Gene Smith has to be fired, says Big Cat Country

A writer for Big Cat Country is not pulling any punches when he says that he wants Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith fired and the Jaguars to start over again. The writer talks about the drafts that Smith has made and what players have come from those drafts. Twenty-three players have been selected by the Jaguars since Smith has been hired. Of those 23, 17 players are on the team now as of Week 9 and only eight of those players, including a punter, is a starter.

Even then, the writer only finds three players, wide receiver Cecil Shorts III, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and running back Rashad Jennings, who are reliable:

So, in four drafts under Smith, the Jaguars have obtained a whopping three players who you can say confidently could compete among the elite players in the league consistently. Three. That's 13 percent of Smith's draft picks, and roughly 5 percent of a 53-man roster that is composed of mostly Gene's guys.

As for his first-round selections, Eugene Monroe is developing into an all-pro defensive lineman, but defensive tackle Tyson Alulu has had a rough injury history, and quarterback Blaine Gabbert is still developing. The 2012 first-round draft pick, wide receiver Justin Blackmon, has been inconsistent and he has been outplayed so far by Shorts, the 2011 fourth-round draft pick:

With all four selections coming within the Top Ten of the first round under Smith's regime', the production of these four players should frankly be leaps and bounds better than what it has. Simply put, you can't have four consecutive Top Ten picks, and have only one quality player to show for it.

When it comes to free agency, Smith has not fared much better. Players such as wide receiver Torry Holt and offensive tackle Tra Thomas were unproductive, and other free agents such as defensive end Aaron Kampman, linebacker Clint Session and wide receiver Laurent Robinson have been limited because of injuries:

While Smith surely cannot be blamed for injuries sustained to players, Kampman, Session, and Robinson all were signed with a well-established history of injury liabilities and given large contracts in spite of the fact.

Only five teams, Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns have had worse records than the Jaguars in the last four seasons. All four of them appear to be improving, but the Jaguars, according to this writer, appear to be regressing:

A new direction for this team is needed, with a FULLY clean slate from the front office, to the coaching staff, and in my opinion, the quarterback as well.