Most teams out of playoff contention use the final four games of the year to assess their situation going forward.

What do we need?

How can we get better?

While the Jaguars have needs all over the field, the game against Indianapolis exposed the glaring weaknesses they have if they have any thought of getting better.

Andrew Luck is an excellent quarterback and even without Reggie Wayne, he’s figured out how to find the open guy and get it to him on a regular basis. He showed over and over that the Jaguars biggest need is creating a pass rush.

It’s not just somebody on the defensive line; it’s anybody who can get to the quarterback. Whether it’s an edge rusher from defensive end or linebacker or somebody who can push the pocket backwards towards the quarterback, the Jaguars defense will always be on their heels without that kind of pressure up front. Sen’Derrick Marks is a good building block and Andre Branch seems to have figured that part of the game out but without any fear of a pass rush, opposing quarterbacks will continue to have fun anytime they face the Jaguars.

At linebacker, Paul Posluszny is the only sure thing. Either one of the current guys has to emerge or GM Dave Caldwell will have to find something better. Guys who can cover and stop the run are hard to find but it’s a necessity they have to be willing to spend to get either in free agency or with a high pick in the draft.

The defensive backfield is more complicated. Jonathan Cyprien is a guy you can build around; everybody else has been a little slower than anticipated to develop. While the Jaguars spent a lot of time, money and picks on that position last year, they might have to go back to the drawing board to upgrade.

Everybody knows the Jaguars need a quarterback.

Nobody can agree on what to do about it right now.

Without a clear-cut franchise player in the draft at that position, it might be another year before the team has a new starter. There are no franchise-type QB’s in free agency that are coming to Jacksonville and there are no saviors in the draft either. But that doesn’t mean the Jaguars future QB isn’t out there. I just don’t think he’s there in the first round. With 10 draft picks, selecting a quarterback somewhere in the first three rounds, looking for somebody to develop is imperative. Watching Chad Henne miss open receivers against the Colts was painful. But it’s something Jaguars fans should expect for at least half the season in 2014. A.J. McCarron would be a good fit and available at the right spot in the draft.

It’s hard to predict what they’ll do at wide receiver since Justin Blackmon’s indefinite suspension leaves his situation up in the air. There’s no downside to keeping Blackmon and taking advantage of his skills. They don’t owe him that much and one more transgression and he’s out of the league permanently. After his injury history, it’s not hard to understand if the Jaguars have a little question as to whether Cecil Shorts can stay healthy enough to be a regular contributor. The rest of the guys on the roster at that position are nice slot receivers and backups but without a solid number one or number two, it’s where Caldwell and Gus Bradley will earn their money.

With less emphasis on the running back position in general in the NFL, finding guys who can run and block isn’t that difficult. They’re out there. But I do think the Jaguars will offer Maurice Jones Drew a deal he’ll probably take. He’s lost that second-level speed but can be a good compliment to Jordan Todman or anybody else they find.

At tight end, Marcedes Lewis has a decision to make on his own. He has superstar, Pro Bowl skills, but he hasn’t been that kind of consistent offensive presence you hope to have from an eight-year veteran. Sometimes he’s a force, other times he plays as if it’s the paycheck and not the performance that counts.

On the offensive line is where I think the Jaguars will be active in free agency. Potentially at center and guard. They like Luke Joeckel at tackle and Bradfield and Pasztor have been serviceable and they like one of those guys to develop into a legitimate starter.

If most NFL rosters have about a 40% turnover, the Jaguars will be substantially higher than that. With the number 3 pick in the draft (finishing 4-12) and a pocketful of cap space and money to spend, you have to put some faith in Caldwell and Bradley to make the right decisions.

You never know what to expect from two teams not going to the playoffs facing each other at the end of the season. The Jaguars are going to play hard; you know that from what they’ve done all year. Tennessee also played hard, kind of surprising since they weren’t going anywhere and their backup quarterback was still their starter.

At 4-10 and 5-9 (amazingly with second place on the line in the division) both coaches played the game as you would have hoped: loose, entertaining and with a little edge. In the first half alone, the Jaguars and Titans went for it on 4th down 4 times. One Tennessee attempt was at 4th and goal on the 1. One Jaguars attempt was a mid field. While you might not think that’s sound football judgment, when you’re not playing for anything but to win THIS game, I like it.

The Jaguars put together a nifty two-minute drill at the end of the half to take a 13-6 lead. Inexplicably, the PAT was blocked by a guy coming off the edge, leaving the Jaguars lead at 7 instead of eight.

As the second half started, you could sense a momentum shift towards the titans. Despite another successful 4th down attempt by the Jaguars, they could only muster a field goal and lead 16-6. For the next 12 minutes it was all Titans. Two TD drives, helped along by Jaguars penalties and obvious defensive mistakes, gave Tennessee a 20-16 lead.

