JACKSONVILLE https://www.jaguarsfanstore.com/Blake-Bortles-Jersey , Fla. (AP)Blake Bortles got a stark reminder Tuesday of how Jacksonville’s season ended three months ago.Bortles was in the quarterbacks meeting room when offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett flashed a picture of the Gillette Stadium scoreboard from Jan. 21, 2018.Jaguars 20, Patriots 17, with a little more than 5 minutes to play in the AFC championship game.”It’s kind of like, `Man, that sucks. I can’t believe we blew that,”’ Bortles said. ”That will probably always be in the back of our minds as we missed that opportunity to go play for a Super Bowl. But I think it just gives us that much more motivation to get there again and go win it.”The Jaguars began their offseason program this week still thinking about how close they came to upsetting New England and getting to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.Jacksonville led 20-10 early in the fourth quarter before fading down the stretch.Coach Doug Marrone cautioned his team about focusing on the past or anything that might happen in the future. But players made it clear the 24-20 loss in New England still stings and will serve as a driving force over the next nine months.”The bar has been raised; the expectations are different,” Bortles said. ”To be able to go through the season we went through last year, the camp that we went through and kind of see everything that happened, I think guys are coming back this year with a totally different attitude and kind of a hunger to reach that final game and go win it.”Jacksonville has reason to be optimistic.The Jaguars return 12 of the top 14 players on a defense that ranked second in the NFL, added one of the league’s most coveted free agents in guard Andrew Norwell and kept their entire coaching staff intact.”You have to start back at ground zero and then build,” veteran defensive end Calais Campbell said. ”The reset button is something you have to hit regardless if you were terrible or if you were good. It doesn’t matter. Just got to start over from the beginning and earn the right to make it to be a successful team.”Even with so much carry-over from 2017, Marrone plans to take a similar approach during the offseason. He wants his players to get in the best shape possible now, which should help them get through a grueling training camp later.”I’m always one of those guys, `Hey, let’s be where our butt is,”’ Marrone said. ”In other words, let’s be in this moment right now. I think that when you’re grabbing toward this future and you looking beyond you’re going to miss all the small things that you need to build a foundation.”Last year, we kind of wrapped it in a box and put it there. There are lessons that we’ve learned from it. We appreciate that. We appreciate the season. We appreciate what’s gone on A.J. Bouye Color Rush Jersey , but now we’re sitting here at 0-0.”Jacksonville (10-6) won the AFC South for the first time in franchise history last season, but top executive Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell didn’t treat the roster like it was even close to being set.They let receiver Allen Robinson, cornerback Aaron Colvin, guard Patrick Omameh and backup quarterback Chad Henne walk in free agency. They cut tight end Marcedes Lewis, receiver Allen Hurns and running back Chris Ivory. And they brought in five free agents, including new starters Norwell, receiver Donte Moncrief and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.Now, the Jags are essentially starting over – even with that loss to the Patriots still lingering.”There’s one team out there that’s defending champs. That’s the Philadelphia Eagles,” Marrone said. ”Before we even get to division, playoffs, whatever it may be, first game of the year, whatever it may be, we’ve got to take all these steps, OK, before we get there. If we put our sights on those right now we’re going to miss something here in the beginning building this foundation.”— For so very long, the AFC South easily ranked among the NFL’s worst divisions.Not anymore.Both Jacksonville and Tennessee are coming off playoff berths, with the Jaguars a blown lead in the AFC championship game from playing in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The Jaguars and Titans also have their rosters from those trips back largely intact. Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt are healthy again in Houston. Even Andrew Luck is throwing passes and ready for the season in Indianapolis.“It’s crazy how nobody wanted to play in the AFC South a couple years ago,” Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith said. “Now it seems like it’ll be one of the premier (divisions) in the league.”The Jaguars not only are defending division champs Justin Blackmon Jersey , they are looking for a second straight playoff berth for the first time since 1998-99. The Titans changed coache s after consecutive 9-7 seasons because sweeping Jacksonville last season wasn’t enough to win the AFC South, and another postseason would be their first back-to-back berths since 2007-08. If the Texans stay healthy, they are chasing their third division title in four years.The Colts have a lot of rebuilding ahead, but a healthy Luck is so good that Indianapolis always has a chance.Here’s what to look for out of the AFC South this season:SURGING JACKSONVILLEYes, the Jaguars not only are contenders, they are a popular pick to reach their first Super Bowl. That means dealing with high expectations from the start.“That’s a big jump, but I feel like we’re going to put ourselves in the right position to be an immediate contender,” defensive tackle Malik Jackson said. “I think with the defensive product that we put out there, the offensive product we put out there, and special teams, if we do anything less than what we did (last) year, it’d be a huge disappointment. I know we’re going to be consistent. I can promise you that.”All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey is keeping Jacksonville lively with his comments — positive and disparaging — on NFL quarterbacks. But Jaguars coach Doug Marrone has every key starter back, including 10 of 11 on one of the league’s stingiest defenses featuring six Pro Bowlers. Blake Bortles‘ right wrist has been surgically repaired , and he has an offense that led the NFL in rushing last season.CONFIDENT TITANSTennessee has a first-time head coach who won three Super Bowl rings playing linebacker in New England, Mike Vrabel . This franchise also has been busy building the past three years trying to compete not only in the division but the AFC. The Titans gave themselves a big confidence boost by rallying for a wild-card win in Kansas City before a divisional loss in New England . It was an eye opener.“To be able to experience that was huge,” quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “You understand that the postseason, everything kind of intensifies just a little bit more, and to go through that, to experience that in year three was huge. I do believe that it was a good stepping stone for this season https://www.jaguarsfanstore.com/Barry-Church-Jersey , hopefully for future years as well.”The Titans have new coordinator Matt LaFleur teaching Mariota his third offense in four seasons, and they replaced aging DeMarco Murray by signing Dion Lewis to work with Derrick Henry. They also bolstered the defense by signing cornerback Malcolm Butler and drafting linebackers Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry.HEALTHY TEXANSThis season has to be better for Houston if only because the Texans are healthier. When they finished their first losing season since 2013 at 4-12 last year, 22 Texans were on injured reserve. Losses of Watson , Watt and LB Whitney Mercilus were most costly. So even with the Texans’ run at a third straight division title over, coach Bill O’Brien got a new general manager and a contract extension .Watson was so thrilling while healthy. Yet the second-year quarterback will be tested if an offensive line anchored by center Nick Martin and featuring three new starters can’t protect Watson any better than a year ago, when the Texans gave up the second-most sacks in the NFL.As dominant as Watt was in winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times in four seasons, he now has to prove his body can survive a full season. Watt played only eight games combined over 2016 and 2017.COLTSFinally improving the offensive line has been a big key for general manager Chris Ballard in trying to end a three-year postseason drought. The Colts gave up a league-worst 56 sacks last season, and Luck won’t stay healthy for long if they can’t protect him better. Ballard drafted guard Quenton Nelson at No. 6 overall, signed two free agents, and has center Ryan Kelly coming back off an injury.Owner Jim Irsay also fired Chuck Pagano and hired Frank Reich when Josh McDaniels decided to stay in New England . Reich now has watched Luck return to the field; Luck is feeling much more confident in his own throwing shoulder.“I feel like I can make all the throws I need to make with confidence,” Luck said.Safety Malik Hooker is back from knee surgery that ended his rookie season after just seven games. But not even Luck might be able to cover up the roster issues that Ballard needs more time, draft picks and money to fix.PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Colts.
