Jaguars Over/Under Wins Odds: Tough to see Jags getting Six wins

Our resident Jacksonville Jaguars’ fan Neil Monnery takes a gander at their chances to hit the six wins in the over/under market for the regular season…

As the 2020-21 season wound up, like many Jags’ fans I was actively rooting against the team. It feels totally absurd and against all your fandom instincts but Trevor Lawrence was out there and he was never getting past the first overall pick. One of our Horse Racing writers is a big Jets fan so messages were constantly exchanged on Sunday’s and when the J-E-T-S found a way to hold on over in LA against the Rams, one of us was extremely happy, the other, far less so…

Trevor Lawrence has all the tools to be an absolute superstar in this game. He has plus athletic ability to escape pressure in the pocket. He’s no RGIII or Lamar Jackson where you have to game-plan for him in the run game but he can move. His arm strength is easily strong enough to hit the deep route. He is big enough to take a hit to get a throw off and he has an air of confidence around him that will spread throughout his teammates.

Joining him on the roster is his former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne. He was the first Running Back taken but Urban Meyer clearly sees him as a hybrid player as he intends to work him out at Wide Receiver throughout minicamp. Using his explosiveness from multiple positions could provide headaches for Defensive Coordinators but is surely a big risk. Switching positions for a first-round pick is an all-or-nothing move.

When the Jags’ took Etienne, it surprised many people in the first place. Undrafted Free Agent James Robinson was one of the breakout stars of last season in the NFL. The first-year player out of Illinois State rumbled for 1,070 yards on 240 carries. In addition he had 344 yards through the air. He’s clearly established himself as RB1 so Etienne would at best be in a position share and at worse be a backup if he was going to stick solely in the backfield.

Trevor Lawrence is clearly the most talked about addition to this roster but the second-most is still bizarre to me. Former Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow has been spending the past few years in the New York Mets Minor League system and part of the SEC Network coverage of College Football. Then out of the blue he hangs up his baseball spikes and tries out for the Jags’ as a Tight End. Seemingly he had a roster spot all but tied up but the deal still hasn’t gotten over the line as of the time of writing.

Whether it is even a good idea is a huge question mark. At best I’d be dubious but in reality is just seems like a bit of a sideshow.

Speaking on SiriusXM ESPNU Radio, former Jets QB and current ESPN College Football analyst Greg McElroy didn’t think much of his chances of being a successful TE in the league

“Everyone’s saying ‘Oh, he’s finally doing what he should’ve done 10 years ago by switching to tight end.’ Y’all we were with him on the Jets. They tried to switch him to tight end, he wasn’t good. That’s what people don’t acknowledge. Oh, they’ll just use him as a Taysom Hill player. Tim ran a 4.8, Taysom Hill runs a 4.4. I mean, they’re just two totally different players. Tim is a good dude and I hope the best for him, but it’s a sideshow. “

If they sign him, will it be a help or a hindrance to the squad?

We haven’t even addressed the new Head Coach yet. Urban Meyer has had tremendous success at the collegiate level. Outstanding teams at Utah, Florida and Ohio State have proved beyond any doubt that he is an exceptional recruiter and coach but the NFL isn’t college. Pete Carroll has done well but he had previous experience in the league. Meyer is venturing on to a brand new level and whilst optimism seems prudent, expectation should not.

Long-term this Jags’ team could do very well. Having a cornerstone QB in situ is always quite the starting point but this team won just one game last season. Is Trevor Lawrence ready to take this team to over six wins this year? Not for me.

Sportsbooks are split so you can get odds against on both sides of this bet so I like the under at +120 with PointsBet.