Playing with backups and third stringers, attrition stared to deplete the Jaguars lineup in pretty stark ways. They started the day without Geno Hayes and Russell Allen at linebacker and lost DT Brandon Deadrick in the first half. So it was relatively easy for the Titans to take advantage of that. One thing Head Coach Gus Bradley had talked about this week was better communication in the defensive backfield. That didn’t happen, allowing the Titans a pretty simple TD to take a 3rd quarter lead.

Working the ball downfield and down 4 points, the Jaguars faced 4th down inside the Tennessee 35 yard line. Bradley decided to stay aggressive and went for it, only to have MJD stoned at the line of scrimmage. As much as I like that attitude at this point in the season, I think I’d have taken the 3 points there to pull within one FG of a win.

Instead, the Titans ran the ball in their 4-minute offense to perfection, barely giving the Jaguars a chance to make a difference.

Chad Henne tried to sneak one over the nickel back to Marcedes Lewis one too many times and was intercepted to end the game.

The Jaguars are now 4-11 and will finish in the 3rd spot in the AFC South (making a difference in their schedule next year, probably for the better.)

In their final home game of the year, the Jaguars proved two things:
1) They still can and do play hard.
2) They still need a lot of help.

When a coach and general manager start looking to build on the offensive and defensive lines, you often hear the phrase, “He can be a cornerstone there for the next decade,” a lot. That rarely happens between injury, free agency and the vagaries of the NFL Having more than 10 years in the league as a productive player is difficult.

Jaguars center Brad Meester not only met those goals, he by far exceeded them in his 14-year career. Meester announced on Wednesday that he’s retiring at the end of this season, making Sunday’s game against Tennessee his final appearance at home.

It would be hard to overstate the positive effect Meester has had on the Jaguars throughout his career. Rarely injured, Meester holds the record for most consecutive starts at 92 and is currently tied for second in that category as well. He’s blocked for both Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones Drew, being a part of the offensive line that helped MJD to the rushing title three years ago.

He’s played for ever one of the Jaguars head coaches, adapting to each of their styles with ease. “Its different,” Brad told me after the Thursday night win over the Texans referring to Gus Bradley’s coaching philosophy. “Way different, but it’s working.” Along the way, different offensive line coaches and offensive coordinators have wanted different things out of their veteran center. One set wanted speed, so Brad came to camp well under 300 lbs. Another wanted power up front so he came in over 330 (and didn’t like it).

Football fans know the center position is difficult, blending speed, quickness and toughness with a cerebral capacity to recognize defenses and make the appropriate line calls to combat them.

Although he started his career at guard (48 starts) after being the Jaguars second round draft pick, everybody knew he was the center of the future. It was easy to recognize that Meester had all of the qualities necessary to do that job and do it well.

He said after the Buffalo game last Sunday he stayed up late and thought about whether he might retire or not, and decided the time was right. “People don’t realize what goes on in a locker room. And that’s probably what I’ll miss most. The time with the guys, before, during and after games, it’s something special.”

To a man, players say the same thing about Meester: He’s the guy they looked to when they wanted to know how to act like a pro, on and off the field. He’s exemplified what it means to be a professional athlete in his performance and his persona.

That’s why they should put Brad in the Pride of the Jaguars as soon as possible. He’s exactly what the Pride is about: professionalism, performance, hard work, and community standing. He’s a guy the Jaguars can always be proud to say he wore their uniform.

If they don’t put him in, they should take the rest of the names off the wall because when you look up there and see BRAD MEESTER 2000-2013, that’ll be something to be proud of.

“Learning how to win” sounds like such a trite phrase but when it comes to a pretty equal competition, it’s the team that knows how to win, or figures it out that comes out on top.

My friend and ten-time Grand Slam champion Tony Trabert attributes winning to “knowing how to play the big points” in tennis.

In the second half of the season, the Jaguars look like they’re learning how “to play the big points.” In the first half of the year, the Jaguars looked outmanned every time they took the field. And save for Oakland and St. Louis, they were. But since the bye, Tennessee, Houston and Cleveland have had problems of their own equal to the Jaguars. And in those games the Jags have held their own, taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes. And that’s how you win in the NFL.

You have to prepare, you have to execute, but when the opponent gives you an opportunity, you have to make them pay.

In the first half against Houston, the Jaguars did just that. Penalties and miscues by the Texans gave the Jaguars several “second” chances and they pounced on them, scoring 17 points.

While Houston had lost 10 straight coming into this game, they still have a lot of talent on their roster and remember, this is a team that was one of the favorites to go to the Super Bowl in 2013. They also know how to win, they just forgot for a while.

So when the Jaguars stopped producing on offense, the Texans took advantage of field position and made a game of it. It didn’t hurt Houston that Head Coach Gary Kubiak put Matt Schaub in the game at quarterback. Schaub has played road games in the Jacksonville and knows the Jaguars aren’t going to put a lot of pressure on him in the pocket. So in his first drive he marched the Texans right down the field for a way-too-easy TD, 24-17 Jaguars.

