In part 2 of UJJP’s historical trilogy of the Jacksonville Jaguars, we explore the years 2003- 2016 and NASA through the "normalization of deviance," the fatal institutional disease where repeated warning signs and lowered expectations slowly become accepted as normal.

From the absolute heights of the 1999 season (our Moon Landing) to the crushing mediocrity and failures between 2003 and 2016, we break down how a franchise lost its way. We compare the Leftwich and Garrard transitions to the repurposing of Skylab, examine the hubris of Gene Smith's draft classes, and mourn the Justin Blackmon pick through the lens of the Hubble Telescope.

Along the way, we take time to celebrate the lone bright spots - Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis, who acted as our Voyager 1 and 2 probes, transmitting individual greatness from the void of a collapsing roster.

If you suffered through the blackouts, the tarps, the Blaine Gabbert era, and the Gus Bradley years, this one is for you.

It's time to understand the history so we don't repeat it.

Hosted by Seth Studer.

Special thanks to @RandomJaguars on X.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Cold Open and Thesis

2:40 - Intro

3:26 - Apollo and Jags 96-99

6:40 - The Benchmark and the Fall

12:21 - Shoutouts

13:13 - Jags 00-02 and Salary Cap Hell

18:28 - Nixon Cuts Moon / Coughlin Out

23:00 - Fred Taylor Cameo No. 1

23:56 - The Future - Mars to Shuttle???

31:00 - Jack Del Rio - 2003 Draft - Leftwich or Suggs

38:45 - Keep Chopping Wood (03-04)

46:21 - The 1st Shuttle Launch and the Flying Tomb

49:06 - Jags 2005 (12-4) and 2006 Letdown

59:23 - Fred Taylor Cameo No. 2

1:01:06 - Skylab and the 07 Jaguars

1:07:50 - Garrard and the 07 Playoffs

1:13:32 - Voyager / Marcedes Lewis, MJB / 08-09

1:21:44 - 2010 Brightspots

1:27:17 - Challenger / Normalization of Deviance

1:32:11 - Draft Busts, Gene Smith, and Blaine Gabbert

1:43:30 - Justin Blackmon and the Hubble

1:50:28 - New Era: Gus Bradley and Bortles Mirage

1:59:50 - Kool-Aid: Seth's Shuttle and Draft Pick

2:08:33 - Columbia Foam Strike

2:11:24 - Free Agent Failure Cascade

2:17:26 - Columbia Disaster

2:20:00 - Closing Argument / on to 2017.