The Jacksonville Jaguars were among the most active teams in the NFL this offseason. They added A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, Barry Church and two instant-impact rookies in Leonard Fournette and Cam Robinson, picking upkey pieces on both sides of the ball.
They look like contenders on paper assuming quarterback Blake Bortles improves upon a disastrous 2016 season but theres still a long way to go, and at least one player is well aware of that fact. Linebacker Telvin Smith thinks the Jaguars should be further along than they are after the additions they made this offseason.
"With the players that we have I just think as a team we should be further than we are," Smith said, via ESPN. "As players, we've got to do our part in the sense of it's not scheme, none of that. It's what do we want? What's our mentality going to be?… The mindset of this team, things that we should be using to beat opponents are still beating us."
Its still early in the offseason the Jaguars have had just four OTA sessions up to this point so theres not much cause for concern. However, the fact that players are openly admitting the team isnt where it should be is a bit surprising. Smith doesnt want players blaming their struggles on the scheme, especially with a new regime being put in place.
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Coach Doug Marrone is sure to bring a different culture to the team after Gus Bradley failed to turn itinto a winning squad. Before that happens, though, Smith says theres still a culture here that has to be broken.
The Jaguars have a number of areas in which they need to improve, particularly when it comes to turnovers. Not only have they struggled to take the ball away, but they turned it over 29 times in 2016 tied for fourth most in the NFL. That'll have to change in 2017 if the Jaguars hope to take their game to another level.
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