JACKSONVILLE – Nine Jaguars experts – Rick Ballou, Bucky Brooks, Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Ashlyn Sullivan – are breaking down the Jaguars as the 2021 NFL season approaches; today's topic: What the Jaguars will be in '21 …
Rick Ballou, Jaguars sideline reporter
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: A fun team to watch. I believe they will be anything but boring – as they have been recently. Generational quarterback – and added speed on offense and defense – will make the Jaguars one of the NFL's most-discussed teams. I believe they can win six-to-eight games and will also be in others that will end up being close. The days of blowouts for Jacksonville are gone; the Jaguars will be one of the league's most-improved teams.
Bucky Brooks, NFL Media and Jaguars Media analyst
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: A very competitive team after they discover their identity around mid-season. The talent on both sides of the ball is significantly better than in 2020, and the team has bought into Head Coach Urban Meyer's philosophy. With the team committed to the "four-to-six," "A-to-B" and "Plus-2" principles, the effort and energy will give the Jaguars a chance to push for a near-.500 record in the first season of the rebuild.
Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: A much-improved football team that – with a few breaks – can be in playoff contention. They will be better. The roster, the coaching, the chemistry, the culture, will be better. The buzz around this team is real. Does that mean nine victories and playoff contention – or six victories and a team that is a year away? It's too early to tell. But they will be better. They will be exciting. This whole thing is exciting – as exciting as it has been in a long, long time.
Jeff Lageman, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars defensive end
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: Exciting to watch. My enthusiasm has been renewed from what I have seen with this organization over the last several months. Excellent leadership at the top with a potential generational talent at quarterback and accountability at the forefront gives this team a chance for great things in the future.
Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: The Jaguars in 2021 will be entertaining, a feel-good story and a team that will be on everyone's radar to make a run in 2022. Not yet, though. I can't get too carried away with the offseason hype and I can't overlook 1-15 from 2020. The Jaguars have a lot of good things happening. I think a six-to-seven-victory season is most realistic. If the team wins more than seven games, Meyer should be in the running for Coach of the Year.
John Oehser, jaguars.com senior writer
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: Improved, perhaps dramatically so. Remember: The Jaguars were 1-15 last season, and there's a long way from a one-victory team to the nine or 10 victories that likely will be needed for playoff contention. But the key for this season is showing that the team is taking steps forward – and showing that quarterback Trevor Lawrence is as good as analysts project. All indications during the offseason were that Lawrence will do that. If he does, the Jaguars have a good chance to be a six-to-seven victory team in 2021 – and that's good enough to set the tone moving forward.
Brian Sexton, jaguars.com senior correspondent
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: A team that shows the rest of the league it is a team to watch. You would like the team to be in the hunt after Thanksgiving, and that's possible. Short of being in contention for a Wild Card, you'd like to have the look of an ascending team as the season ends. The six-game stretch after the bye week will test Meyer's bunch – but if they learn from that brutal run of playoff teams, the Jaguars could finish strong and set the expectation both internally and around the league about what kind of team they're building in Northeast Florida.
J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com reporter/editor
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: In the division title hunt – but also set the tone for the next decade in the AFC South. They could reel off some wins and get something done this season, but the foundation of how they play – their identity as a team and organization – will be built this season. Steady improvement from Lawrence and the offense, and establishing defensive identity, are key to announcing to the rest of the AFC South that the Jaguars are a long-term problem for them and not just a flash in the pan.
Ashlyn Sullivan, Digital reporter and host
The Jaguars in 2021 will be: A team that wins eight games. The Jaguars will be in the conversation for hope of a wild-card game. As we like to say around the office, they will be on the graphic of a possible playoff team. That would be considered a fantastic year for the Jaguars based on what we saw last season, and I think it is a real possibility based on what we saw in the offseason programs.
