Sharks Look to Take Next Step in 2016

(photo credit: jacksonville.com)

The Jacksonville Sharks underachieved at the beginning of last season, starting 0-5 and quickly earning the “big disappointment” label. They rebounded, winning five of their next six games and finishing the season 10-8. They then took that momentum and ran to two upset road wins, including a dramatic win against the 15-3 Philadelphia Soul, before falling to the San Jose Sabercats in ArenaBowl XXVIII.

This year, their goal is basically ArenaBowl or bust. The good news is that (a) they are guaranteed a playoff berth, as every team will be involved in the postseason, and (b) San Jose isn’t around to defend their title. In what will be arguably the most strategic season in Arena Football League history, Jacksonville will be one of the two or three favorites to get back to, and win, the title game.

Jacksonville, one of only four teams remaining in the American Conference (joining Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Philadelphia) will have tougher competition, as the talent pool remained the same, but condensed to eight teams instead of last season’s 12. With that, they’ll have much more national exposure. Eight of the Sharks’ 16 games will be nationally televised, including three on ESPN2 (the other five will be on CBS Sports Network).

The schedule will be Jacksonville’s biggest opponent in 2016. They will face everyone home and away, and they’ll see both Orlando and Tampa Bay twice, but when will be the big issue. The second half of April will see the Sharks play two games in less than a week, as they host Orlando on the 18th, then host the Arizona Rattlers five days later.

May will open with a similar routine on the road, as they will be in Tampa Bay on May 1 to face the Storm, then in Cleveland to face the Gladiators on May 6. However, May will also give the Sharks a bye week, as they have Week 7 off, then Week 14 off for the league-wide 4th of July bye.

Another plus is an issue that haunted the team throughout last year: chemistry. With talent like QB Tommy Grady (4,660 yds, 95 TD, 11 int, 122.63 passer rating), FB Derrick Ross (586 yds, 14 TD, 4.0 ypc), and WRs Anthony “Tiger” Jones (148 rec, 2,087 yds, 38 TD) and Joe Hills (150 rec, 1,597 yds, 42 TD) coming in, there were growing pains as the team learned to gel and find a rhythm to become the dynamic offense everyone wanted to see. In 2016, with all of the aforementioned stars coming back, they can pick up where they left off...save for the third quarter against San Jose, that is.

On defense, there was as much of an ebb and flow as there was on offense. Yes, there were 26 interceptions and the team finished with a +16 turnover ratio, but they only outscored opponents by less than 4 points per game on average, and the Sharks gave up at least 60 points seven times. With the improvements in the secondary like the return of Micheaux “Pit Bull” Robinson and LaRoche “Action” Jackson, and the addition of Demarcus Robinson; on top of keeping Joe Sykes and Donnie Owens, this defense could return to the formidable front of Jacksonville’s early franchise history.

Given the fact that Jacksonville is in the playoffs before they even take the field, the question is how soon do they start Tommy Grady? Which players will get rest on the short weeks? While there’s chemistry and stability in backup QB R.J. Archer, how will he gel into what is practically a brand new team from his last snaps in red and black in 2014? Also, what if Grady starts Week 1 and Jacksonville gets off to such a hot start that Grady sits out long stretches towards the end? These could be the differences between competing against Arizona, Philadelphia, and Orlando for the #1 seed to simply fighting Tampa Bay and Cleveland for a home quarterfinal.

If the 2016 Jacksonville Sharks keep their momentum from 2015 going, a 3-0 start isn’t out of the question. If they pull off a mild upset of Arizona to improve to 4-0 to open May, watch out, because that could lock in a 7-1 first half when they get into a routine starting with the Philadelphia Soul coming to town for Week 10. Then, the issue of resting players would only come in once the #1 seed is locked down (which, given Arizona and Philadelphia, could come down to the last week of the season).

Players to Watch:

This year the focus is the new faces on defense. Will Demarcus Robinson join Greg Reid, Robinson, and Jackson to create a shutdown secondary? Will the front three create pressure to bring back a return to Sacksonville?

On offense, can London Crawford stay healthy and replace Jeron Harvey as a #3 receiver? For Tommy Grady, can he spread the wealth this year like he did last year? Perhaps go over 5,000 yards? 100 touchdowns? Both?

Jacksonville was one of the popular picks by analysts to represent the American Conference last year, and they did. While you may not hear some talk of running the table, don’t be surprised if you see a lot of Shark-shaped logos when you see predictions for ArenaBowl XXIX. Plus, if Jacksonville can host the title game for the first time ever, a ticket to Veterans Memorial Arena will be pretty hard to come by in August.