Jacksonville Jaguars fans aren't just hungry for a winner - they're positively famished for one.
The team's last winning season was way back in 2007. For a point of reference, that was when Facebook was still an infant, the series finale of "The Sopranos" was pissing people off and LeBron James was playing in the NBA finals at 23...Feel old yet?
Getting back above .500 will fall mostly on the shoulders of 2014's No. 3 overall pick Blake Bortles. Being a rookie quarterback in the NFL is hard. Being a rookie quarterback in the NFL for the Jaguars is even harder. Despite being the first QB chosen, Bortles was outshined by fellow first-rounder Teddy Bridgewater.
The good news: there is a reason for hope among Jags fans, and it starts with Jacksonville's young pass catchers.
"...Allen Robinson - a rookie second-round selection - showed maturity beyond his years," John Oehser of Jaguars.com wrote back in December. "...It's hard to see Robinson being less than a productive, reliable receiver moving forward.
"Early in the season also was when Allen Hurns, a free-agent rookie wide receiver, emerged as the team's most-consistent big-play threat. When Hurns went over 48 receptions this past Thursday, he and Robinson became the first rookie receiving tandem in NFL history to surpass that total.
"How good is the Jaguars' rookie wide receiver situation?
"Hurns and Robinson may not be the best in class. That may be Marqise Lee, a second-round selection who has emerged in Robinson's absence and shown enough growth and confidence that he has been the team's most important offensive player in recent weeks...He's starting to look like a player who could be the elite, game-changer the team hasn't had in nearly a decade."
Quality pass catchers are vital to the development of any young quarterback. They put less stress on the signal-caller to make all of the plays and create a larger margin for error from him with their talent. Having a young wide receiver corps that can develop along with Bortles is a fantastic building block the Jaguars should nurture carefully going forward. But at the end of the day, it's still up to Bortles to bring everything together.
"As the No. 3 overall selection - and as the quarterback - he's the crown jewel of the class," Oehser wrote. "Ultimately, the class will be remembered largely for his development. If he succeeds, it will be a success. If not, that's how it will be remembered.
"...Bortles still must develop. A lot. That's true of any rookie, and it's true of the entire rookie class. What we have seen this year in fits and starts is potential, nothing more. At least not yet.
"But that potential is real, and it makes you think that what we're seeing may be the future of a young, improving, solid franchise."
Bortles' raw numbers don't blow you away by any stretch. He threw for 2,908 yards and 11 touchdowns against 17 interceptions, while completing 58.9 percent of his passes in 14 games this season. But it's not as if the Jaguars put him in easy situations to succeed. They asked him to throw the ball 30 or more times in all but three of his starts. Tony Romo had 30 or more pass attempts in just five games all season. The Jags ranked 21st in rushing yards per game (102.1) and surrendered a league high 55 sacks in 2014. Improving his pass protection and having some semblance of a running game to lean on will help alleviate a lot of the pressure on Bortles.
No, Bortles didn't wow the league overall in his first season. But his flashes - 336 yards against the Titans, a multi-touchdown game against the Bengals - have some people believing he could turn into the real deal. Jags fans will just have to keep waiting and keep hoping.