You could tell Schaub was playing “angry” with some real purpose in his actions. In fact, he brought some life to a heretofore-lifeless Texans team.

And this is where the Jaguars started making crucial mistakes.

Houston sends in their kicker to attempt a 51-yard field goal on 4th and 10. He misses it but the Jaguars are penalized for 12 men on the field. So Kubiak sends his offense back on the field and they convert easily. A much easier 30-yarder is made and it’s 24-20 Jaguars.

What a team does in times of stress is a good measure of who they actually are. In this situation the Jaguars could have stayed on their heels and let the Texans take control of the game. Instead, they relied on their instincts, went back to what they do best and that’s play hard. They’re not going to “out talent” anybody and when they are successful it’s usually pretty. But if you’re looking for effort, they’ll deliver.

Two different times, the Texans had the ball with a chance to take the lead but instead the defense for the Jaguars made a play. Once on fourth down and another with an interception by Geno Hayes that lead to a Scobee field goal and a 27-20 lead.

Say what you want about the quality of the opponents or how their winning but there’s something going on with Gus Bradley and the Jaguars that has a very positive feel about it.

Maybe this win didn’t change any minds of those watching around the country who like to make fun of Jacksonville and the Jaguars but here in town, and inside the stadium, there’s a momentum being built that has the potential to create a lot of fun.

It’s not hard to like the improvement the Jaguars have made from the first of the year. They look like a NFL football team, albeit one that has a lot of holes in it, but they’re competitive even if they’re outmanned. At home on Sunday, they held their own, even getting a variety of bad breaks in the second half thanks to a less-than-perfect officiating crew. A muffed punt, a questionable timeout and a very generous spot on a first down all went the Cardinals way.

Against Arizona, the Jaguars used their will, coaching and even some deception to take the lead early.

Chad Henne has solidified his spot as the starting quarterback, mainly for just staying in the game and keeping the Jaguars afloat. He doesn’t do a lot of great things, but most of the game he’s making the right decisions and the other players on offense have confidence in him. Getting the team into the right play on offense and executing it when it’s open is all the Jaguars want at quarterback right now, and a majority of the time, Henne is doing just that.

Part of the problem on offense is who to throw it to. With Justin Blackmon out for the year, virtually nobody is open when Henne goes back to throw. When I asked Gus Bradley about the 50% increase in passing yards when Blackmon was in the game, he agreed that “He’s special,” but only said he’d expect more from everybody else on how to replace that kind of production.

So far, that’s not happening.

The Jaguars will have to get more out of guys like Mike Brown, Kerry Taylor and Stephen Burton if they’re going to improve on offense. Note I didn’t say “win games” because while that’s always the ultimate goal, Bradley and company are still working on who can play as much as the final score.

Against the Cardinals they got production from guys like Danny Noble and Clay Harbor, but not enough from their offensive line.

At halftime the Jaguars had 12 yards rushing. If you’re going to expect rookies or guys in their first season to contribute, you have to give them a chance in all phases of the game. They didn’t convert a 3rd down in the first half and allowed Arizona to convert more than half the time. That’s a stat that can usually point to the final score. If you’re not getting off the field on defense and not staying on it on offense, your opportunity to be successful is pretty small.

Even bringing a blitz against Carson Palmer backfired as he found an open receiver time after time, converting first downs and even a 91-yard TD to Michael Floyd. Part of that was just bad coverage and worse tackling by Will Blackmon and the rest of the secondary but anytime Palmer had the time, he found somebody open.

While the defense did what they could (giving up one really big play but keeping the Cardinals to field goals) the offense couldn’t muster enough after the first quarter and eventually the Jaguars came out on the short end of a 27-14 score.

Perhaps it’s unfair to compare Maurice Jones Drew to the player he was two years ago when he won the rushing title, but in 2013 he’s not nearly that effective. Maybe he’ll never be. But coming off an injury, it might be the smart thing to do to offer him a one-year deal at the end of the season. He might not take it, figuring near the end of his career he wants to play for a winner but at least he’s a known quantity. He can be one of those “bridge” players who keeps things going while the team is being rebuilt.

In retrospect, I wonder if Gus Bradley and Dave Caldwell shouldn’t have kept a couple of those players around (Montel Owens, Daryl Smith) in order to create a locker room culture that at least had some memory of winning.

Going on the road for the next two weeks might be good for this Jaguars team. They continue to have a positive outlook despite the losses, and being away from the distractions of home could be the right tonic for a young squad.

Of course, save for the trip to Tennessee, so far the right tonic for the opposition has been to have the Jaguars come to town.

I’ve gotten so used to seeing the Jaguars lose over the last two years I fought against the constant thought when the Titans had the ball, every play was about to go for a touchdown.

