever, ever, EVER be received well by fans. This is why I don’t delve into it much: because the story has the same ending every time and no one ever seems to come out on the other end happy. I honestly haven’t seen a booing-complaining story linger on as long as this one, but the disappointment/disillusion around this season is pretty high right now. None of this in my opinion truly reflects on the “character” of the players in the locker room, and I honestly don’t believe it’s a sign that players don’t like the fans. They don’t like getting booed and they perhaps unwisely and unfortunately commented on the matter. Bottom line? A few victories would cure a lot of ills – but I suppose that’s true of a lot around this organization right now.

John: It’s not ideal. Then again, ideal pulled out of the station a while back.

John: Are fans fanning? Darned right they are – and fans absolutely, positively have the right to be historically, monumentally, mind-blowingly angry at what has transpired the past couple of weeks. The loss to Oakland? Bad. The Tennessee loss? I don’t know how to describe that level of bad. But if there indeed is a perception that the organization doesn’t care, that perception couldn’t be more inaccurate. The primary factor creating said perception seems to be Owner Shad Khan’s commitment to Head Coach Gus Bradley – and there certainly are fans who believe changing the head coach would solve all that ails this team. But remember: It is the job of Khan and Jaguars leadership to balance short-term calls for action with the long-term big picture. Decisions made for the good of the long term aren’t always popular in the short term, but it doesn’t mean those making the decisions aren’t trying – or caring. And to think that Khan and Jaguars leadership aren’t trying or caring is to be so far from reality as to be beyond the point of comprehension. They care, and they’re as frustrated as those doing the fanning these days. That doesn’t help ease the disappointment, but it is the truth.

John: Yes.

John: Hackett indeed is an energetic guy. The Jaguars need that energy to infuse life into this offense – and into Bortles. Players seem confident it can play out that way. Will that confidence automatically glean yardage and points? No, but the confidence can’t hurt.

John: I’m hesitant to bang the table for a game plan that calls for a struggling quarterback to “let it rip” and play up-tempo, and I don’t think that will be the approach. I think it’s more likely the Jaguars reemphasize the running game. Either way, I like the enthusiasm – and the exclamation points!

John: Of course not. It’s never “just” any one thing in the NFL.

John: I agree that the lack of practice time has hurt tackling and line play, though I associate the drop in line play more with the advent of spread offenses at the college level. Either way, don’t look for return to the “old days.” The current practice rules were negotiated in the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, and adding practice time isn’t something the players association likely will approve.

John: Of course Khan is concerned about Jaguars fans. To think otherwise is to completely misunderstand the situation. Khan wants to win. He wants to win because NFL owners want to win, and he wants to win because of this fan base. As for regaining fan support, that’s simple: win.

John: #DTWD

John: I guess I say the Jaguars are closer to a better team than four years ago for a pretty simple reason: I believe they are a more talented roster than they were four years ago. This is not to say they are a team of experienced, veteran, mature players at all positions – because that’s clearly not the case. This also is not to say they are a good team – because 2-5 teams are not good teams. But there are far more positions with capable players than was the case four years ago. And while this is not a week to laud specific players, I will say that Fowler’s issues center around maturity more than skill set, that Jackson’s significantly more worthy than your email indicates, that the Allen brothers are more capable as well and that the offensive line is actually pass blocking well despite its run blocking … but as I said, the wake of Thursday’s ugly loss is not a time when anything looks or feels or smells or tastes good. As for my confession … while there’s no way I thought this team would be 2-5 after seven games there also is no way this team will need five years to be competitive. Not even close.

John: I think let’s see what the next few weeks bring.

John: I sense a quarterback who’s having a remarkably difficult season and who appears to be going through the expected, understandable crisis of confidence that goes along with that. I see a locker room of teammates that knows that quarterback can play well because they have seen him do so – but that also is expectedly frustrated with losing. As for lost faith … I’m never sure how to gauge that. I sense Bortles’ offensive teammates are not as confident as a group as they were last season and it stands to reason that Bortles’ play is part of that. I also sense that a few productive games – or even a few productive series – would make a lot of things better in a hurry.

John: One-on-one time is not specifically limited by the CBA, so a player could theoretically receive one-on-one instruction any day except the players’ off day (usually Tuesday). But players are in meetings, walkthroughs, film study and practice on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – a schedule that severely limits time for one-on-one, mechanic/fundamental-oriented work. That’s what makes the offseason – particularly the time between the regular season and the beginning of the official offseason program – so important.

John: Kansas City.

John: It indeed has been too long since the Jaguars have had a rhythm offensively. Offensive rhythm more often than not is reserved for teams with consistent quarterbacks functioning at a high level. Even when Blake Bortles was playing well last season he was rarely efficient and before that … so, yeah, it has been a while.

