Jaguars Mid Season Superlatives

11/8/2016

This edition looks back at the first 8 games of the 2016 season. The Jaguars may be 2-6 but there are still some positives to be found.

By Travis Johns

PRESENTED BY

Jaguars Superlatives: Midway Edition

Hey guys, I’ve recovered from the last few weeks of mass murder that is Jaguars football and am ready to continue talking Jaguars. We lost this past week, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting a win at all, although it would have been nice. I think most of us have learned by now that we just need to look for good signs that may eventually win us a game. So I’m not even mad about the Chiefs game, although I will admit to screaming at my monitor repeatedly during the game. But screw it, let’s get into some midseason Jaguars Superlatives!

Stud of the Year: CB Jalen Ramsey

Ramsey has been the best player on our team without a doubt this season. He’s had his rookie moments (see the first half of the Bears game against Alshon Jeffrey) but this dude is a freak. He’s physical, instinctual and cocky, all of which make him this massive presence on the field. The Jacksonville secondary as a whole has showed promise, especially since the return of Aaron Colvin, but have had some pretty bad moments. Despite that, Ramsey still acts like the stud he is and constantly puts his money where his mouth is. While I would like to see him get his hands on the ball two or three times in the coming games, his performance is better than anything we could have asked for this year from our young rookie cornerback.

Dud of the Year: WR Allen Hurns

It’d be easy to put the coaching staff, Blake Bortles or someone on the O-line here, but Hurns is honestly the biggest surprise to me. Sure, he has okay stats, but those stats don’t tell the whole story. It seems like Hurns doesn’t even give his full effort on a lot of plays, which is incredibly disappointing, especially with his backstory of being undrafted and working to be the player he was last year. The huge drop against Kansas City was just evidence of that. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but his inconsistency has not helped cure any of Blake Bortles’ struggles this year. Hurns, please just get your stuff together and play like you want to win these games. Don’t just go through the motions, put your heart into it. Otherwise, you’ll just continue this major disappointment of a season.

Pleasant Surprise: K Jason Myers and P Brad Nortman

How great is it to not have to worry about our punter and kicker every week? It’s a massive change from recent years, where Bryan Anger was horrible nearly every week and Jason Myers would miss an extra point right after draining a 58 yard FG. This year, Nortman has been spectacular, as I wrote about a few weeks ago, and Jason Myers hasn’t been all too bad. He’s missed 3 FGs this year, but all have been from over 50 yards. He also hasn’t missed an extra point this season after missing 7 last season. Right now, the Special Teams units need to improve as a whole, but these two guys are playing well enough to not have hate threads on /r/jaguars. I just love not having to put too much thought into the kicker and punter.

The Biggest Rage Inducer of the Season: NFL Referees

Crappy name for the superlative, but this Jaguars season wouldn’t be complete without the horrid officiating that we, along with the entire NFL, have had to deal with. It started in Week 1, where the refs missed SIXTEEN penalties that should have been called, most of which would have gone in favor of the Jags. It’s continued throughout the season, but most notably popped up against Kansas City, where Chris Ivory clearly crossed the goal line with the ball before losing control but the refs called it a fumble and didn't have enough visual evidence to overturn to call on the field (we lost the game by 5). These things suck, obviously, but they get even worse when you find out things like the refs not having the ability to freeze frames on replays, which is just absurd. This just reflects the overall poor quality of the NFL referees. The NFL, unlike most major American sports, doesn’t actually have full-time refs, which results in refs who are less prepared and unable to do their job at a high level. The NFL has to solve this- not just for the Jags, but for the sake of the sport.

That’s all I’ve got for this week, but I just want to remind everyone out there to stay strong and never waver in your support for the team. Losing sucks, but the Jaguars bond us all together in the dysfunctional family that is fandom. Duval ’Til We Die.

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