That didn’t happen in the first half as the Jaguars took a 13-7 lead into the locker room.

While Maurice Jones Drew isn’t the player he was two years ago when he lead the lead in rushing, he was pretty effective in the first half against Tennessee, especially in the first quarter. The Jaguars have to get him involved in the offense either running the ball or throwing it to him in space in order to be successful.

He’s still the key to getting the offense going.

That’s how the Jaguars scored their first TD in their first possession of the year, feeing MJD the ball to take a 7-0 lead.

A ball knocked out of Chris Johnson’s hand rolls right to Paul Posluszny for a turnover. That hadn’t happened since 2007. Johnson can’t get the handle on the ball near the goal line and the Jaguars come up with the ball at the bottom of a pile.

And an overthrow by Jake Locker is intercepted by Dwayne Gratz, a nice catch that we haven’t seen in ten years. As I said in the preseason, wouldn’t it be nice if Gratz is one of those guys the ball finds in the secondary and he can make those plays.

Despite those turnovers, the Jaguars were only able to muster two Josh Scobee field goals and lead 13-7. If you’re the Jaguars you’re happy to have your first halftime lead of the year. If you’re the Titans, you’re happy to only be down six after turning it over three times in one half.

I was asked during the first half, “Are we on fire?” to which I responded, “No, this is how you’re supposed to play.”

These are all plays professionals are supposed to make. Young, old, experienced or not, when the play is there, you have to make it if you want any chance to win. You can’t have silly penalties, dropped balls, dumb throws and missed blocks.

The team knows they have a quarterback deficiency and they know Chad Henne will turn into, well Chad Henne a couple of times a game. He did that with two turnovers that lead to points for Tennessee and gave the Titans some momentum.

So with a 20-13 lead, a young Jaguars team, without a win this year, was trying to figure out a way to come up with a victory. Small things, like downing a punt at the one without your foot going into the end zone help contribute to that. Which means the Titans have to throw out of their end zone. That leads to a safety and a 22-13, two score lead.

“Luck is the residue of design,” is one of my favorite sayings. Branch Rickey coined it in the 40’s and it rings true today. You make your own luck, good and bad.

My least favorite term in football is “prevent defense” because all it usually does is “prevent” you from winning. So when the Jaguars gave up a TD to Ryan Fitzpatrick with over 4 minutes to play, the inevitable seemed to be on the horizon. An ill-conceived three and out solidified that feeling as Tennessee had the ball needing only a field goal to win. That’s when the Jaguars playing the ENTIRE game paid off with a Will Blackmon strip and score for a 29-20 lead.

They’ve played through the final whistle for Gus Bradley all year long and in this time it paid off.

And of course, it comes down to one play, an onside kick. Recover, and the game is over. Give it up, and the Titans have a chance to win. A nice play by Jonathan Cyprien secured the Jaguars victory, the first for Gus Bradley as a head coach in the NFL.

Who cares how they got it. It’s in the books.

And one versus none is a lot different than just one notch up in the “W” column.

With a smile and a handshake, Jaguars Owner Shad Khan greeted me at Craven Cottage saying, “You know, you’re on Anne Boleyn’s hunting ground here.” Craven Cottage is the home stadium or “grounds” of Khan’s English Premier League soccer team, Fulham. He was, in good spirits and outlined most of the history of the club and the surrounding neighborhood with the ease of somebody who clearly had studied the subject.

“Fulham is a unique club,” he continued. “We have a neutral stand (generally in England the two opponents fans are not allowed to sit together) and we’re a popular club all over London.”

The Cottagers (aka the “Whites”) were founded as a club in 1879 and have been in the same stadium since 1886. They have the most affluent fan base of any team in the EPL and, unlike most teams, nobody hates them.

“I found that everybody likes Fulham,” Khan added, echoing others who call them everybody’s “second favorite club.”

It’s an easy walk from the Putney Bridge stop on the London Underground, locally known as the Tube, down to Craven Cottage. The nearly one mile trek goes past antique book stores and flower shops, through neighborhoods and Bishop’s Park, hard along the Thames. In fact, both of Shad’s teams play in stadiums by a river. In Jacksonville, over 75,000 can see a game. In London, 25,000.

Much like he’s doing in Jacksonville, Khan has plans to renovate and expand Craven Cottage.

“The City of London is giving us 30 more feet along the Thames to expand the riverside stand,” he explained. They’ll demolish the current stands and rebuild them. He plans to have high-end hospitality there, as he does at home. “It’s an important part of what we’re doing,’ he explained waving his hand across the pitch.

While his purchase of the Jaguars and Fulham seemed rather fast paced, Khan says it wasn’t part of any grand scheme. He felt like there was some synergy between the two leagues. Owning both clubs is part of a business plan to attract sponsors to both Fulham and the Jaguars.

