After being picked apart by Tom Brady last week, Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley lamented his whole defensive philosophy against the Patriots. Different week, different team and different starter at quarterback but against the Colts, Bradley’s defense looked eerily similar to last week to open the game at Indianapolis.

Rushing four and playing zone behind it, the Jaguars didn’t have any answer for the 40-year old Matt Hasselbeck as the Colts took an early 3-0 lead.

On offense, quarterback Blake Bortles looked sharp, hitting Allen Hurns 8 times in the first half and a deep ball to Allen Robinson to give the Jaguars a 10-3 lead. Nice blend of play-action, T.J. Yeldon running the ball and Bortles finding the open guy, they looked like that team we saw in the preseason and on occasion against Miami two weeks ago.

Then it was about the most inexplicable defensive series of the year. A combination of five penalties, equally shared by rookies and veterans gave the Colts a short yardage TD chance that they took advantage of to tie the game at ten. It was a weird series because the Jaguars defense had a couple of chances to end the drive but keep giving the Colts extra chances and it finally lead to points.

A Jason Myers field goal gave the Jaguars the lead at halftime but FG’s instead of TD’s felt a little empty despite a halftime lead.

As the game progressed, the Jaguars defense started to pressure Hasselbeck with some success. The third quarter was a lot of back and forth with a bunch of punts. The Colts did win the field position battle and took advantage of Paul Posluszny’s ankle injury that forced him out of the game driving deep into Jaguars territory. They got a field goal out of it to tie the game at 13.

In 2014 the Jaguars were the least penalized team in the league but against the Colts, penalties were a real problem. The “illegal formation” is a point of emphasis for the officials this year and it bit the Jaguars early in the 4th quarter. A 3rd and 3 was converted by a great catch by Bryan Walters. The play was negated by an illegal formation call against the Jaguars (the Colts had a couple called against them in the first half.)

Just as Indy was driving late in the 4th quarter to take the lead, Frank Gore fumbled at the goal line and Abry Jones grabbed it in the end zone for a huge break for the Jaguars. Josh Evans stripped the ball at about the 3 and on the next drive made a good stop at the line of scrimmage to force a punt. Evans was in the game because Sergio Brown was injured and couldn’t start, James Sample got hurt during the game, as did Aaron Colvin.

Bortles and the offense had a couple of chances as the 4th quarter progressed, one really good one around the two minute warning but a low snap that Blake couldn’t handle drove them out of field goal range and forced a punt. The defense forced a punt again, and Bortles run on 3rd down put them just inside FG position for Jason Myers. The rookie kicker had two chances after the Colts called timeout right before his first attempt but both were wide right from 53 yards out and the game went into OT. Thought he’d make it the second time but just wide right.

In overtime, T.J. Yeldon dashed 36 yards to past midfield but they couldn’t get past there and had to punt. Good defense gave the ball back to Bortles and company. Another run by Bortles gave Myers another chance from 48 yards but he missed again, this time left to give the ball back to the Colts.

This time, they didn’t dawdle as the Colts drove the ball down field with a mismatch on Jonathan Cyprien with Coby Fleener and a strong run by Frank Gore. Adam Viniateri kicked the FG to give Indy a 16-13 win.

You can blame Myers if you want and call for the Jaguars to re-sign Josh Scobee (the Steelers cut him on Saturday) but you can’t rely on kickers to win games for you from around 50 yards out. Several times during the game, and again in overtime, the Jaguars stalled around midfield. Earlier they settled for FG’s instead of scoring TD’s and it cost them.

Not sure you can chalk this one up to learning or youth or anything besides a lack of execution in critical situations. Injuries hurt and maybe it’ll be a little better when Julius Thomas and the rest of the guys hurt get into the lineup. But on this Sunday, the Colts got it done, with a backup quarterback, and the Jaguars, with backups of their own in the game, didn’t.

It’s a mix of good and not so good news for the jaguars this week when it comes to who’s available and who’s not. Andre Branch will see his first action of the year since his injury in training camp. Luke Joeckel and Jonathan Cyprien will both be back on the field as well. Zane Beadles, Chris Clemons, Josh Evans, Davon House, Allen Hurns, Roy Miller and Tyler Shatley are all listed as probable with various bumps and bruises. House and Evans are probably game time decisions since their practice time was limited on Friday. Sergio Brown is also listed as doubtful since he didn’t practice all week because of a calf injury.

After not practicing all week as well, Marqise Lee has been declared out of the game against the Colts. His injury is officially listed as a hamstring problem but he continues to fight a balky knee.

“We’re getting our heads together and trying to figure out a way and what’s best for him,” Bradley noted addressing Lee’s continued leg problems during his career. “It’s a matter of how do we get him back to where he’s healthy for long periods of time? That’s kind of the discussion now.”

Perhaps the Jaguars best offensive lineman, Brandon Linder, won’t play Sunday because of a shoulder problem. Either Tyler Shatley or A.J. Cann will start at right guard.

Denard Robinson is out again this week and although they say they’re making progress, Sen’Derrick Marks and Julius Thomas won’t play against the Colts.

If you play the “what if” game in the NFL, which you’re not supposed to do, the Jaguars are playing without their best defensive player (Marks), their prized free-agent signing (Thomas) and their number one draft pick (Dante Fowler). Add to that the corner they signed to hopefully play man on the opposition’s best receiver (House) and the wide receiver they expect to stretch the field (Lee) and you have a roster that looks pretty depleted.

But Head Coach Gus Bradley was more interested in looking at the players returning than the ones that won’t play. He stressed that Branch’s return gives them more flexibility on defense.

“I think it’s good because we get another rusher on the field, that’s good, and then also just to keep guys fresh rotation-wise and especially so those guys on third down can really get going. He looks pretty good in practice so I don’t know if we’ll get to an exact count (of plays for Branch). I think you’ll see how those guys roll a little bit.”

Even though Sam Young did a credible job at left tackle during Joeckel’s time rehabbing his ankle, Bradley thinks Joeckel brings some continuity to the offense and some other skills Young doesn’t have.

“I think versus the run I think as far as pass and run Joeckel gives us that. I think his stability and what he brings to that offensive line group, again continuity is important and they practiced with him in there all during training camp and to get him back is a good sign.”

For the first time this week, Bradley gave some thoughts on being criticized as the head coach when the team isn’t successful. With just eight wins in his two-plus seasons as the Jaguars leader, Bradley has been given a pass by most fans (and media) since the team was in an obvious “building” mode. But this week, after the blowout loss to New England, Bradley was in the middle of the “what’s wrong” discussion.

“I think with this job criticism comes,” Gus said this week. “I think that you just know that and the fans are passionate. I think there’s an obligation to be truthful and upfront and say, ‘here’s what took place, here’s what I can tell you,’ and be very open and honest with them. With that criticism can follow but that comes with the job. I understand it. I take it as a sign that we have passionate fans and we tell them to come along this journey with us and be a part of it. When you’re a part of it there’s challenges and that’s okay. I’m good with that.”

We’ll continue this discussion on “Jaguars Friday Night” at 11:20 and tomorrow on the “Gus Bradley Show” starting at 10:30pm on Channel 4.

It was a myriad of emotions for Gus Bradley and the Jaguars after losing to the Patriots and looking at how it happened. Discouraged, disappointed and frustrated is what Bradley talked about in the 24 hours following the blowout.

“There’s some frustration, I would say.” Bradley noted on Monday. “I told the team that’s a good thing and shows that they’re invested. Attitude is great, but just wanted to get it right.”

After three years of building the roster and declaring it “built” going into 2015, everybody, inside the organization and out, thought the team would be competitive in any situation this year. Obviously that didn’t happen against New England as the Patriots scored on nine consecutive drives and did not punt once during the game.

“I think we have to get back to who we are, and I think that’s the biggest thing that we talked about. We tried to do too much. Guys were trying to make plays, trying to overanalyze things. I think when you start doing that, you try to make plays, you do things that are uncharacteristic that you don’t do normally, that’s when the score can get like it is.”

Maybe that’s a hallmark of a young team. Maybe the Patriots and Tom Brady are just that good. But whatever it is, the Jaguars have to figure out how to not let it happen again. Too often in the last three years the score was so lopsided it appeared the Jaguars were out of their league. With the draft picks selected, the experienced gained and the free agents acquired this off-season, that kind of rout shouldn’t happen. Bradley’s coaching style, allowing the players to be empowered, somehow hasn’t translated across the whole team in big game situations. Blake Bortles interception under two minutes before the half was a turning point in the game but it shouldn’t have lead to the runaway final score.

Bradley agrees. “I think what’s disappointing is that we didn’t go out there and play up to our capabilities and make plays when we had opportunities. Things were falling into place that kept us in the situation where we were in striking zone. Then, it fell apart at the end of the first half.”

