It’s not often that a 2-14 team six years removed from the postseason generates excitement in its home market. But with a fairly new owner, new G.M., new coach, new uniforms, (some) new players, and a new attitude, the Jaguars seem to be doing just that.
Via the team’s official website, more than 19,000 fans showed up for Saturday night’s scrimmage at EverBank Field.
Veteran guard Uche Nwaneri was impressed by the crowd.
“Someone told me the attendance,” Nwaneri said. “I said, ‘Is it like that every year?’ They were like, ‘No, last year it was like 2,500.’ I said, ‘We’re doing something right.’ They like the excitement. They like the new feel. We definitely feel the energy from the community. The fans, Jacksonville -- that’s who we do it for.”
“I appreciated all the fans,” new coach Gus Bradley said after the practice. “It’s only going to get better.”
Inevitably, the only way it gets better is if the Jaguars get better. At a time when everyone seems to think the Raiders and Jaguars will be jockeying for the privilege of drafting Jadeveon Clowney, we’re definitely not ready to write off a team that, if it can build some early-season momentum under an enthusiastic coach, can disrupt the narratives that often become set in stone far too early in a season.