John: I say that right now Carr looks better than Bortles. With Carr playing as he has played this season and Bortles playing the way he has played this season it would be foolish to say otherwise. It didn’t look nearly as clearly that way at the end of last season. If nothing changes, then yeah … it’s probably accurate to say Caldwell missed on the selection. Bortles obviously needs to fix some significant things in terms of mechanics and performance. If he can’t, then it’s a bad thing and he may have a short career as a starter. If he can, then we’ll all be revisiting this question.

John: Yes, that’s how he looks – and it’s how he looked at times last year. When I said people are piling on Bortles a bit, I included myself as much as anyone. What I meant was there is a lot going wrong right now – and it’s truly not all Bortles. But is his play troubling right now, and it is a focal point when discussing reasons the Jaguars are struggling.

John: I say Shad Khan now has owned the Jaguars for nearly five years. I say he’s a remarkably intelligent man. I say when he makes decisions regarding the future of this franchise he will make them based on his experience, his research and his increasing knowledge of the NFL. And I say that’s how an intelligent owner should make decisions.

John: A couple of thoughts here: One is that while a quarterback coach’s job does involve mechanics, identifying a mechanical problem doesn’t mean having a quarterback who is able to fix the problem. More pertinently, it also does not mean having time to fix the problem. Remember that under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement coaches are limited in how much time they have with players – and most of that time for quarterbacks is spent on execution, game-planning and practicing as opposed to working on mechanics. Tweaking and honing mechanics must take place before organized team activities begin, which is why Bortles worked with Tom House in California so extensively in the 2015 offseason. The most important thing to remember, though, is that Bortles’ mechanics have nothing to do with Hackett’s ability to game plan and call offensive plays. One has nothing to do the other – and how someone fares at one is no indication of how they will perform at the other.

John: I know.

John: I believe the Jaguars will win more than four games this season, though I can’t blame you for disagreeing. I also can’t blame you for apathy. That’s because it’s not up to you to avoid that feeling; it’s up to the team – and the team hasn’t played well enough to make you avoid it. There’s no rule that says the team can’t start playing better and make you feel better about the rest of the season. We’ll see if it does that.

John: We’re not there yet.

John: Yes, though I don’t believe he will.

John: I’m not a big believer that whip a## is needed to be a good head coach, but considering the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that continue to occur, something is needed. The Jaguars pulled Dante Fowler Jr. out for the remainder of the first half after a second-quarter penalty Thursday. He has had a lot of silly penalties this season. Perhaps that’s a start.

John: No. In particular reference to Bortles, I never got the impression the past two seasons that he was suffering from any sort of heavy toll of being sacked too much. And he actually has struggled more this season playing behind a line this season that has pass blocked far better than it did in his previous two seasons.

John: Potential, size, mobility, intangibles, upside – mostly upside.

John: Stay cool tonight, Eddie.

John: I understand why you’re picking up that odor, and certainly any midseason coaching change has a tendency to take on that aroma. The Jaguars reached a point where something evidently needed to be tried. This is what they’re trying. It’s not the ideal option, but when you’re changing coordinators midseason it’s safe to say you’re past the point of ideal situations.

John: Yes it’s possible to improve those things in the offseason. Bortles in fact improved those things in the 2015 offseason – though they seem to have regressed this season. It’s not my impression that his arm is tired or hurt, though that doesn’t mean it’s not.

John: My thoughts on Brandon Allen have been gleaned from organized team activities, training camp and preseason because we don’t see practice during the regular season. He has arm talent and throws a good-looking ball. He at times looked better in terms of spiral and velocity than Bortles; but spiral and velocity aren’t the NFL end-all. He appears to have a lot of positives, and I know the team very much likes his potential. That does not mean he yet knows fundamentals and NFL basics – or that he is ready in terms of grasp of the offense – well enough to start in the NFL.

John: I agree that there has been some piling on of Blake Bortles – and without question I’ve been guilty of that here in the O-Zone. The Jaguars indeed have struggled in the run game and that is not all on Bortles. Still, the current NFL depends on the passing game executing at a certain competitive level. The Jaguars’ passing game, particularly in the last two weeks, hasn’t done that. Some of that has been receivers dropping passes, but the biggest factor has been Bortles’ inaccuracy and decision-making. It’s probably accurate to say those issues have gotten more play than any other issue facing the Jaguars, but the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. When that position is struggling it’s front-page stuff and nothing else makes the front page.