“We’re looking for more fans for the Jaguars,” he continued. “It’s all about expanding the fans, and Jacksonville’s economic development. The Jaguars don’t have enough sponsors and some have left. In some cases I don’t blame them, but we need to find some more. There’s a synergy between the two, a cross-pollination if you will, that I think will work.” Khan plans to operate the two sports clubs as separate entities but thinks there’s plenty of opportunity to engage business and fans that have an overall interest in both.

Shad’s not worried, at least short term, about the Jaguars start under Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley. “That’s not sustainable but it is what it is right now. We’re trying to rebuild the whole thing.” Khan often notes that he couldn’t do that with Fulham because of the EPL’s “relegation” policy. (The bottom three teams get dropped to a lower division and the top three from there get promoted.) “Fulham’s been 12 straight years without relegation and it’s important we stay in the Premiership.”

I noted that it was a big week for him and it got started off right with Fulham’s 4-1 win at Crystal Palace Monday night. “A breakout win for them. They have the talent. Now let’s see where they go from here,” he agreed.

“Pretty exciting,” I said.

“Very exciting,” he added. “It’s an exciting week, a big week, an important week. It’s good to be me!” he said with a laugh and without a bit of smugness.

He’s having so much fun it makes you wonder, “What’s he going to do next?”

With an announced 59, 695 tickets distributed for the Jaguars/Colts game today it’s a shame that so much of the Jaguars performance was sub-standard. While the offense didn’t produce the defense had so many lapses on long yardage situations that it made it easy for Indianapolis.

Blaine Gabbert appeared early in the game to be playing with the “freedom” Gus Bradley encouraged him to play with this week but after a couple of drops by Cecil Shorts and one run back for a TD, Gabbert reverted to the Gabbert we’re all too familiar with.

It’s clear the Jaguars are outmanned on both sides of the ball, but the mental mistakes, the penalties on a veteran like Jason Babin and the flat out missed coverages are too glaring to overlook. Some players need to pay a bigger price for their mistakes. I know Bradley is trying to keep the culture upbeat but there are too many times guys look like they don’t know what they’re doing.

So where do they start?

While panicking doesn’t help anybody, I think the team needs a little shake up. Maybe not this week but certainly Bradley needs to send a message that this kind of play, and the lack of focus and mental errors will not be tolerated.

Cut Jason Babin.

Even thought Bradley said it’s not time to start cutting anybody.

Cut Babin.

I know he’s a veteran and has talent on a team that doesn’t have any to spare but Bradley needs to grab the team by it’s shirt and shake it a bit. At the very least a heavy fine or a benching sends a message to the rest of the team.

Next week Justin Blackmon returns and while you can’t put a lot of hope in him changing what happens on offense, it’s at least what your offense is supposed to look like. Marcedes Lewis played about a series in the Colts game so it’s clear he’s not right and you can’t count on him perhaps for the entire year. So I guess you can’t actually judge Gabbert on what has happened early this year but looking at his body of work over three years it’s hard to project him as a starting quarterback with a future of production in the NFL.

“We like his traits,” is how Bradley justified their confidence in putting Gabbert back in the game this week but Gabbert just doesn’t seem to “get it.” Instead of stepping up in the pocket, he’s trying to run around. His decision-making in crucial situations tends to allow the other team to grab the advantage instead of moving the Jaguars forward.

Do you make a change there?

I’d be in favor of that but it probably won’t happen until the full complement of the offense is together for a couple of games. I don’t think that’ll make a difference but the Jaguars want to make absolutely sure this is the right move. “I’m standing strong with Blaine,” Bradley said when asked in his post-game press conference. So we’ll see more of #11 at least for the foreseeable future.

It’s painful to watch right now because Bradley is upbeat about the effort and the positive message but seems to realize after four weeks of the regular season that his team isn’t getting that message in the right way. It’s one thing to compete, and it’s one thing to be in position to make the play. But it’s a whole other thing, and a professional expectation that you’ll execute that play. That’s what you’re getting paid for. To make plays.

It appears the Jaguars as a whole are playing not to make mistakes and without the confidence to compete against other NFL players and teams. Fifty-fifty balls are going to the opposition consistently. All the breaks are going against the Jaguars because in that league you make your own breaks.

If their stated goal is to put the best players on the field, it’s hard not to think that this team wouldn’t be better with Daryl Smith, Montel Owens and even Derrick Cox on the roster.

So Jaguars fans can only hope that Bradley and Caldwell know what they’re doing.

Because this isn’t getting any better anytime soon.

I liked the effort.

Outside of that, there were too many deficiencies in the Jaguars lineup to overcome a very talented Seattle Seahawks team.

Early on you could tell the Jaguars were a bit overwhelmed by just about everything Seattle came up with on offense and defense. A mobile quarterback like Russell Wilson creates difficulty for just about every defense and when you combine his talent with the Jaguars inexperience, bad things can happen if you’re in teal and black.

