Jags on the rise?

[Blake]

It seems to me that everyone is picking the jags as the "suprise team" this year.

But thats just the thing. You dont pick the suprise team! They are a suprise! Oy, Sometimes I wonder about these people.

The suprise team this year will not be jacksonville due to the simple reason that everyone is picking them.

Five Questions Link

 

[Lucky]

From above SI article:

Who will be this year's Cinderella? Let's put our dollar on Jacksonville, which went 5-11 under first-year head coach Jack Del Rio in 2003. The Jaguars finished strong, winning three of their last five games...

So winning 3 out of 5 means you've "finished strong"? Add the previous game and the Jags finished 3-3. That's considered mediocre in most circles. And who did they play in those last 5 games?

Week 12 vs Tampa Bay (Jags 17, Bucs 10) - Congrats to the Jags who beat a sub .500 Tampa Bay team thanks to an reversal on a Leftwich interception.

Week 13 vs Houston (Jags 27, Texans zip) - More kudos to the Jags who beat a defenseless Texan team led by a rookie 3rd string QB.

Week 14 at New England (Pats 27, Jags 13) - Super Bowl champs slap Jags back to reality.

Week 15 vs New Orleans (Jags 20, Aints 19) - A big thank you goes out to Aints kicker John Carney who shanks the extra point that would send game into OT.

Week 16 at Atlanta (Falcons 24, Jags 17) - Jags finish "strong" by losing their 8th road game of the season.

In contrast, in the season's last 2 weeks the Texans played 2 of the premier teams in the NFL down to the wire in what were must games for the Titans and the Colts respectively. And that was without 3 of the top Texan defenders. Who finished stronger between the Texans & Jags is really a matter of interpretation.

I understand why some people see the Jags as a contender. They start 5 1st round picks & 4 2nd rounders on offense. 4 1sts & 3 2nds on defense. On paper, they have the talent. Looking at this Jag team that couldn't win a single road game in 2003, I'd consider them underachievers, not up & comers.

 

[Fiddy]

Week 13 vs Houston (Jags 27, Texans zip) - More kudos to the Jags who beat a defenseless Texan team led by a rookie 3rd string QB.

Dont forget we had Tony Hollings starting that game instead of Davis...

 

[infantrycak]

Dont forget we had Tony Hollings starting that game instead of Davis...

Don't forget the O-line behaved like they had no interest in protecting a 3rd string QB. At one point Hollings got hit in the back field on 6 straight running plays (multiple possessions since we couldn't string six plays together in one possession that day). It wasn't like he was pulling the Wells hokey pokey back there either, he was getting smacked at the hand-off. Hard to get a real read on the QB or RB when the O-line looked like the 2003 draft day commercial.

 

[beerlover]

The Jag's are the surprise team because in reality no one expects them to do that well this season.

Why does anyone even bother to form an opinion anyway, regardless if its for surprise team, Superbowl team, rookie of the year, MVP or whatever? Its human nature.


The reason the Texans are not considered a surprise team is because they did play the best teams tough, their now experienced and talented. The Jaguars are not built near that solid but they have alot of intangible players that may (may not) elavate their team to a better record than expected.