John: This was a common sentiment in the inbox Saturday, and I get it. Many readers had focused on offensive coordinator Greg Olson as the reason for the Jaguars’ issues this season – and the team indeed parted ways with Olson on Saturday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett. I long have said I’m not given to a midseason coordinator or head coaching change because it’s usually change for change’s sake – and because such changes often produce little long-term gain. Hackett is very smart and very capable of running the offense, but I am skeptical Saturday’s move will have an earth-shaking impact on the offense. That has nothing to do with Hackett and everything to do with being skeptical that what ails the offense – quarterback Blake Bortles’ struggles and the offensive line’s struggles to run block – will be magically fixed. At the same time, the Jaguars’ offense had reached a point where nothing was working. The unit scored six first-half points in the past three games and the performance in a 60-yard, zero-points first half against Tennessee Thursday clearly had the effect of frustrating players on both sides of the ball. Maybe this move is change for the sake of change, but – as many readers have noted – there seems little harm to the team in changing. Perhaps the change will yield earth-shaking results. Perhaps it will spur players to respond. Perhaps Hackett will find something to help Bortles regain confidence. That’s certainly possible. Here’s hoping for the sake of this offense, the franchise and the quarterback that it happens. The aforementioned group and anyone associated with the Jaguars sure would think that was cool. They would like it.

John: Bradley changed his mind.

John: Many fans indeed gave up on Gus Bradley long ago. Many just as certainly did not. Many pros gave up on Gus Bradley a while back. Many did not. As far as Bortles … sure, it’s fair to fear that the Jaguars are traveling a road right now where they must give a young, highly-drafted quarterback a chance to prove whether or not he’s the guy. That’s the deal when you draft quarterbacks early. They must be given time to prove if they’re the guy. The signs haven’t been good the last two weeks. They were better last year. Which are right? The rest of the season could determine the answer.

John: This is a brutally tough season so far – and indeed, the masses are expectedly roaring about coaching. And that roar has reached deafening levels. But that roar gets deafening whenever teams lose and whenever fan bases grow weary of a team’s direction. I won’t argue the fact that the Jaguars’ discipline on the field has been troubling this season. The unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties point to that. If the season continues in this vein, I can’t imagine changes won’t be made. Nine games remain. Time will tell.

John: The way the Jaguars have played the last two weeks makes this point difficult to argue. What needs to happen to make the Jaguars play better? Improvement at the quarterback position would be a start. Improved run blocking would help, too. If those areas could have some success early in games and give the team a chance to play with a lead, it’s my belief that the Jaguars’ defense is more than capable of playing well throughout an entire game. That combination could move this team a lot closer to being competitive. This didn’t remotely happen Thursday but it has happened enough that it’s not insane to think it could happen again. It’s very difficult to win scoring two points per half offensively. That has been the Jaguars’ offensive production in the last three games. If that improves, everything else will look much better. Will it happen? I can’t predict that. If it doesn’t, it’s going to be a long nine weeks.

John: There’s little any coach can say in a press conference to inspire confidence if results aren’t happening on the field. A press conference is by definition “talk” and therefore words. Action is what happens on the field. Actions speak louder than words.

John: Not in the last two weeks. As for last season, his statistics indeed were partly compiled late in one-sided games, but by no means were all of them overly inflated. He wasn’t great last season. He needed to improve entering this season. Those things are true, but to paint all of last season as being worthless and inflated is incorrect.

John: Over.

John: No, this does not look like a slump. This at best looks like a young quarterback still finding his way and needing serious work on throwing motion and mechanics This at worse feels like a young quarterback who won’t develop into a franchise quarterback. Because of the last two games many believe it’s the latter. It’s up to him to prove it’s the former.

John: I say you’re right. I don’t know that that means Khan absolutely has decided to make changes, but there’s little question he has a plan.

John: When the Washington Redskins lost to the Chicago Bears 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game, Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh was asked if the outcome would have been any different had a Redskins player not dropped a touchdown pass early in the game. Baugh said it would have been different. The score would have been 73-7. Had the Jaguars won against the Packers they would be 3-4. Would that make the last two games feel different or changed their outcome? I can’t say that.

John: ….

John: The Jaguars haven’t benched Bortles because they have seen enough in Bortles to believe he can develop into a quality NFL quarterback. If he is benched it becomes unlikely he ever will develop into such a player for this franchise. The way Bortles has played in recent weeks has caused many to question his future, but for now the Jaguars must support him and believe.

John: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever say it couldn’t be any worse.

John: Every situation is different. There have been situations in which 2-5, struggling teams indeed right the ship and even make the postseason. This does not feel like one of those situations, but those situations never feel savable until they are saved. What will it take for it to click? It must start with better quarterback play. That’s not to say that is all that’s going wrong. Not even close. The defensive effort and performance Thursday was questionable at best and bad at worst – and there are ongoing discipline issues. There also is the ongoing issue with the team’s run blocking. Still, it’s a quarterback-driven league. When the position isn’t functioning very little around it can function, either.