It’s not hard to look past just flat out getting beat. Seattle might go to the Super Bowl and at times against the Jaguars they looked like that team. They covered Jaguars receivers, they harassed Chad Henne and took advantage of every opportunity. What bothers me is when there’s illegal procedure in punt formation or other silly penalties.

If you’re deficient when it comes to talent, you have to be disciplined and focused in every situation. You can’t have hands to the face. You can’t have illegal formations and you can’t back yourself up at anytime. Gus Bradley says the teams has to “clean those things up” but it’s got to be more than that.

It’s too easy to fall into a culture of losing where you figure you’ll take a short cut here and there and hope to get buy. But there is no shortcut to getting better and that has to be the Jaguars goal every week. Get better to the point where winning will be one of the options every week.

They’ll look at this game and see some improvement over what happened in week one and two.

A solid defensive play on a tipped ball lead to the first TD for the Jaguars. The Chad Henne/Cecil Shorts combination moved the ball pretty consistently when called on late in the game. Occasionally the defense was pretty stout against the run but the tackling sometimes was so horrendous it was hard to watch.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Jaguars fan base treats the team as they return this week from their two-week road trip. Will they get behind the guys and show some support for the effort or will they write off the season as a lost cause and head to the beach or other pursuits that are calling.

There are other teams in the league that are winless. Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Washington, the New York Giants. The Jaguars were expected to struggle so it’s no surprise that they’re 0-3. Are they better or worse off than those other teams at 0-3? The Jaguars can identify their problems. And they are many.

“We’ll get some of these things resolved and get this thing turned around, ” Cecil Shorts said after the game.

Hopefully he’s right.

Full of hope and enthusiasm, the Jaguars opened the 2013 season how they wanted to early against the Chiefs. Decent stops on defense and then a great special teams play leading to a blocked punt and a safety and a 2-0 lead. From there, the team looked like it slipped into their 2012 persona with dropped passes, not much pressure on defense and good field position for the Chiefs thanks to spotty special teams play.

Head Coach Gus Bradley was afraid of guys trying too hard instead of letting their talent and their training guide them through each situation. “We had some of the older guys talk to the young guys last night about doing your job. Some guys think they need to do something different than what they’re trained to do,” the Head Coach said in his post game press conference. “We need to settle down as a team. The defense started to do that, but we need that for the whole team.”

That’s what the offense looked like early. Without much rhythm, they were mechanical, not flowing and subsequently had dropped passes, bad reads and not many first downs. On defense it looked the same, with not much pressure on the quarterback by the front four and tackles that weren’t quite competed that allowed Kansas City to move the ball downfield and execute their offensive game plan. Of course, the Chiefs didn’t have to be great because they had great field position starting almost every drive on offense in the first half.

What was disappointing is how it appeared the defensive line was being pushed around in the running game, giving the Chiefs good down-and-distance opportunities as they marched towards the end zone.

Meanwhile the Jaguars running game looked anemic and the passing game mistake-prone. “We didn’t play as a team,” Gabbert said afterwards in his standard locker room comments. “We were never in sync. Some of that’s on me, I can’t throw the ball there,” he added when asked about the two easy interceptions the Chiefs came up with.

I’ve said all along Gabbert is a very “seductive” player when you watch him in practice. He makes all the throws, he has an unbelievable arm and he is a commanding presence in and out of the huddle. But of course there’s nobody chasing him with bad intentions in practice, which might be why he has difficulty translating that performance onto the field for game day.

Maybe missing Marcedes Lewis and Justin Blackmon made a big difference for Gabbert and the rest of the offense. But it appears none of the offensive woes will change until Gabbert becomes a more polished and complete player. He doesn’t have the internal clock that most quarterbacks have when it comes to understanding when to eat it and when to not. While he has good speed and mobility, he doesn’t always know how to use it to a quarterback’s full advantage. He’ll shuffle in the pocket, but then take a sack for holding it too long. He’ll run out of the pocket, only to miss the open guy downfield he just bought himself time to read since he didn’t even see him. And then he’ll decide where he’s throwing it before reading what’s there, sometimes putting the team in danger of a crucial turnover.

I’ll take Bradley at his word that if this team plays in games how it performs on the practice field, we’ll see a better performance with better results. I’ll also buy into the defense playing better if they build on their nine consecutive stops at the end of the game. And I’ll agree that playing within themselves is possible and that too will improve their chances at victory.

But Gabbert’s still the key. If he can’t play better consistently, he won’t get a chance to play much at all.

We saw what looked to be about as close to regular season game speed in the Jaguars Eagles game Saturday night. Bodies were flying around and the hits were real. The starters played into the 3rd quarter and looked respectable, leaving the game leading 24-16.

