JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars as they prepare to play the Seattle Seahawks at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday.
John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…
They will be bold. If we know anything about these New Era Jaguars, it's this: They will not go quietly into that good night. Or day, for that matter. The latest example of the bold attitude embraced by Head Coach Liam Coen, General Manager James Gladstone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli came Wednesday when the team reportedly traded cornerback Tyson Campbell to the Cleveland Browns for cornerback Greg Newsome. The Jaguars are tied for the best record in the AFC and are "buyers" as the trade deadline approaches, and the belief is that Newsome – scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season – will improve an already improved secondary that now looks dramatically different from last season. This regime proved again Wednesday they won't be tied to past decisions and that they'll act when they believe necessary. "Good teams can be built throughout the course of an offseason," Gladstone said in August. "I think the great teams continue to evolve throughout the course of a season." When Gladstone speaks, he speaks boldly. This regime acts that way, too.
They're who they are – and that's good thing. The Jaguars are 4-1 – and while that's their best record through five games since 2007, what might be as important is they not only have an identity, they consistently play to it. The Jaguars aren't yet playing the "clean football" Coen covets, but they're absolutely the tough and physical team he talked throughout the offseason and training camp. They for the most part have run consistently, stopped the run consistently and forced turnovers. Perhaps the most encouraging attribute about this team is it has shown it can win under various circumstances – and when it's not playing its best. Consider: The Jaguars not only started slowly against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, they left points on the field when they failed to score on fourth-and-1 in the first half. That contributed to a 14-0 Chiefs lead. The Jaguars not only didn't wilt in the face of that deficit, they landed punch after punch to take a 21-14 third-quarter lead with all three phases contributing. This team beat a really good team under adverse circumstances Monday and didn't have to play perfectly to do it. Whatever the identity, that bodes well for the final 12 weeks of the season.