John: When teams play as the Jaguars did Thursday everything gets called into question. I believe this is a more talented roster than Year 1 – or 2013, if you will. I believe it showed that in the first five games of the season. Frankly, so much is going wrong right now that it’s hard to pinpoint a reason. I believe the offense’s struggles are reaching the point where it is eroding a lot of other good things around it. I believe coaching has been an increasing issue in terms of discipline this season, and while that surprises me, something absolutely must be done to stop that being an issue. Mostly I believe that as bad as a lot of things look right now a lot could get solved with more efficient quarterbacking. It’s not the end-all and it hasn’t been the primary issue for four seasons. But it’s a glaring one right now.

John: This is a question I’m getting a lot. The benefit of keeping Bradley is there is little evidence historically of mid-season coaching changes making a tangible difference. That means that if there’s a chance of salvaging this season then that chance rests on stability. It’s clear Khan wants the organizational philosophy to be one of stability, and midseason coaching changes are the hallmark of unstable organizations. The cynical among us may state that 2-5 franchises that get blown out on national television while getting outgained 354-60 in first halves aren’t exactly rock solid in terms of stability, and it would be hard to argue that point right now with the cynical types. But the bottom line is that’s the reasoning for staying the course. A mid-season coaching change might have a short-term positive effect, but it likely wouldn’t be lasting. That’s the reasoning. Feel about it how you will.

John: This is the other side of the coaching conversation. The points are valid. Readers are as upset and disillusioned, and understandably so. The product on the field hasn’t been good enough, and to follow up the Raiders performance with the Titans performance? Well, you used the word “embarrassing.” That fits.

John: It obviously hasn’t looked good on this front the past two weeks. It appears we have nine games to find out for sure.

John: You’re right that the players weren’t trying to get Bradley fired, but I can’t argue how it looked – and I can’t argue that it appeared there was a lack of focus or effort at times. Something was undoubtedly lacking. That’s how it looked. Why did it look like that? I wish I knew.

John: A successful season right now would be going 8-8. That would mean winning six of nine games. It would also help if the Jaguars got good quarterback play and went through the final nine games with no wheels-are-off moments. There must be progress. Somehow, some way. That’s what’s necessary. There has been little indication in the last two weeks of such a turnaround, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

John: Frankly, I am a bit shocked, too. I didn’t expect greatness from this team. I expected a push for .500, perhaps – and I certainly didn’t expect anything like what we saw Thursday. There’s very little to say. Thursday was total defeat. It shouldn’t be this way.

John: That’s how it feels. It shouldn’t feel that way because this season shouldn’t be 2-5 with one-sided, national-television losses. But that’s how it does feel. Bad. Really bad.

John: For long, long stretches Thursday – yeah, pretty much.

John: If they weren’t off in the first half I don’t want to be around when they do come off.

John: That’s an understandable sentiment. This was a team that needed to bring its best effort Thursday. That did not appear to be such an effort.

John: No, there was no offense Thursday – at least not when it mattered. But on Thursday there honestly wasn’t enough of anything. There’s little question the offensive stagnation hurt, and ineffectiveness on that side of the ball drags everything down. But the Jaguars’ defense also allowed a 36-yard second-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Kendall Wright that was far too easy and the Titans had 354 yards offense at halftime. This was bad – inexcusably, franchise-shakingly bad – all around.

John: This is not the time for cute answers, though I’m sure I could think of a few. There seems little question that Bortles is struggling with confidence right now – and with reason. He’s not playing well. The Jaguars’ offense showed few if any signs of life early Thursday, and you never had a real feeling – particularly in the first half – that that was going to change. I don’t know where Bortles’ head is at. I only know this Jaguars offense doesn’t seem to have answers and it’s tearing apart the season.

John: This was the much-anticipated, over-analyzed, oft-ballyhooed first email of the game. No word on when Adam drifted into the land of nod.

John: Thursday’s performance was the sort that often prompts change. I don’t know if it will prompt change in this case. We’ll see.

John: That’s certainly true of the offense, with the frustrating thing for the team obviously being that the defense in many stretches has played OK. They didn’t play remotely OK during the second quarter Thursday. But whatever … we won’t nit-pick on this one. Yeah, it’s bad.

John: Shocking was absolutely the right word – for parts of this Jaguars season, but certainly for what transpired Thursday night. I expected the Jaguars to play disciplined and turn in an inspired performance Thursday. I don’t know that I realistically expected them to win because I thought without defensive tackle Roy Miller III this was going to be a tough matchup for the defense. I also doubted whether the offense could suddenly find itself in four days. But I didn’t expect 27-0 at halftime. I didn’t expect a 354-60 total-yardage edge for Tennessee at halftime. The degree to which the Jaguars were dominated was shocking. Absolutely.