Why you should root for the Jacksonville Jaguars

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Why you should root for the Jacksonville Jaguars Published: Jul 04, 2017 at 01:52 AM NFL.com Writer What you need to know so you don't sound stupid You really need to know that. I was at the a few years ago -- I don't quite remember the year, but I'm relatively sure it was the draft (which ). I was cruising around Radio City Music Hall (I mi s the draft being there because it was awesome) and some striking fan had his phone out and asked, "Hey, Rank. Can you yell Duuuuuuuvalll?" And of course I did, not knowing if it was going to be some sort of incendiary thing or whatnot, which is how I roll. Then I did finally ask him what it meant. Turns out, Jacksonville is in Duval County, Florida, and the fans yell "Duuuuuvalll!" whenever something good happens for the , which I think is kind of bada s. I mean, it's much better than SKOL. Lame. (I'm kidding, fans. That's cool, too.) So Duval is rad and I had never known about it previously, which seems crazy. No, which makes sense because I don't believe I had ever met a fan previously in my life. (Wait, that's not true! One of my former bo ses, , was a season ticket holder, but apparently he had been holding out on me.) The point here is I spent some time mingling with the fans because they were pretty cool and out in full force. A bunch of them had traveled to the draft, so the Jags had a good turnout. And you know what? It the draft because the picked that year with the third overall pick. That's right, because I went up to the rafters of RCMH to hang out with the Jags fans midway through the first round -- mostly because I was on tilt since the stole . (And are wasting him. Where are the "Are the wasting Aaron Donald" think pieces? I might just pen one.) But I went to hang out with the fans who were brimming with optimism. Here's the thing: I really grew to love the fan, and I would consider myself invested in the team. They remind me of what it was like being an L.A. Kings fan or L.A. Angels fan back in the day. A lot of folks would talk expletive about my teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s when things weren't go very well, but it only made it sweeter when those teams won (Angels in 2002, Kings in 2012 and 2014). There might not be a ton of fans nationally -- not like the or -- but I defy you to find fans who are more into their team, especially without the return other fans have gotten so far. These guys are hardcore. They are my people, even though I haven't set foot in Jacksonville in over 24 years. But, I am certain that their time is coming soon. This be the Jags' year! I know, I know. You've probably heard this a lot, especially if you ever spend time reading offseason think pieces, because it seems each year, some pundit will proclaim the are going to win the AFC South. All right, it was probably me. But I feel good about it this year. And I hear you. You're tired of us crying wolf (or , in this case). It's like . Each and every one of NFL Miami Dolphins Jersey them was supposed to be the big breakout that was going to establish the DC Universe. "Man of Steel" was going to rule. Then it was "Batman v Superman" that was going to do it. And if not those, "Suicide Squad" was going to be the tops. And while I loved all three, the general public was not as impre sed. Well, the movies did well at the box office, but most of the Marvel, football watchers weren't having it. But you know what happened this year? That's right. "Wonder Woman" came out and it staked its claim as one of the best comic book movies ever. Even the Marvel fans were like, "Yeah, it was pretty good," which, for those mouth-breathers, is high praise. (Believe me: None of them are ever going Jason McCourty Jersey to admit how great that movie is.) What does all this mean, though? That this, is the year for the . I swear on the Sword of Athena this is the case. (BTW, Wonder Woman fans down the back of their dre ses is one of my favorite things ever. And no, it wasn't in the movie. Diana is the God Killer.) Let's start with the quarterback It's going to come down to Bortles. I remember the shock of the Jags fans at the draft because the selection was kind of rando. I'll say they were guardedly optimistic. The first three years have offered mixed results. Bortles was good in 2015, when he had 35 touchdown pa ses. Though he had this knack for putting up a lot of numbers in garbage time. The entire 2016 season was garbage time, but there is hope. And look, I hate to do this. I really do. But the Jags fired Gus Bradley and promoted Doug Marrone to interim coach for the final two games of the season. Bortles was pretty great. He threw for 325 and a TD against the , and 301 and another score the following week . No interceptions, either. And look, it's a rather flimsy exercise to cite that small, two-game sample size as a harbinger of things to come, but I firmly believe -- with Marrone in