Still, the Jaguars Head Coach is unwavering in his conviction. “Stay true to the principles. Stay true throughout and let’s see what takes place. Once we see that, now we can fix some things.”

In the comparison between Blake Bortles and Tom Brady, the 16 years of experience in the same offense for Brady was evident. Maybe to compare the two is unfair. Perhaps comparing any quarterback to Brady is unfair. He was precise, decisive and accurate against the Jaguars.

Bradley is confident in Bortles and likes everything about him: his toughness, his willingness to learn and his physical ability. But he also knows Bortles is a second year player.

“I think sometimes what we have to guard against is keep the simple things simple. I think that refers to him (Bortles) mostly when I’m talking about the offense. He needs not to make it as complicated as he wants to make it. I think some of the reads he’s just got to trust his progression, simple things like let’s get the tight end involved, let’s get Marcedes more involved; OK, he went away from his reads and really honed in on getting Marcedes the ball. Those lessons I think he’s learning right now is to say, ‘although we make an emphasis let’s try to get the tight ends involved and take pressure off the offense you’ve still got to follow through with the progression,’ and I think that’s what he learned with this game.”

And Bradley also knows his team is still searching for an identity. In his mind, he knows what he wants it to be.

“I think we want that personality an as offense, defense and special teams to be aggressive. Aggressive doesn’t mean on defense zero pressure or on offense ten shots in a row. It just means be aggressive, show faith in our players and stand behind them. It was similar last week and in this week.”

In his 16th year in the league and in the same offensive system, 38-year old Tom Brady is better than ever. Have you noticed when Brady goes back to pass that when he throws the ball, you’re expectation as somebody watching is that a Patriots receiver will snap it up. There are few quarterbacks in history that you have that feeling about when the ball leaves his hand.

That’s why it was no surprise when Brady took the Patriots on their first possession down the field for a TD, making it look a little too easy to grab a 7-0 lead. The Jaguars started three-and-out with the opening drive and Brady mixed the pass and run against the Jaguars defense to take an early lead.

Watching the Jaguars they looked a step behind on both offense and defense but it was more about the veteran status of New England and their ability to react to situations rather than bad play by the Jaguars.

While the defense made a couple of good stops, the Patriots running game gashed out big chunks of yardage enroute to a 10-0 lead after a field goal.

What the Jaguars needed was a ball-control drive to slow down the Pats offense and they got that. 17-plays and a field goal by Jason Myers to pull within 10-3.

But again Brady went to work, marching the Patriots right down field, using Rob Gronkowski up the seam in the middle of the field to grab lots of yardage. Another FG gave NE a 13-3 lead.

Blake Bortles and the offense went to work, gaining some yardage behind T.J. Yeldon and a couple of nicely designed plays by Greg Olsen, looking sharp and moving into good field position before the half. But Bortles overthrow to Marcedes Lewis lead to an interception and the 2 minute drill by Brady and company .He finished it off with a TD pass to Eric Amendola to take a 20-3 halftime lead. It was the 400th TD pass of Brady’s career, 4th all-time.

Receiving the second half kickoff, the Pats when right back to work scoring again on a FG to take a 23-3 lead. And when the Jaguars couldn’t do much with the football, Brady and company scored on their sixth straight possession, all of them into the third quarter to take a 30-3 lead. Two long pass interference penalties accounted for most of the yardage. The Jaguars were playing with all backups at that point in the defensive backfield. James Sample and Peyton Thompson were getting a lot of playing time because of injuries, and then add Nick Marshall to that group and Tom Brady had a lot of places he could attack.

Finally the offense got untracked, scoring on a 59- yard seam pass from Bortles to Allen Hurns. Nice throw and catch for Hurns first TD of the year. Six plays, 80 yards and the Jaguars were down by 20, 30-10.

You don’t think of Brady as much of a scrambler but he does create time in the pocket while he’s looking for receivers. The Patriots scored on their 7th straight possession, another TD pass for Brady for a 37-10 lead.

Oftentimes, Gus Bradley talks about it being a “precision league” and that’s what it takes to win in the NFL. While the Patriots and Tom Brady looked very precise, the Jaguars were anything but. Bortles wasn’t sharp and that hurts when you know you have to respond to what the opposing offense is doing. They didn’t do that across the board. Some of it is personnel, some of it is veterans on the field but somewhere, the Jaguars have to find some of what the Patriots seem to bring every week.

Without much offensive production in the second half, the Jaguars tried some trickery with a fake punt but New England was waiting for it and took over inside the Jaguars 30. Three plays later the Pats scored to make it 44-10, almost exactly the opposite of what the Jaguars were trying to accomplish going on the road after the home win last week.

A late score made it 51-10, with the Jaguars responding in the final 2 minutes with a TD to Clay Harbor to make it 51-17. A complete blowout and perhaps a few more questions raised than answered for the Jaguars. While they have their share of injures, the Patriots scored on all NINE possessions against the defense, perhaps the most unexpected result of the day.

Coming out of New England without further injuries could be called a small victory. If the Jaguars get a bit healthier with Julius Thomas, Luke Joeckel, Jonathan Cyprien and most of the defensive backfield returning, it’s probably best to not dwell on this game and look forward to the next two weeks at Indianapolis and Tampa Bay.

The only thing we learned this week is that New England is very good.

Perhaps no coach will ever be as proficient at pumping up the upcoming opponent than former Georgia Head Coach Vince Dooley. “Western Kentucky has a very good long snapper,” Dooley once said, looking at the strengths of the Hilltoppers, the next team on the ‘Dogs schedule.

And while no coach will ever top that assessment, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick wasted no time pointing out how good the Jaguars are in his conference call today with the Jacksonville media.

Offensively, Belichick said the Jaguars can be as good as they want to be.

“They have a very good mix, balance offensively, like they did last week against Miami with the running game and the passing game, getting the ball down the field, moving the pocket, staying in the pocket, play action, drop back, deep balls, like I said, catch-and-run plays. So, there really is a lot we have to defend. They do a good job.”

At their best, the Jaguars offense is all that. What was impressive is how the Patriots head coach was already clued into even the smallest nuance the Jaguars might bring to the table.

He immediately noted that Jared Odrick, somebody he’d seen in the division with the Dolphins in the past, is now playing on the outside as well as the interior of the defensive line.

“He’s a great player, and we had a lot of problems with him in Miami. I was glad to see him leave the division,” Belichick recalled. “We only have him once a year now instead of twice this year. He’s very disruptive, and he’s given us a lot of problems through the years.”

While his ability to analyze the opponent is legendary, Belichick’s recognition of where the Jaguars strengths are was apparent. He’s clearly impressed with Telvin Smith.

“This guy can run sideline to sideline, makes plays all over the field. Nobody is going to really outrun him. He, along with [Paul] Posluszny in their nickel defense gives them a lot of speed. They play a lot of zone defense, obviously, but they can break on the ball and close down that space in a hurry, along with [Aaron] Colvin when he’s in there as one of the inside players, so those guys all play good.” Notice that Colvin left the game against the Dolphins and Belichick said, “When he’s in there.”

But when asked to assess the Jaguars improvement through the years, he summed it up like this:

“I’d say first of all just overall this team has really improved over the course of last year and then from ’14 to ’15, you can see it in preseason. Against Detroit, the first half of that game was a lot of the frontline players on both teams into the third quarter … I thought that they moved the ball very effectively. (Blake) Bortles creates a lot of problems for you. I thought last week against Miami was another good example of the overall effectiveness of the offense, decision-making, no sacks, no turnovers. He’s able to make plays with his feet. He’s able to make plays in critical situations – third down, two minute – and then he’s able to make plays when he has a chance to get the ball down the field, which we saw a couple of those last week with [Allen] Robinson.”

Pretty honest and pretty spot on.

And don’t think anything this week will sneak up on the Patriots. Although the two teams haven’t played since 2012, Belichick knows the young players on the Jaguars roster having looked at them as draft prospects in the last couple of years. ”

Those players, we did a lot of work on in the last couple years coming out and it’s a very talented group. I think Lee has the ability, as does Robinson and [Allen] Hurns for that matter, have the ability to affect all three areas of the field. They can go deep, they’re good intermediate players and they’re dangerous on catch-and-run plays. They’re hard to tackle, and Lee is particularly elusive. He’s had some very explosive plays in college, and he’s hard guy to tackle and get on the ground. [Bryan] Walters has played well for them.”

So it was funny to hear another coach talk about how good the Jaguars can be, simply because we’ve seen them at their best, and at their worst in the course of just two weeks.

Maybe Gus Bradley should have his team read what Belichick thinks of them. Maybe it would build their confidence. Maybe Gus’ “Race to Maturity” would get a boost. Maybe they’d believe it.

After yesterday’s loss to the Panthers, Gus Bradley said several times that they would “tell the truth” on Monday as they assessed what happened and maybe more importantly, what went wrong.

