Thinking Bold: Will Jaguars' Travis Hunter Get Five and Five?

Sometimes you got to go bold, especially with a font. A-1 Steak Sauce went bold, there was a laundry detergent with the same name. Speaking of soapy, 'The Bold and the Beautiful" was a long-running daytime serial.

But these days, go bold or go home is a mantra. That's why Jacksonville Jaguars On SI beat writer John Shipley was not afraid to go, dare I say, bold with predictions for the upcoming season in Duval. Rookie sensation Travis Hunter was the subject of the first one.

"My first bold prediction is that Travis Hunter finishes the year with five touchdowns and five interceptions, because of the way I think he'll be deployed, obviously. I think maybe that touchdown number might seem a bit low to people. But to me, [it's] just the way that I think that the offensive scheme is going to spread the ball around," commented Shipley.

But why would is that TD total predicted to be conservatively low for a guy that was an electric scorer in college? It happens when the emphasis on team play is more revered than just one superstar and a bunch of guys. Translation, it's all about the scheme.

"I think that one of the merits of [a] Liam Cohen scheme is that, unlike maybe the last two schemes ever ran in Jacksonville, it's not simply going to be these [particular players] are the focal points of the offense. This is where the ball is undoubtedly going to. I do think it will be spread a good bit amongst the offense."

Who else will be expected to get the other balls though?

"So amongst Travis Hunter, amongst Travis Etienne, the rest of the running backs, Bhaysul Tuten, Tank Bigsby, LeQuint Allen, then you've got [TE] Brenton Strange. And of course, you've got [receivers] Brian Thomas, Parker Washington. You got Dyami Brown. I think Liam Cohen is going to utilize every weapon and every tool at his disposal. So I'll actually correct that, instead of five touchdowns, I'll do five receiving touchdowns. Maybe they can get him some momentum and movement. You know, as a ball carrier, on design plays, jet sweeps, that kind of thing."

But I think just with his natural ball skills, playmaking instincts, and the scheme the Jaguars are gonna play on defense, that even if he's not a full time starter and player on the defensive side of the ball, I think he's gonna have a chance to make a ton of plays. Five interceptions is a bold prediction, in my opinion, that's because interceptions are already kind of hard predict, you know, because they're really scenario and situation based. A lot of it has to do with luck."

"I'm of the belief that, you know, due to both his traits and his ball skills, and the fact that they are now in a vision focused, zone coverage scheme. I think it's built for these guys to have more chances to make a play on the ball. So if Travis Hunter can give the Jaguars five receiving touchdowns and five interceptions as a two-way star, I think that'd be absolutely stellar."

A guy that goes two-ways is an enigma. Charles Woodson and Rod Woodson wanted to, but didn't. Hunter's college coach did it, but Deionn Sanders wasn't a full-time double dipper. If Travis Hunter is going to do this full-time, it's not going to be done half-hearted. He's obviously a guy that can handle the load, so maybe take the over on five-and-five. And tht would be bold.

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