Two guys, Jordan Todman and Allen Reisner continue to look like guys who just continue to make plays no matter what’s the situation or who else is in their. Playing with the first team, Reisner made a nice catch for a TD and sealed the end on a 63-yard TD run by Todman. The 1st year running back out of Connecticut ran for more than 100 yards and looked like he solidified his spot on the team. He’s been productive from the running back spot and he can contribute on special teams as well.

Both of those guys are the type of player who hasn’t emerged for the Jaguars in the recent past. Players who have been in the league but are available because they haven’t been overwhelming anywhere else. If the Jaguars can get production out of either of those players it’s a bonus.

Luke Joeckel played most of the first half and had good and bad moments but he was healthy enough to play, and that was the important part.

There wasn’t that much emphasis on the quarterback since Blaine Gabbert has been named as the starter but Chad Henne was adequate and continues to be the ideal backup guy. The offensive philosophy is just right for the up tempo style of play. The quarterback needs to get the ball to the guy who’s open RIGHT NOW, instead of checking for something better downfield. Both Gabbert and Henne have looked effective when they take that approach.

Defensively, there was more pressure on the quarterback but it’s hard to really gauge how they’re doing because the opposition was Michael Vick, and he can make anybody look bad running out of the pocket. Jeremy Mincey looks like he’s taking it personally that he’s not considered a starter, and that’s good. There was an Andre Branch sighting on a sack, and the usually solid play by the linebacking corps is going to be a plus.

The defensive backfield looked young at times but those are the growing pains the team will put up with if they develop the way they hope. Dwayne Gratz had another interception, this time on a throw away by Vick but no matter. Wouldn’t it be nice if he turns out to be a guy that the ball just seems to find in those situations? The Jaguars haven’t had one of those in a while.

The team still has some issues on special teams coverage. Too many long returns on both kickoffs and punts. You hope that settles down once they get their regular personell in there instead of a lot of different guys who are just trying to make the team.

Next Thursday you might see Joeckel and perhaps Justin Blackmon play against the Falcons but that might be it among starters on offense. On defense, they might still want to get Johnathan Cyprien some playing time and perhaps some other young DB’s.

The first cuts are Tuesday, down to 75 so that means just 15 guys will be released. After that it’s 22 cuts down to the 53 man roster. That comes after the Atlanta game.

One of our producers was commenting on one of their colleagues the other day with the assessment, “We’ll, they’re not doing terrible.” We all laughed, but it might be a pretty good assessment of the Jaguars progress so far in 2013. Improved and better and they’re “not doing terrible.”

For the Jaguars first exhibition game against Miami, it was our first look at the team under Gus Bradley in a game situation. As expected, Bradley said, “I liked how we competed on both sides of the ball and as coaches, that’s what we’re looking for. The game showed them improved in some areas but a lot of the same problems. When it was the 1’s vs. the 1’s, the Jaguars defense seemed to hold their own and even put some pressure on the quarterback. Sen’Derrick Marks had an early sack and looked like he could be a factor in a phase of the game the Jaguars have been lacking in since, well it seems since Tony Brackens retired. We saw good effort on defense, some good pass defense and a generally you could see that they should be better.

Offensively, Blaine Gabbert was inconsistent, certainly not the player he’s been in camp for the last 10 days. A good throw looked like it was dropped by Mike Brown and another by Ace Sanders but he airmailed a couple of throws (that comes from hurrying and not setting your feet) and fired one to the fullback on a simple out route that was slightly behind the receiver as well. It was tipped in the air and intercepted and led to the first TD of the game. While you could easily say the fullback should have caught the ball, it’s those little things that Gabbert said this week he wanted to concentrate on.

“Go out and compete, work on the little things and score some points,” is how he put it on Thursday when Gus Bradley named him the starter. He has unbelievable physical skills and I’ve called him a “seductive” player in practice because when you watch him in that setting you wonder how the Jaguars ever lose. In his first two years, and now after the first preseason appearance, he still hasn’t been able to translate that onto the field. Chad Henne was better but nothing spectacular. He managed the game the way you would expect him to and led the Jaguars to their only scoring drive of the night.

Neither quarterback did anything that would change what the coaches are thinking after the first two weeks of training camp. Obviously, Gabbert played without the receivers expected to start in the regular season (Shorts and eventually Blackmon) and Henne played some, but not all of his time with the first team. He went against the Dolphins second team defense as well.

On the bright side, Ace Sanders showed why they drafted him with both punt return ability and as a pass catcher. He fields punts fluidly and makes the first guy miss. Then he’s moving up field looking for positive yardage. You could tell even in this game that he doesn’t have that blazing speed you’d like in a guy doing that job, but he’s certainly an improvement over anybody in teal and black over the last decade or so. He’ll be electric but maybe not a game breaker.

Denard Robinson is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands and it’ll be interesting to see how they try to get him involved in the offense. He nearly got his head taken off when the Jaguars put him in their version of the Wildcat formation but coming out of the backfield he found openings and showed some of that burst you saw when he was in college.