If there’s any positive to take from the opening day loss it’s that the Jaguars mistakes were apparent. If they hadn’t dropped key passes, given up points on offense and missed kicks, a win was possible.

“The truth is also this,” Bradley said today. “I thought that as an offense we played very cautiously. We didn’t want to make mistakes. I thought that some of the things we saw in practice carried over to the preseason. Our hope and our thought is that it would carry over to the regular season and it didn’t, it didn’t carry over to the game.”

That is what’s most frustrating since the team seemed to build some momentum in the preseason on offense, changing the attitude that seemed to prevail from last year. But whatever momentum they built, or optimism they created in the off-season was lost in one game.

“We definitely went out there anxious, being the first game,” wide receiver Allen Robinson said in front of his locker on Monday. Everybody wants to play well, I know I can pick it up as far as aggressiveness goes.”

All through the offseason and in training camp, Bradley stressed his team’s ability to bounce back from bad fortune during a game. Against Carolina, that didn’t happen.

“Sometimes misfortune happens,” Bradley explained. “But how you adjust and you handle it is even more important. I don’t feel like we handled it very well.”

Even after looking at the game on video today, disappointment was the overriding emotion for the Jaguars. They felt like it was there and they didn’t take it.

Denard Robinson is looking to play with more freedom this Sunday against Miami. “We have to go out there and play loose. Let it go and just make the plays you know you can. They are called routine plays for a reason. We just have to go out there and do it.”

Bradley agrees with that. “We said winning is extremely, extremely important. It’s extremely important but the guys in that locker room are disappointed we weren’t our best and they felt like if we were we would have won that game and that’s what’s disappointing.”

So it’s back to work on Wednesday with the focus on Miami and perhaps a bit of a realistic take on who the Jaguars are from the coaching staff and the players. The promise they showed in the preseason was just promise at this point. Perhaps they had a false sense of how far they had come.

“There are some unknowns going into the regular season, you try to find out things. Now, we know,” Gus said today. “We went through a game and we understand where we are and what we need to do. Now, it’s just a matter of addressing it.”

And going 0-1 might be just one loss in the column but it feels worse because of the upcoming schedule. They’ll be underdogs against Miami at home on Sunday at 4 PM as well as the next two weeks on the road at New England and Indianapolis so if they’re not 0-4 a quarter of the way through the schedule, it’ll be an upset at this point.

Perhaps Roy Miller put the best veterans perspective on it: “Out of the 32 teams, there are 16 that are in our same situation. You can be sad about it, but you know you have 15 games. That’s what we have to look forward to and keep in our minds.”

“We said we were going to build this team,” Gus Bradley said last week, “And now it’s built.”

And with that statement, Bradley raised expectations for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015.

Building the franchise has been no easy task, winning just seven games in the first two years. While he wasn’t given a chance to do the same, former Head Coach Mike Mularkey knew it was a long-term project. “We’re going to take our lumps,” Mularkey said before he embarked on his lone season running the team.

He was right. They won two games.

“At the end of our first training camp,” one coach still with the franchise told me, “We were in the meeting for the final cuts and all of the position coaches submitted who they thought should make the team. We put those names on the big board and wee thought we were done until somebody noticed we only had 46 players. We had to go back and find seven guys to keep just to fill out the roster.”

While that’s a pretty funny story now, it’s also indicative of the state of the franchise at the time. In his first year of ownership, Shad Khan listened to his football people who told him signing Jerry Porter and Aaron Ross as well as re-signing Jeremy Mincey would make the team competitive.

“So what did I get for that,” he said recently. “Two wins. I knew something had to change. I just wish I had started it sooner.”

Khan brought in Dave Caldwell as the GM, who in turn hired Bradley as the process began. They tore the roster to the bare bones and started to rebuild. I thought the one guy they should have kept was Montel Owens. Veteran player who could have guided the way and would have flourished and help create the culture Bradley was looking for. Nonetheless, at the end of that first training camp they only had 46 players deemed NFL worthy. Chad Henne probably deserves some kind of medal just for sticking around.

“Quarterback, left tackle, offensive and defensive line,” is how Caldwell categorized the important building blocks in the franchise re-make. Thus, Luke Joeckel, Blake Bortles and Dante Fowler have been his 1st round picks in three years.

Having said this roster is now built, both Caldwell and Bradley admit they are still looking for depth but believe they have enough talent across the roster to compete. The 2015 version of the Jaguars might be a bit young to expect a post-season berth but you can see how they can be a team on the rise. You don’t expect everybody to have a career year at the same time (those teams go to the Super Bowl) but even incremental improvement over last year’s performance would put this team in games.

How many games do they have to win? I don’t think Khan has a number in mind. When asked how he’ll judge Caldwell and Bradley last week, the Jaguars owner said, “It’s pretty simple. Are we better than we were two years ago? The answer to that is yes.” Still, winning more than three or four games is expected and to be competitive in the rest will be very important. No more 30-0 halftime scores like last year at home against the Colts. No more double-digit blowouts.

A couple of key cogs won’t be available for the opener. Julius Thomas, a real difference-maker, should be available in week 4. It could be week 4 as well before Sen-Derrick Marks is ready to play. Losing Fowler for 2015 is an obvious setback. But the additions of Jared Odrick, Dan Skuta, Davon House and Sergio Brown made the defense better. On offense it all revolves around Bortles but the addition of Stefan Wisniewski and Jeremy Parnell up front should keep him upright more often than not. He won’t be sacked 55 times this year. And the kind of running backs available will give new offensive coordinator Greg Olsen more options.

You can look at the cuts made this year to get down to 53 players and see guys like Cap Capi, Ike Igbinosun, Ben Koyack, Neal Sterling and Tony Washington on the outside looking in. In the past three years, they make the Jaguars roster. Capi is a good example of where they are. He had a nice preseason, some sacks in games and “flashed” a few times as Bradley likes to say. But his ability to set the edge and stop the run was in question, so he didn’t make it in 2015. He’s another example of how good you have to be just to make it to the 53rd spot on an NFL roster.

All teams like to get off to a fast start, but it’s especially important for the Jaguars this year because of how the schedule is set up. Opening with two home games, they need to beat either Carolina or Miami before they go on the road for three at New England, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. Going 2-3 in that first five game stretch would make the rest of the season look bright as they get some players back and start to figure out how to play together. Anything less than that and 2015 could be no fun at all.

With Atlanta, Buffalo, the Jets, Houston (twice) and Tennessee (twice) in the second half of the season, you expect the Jaguars to win some of those games. Everybody expects road trips to New England, Indianapolis, Baltimore and New Orleans to be difficult.

Saying and doing are two different things. So while this team is better, they need to go prove it on the field.

In his fourth year as the Jaguars owner, Shad Khan can look around the stadium and see what has changed. Scoreboards, pools, chalets, suites and a host of other changes have been put into effect since the ownership change.

Apparently other NFL owners have noticed as well.

“When the other franchises visit, they can’t believe it’s the same stadium,” Khan said after the annual “Back to Football” luncheon in the Terrace Suites. “You’ve got to keep innovating, keep moving forward. With what’s going on in Atlanta and other places, you have to keep up.”

Khan also confirmed plans for a permanent practice facility that will include an indoor field situated on the current stadium campus south end.

“Incorporating what’s already there, making it almost an extension of the stadium,” Khan said of his plan. “But it’ll be a multi-use facility. It has to be suitable for pregame tailgating and other events. It’ll have a unique look. It’ll be mostly our money.” The Jaguars owner said he’s giving the City Council and the Mayor a “sneak preview” and expecting the city to continue to be a partner in the project. “I’d like it very much to be done before next year. It’ll be very much a destination. I’d like it to raise the bar. ”

Regarding the Shipyards, Khan said he thought, when asked about how the deal is playing out. “It’s a process that’s moving. It has to go through a process.”

He’s waiting for the city to continue to move forward on the deal he’s proposed but said if they want somebody else to do it, “I’m all for it.” At this point, Khan’s idea has gotten the approval of the Downtown Investment Authority but the revenue streams and the involvement of the city, state and federal governments in the initial cleanup is still being worked out. The price tag to make the site viable for a new project to start is about $35 million.

In the meantime, Khan reiterated that his commitment to Jacksonville remains strong and the London game has made the Jaguars a viable, sustainable franchise. “For us, London and Jacksonville is almost a marriage made in heaven. We want to have a focus and Jacksonville supplements with London is our focus.” Khan says the amount of sponsorship available in London and the excitement of the fans there has created a revenue stream for the Jaguars that he wants to continue. “I can see extending the deal to 2030,” he confirmed. “Fourteen years is a good number.”

“It’s been the number one element in stabilizing the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think it’s a critical part of our franchise to play games there, have the fan base and get sponsors.”

Expect that announcement to come sometime while the Jaguars are in London to play the Bills on October 25th.

