Doug Marrone Feels the Jaguars Can Be 'Special' as They Attempt Climb in Division

Special.

That’s the word Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone keeps using to describe his 2020 football team.

“I really think that this team can be special.”

⭐ Our 2020 captains ⭐ pic.twitter.com/k0Z1lXv0D1
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 7, 2020

He’s said it multiple times now. But what is the barometer for special? Especially in a season that many are writing off for the Jags before it has even kicked off?

For starters, winning.

“I don't have the opportunity to go through a rebuild,” Marrone—who has had one winning season in his three with the Jags—told reporters on Wednesday.

“I mean, we all know that, so as to as being realistic, we've got to go out there and win games and I'm confident that that this football team will be able to do that.”

Marrone chooses his words carefully. He doesn’t want to see headlines that say “Playoff or Bust” for the Jags. But to say expectations are anything less than the ultimate goal would be unbefitting of a team in the National Football League.

"We know the ultimate goal is a Super Bowl.”

But first comes the division. And that technically begins this coming Sunday.

“Our first goal obviously is to win the division something that we haven't done in the past two years…when you start going so far ahead and you start predicting all these games and, you know, right now we're just focused on on the Colts and trying to win, win, win on first game of the year.

“Our expectations are, that we're trying to win the division, and that's the best way to get into the playoffs. And then we're trying to go ahead and take those playoffs and take a game by game. Try to get home field advantage if we can win with our record, you know and pursue, you know, the ultimate goal which is a Super Bowl. I don’t think that’s—I think, if anyone says anything different, I’d kind of be shocked to be honest with you.”

If the Jaguars are going to win the AFC South for the first time since 2017, then they can get a huge leg up in the first two weeks of the 2020 season. Jacksonville opens at home against the Indianapolis Colts—the team they beat to close out the 2019 season 6-10—before traveling to face the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

The Colts have a new quarterback in veteran (and Marrone thinks future Hall of Famer) Phillip Rivers. The Titans made a Cinderella run in last year’s AFC playoff run. But both are familiar opponents to the Jaguars which bring at least a modicum of comfort as the team sets off to achieve their goals for the season.

10.5 sacks.
Franchise rookie record.
You've only seen the surface.

RT if you're ready to see what @JoshAllen41_ does in year 2. pic.twitter.com/8kgj1SwMmK
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 8, 2020

“I think it helps the coaches a little bit and maybe some of the players that have played against those players. You know, just on a lot of, you know, the little things that go on. But you never really, you don't really know the impact of, you know, the 11 guys that are going to be on that field together, you know when you start.

“It's a new year, you know, teams are, schematically you can look at it but there'll be some change schematically, you know I'm saying on what people do depending on what their talent or who they want to feature or what they feel they do well, you know all those things come into play.

“But I definitely think playing someone, you know, in your division, or someone that you have at least played, the year before, you know, it helps a little bit.”

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to take advantage of that knowledge and achieve even the bare minimum of their goals (i.e. don’t stumble into a rebuilding year) then it will in fact take a special team. Doug Marrone is confident that’s what he has ready to take the field on Sunday.

“You see a bunch of guys that have worked extremely hard, you see guys that are pulling together.

“I really think that this team can be special. I really do and that's what I feel that's what we put together.”

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