It’s still training camp, so they’ll be back to work on Sunday. “It’s preseason,” Bradley said after the game. “And that’s what preseason is for. We need to clean things up and we’ll work on that and challenge our players to do that. The more comfort level they get in these situations the better it’ll be.”

It’s been a few years but the Jaguars have all 90 players under contract in camp on time in the first year under new head coach Gus Bradley. “It’s about trust,” Bradley said this week. “We can immediately trust them from a coach’s perspective as players to do the things necessary to win. The other way might take some time. They need to learn to trust us as coaches that what we’re doing is going to work.”

Bradley’s right and part of that is because his style is so different from anything in the past. Full time music, up tempo timing and non-stop work will be the hallmarks of Bradley’s first Jaguars camp as head coach. He’s excited and is trying to temper that.

“We’ll have to slow down a bit,” he told us on Thursday. “We’re so excited to get on the field and get started we’ll be going a million miles a hour so we need to be aware of that and slow down.”

Bradley has emphasized that there’s an open competition at every position, so the focus and effort.

This year’s Jaguars team has players who know what to say and how to say it. Chad Henne had just about every cliché you can think of in just one sentence. “Of course I want to be the starter but I’m here to compete. I’m here to help the team and get better. I’m competing against myself. I want to get better every day. That’s the key.”

Of course they didn’t become cliché’s because they weren’t true. Henne is right when it comes to the attitude of this year’s Jaguars team and what kind of chord you have to strike going into training camp. You can’t pace yourself on the field, because you’re being evaluated on every play. But you need to know how to get the job done, day after day with tired legs and a worn out brain.

“I’m going to lean on the veterans to see how it’s done,” first round draft pick Luke Joeckel said as he reported to his first camp. “Camp’s a grind and everybody knows that. You just have to handle it,”

And he’s right. You can’t win a job or lose it in the first week. In the second week, guys start to separate themselves both physically and mentally. But this first week is a blur, a whirlwind of action and emotion.

Jaguars training camp is open to the public thru the scrimmage at the stadium next Saturday night, August 3rd except for Tuesday which is the players day off.

What a difference a year makes when it comes to the Jaguars draft. Obviously the people inside the draft room are different but the whole situation has changed when it comes to acquiring players.

Last year in Shad Khan’s first draft as an NFL owner, the Jaguars were trying to fill some holes to be competitive. “I was told last year that we were just a few players away from competing for the playoffs. We got some players but didn’t get there,” Khan said when making some moves at the top of the football hierarchy at the end of the 2012 season.

Prior to the 2013 draft Khan had no trouble admitting the Jaguars were in a rebuilding year. “It makes me think that we should have started this process a year earlier. But we’re on our way.”

Standing in the middle of the Jaguars locker room two weeks ago it was eerily empty. With the number of cuts made by the team since the first of the year, the roster was under 60 players. “Not only isn’t there anybody in here,” one veteran player told me, “I don’t know anybody’s name!”

Which means an entirely different mind-set was in place for the Jaguars to begin anew in acquiring players: Get the best ones available.

Most teams go into the draft with specific needs, holes they’re trying to fill or looking for players who can shore up one side of the ball or the other.

In 2012 they were looking for a wide receiver and jumped up to get Justin Blackmon. They dabbled in free-agency to keep Jeremy Mincey, and sign Aaron Ross, filling immediate needs.

In 2013 in a stated rebuilding process the draft process and consequently the free-agent process as well were simple: figure out who you think the next best player is on the board and pick him.

Taking Luke Joeckel was simple in 2013. He was the best player available in that spot, so they picked him. “When best player available and need matchup,” Gus Bradley said on Day Two of the NFL draft, “You’re on to something special.”

That’s where the Jaguars were with their second and third round picks. It just so happened that Johnathan Cyprien and Dwayne Gratz were the next best players available AND they played positions of need for the Jaguars.

Easy picks.

And those two, along with Joeckel, will be expected to start in 2013.

No projects here.

Picking Ace Sanders in the 4th round is another “best and need” situation for the Jaguars. Their woeful return game gets somebody who is expected to contribute immediately and without using a high pick to fill that spot. Taking Dennard Robinson is a bit of a novelty choice but he has something the Jaguars lacked last year: speed. He instantly makes them faster no matter when he ends up on the roster.

The rest of the draft, Josh Evans, Jeremy Harris and Demetrius McCray, are special teams additions or late bloomers whom you hope develop into something they’re not right now.

But that’s still only 8 players and they need more than that. So some of the 23 undrafted free agents need to be good enough to not only make the team but contribute somewhere, especially on special teams.

Add in some free-agent acquisitions as we move toward the 2013 kickoff (and beyond) and you have the “ground floor” of a rebuilding project.

Jaguars fans hope that the draft picks will help immediately because in one way, it was the easiest draft ever.

Whomever they picked, they needed him!