When asked about the football team, Khan said he’s very pleased. “You can see the growth and the potential we have. We’re building something.” And when asked how he measures Gus Bradley’s progress as a head coach, Khan said it was simple. “You can see we’re a better team than we were three years ago.”

“It would have to be something really good,” Khan explained when I asked him about the talk of changing the preseason from four games preceding a 16 game regular season. “We talk about everything (in the owner’s meeting) but there’s hasn’t been much talk about that.”

While the Jaguars aren’t mentioned as a possible tenant in Los Angeles as San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis are. But there’s a rumor that Khan and other Jaguars representatives had met with San Diego authorities. Khan dismissed it, calling it a “rumor.”

“What I want to be addressing something that I talked about three and a half years ago here. And that’s my commitment to a viable franchise in Jacksonville. It’s a public private partnership and it’s been everything we could have asked for and more.”

I asked Shad how his new boat was working out after the first year. “Fabulous,” he quickly said with a big smile. “In fact it’s worked out so well I’m missing that it’s not here right now.” Khan has parked his “Kismet” in front of the Hyatt on the St. Johns in the past and said he’ll probably do that again this fall.

“It’ll probably be here around October 1st.”

Of all the preseason games, the third one is the most critical for most teams. It’s the game where the starters play the most and given a chance, players who want to make the team throughout the rest of the roster have to show something in this game.

“From the players I think the first team to go out there and play at least a half and to go out there and put it together and be able to come out of the locker room and play another portion of the game is important,” Head Coach Gus Bradley said leading up to Friday’s contest with Detroit. For the Jaguars, it’ll be an amount of time they’re playing and not necessarily a set number of plays.

That’s why Bradley thought it was important to name a starter at Center before this game to give the winner of that competition some time to work with the other four guys along the line. Stefan Wisniewski has 4 years behind him in the league so getting him into a rhythm with his new teammates is a high priority. And even though he’s out of the starting lineup, Bradley says Luke Bowanko is athletic enough to play pretty much anywhere on the line, even left tackle. “You think right, but he’s athletic enough to play left so he’s been working there as well. He’s taking extra reps before practice, working hard.”

Eleven different players won’t see any action against the Lions, including Toby Gerhart who’s out with an abdominal strain. “He’ll be ready to go for the regular season, ” Bradley said. “We’re just glad it’s not a sports hernia or anything more serious that would keep him out.” Gerhart seems to have solidified his position on the roster by being an effective short-yardage back for third and 4th down situations. A lingering foot problem last season kept him in check.

The team did put Auerllous Benn on injured reserve with a broken collarbone. It’s the third time Benn has been on IR in his career; the other two seasons it was knee injuries. “I told the coaches I know how to deal with this. I’ll be back.”

In game one against the Steelers, the Jaguars had numerous two tight end sets ready and kept with them even though Julius Thomas left the game early. In week two, they went to an offensive plan with three wide outs, preferring to keep the two tight end sets under wraps for the regular season. That might have changed Blake Bortles stats but it didn’t change his effectiveness. Look for Bortles to take charge in this game, knowing he’ll be in the game for a while with the other first teamers. His comfort level with this offense is obvious, coming to the line of scrimmage with an idea of who’s going to be open and showing a willingness to check down when his first two reads are covered. “This year, no matter the situation, we have a play for that,” Bortles said summing up his third offense in three years. “I’m concentrating on owning this offense and making it work.”

Bortles, like any quarterback, has plays he likes better than others, but overall, the offense new Offensive Coordinator Greg Olsen have brought to the Jaguars has put the quarterback in the best position to succeed.

“We like his toughness, his smarts, his arm, his willingness to get better, all of it,” Bradley said about Bortles.

On defense, look for the Jaguars to concentrate on keeping the big “explosive” plays to a minimum. With Calvin Johnson providing the best test to the defensive backfield, it’ll be a good measure of where they’re at on the learning curve of playing together.

With the first cut from 90 to 75 players looking on Tuesday of next week, the end of the third and all of the fourth quarter will be very competitive as guys are trying to make the team. Special teams is where players can lock up one of the 53 spots and the more they can do, the more valuable they are. Players like Thurston Armbrister and Tandon Doss have made enough of an impact as position players to add to their special team prowess as well.

The final cut to 53 will come on September 4th the day after the final preseason game against Washington. That game can be seen live on Channel 4 starting at 7:30. This week’s pregame show is also at 7:30 Friday night.

In the second week of the Jaguars training camp, the team has engaged in some of the “traditional” football drills more than we’ve seen in the past. One-on-one offensive lineman vs. defensive lineman skirmishes, the tip drill for linebackers and defensive backs, and kickoff and punt returns that give the receiver a “look” at the blocking scheme. Some of this is the time of year, but some is head coach Gus Bradley ramping up expectations.

“We need to be able to run the ball when the other team knows we’re going to run it,” Bradley said this week. So the emphasis on blocking technique is pretty strong. Adding Doug Marrone to the staff as the offensive line coach was a step Bradley took in the offseason trying to get that group in sync. Marrone has been meticulous with footwork and hand position instruction as well as the toughness factor and it’s paying dividends.

“That group is developing a closeness that they need,” Bradley said of his offensive linemen. On the unofficial depth chart, Luke Joeckel and Zane Beadles are listed on the left side, Brandon Linder and Eddie Parnell on the right. Both Luke Bowanko and Stefan Wisniewski are listed as first team centers. Bowanko worked with the first team today.

Jared Odrick, Allen Robinson, Marcedes Lewis, Roy Miller and WR Neal Sterling didn’t participate in drills today but were on the field. Odrick hasn’t practiced since last Wednesday and the Jaguars say its “knee soreness” that’s keeping him out. The others could be just a day off.

As the first preseason game against Pittsburgh gets closer, the second and third team players are getting more reps in practice. They’ll see a lot of action on Friday night, giving the coaches a chance to see whether they can be part of the final 53-man roster. That’s probably why Jeff Tuel and Stephen Morris were getting a lot of reps at QB today in practice. Blake Bortles and Chad Henne will play some on Friday but Tuel and Morris are vying for the 3rd QB job, (if the Jaguars even keep three quarterbacks) so they’ll both see action on Friday night.

Friday’s night’s game at the stadium can be seen live on News4Jax, Channel 4 beginning at 7:30. We’ll have a full pregame show at 7 and live coverage from the stadium beginning at 5pm on News4Jax. We’ll update today’s practice report with Gus Bradley’s comments this afternoon here on News4Jax.com as well as on News4Jax at 6pm.

Bad weather forced the Jaguars to cancel tonight’s planned “road” practice at Mandarin High School. With the parking lots filling starting at 3pm and the gates about to open at 5, it continued to rain and some of the most dramatic lightning strikes forced everybody to seek shelter. Shortly thereafter, on-site Jaguars officials inspected the field and called practice off.

Lots of fans might have been disappointed but it was the right call at the right time. No injuries on a field that’s always wet regardless of the weather. Fan safety was also part of the equation.

Right around 7pm the Jaguars players took the field on their “home” turf right next to the Stadium. They needed to practice.

“We have to work on ourselves,” Luke Joeckel said earlier in the weekend when asked about taking practice on the road. “It doesn’t matter where we practice, we need to continue to work and get better.” Joeckel is noticeably bigger and stronger and more confident when he takes the field. “He’s a really competitive person,” Gus Bradley said about the team’s 1st round pick three years ago. “His progress is no surprise to the coaching staff.”

“It’s fun to get in front of the fans but we need the work,” Toby Gerhart also said this weekend.

After about 40 minutes of very pleasant conditions, temperatures in the 70’s, the skies opened up downtown and Bradley sent everybody for cover. More lightning and rain hovered over downtown so Bradley called it a day.

Marqise Lee didn’t practice but according to Gus, just precautionary. “That’s on me. His GPS numbers the last two days were really high, so we wanted him to back off for the day.”

The 10-game suspension of Ace Sanders was “confidential” according to Bradley so when he cut him, Gus said he made the decision, “more with my head than my heart.”

Gus Bradley has said that he wants to put his players under some stress by taking them on the road for practice, taking them out of their comfort zone. “We need to be able to play anybody, anywhere, anytime,” Bradley said before taking the team to Bartram Trail High School last year. He later credited the team’s ability to adapt in different situations to how they reacted when the regular season started. After tonight’s problems, Bradley was still upbeat. “We might have to do this in a game sometime so we learned a bit about a routine. You come in the locker room, what do you do? Now we have an idea.”

Tomorrow is their first off day of training camp, followed by the fully padded practice on Wednesday at 9:55 AM. Because they had a walk through earlier in the day, the Jaguars couldn’t change the schedule. They had to stick to a players day off.” The team will also practice at 9:55 on Thursday and Friday, leading up to the scrimmage in the stadium at 6:15 Saturday evening. They’re off this coming Sunday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week are the last practices open to the public. You must register at Jaguars.com.

