Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley has been criticized roundly for little (if any) improvements over the course of his three seasons with the team. But most of our reasoning comes down to win-loss record that, while important, doesn't paint the fullest picture of where he's going wrong.

Looking beyond the record, the performance of a coaching staff may also be judged by observing three other criteria

Chalkboard Ability: Their schemes on offense and defense, tactics on a week-to-week basis, and adjustments made in the middle of a game. This also includes the installation and implementation of those things to the players on the field. Player Motivation: It sounds trite, but it's a big part of what coaches have to do. Player Development: Is the coaching staff continuously making the players on the roster better football players.

In terms of Chalkboard Ability, Bradley and his staff are a net negative.

In terms of Player Motivation, Bradley and the staff are (most likely) a net positive.

It is the subject of Player Development that may be a deciding factor if Bradley is a good head coach in spite of his record.

This tends to show up in the public discourse around Bradley when folks defend him. Most arguments for or against Bradley tend to revolve around Points 1 and 2 and those two facets offset each other. Very little discussion about player development happens except perhaps as a defense of Bradley in that he has a very young roster that is "visibly" getting better.

The defense of Bradley from this angle supposes the roster is improving significantly and that it doesn't show on the scoreboard because it is missing a very small number of key pieces before it is a perennial playoff contender.

But have the players coached by Bradley during the majority of his tenure really improved over his three years as head coach?

As a whole, have the following crop of young players picked in Rounds 1-5 shown significant improvement from being coached by Bradley's staff over the course of two or three years under Bradley and his staff?

Andre Branch

Bryan Anger

Luke Joeckel

Jonathan Cyprien

Dwayne Gratz

Denard Robinson

Blake Bortles

Marquise Lee

Allen Robinson

Brandon Linder

Aaron Colvin

Telvin Smith

Chris Smith

Allen Hurns

(Note: Anger and Branch are included since they were only in their second year when Bradley joined; Hurns included due to his prominence on the team despite being undrafted).





Additionally, have veterans who’ve been here for a majority of the Bradley era become better at execution on field or even not-declining in the face of increased age/injury?

Sen'Derrick Marks

Paul Pozluszny

Marcedes Lewis

Chris Clemons

Roy Miller

Chad Henne

Toby Gerhart

Clay Habor

In observing both lists, a mixed bag of answers exists with much anecdotal evidence pointing in both directions... it's either "yes and the players are improving" or "no and the players are not getting better or are regressing".

And there’s the rub.

One can’t look at that list and unequivocally say the team is getting better. It's not just that it doesn't show on the team's record. It's that the team isn't getting better,

Allen Robinson, Blake Bortles, and Telvin Smith are not the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sure, they are the three most highly visible players due to their stark improvement in their second years as NFL players. However, that improvement can easily be offset by the decline in play of Johnathan Cyprien, Dwayne Gratz, and Denard Robinson -- all three of which were better in their first and second years (where they flashed starter potential) than they have been in their third year.

Or one may also look at the stagnation of Andre Branch, Bryan Anger, Aaron Colvin, and multiple other players who have not noticeably improved or have only improved by the smallest of margins, as in the case of Luke Joeckel.

Even if the roster is better talent-wise than what Dave Caldwell constructed the team with in 2013 and 2014, the pieces that were inserted or have remained during those two years did not improve enough while under Bradley to keep pace relative to all of the other talent in the NFL.

That is why Bradley should not be the head coach of this team. The Jaguars record, considering who they've played and the final scores of those games is not misleading at all. It is a direct reflection of a roster who's core pieces as a sum total have improved - but only marginally enough to be semi-competitive, have further been mismanaged in scheme and tactics, and as a whole are not becoming better football players by NFL standards.