charge and Tom Coughlin at the top of the organization -- this kid has a chance. I'm not going to say he's going to evolve into . But he could be a type (and don't talk s--- because he got the to the NFC Championship Game). Plus Bortles has this guy: Allen Robinson Robinson had a huge breakout in 2015, when he had 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. He slumped last year, but the dude still had 73 receptions. I'm telling you right now: Robinson is going to re-establish himself as one of the best in the game this year. He's going to get double-digit touchdowns and we can all forget about 2016. Trust me. And it's not like he's got to do it himself because, in the draft, the Jags picked up a ... ... new franchise running back One great thing to look forward to for the this season is , who was chosen fourth overall in the 2017 . Fournette has drawn comparisons to and was pretty amazing at LSU. I also believe the trend for Tigers players is to be in college, but become freaking studs at the next level. . . And oh right, Jr. So I feel pretty great about this, and it's fair to mention the have done pretty well with running backs over the years. And, you know what? Let's jump to this right now. Not enough credit Fred Taylor was awesome, man. Just an underappreciated running back. He played 11 seasons for the and came roaring out of the gate with 1,223 yards and 14 touchdowns in his rookie year. The dude also averaged 107.6 yards per game in 2000. The injuries the first couple of years slowed him down, and it's probably the only thing that keeps him from the . The franchise's best I love Fred. But if you think I'm not going to give my dude Maurice Jones-Drew the title of franchise best, then you don't really know me that well. (Hello, my name is Adam.) He will probably be embarra sed I put him ahead of Fred, but I don't Terron Armstead Jersey care. I worked at the Orange County Register and covered then-Maurice Drew at UCLA. We worked together on two great TV shows -- "Madden NFL Live" and " and Friends" -- here at NFL Network. I don't mind bragging that I drafted when he was as rookie in 2006 and piled up 1,377 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns. Although, 2011 was just as great, with 1,606 rushing yards and 11 total TDs. He didn't take over as the full-time guy until his fourth season, but he was the . No question. Don't @ me about this. I won't listen. No disrespect to Shawne, who is also my dude, but damn, man. That was a solid block. In trying to find a GIF of that block, in the search! Speaking of former UCLA players is going to be a beast in the middle for the this season. You knew it would take him some time to really get comfortable -- I mean, he did suffer in college -- but he's going to be excellent. And with on the outside now, this linebacker corps is nice. And really, I love what the have done building a defense that is strewn with high draft picks like , and (fine, he went in the fourth). Perhaps the best move of the offseason was to land . A dominant force on the field and a great dude off it. He also had the chance to go to Denver, but wanted to be in Jacksonville because he believes in the direction of this team. That should mean something. Way overrated Mark Brunell. Don't get me wrong. He was a fine NFL quarterback. He's even a fraternity brother of mine. (Same with Will Forte!) But dude, what was this crying about ? This was not a good look. I mean, it's not like you were watching "The Notebook" or something. Hipster jersey I always like a good fullback jersey. And Greg Jones was a monster. When the dude got hurt and was going to mi s the 2006 NFL season, . Closing fun fact BTW, a true hipster would find a way to get . I actually own this helmet. (Long story short: because this logo was a little too close, even after a few tweaks.) But how cool was that shoulder stripe? It was very "Any Given Sunday" for sure, but still looked pretty cool. Final snap We always like to talk about teams that check the boxes, and the certainly do that. Good fans with a great atmosphere? You know it. Lovely. The stadium is pretty rad with a pool, too. (And I don't know why people bash the pool because the only problems are the ones that face all public pools.) The city is great. TPC Sawgra s is in Jacksonville if you want to make a huge weekend of it. And then you have the team. Loaded with talent. The defense looks really good. The offense has some great pieces. The quarterback situation can be exasperating, but you have to take the good with the bad. If you're looking for a team with a cool scene and a team that could make a run at the division title (remember the "Wonder Woman" connection), then the would be a pretty damn good choice. Jump quickly because the bandwagon is going to get crowded. Even Gregg Rosenthal . Marc Se sler will . (But he's a fan. He wants nobody to have fun.) This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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