“You never come back (from a break) to the same place you were but I’m really pleased with our progress. We have a lot of work to do in all three phases,” Bradley said when asked to assess the first four days of camp. “It’s good that the things we worked on in OTA’s and mini-camp stuck with them to training camp. Especially on the offensive side.”

Whether or not they’ll have another open “road” practice is still up in the air but doubtful.

Last week’s unsubstantiated, wacky report out of one of the London newspapers about Shad Khan buying Tottenham and moving the Jaguars to London literally made me laugh. Partially because I know just enough about the London papers to know they’re willing to print just about anything, true or not, and partially because the sum total of discussions I’ve had with Shad in the last four years point in the exact opposite direction.

Remember Shad’s comment about a homeless guy in Detroit having more “mojo” than business people in Jacksonville? In getting to know Shad’s personality, his way of speaking if you will, that was more of a nudge than a complaint. Shad’s humor is pretty dry, and quick and if you’re not paying attention, sometimes you can think he’s not joking.

Standing on the end line of Craven Cottage two years ago, Khan wistfully looked over the pitch and asked me, “Can you imagine an NFL team on THIS field?” Our discussion wound through locker rooms, seating, field condition, attendance and other particulars but it was pretty clear to me, Shad will have the Jaguars on that surface at some point. Either an open scrimmage or a practice or something.

In that report, the most laughable thing was that Shad would sell Fulham and buy Tottenham. Shad LOVES Fulham. He’s said numerous times, “It’s not just buying a soccer club in London, it’s buying the right club.” He’s proud of Fulham’s reputation, the fact that they have a neutral stand. He loves the neighborhood and how Craven Cottage fits into its surroundings. And recently he’s been given approval by the city of London to rebuild the Riverside stand at the Cottage, a cantilevered style that the city is allowing him buy or use footage out over the Thames to build. Jaguars president Mark Lamping is a director of Fulham FC and is helping oversee the building project. And if you know anything about Shad, he’d never sell the team after the lack of success on the field. Fulham was relegated last season. He won’t stand for that. Plus his original investment has been cut about in half because of the TV rights in the EPL versus every other league. He’s not selling Fulham.

There are now rumblings that Khan doesn’t want to play in Tottenham’s new stadium in 2018. No surprise there. The NFL has committed to two games in the new stadium starting that year, but recently they’ve played three games a year in London. And their plan is to have eight games in the city by 2021. The NFL can’t figure out how to put a team in London and make it competitive. With travel time and scheduling, right now it’s not possible. That’s why Khan has promoted the Jaguars as “London’s team.” Last year he told me they were studying extending the contract to play there (2015 is the 3rd of four years in the current deal) and no doubt they’ll announce a new deal while they’re in London this October. (Ryan O’Halloran of the TU reported it will be against Green Bay)

Plus, Shad is not a “downsize” kind of guy. Tottenham’s stadium will hold 61,000; Wembley’s capacity is 90,000 and is the national stadium. That’s Shad’s style. Let’s not play down the street, let’s play in the national stadium.

And as one NFL Owner told the Sports Business Journal, “Shad owns Fulham.” Khan is very competitive, very loyal and no doubt would look askance at Tottenham with a dubious eye regarding putting his football team in a potential competitors stadium. Shad is also “brand proud.” Fulham is his team.

Those close to Khan are repeatedly amazed by his stamina and his determination to get things done. If you saw his proposal for the Shipyards project, you know he doesn’t do anything “small.” While some developers where thinking about a glorified strip mall on the property, Khan is envisioning something along the lines of the Sydney Opera House. Iconic. Landmark. Identifiable.

I asked him if during the planning process for the Shipyards he had to tell the designers, “bigger?” He gave a wry smile and said, “several times.”

Khan understands the lasting impact he can have on North Florida, perhaps for generations. He’s a firm believer that cities only flourish with a solid downtown core. He’d like to start at the Stadium and the Shipyards and move west, helping renovate and reinvigorate the city. He had a passing interest in buying the Suns to centralize what was going on at the sports complex. Perhaps with new owner Ken Babby and alliance will form.

And with new civic leadership, things might move quicker than expected.

I’ve said all along Shad Khan will try to drag Jacksonville into the 21st century. Hopefully, we’ll go along.

Over the next three weeks the Jaguars will have their On-field Team activities. Three for this week and next, and four the final week leading up to the summer mandatory mini-camp in mid-June. As of now, none are open to the public but the Jaguars have said they’re working up a schedule for the mini-camp and when fans can attend.

With 90 players on the roster, the Jaguars will give a look to a lot of players as the turnover in the league almost guarantees that there will be 20 new players on the opening day 53-man roster. With the team active in free agency, it appears they could have six new starters just from the players they signed. Add TJ Yeldon and perhaps another draft pick in the starting lineup and last year’s 3-win team will look totally different. This year the Jaguars will have no less than 20 rookies on the field for the OTA’s.

In these workouts we’ll see a lot of players in new positions as Gus Bradley and the coaching staff looks to upgrade wherever they can.

One spot they’re set at is quarterback with Blake Bortles entering his second year. He’s learning a new offense but fulltime work in the offseason at “quarterbacking” is something Bortles says he really enjoyed. “I didn’t have to worry about getting into a three-point stance and learn how to run a 40,” he told me recently. “I got to work on quarterback stuff, and that was cool.”

Bortles worked in the offseason in California with noted quarterback coaches and we’ll see some of the fruit of his investment in this OTA. Last year his ball fluttered and he was a little unsteady at this time but 2015 should show a whole new Bortles. He organized some informal passing camps in California while he was working there so he built some reps with Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marquis Lee.

Those three receivers have to make a big leap this year if the Jaguars passing game is to improve. Robinson has to stay healthy, Lee has to get off to a faster start and Hurns has to catch the ball more consistently. Receivers coach Jerry Sullivan said he thought they gave Lee “too much, too soon” last year, but that should fade away, despite a new offense. They do need another receiver and whether he comes from somebody on the roster or somebody who will eventually available is still up in the air.

While you can’t tell much without any pads on, I’m curious to see how AJ Cann looks among other professional linemen. Cann is big, fast, athletic and smart. But he might be a bit a project for the Jaguars. Nonetheless, his story could be intriguing.

We’ll look for how they get Julius Thomas and Marcedes Lewis on the field at the same time and who’s getting most of the reps in the backfield. Yeldon is penciled in as the starter and general manager Dave Caldwell said keeping five running backs is not out of the question since they won’t have a fullback on the roster this year. Toby Gerhart is hoping last year was an anomaly when it comes to injury and Denard Robinson will get some time as a kick returner. Both Bernard Pierce and Storm Johnson will have to impress in a lot of ways to make this roster.

And perhaps one intangible is going to be hard to figure out in these practices. Losing Dante Fowler for the year before he even got started certainly had a sobering effect on the rookie mini-camp and we’ll see if it’s a hangover in the next three weeks. While the Jaguars haven’t signed an edge rusher to replace Fowler’s spot, they could be looking at their roster or at the waiver wire in the next couple of months. That could be answered in the next three weeks.

And in the defensive backfield have they found the answers? Between free agency and the draft as well as players returning from injury, the Jaguars know who they expect to start back there. But that was the same situation last year and it played out differently.

What they’re hoping is this OTA period produces some answers, not more questions.

Day One of the NFL Draft is all about the hype and the hoopla, the guessing and the second-guessing. Fans are engaged, bright lights capture every prospect and the now-traditional hug between a draftee and Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken on a life of it’s own.

Now the real work starts.

From the 2nd through the 7th round you could call it the “scouts draft” as teams mine for players who have what Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell calls “tremendous upside.” Alternating between the 3rd and the 4th pick for the rest of the draft, the Jaguars need more hits than misses and with only 7 picks this year, consistently building the team through the draft means most of the 2015 class needs to make, and stay on the Jaguars roster.

“Offensive Line, Defensive Line and Quarterback,” Caldwell said after taking Dante Fowler in the first round. He followed his own philosophy, following Luke Joeckel and Blake Bortles with the edge pass rusher the Jaguars so desperately need.

Now there are a lot of different directions the Jaguars could go and several talented players that will be available at the top of the second round when the Jaguars are on the seven-minute clock in Chicago. The problem is, the most talented players have some baggage that tends to have the Jaguars shy away from those issues.

They’re missing a traditional free safety and although Landon Collins from Alabama has played some of that position in college, he’s a more traditional strong safety, a spot Jonathan Cyprien currently holds. At some point they’ll have to figure this position out, and perhaps they think Collins can develop pass coverage skills.

