San Francisco 49ers Provide Blueprint For A Quick Turnaround For Jacksonville Jaguars

Published: 18^th Jan 12 10:21 am

by Joey Farbo
NFL Writer

1 Rant »

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Jacksonville Jaguars fans should be rooting for the San Francisco 49ers this weekend because they are the perfect example of how drastic a team can improve in just one off-season.

The 49ers find themselves hosting the NFC Championship Game only one year after having an extremely disappointing 6-10 season in 2010. Their success in 2011 should be a beacon of hope for Jaguars fans who believe that with a few off-season improvements this team is ready to compete for championships.

The most important change that the Jaguars can make this off-season has already been made. The 2011 49ers are a perfect example of how much difference a head coach can make. The Jaguars believe they have a hired a coach in Mike Mularkey that is capable of changing the culture much like Jim Harbaugh did in San Francisco.

The 49ers success on the field is also a validation of the way the Jaguars are being built by general manager Gene Smith. Despite the flashy numbers being put up by teams like the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, three of the four teams remaining in the playoffs have advanced to this point on the strength of their defenses and are not exactly considered prolific offensive teams.

As we saw early in 2011, the Jaguars have an elite defensive unit when all the pieces they have assembled are healthy. The Packers and Saints found out the hard way this past weekend that scoring all the points in the world means nothing if your defense cannot stop the other team.

The Jaguars, however, need to see an improvement at the quarterback position in order to have success in 2012. Blaine Gabbert does not need to put up numbers like Aaron Rodgers in order for the Jaguars to be successful. As long as the Jaguars have Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield they should be a run first team, much like the 49ers were this season with Frank Gore.

Alex Smith did not light the world on fire with his play this season, but he still won 13 games. What Smith did do this year is complete 60% of his passes and only throw five interceptions. With some help at the wide receiver position, Gabbert has the tools to be better than Smith.

In this modern era of the NFL with free agency it is completely plausible that a team can go from five wins to a playoff contender in the span of one off-season and there is no reason for Jaguars fans to believe that they cannot be in the playoffs next year.

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