At wide receiver, they’re still waiting word on Justin Blackmon but as Caldwell says “he’d be a luxury” if he’s reinstated and who knows how long he’d stay eligible. Jalen Strong from Arizona State is a popular WR pick here but Dorial Green-Beckham from Oklahoma is perhaps a better player. Green-Beckham has some serious red flags regarding his character so he might not even be on the Jaguars draft board. “If there were nine last year,” Caldwell said when asked about players who were a no-go, “there’s more this year.

They’d probably like to take an offensive lineman here, but La’el Collins from LSU is part of a murder investigation. He’s first round talent. TJ Clemmins from Pitt could be a possibility.

Beefing up the linebacking corps is a priority and with first round talent Randy Gregory on the board, they’d have to make a decision regarding consistent drug use that he’s admitted to. Perhaps Eric Kendricks from UCLA is on their radar.

And following Caldwell’s statement that you “can’t have enough big bodies,” defensive line is clearly on their board. Owa Odighizuwa from UCLA and Eddie Goldman from FSU will both go somewhere in the top of the second round.

While they have holes and depth issues all over the field, the most glaring hole is at running back. With both Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon gone in the first round, Tevin Coleman from Indiana is rated around this spot by most teams. They might think that Denard Robinson and Storm Johnson can carry the load with Bernard Pierce pushing for a roster spot, but they need more than the RB’s on the squad.

It’s a big of a puzzle with moving parts as the Jaguars look at players like WR Greg Jennings in free-agency to see of he brings something to the field and the locker room that a rookie can’t. Same at running back.

Plenty of choices for the Jaguars to trust their scouts and their instincts.

It didn’t take long for Dave Caldwell to establish himself as the General Manager of the Jaguars. With his now famous “Not even if he’s released” comment regarding Tim Tebow’s availability, he let everybody know he’s going to do things his own way. During that same press conference Caldwell was asked about his philosophy in building the franchise. “Building through the draft is the best way,” Caldwell said. “Offensive line, defensive line and quarterback are the key positions to build,” he finished, outlining his plan.

So going by that template, Caldwell has acquired his offensive lineman (Luke Joeckel), his quarterback (Blake Bortles), and now apparently is looking at the defensive line for the 2015 draft. While there’s a lot of disinformation and smoke screens out there at this point (“They’re all smoke screens” I told a friend yesterday) its pretty easy to come up with a plan that the Jaguars are looking at for 2015.

“You have to be prepared for any scenario,” Caldwell said at the pre-draft luncheon last Friday. “I like to challenge people with their convictions,” Head Coach Gus Bradley added.

I asked Caldwell last Friday if he has identified the best player in the draft. “I think so,” he said with a smile. (Gus Bradley by the way said he thought they were still looking at “Five or 6 guys.”) “Will you take him if he’s available at number 3?” I continued. “Yes,” Caldwell said emphatically and with a bigger smile. It’s the same question I asked last year and Caldwell was honest with his answer. “If the player we want is there, we’ll take him. And I know who that player is.”

One other thing might have given some insight into the process tonight. Caldwell said, “You can never have enough big bodies,” when asked about a defensive lineman.

Putting that all together, the Jaguars have several possible scenarios for the draft. 1. Take Leonard Williams. If the two quarterbacks are taken at one and two, the Jaguars have their pick of every position player on the board. Williams is the consensus best player in the draft and I don’t think they’ll pass on him. Yes, Dante Fowler looks like a good “Leo” fit for Gus but this team needs solid players to build around and Williams is that guy. Considered a “hippie” by some scouts, Williams is from Daytona and the Jaguars liked him when they saw his pro day and interviewed him.

2. Trade down. If one of the quarterbacks is there, this is a real possibility. Moving out of the top 10 might keep this from happening but if getting the Browns 12th and 19th picks is part of the deal, it could happen. If the Jaguars can stay in the top 10 and move down picking up more picks, that’s also a possibility because behind Williams they have about 5 players rated horizontally on the board, all with the same grade.

3. Draft Dante Fowler. This only happens if Gus and the Coaching staff sway the scouts and the personnel department, including Caldwell, that Fowler could be the missing “piece.” I doubt it, but it’s possible.

4. Draft Amari Cooper. While this has been a popular notion the past couple of days, I actually think the Jaguars like Kevin White a little better because of his size and how he might fit into the current offense. Mostly a smokescreen to see who wants to jump up.

It all starts at 8 tonight. The Jaguars have the third pick around 8:35.

Full coverage on News4Jax and News4Jax.com

As the new assistant coaches filed into the “Media Lobby” each one exuded the high energy, “Lets get this done” attitude that Gus Bradley is famous for. Bradley often talks about things being a “good fit” and reiterated that today when talking about hiring different offensive assistants in the last couple of weeks.

“Can you all work in the right direction? That’s what I was looking for in the interview process.”

Bradley said there are things about the football business that aren’t pretty when it comes to putting your staff together year in and year out. Bringing in Kelly Skipper as the running backs coach means he had to tell Terry Richardson he wasn’t working with the Jaguars any longer.

“Its just part of the business. Greg (Olson the new offensive coordinator) felt strongly about Skipper so we made that change. Terry did a great job for us but that’s just part of the business.”

Bradley noted that Richardson almost immediately had a new job at the University of Maryland as their running backs coach.

Hiring Greg Olson put some changes on the offensive staff in motion. Doug Marrone came in as the new Offensive Line coach and added assistant head coach to his title as well. Olson wanted Nathaniel Hackett as his quarterbacks coach so Frank Scelfo was pushed to a job called Senior Offensive assistant.

Marrone was the puzzling hire, not because he’s not the right guy but opting out of the head coaching job in Buffalo after an ownership change and landing as a position coach in Jacksonville didn’t seem to make any sense. Bradley said he didn’t ask Marrone why he left Buffalo. “I sensed a lot of humility in him.” Marrone was asked why he left Buffalo and said he didn’t have anything else lined up.

“It was a three or four day window and we made a family decision to leave and ended up here.” When I asked Marrone if he had settle in yet he said “absolutely.” Apparently his wife has some family in town.

As each assistant paraded through, I asked them about Gus’ commitment to the culture he’s trying to create here.

“You feel it as soon as you walk in the building,” Skipper said.

“It runs through everybody,” an excited Hackett blurted out. “I’ve only been here three days but I can hear it from everybody.”

Marrone admitted that the kind of environment Bradley has created doesn’t exist on every staff. “It’s great,” he said when asked about his input. “You owe it to the team to give your input and Gus welcomes that. You have to hear from everybody: sometimes you’re the guys who has to make the decision but taking input is important.” Interesting perspective from a guy who’s been a head coach and sees how he thinks this thing can work.

Bradley’s adjustments on his staff have brought a lot of experience and new ideas to the table. It’ll be the third playbook in four years for the Jaguars offensive players and although Gus has been looking for developmental coaches, he knows that making the players on the roster better now is a priority because winning games is going to be the barometer soon.

“We’re not going to run the Raiders offense or the Bills offense, ” Olson said echoing Bradley’s thought about where they’re headed on offense. We’re going to find out what Blake’s good at, what we can do and build around that.”

Bradley admitted that he thinks, “We need to run the ball. We missed some opportunities. We need repetition.” But he also acknowledged it has to happen fast. “A lot of work in a short time. Look at our current players, free agents, the draft. We’re working on all that.”

Bortles is working out in California, something Olson thinks is important. “He’s working with Drew Breese, Aaron Rodgers, he’s learning how to be a pro.” Bortles has plenty of company in California among his Jaguars teammates. And although the coaches can’t talk football with the players until April, it’s not keeping the players away from the stadium or working out. Thirty players showed up on Wednesday morning for lifting and a complete workout.

On a cold, dreary and rainy day in Houston, the Jaguars were finishing out the season against a division opponent with not much motivation but pride to fuel them. Former Jaguar (and Texan) Tony Boselli said prior to the game that he wasn’t worried about the fight in the Jaguars but that they would have to withstand an initial “onslaught” from Houston since the Texans still had something to play for. With an outside chance at the post-season, Houston needed a win to keep their hopes alive.

That proved to be true as the Jaguars punted on their first possession only to see the Texans go 83 yards in just 5 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Missed assignments and missed tackles were fully on display during that drive with defensive backs looking befuddled each time Case Keenum dropped back to pass.

In their next possession, the Jaguars moved the ball with a couple of nice runs by Jordan Todman and some scrambling by Blake Bortles but JJ Watt recorded back-to-back sacks to force a 53 yard FBG by Josh Scobee to make it 7-3. Watt beat Luke Joeckel on one play to force a sack and a fumble (that Joeckel recovered) and ran right by Toby Gerhart on the next play making it 19.5 this year.

The Texans had no problem moving the ball against the Jaguars either on the ground or in the air, and they were aided by a couple of early Jaguars penalties as well. But the Jaguars caught a break when Keenum threw behind a wide open crossing receiver, dropping it into Dwayne Gratz’s hands who returned it for a 55 yard TD and a 10-7 Jaguars lead. It’s only the 6th interception of the year for the Jaguars defense.

Head Coach Gus Bradley has talked about consistency or the lack of it for the Jaguars all year and it was on full display against the Texans early. Demetrius McCray made a couple of very nice plays on the edge against the run and the pass but then was called for penalties leading to first downs for Houston. Blake Bortles was sharp on some throws to Cecil shorts and Alan Hurns but then missed Marcedes Lewis on third and two. That has to be an automatic bread-and-butter play for a quarterback and a tight end. Because of that inconsistency, it was apparently on each Texans drive that the Jaguars need help at linebacker and at defensive back. Houston moved the ball at will, scoring on another long drive in the second quarter to take a 14-10 lead. Between the seven guys in the “back” of the Jaguars defense, there was plenty of blame to go around.

Too often in the first half the Jaguars failed to convert on 3rd and short while Houston was able to covert on 3rd and long. While the Jaguars moved into FG territory on some nice improvisation by Bortles and Ace Sanders, a holding penalty moved them back to mid-field and the half ended with the Jaguars down by 4.

After a nice stop on the opening possession by the Texans, the Jaguars offense was driving but again failed to covert on short yardage. Josh Scobee’s 51 yard attempt hit off the left upright and it remained 14-10.

You hate to think your punter is a difference maker, but Bryan Anger kept flipping the field in favor of the Jaguars, banging out 61-yard punts with good coverage to keep the Texans at bay. A good defensive stand forced a Case Keenum fumble and the Jaguars recovered at the 23. That’s when they went deep into the playbook again with the throwback from Shorts to Todman for a TD and a 17-14 lead. It was kind of surprising to see Todman that wide open since the Jaguars had just run that play last week, and they beat the Texans with that play last year. All of this going on while San Diego and Baltimore were both losing, giving Houston a chance at the playoffs for the time being.

In all, through three quarters the Jaguars had lost Toby Gerhart, Sen’Derrick Marks, Brandon Linder, Alan Hurns and a few others during the course of the game. Marks and Gerhart did not return and without Roy Miller in the lineup, the Jaguars defensive line was a bit thin. Houston took advantage even without Arian Foster in the game. Alfred Blue running and Andre Johnson catching drove the ball right downfield for 80 yards in 12 plays to have Houston re-take the lead at 21-17.

On 4th and short in the 4th quarter from near mid-field, Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien chose to punt, not fearing the Jaguars offense at all and their ability to drive the ball the length of the field. He turned out to be right as the Jaguars had the ball on their own seven but JJ Watt sacked Bortles in the end zone for a safety and a 23-17 lead. It’s unrealistic to think that Luke Joeckel or anybody else could hold off Watt one on one but Bortles has to be aware of that as well and be ready to get rid of that ball. Call it what you want but somewhere the Jaguars are going to have to learn from that to block better, get rid of the ball quicker or perhaps don’t call that play in that situation.

Still, the defense stiffened and forced the Texans to give the ball back to the Jaguars. Helped by the third face mask penalty of the day, the Jaguars moved the ball to midfield and then Bortles scrambled down to the 10 giving the Jaguars a real chance to win the game. Incomplete on first down with Lee and Shorts running to the same spot (Shorts could have caught the ball but short-armed it a bit) and Lee went out of the game with a leg injury. A 5 yard gain to Hurns gave the Jaguars two plays to win it. They got the matchup they wanted on third down with Marcedes Lewis matched up one on one with a 5-11 cornerback but Bortles pass was a bullet, way high to bring up 4th down. That pass was thrown too wide and Shorts caught it out of bounds to essentially end the game.

The Texans missed the playoffs despite the win since the Ravens victory put them in as the 6th seed. The Jaguars will most likely get the third pick in the upcoming draft finishing 3-13.

Bradley and Caldwell have a lot of work to do.

While the question today is “Will Blake Bortles play?” Perhaps the real question is “Should he?” Suffering a mid-foot sprain against Baltimore last week, Bortles finished the game but afterwards was in the locker room and in his press conference wearing a protective boot. He didn’t practice early in the week but was “limited” in practice leading up to tonight’s game. Officially the Jaguars have him listed as “questionable” which is defined by the league as about a 50% chance he’ll play. Bortles said in the locker room that, if he could, he’d upgrade himself to “probable” giving him a 75% chance to play. Head Coach Gus Bradley admitted he’s leaning toward letting Bortles play against the Titans.

“He’s really progressed,” Bradley said on Wednesday noting Bortles performance in practice. “He’s gotten a lot better and with another day, we’ll know. We’ll have him run around before the game and see how he does. But we’re leaning toward having him play.”

Having a short week has made this a tough decision for the Jaguars. If the game was Sunday, Bortles would have recuperated enough to play. But with a quick turnaround, he’s still treating that foot a bit gingerly. If he’s not somewhere north of 90%, he shouldn’t play.

At 2-12, the Jaguars aren’t going anywhere and while they’re not officially looking toward next season, the final two games are good evaluation exercises for the coaching staff to see which players they’re going to take forward to try and be competitive in 2015.

And then there’s the issue of the Draft.

With two quarterbacks expected to be in demand at the top of the draft, Heisman winner Marcus Mariotta and Jameis Winston, there will be teams willing to get to the top two picks in order to try and solve their quarterback situation. Of all the Jaguars needs, quarterback doesn’t seem to be one of them. So having one of those picks could be valuable on the trade market, allowing the Jaguars to acquire more picks, move down in the first round and still take a player who can step in and help right away.

So while Indianapolis fans were willing to have the Colts “Suck for Luck” should Jaguars fans be “Shameless for Jameis?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Jaguars DT Sen’Derrick Marks said this week when asked about tanking for a higher draft pick. “That’ll be unacceptable. Not just for here but for how people view you in the league.” By the way, Marks is reportedly in line for a $600,000 bonus if he can record 1/2 of a sack over the next two games. He’ll be playing like a beast. (And should go to the Pro Bowl).

And then there’s the issue of what motivation the Titans have tonight as well. Also with two wins, Tennessee is in contention for the top pick (research indicates the Jaguars have the best chance for #1 at just over 32%) and could use a quarterback to settle their situation at that position. Despite picking Zach Mettenberger in the 6th round last year, Tennessee isn’t committed to him as their long-term solution.

So look for effort tonight on the field, especially in the second half. If one team or another jumps out to an early lead, does it matter enough on the field to still hang in there? That’s a more likely scenario if the Jaguars take a lead, playing at home and still learning. If the Jaguars are behind, they’ll still play hard, looking for solutions, particularly on offense.

We’ll update you on the Bortles situation beginning on News4Jax at 5pm and on our pregame show live from the stadium starting at 7.

Recognizing the Jaguars 20th anniversary, this week’s top twenty is Top 20 road trips. This top twenty is about what road trips to take to see the Jaguars play taking into account ease of travel, stadiums, hotels, proximity and things to do. While it’s easy to name some great things about all of the cities on the Jaguars travel list over the years, our list comes from our personal experiences as well as perhaps some of the Jaguars results while we were there. It also got us thinking, where would Jacksonville rank on other teams fan’s travel list? Probably not near the top, which means they’ve never been here!

Even though the Jaguars are the home team, we put London at the top of the list for every Jaguars fan. Not only is it one of the great international cities of the world, it’s not that hard, or expensive to get to from Jacksonville. Once you’re there, the history and the nightlife are incomparable with anything else on the list. Wembley is one of the great stadiums as well. Now if the Jaguars could only win a game there!

Domestically, just about any city in the top ten could qualify as number one. As we mentioned, ease of travel, stadium and proximity to the stadium from everything else went into account on this list. That’s why Nashville is at the top. Non-stop flights (Southwest), a chance to go every year, great nightlife and restaurants, sightseeing and nice hotels put Music City in this spot. Also, the stadium is close by so it’s no big deal to get over there on game day. Not a great stadium, but not terrible either.

You might be surprised to see Baltimore this high but even a survey of Jaguars staffers puts “Charm City” near the top. Easy to get to on a nonstop flight (Southwest), downtown isn’t far from the airport and the stadium (and the whole sports complex) is close by. In fact, you can walk just about anywhere you want to go, the Inner Harbor, Camden Yards, all if it is right there.

Chicago is one of the great cities in America and the ability to get there on one flight and everything in walking distance makes it a fun trip. If you can get to a Jaguars game at historic Soldier Field on a day the Cubs are playing at home at Wrigley, it’ll be a memorable experience.

New York would be higher because well, it’s New York. Easy to get to but actually going to the game is a giant pain. Other than that, the New York trip can be fun. Just don’t wear your Jaguars gear to the stadium of we’re playing the Jets. Honest.

While hard to get to, San Diego is a great trip because of what they’ve done with downtown. In a lesson that Jacksonville could learn, they installed light rail and completely re-did what’s now called the “Gas Lamp District.” Great weather, good sights, easy to get around. The light rail goes directly to the stadium. If the Chargers stay in San Diego, it’s worth the trip. The stadium’s not much, but it is easy to get to on the rail line from downtown.

Seattle is also hard to get to but their sports complex and the city itself make it worth the trip. Nice hotels downtown a really cool stadium and passionate fans would make it memorable. Just plan an extra day or two for travel. And sightseeing.

If it was easier to get to, New Orleans might top this list. There used to be non-stops to the Crescent City but now it’s not easy to get over there. Obviously the food and the atmosphere is classic Americana. The Superdome renovation has upgraded it to a nice spot and you can just about walk to everything. At least once, this is a trip worth taking.

Surprisingly, Indy and Philly make it into our top ten. Both have non-stops, both have nice stadiums, fairly new. Philadelphia is full of American history if you’ve never taken the time to explore it, absolutely worth the time. Great restaurants all downtown near hotels. Indy has a bustling downtown with nice restaurants within walking distance.

Nearly impossible to get to, Lambeau Field should be a “must visit” for all football fans. Plan an extra couple of hours once you get there to go through the Packers Hall of Fame Museum. They have the best Bloody Mary Bar you’ve ever seen in their new atrium and great fans.

While San Francisco and Oakland are long trips, the Bay Area is a great place to visit. The ‘Niners new Levi’s Stadium is state of the art but not easy to get to. Oakland Coliseum is old and decrepit but if you want to see crazies in person, it’s the place to be for a Raiders game. Again, don’t wear your Jaguars gear if you go to Oakland. They seriously will hurt you.

Nice weather will follow you to Tampa and Miami. While Tampa is fairly non-descript, it’s easy to get around and easy to get to the stadium. Miami has a lot to offer and a trip to South Beach should be on any visiting fans itinerary. The stadium is nowhere near the city, so have a plan to get there, and get out.

Good weather might not follow you to Buffalo, but with very serious fans, you might see the largest collection of brown liquor ever during the tailgate before the game. Any trip to Buffalo should include a stop at Niagara Falls.

Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Cleveland might not seem like great travel spots for fans to visit but all three have nice downtown areas and easy proximity from the hotels to restaurants and the stadium. A trip to Cincinnati should include a stop at the Montgomery Inn, a famous barbeque spot on the river. If the Reds are at home, that’s a plus as well. If it’s chilly, you never have to go outside in Minneapolis, everything’s connected through walk bridges and tunnels. It might be difficult for the next couple of years because they’re building their new stadium. And Cleveland has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well.

The new stadium in Dallas should be on any sports fans list to see. While it’s close to nothing, it’s a destination itself. Downtown Dallas has plenty of options. Take an extra hour to look at the Museum at Dealy Plaza and you’ll be surprised by so much that’s apparent and accessible there regarding the Kennedy assassination.

Carolina makes the list but Atlanta or a variety of the other cities could be in this 20th spot because they’re easy to get to. They still call their downtown “Uptown” but lots of nice restaurants and easy access to the stadium. Arizona would be here or higher but the stadium in Glendale is in the middle of nowhere. Kansas City has great barbeque and great fans and St. Louis is worth the trip if the Cardinals are also in town. Plus a trip under the Arch to the Museum of Western Expansion is a surprise for any visitor. Denver can be fun if you include a couple of days skiing. We’d like to put Detroit somewhere on the list but the best thing they have going for them is Ford Field. And if the Tigers are at home, it’s right next door. Washington is worth a trip to see our Nation’s Capital but FedEx Field is not much and is in the middle of nowhere and hard to get to. No parking either. Houston has a great stadium and if the Astros are at home, probably worth the trip as well. If you’ve never been to Pittsburgh, a trip there will show real NFL passion, that’s for sure.

We’re sure you have an opinion! Let us know with #JagsTop20 on Twitter or email us at Sports@wjxt.com. We’ll talk about the list this week on “Jaguars Friday Night.”

1. London
2. Nashville
3. Baltimore
4. Chicago
5. New York
6. San Diego
7. Seattle
8. New Orleans
9. Indianapolis
10. Philadelphia
11. Green Bay
12. San Francisco/Oakland
13. Tampa
14. Miami
15. Buffalo
16. Cincinnati
17. Minneapolis
18. Cleveland
19. Dallas
20. Carolina

Sometimes things crystalize right in front of your eyes when you’re watching the Jaguars play. In their opening drive against the Ravens, they drove the ball to midfield with a good blend of Toby Gerhart running and Blake Bortles passing. Gerhart’s healthy and running hard while Bortles looks confident.

Then things fall apart.

A wide-open Marcedes Lewis drops a perfect pass for a first down to keep a drive going and former Jaguar Daryl Smith tips a pass on 3rd down to force a punt. Will Ta’ufo’ou misses a block on the punt team and it’s blocked and returned for a TD. 7-0 Baltimore.

If Lewis catches the ball, the drive’s still happening. If Will makes the block, the Ravens field position is not good. In the span of a couple plays, the whole Jaguars season just happened right before your eyes. That’s why coming in to Baltimore, they’re 2-11. Flashes of what they can do but mind-blowing inconsistency and not just by young players.

Although the special teams have allowed 5 blocked kicks this year (2 punts and 3 FG’s) the one constant has been Josh Scobee. His two field goals in the first quarter from 53 and 45 yards kept the Jaguars in the game in the first quarter, 7-6.

More of the same in the second quarter. Mostly good defense, stuffing Justin Forsett and forcing him out of the game. They forced a fumble (18th of the year, tying a franchise record) and Scobee kicked another FG to make it 9-7.

It’s OK for a 2-1 team to try a little trickery so an on-side kick followed with Jonathan Cyprien’s recovery and the Jaguars were in business again. But this time, they squandered the opportunity with Scobee missing from 42 yards, still 9-7.

Joe Flacco is one of the premier QB’s in the game (They introduce him here as the “MVP of Super Bowl XLIV”) and he can find open guys. The middle of the field remains a problem for the Jaguars and Flacco exploited it, moving the ball inside the 10 with three minutes to play. But the D stiffened again and forced a FG, 10-9 Ravens.

But playing with a sense of confidence and moving the ball in big chunks, Bortles hit Alan Hurns across the middle for a 23 yard gain to give them a chance at the end zone. A better pass to Marqise Lee would have been a TD but instead, Scobee hit another FG to give the Jaguars a 12-10 lead.

Can they remember last week and not fall apart the same way they did against the Texans? Gus Bradley said he was partly responsible for that and promised he’ll have the team more ready to play. But it felt like a half of missed opportunity. No points off the onside kick, no TD’s and some good field position without a much to show for it. The Jaguars gave up four sacks for the 5th week in a row and held the ravens to 13 yards rushing but still only lead by two.

The third quarter looked like the third quarter from last week. Exchange of punts, not much offense for the Jaguars and a sustained, six play, 80-yard drive by the opposition to take a lead. Again the Jaguars didn’t cover the middle of the field and missed tackles. The Ravens had Owen Daniels wide open a couple of times, including off play action in the end zone and lead 17-12.

There were a few opportunities for the Jaguars offense as they moved into the 4th quarter. A fake punt worked for a first down but no points. A couple of good stands by the defense gave them good field position, but no points. A Ravens missed field goal gave them the ball near midfield, but two sacks (61 given up this year) forced a punt. No points. A good defensive sequence forced the Ravens to punt from their end zone. Ace Sanders returned it 13 yards and a holding penalty put the ball at the 50. Turned it over on downs, still, no points.

Meanwhile the Ravens very professionally ground the clock, ran the ball and gained first downs. Flacco even ran for a 1st down on 3rd and 5 late in the 4th quarter on a designed running play for the QB.

That led to a FG and a 20-12 victory for the Ravens, somewhat reminiscent of last week’s loss to Houston. Halftime lead, nothing in the second half.

Being in Baltimore reminded me of the years the Jaguars had the Ravens in their division and the great games the two teams played. The Jaguars ruled the series and looked like a regular playoff contender for years to come. But as they lost their way on the field, the operation of the franchise suffered as well. As I’ve noted before, Wayne Weaver was loyal to a fault to his friends when their time had been up in the front office for a while. The Ravens “do a lot of things right” as one Jaguars staffer told me, on the field and off.

While 30 years ago then-Mayor Jake Godbold pointed to Baltimore as a good model for Jacksonville to follow, (the city lost their way on that mission) perhaps a thorough inspection of the Raven is in order for the Jaguars as well. They’ve made great strides as an organization under Shad Khan but could still learn a few things from other teams around the league, the Ravens being one of them.

Let’s hope those lessons are applied quickly, on and off the field and perhaps the days of 71,000 in the stands, as there were on this day in Baltimore, can return to Jacksonville.

Soon.