With a talented quarterback and an impressive free agency we ask if the Jacksonville Jaguars are ready to make a push for the NFL play-offs. The NFL off-season is a great time to look ahead and assess the quality of each franchise and work out what would be considered a success for the upcoming season.This is no more relevant than in Jacksonville where owner Shahid Khan, who also owns Championship club Fulham, has stated that the Jags must be significantly better, and that a winning record is everybodys reasonable expectation at this point. The Jaguars have been rebuilding for the last three years, having drafted a quarterback and growing the team around him.With that in mind, Sky Sports takes a look at the reasons for optimism and realism for Jags fans.Free agent moves Super Bowl 50 winner Malik Jackson was an eye-catching addition in free agency The Jaguars were active early in free agency; they had to be. There were a number of holes to fill, particularly on their defence, which finished 24th in yards allowed last season.The marquee signing of Super Bowl winning defensive end Malik Jackson, as well as the arrival of Tashaun Gipson, Prince Amukamara and Kelvin Beachum, can help to shore up a team that has struggled to pressure opposition quarterbacks.On the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars signed running back Chris Ivory from the Jets which gives them a powerful alternative to promising talent TJ Yeldon. Chris Ivory has swapped the Jets for the Jaguars However they did miss out on a couple of big splashes. Having offered a contract to Olivier Vernon, they were blown out of the water by the Giants, who landed the DE on a staggering $85m contract.The Jags are also still without a centre, with free agent Steven Wisniewski leaving for his hometown club Pittsburgh Steelers, and target Alex Mack signing with the Falcons. There is a little more work to be done, but another good draft and Jacksonville will feel happy going into training camp.Draft PicksWith the fifth overall pick in this years draft, the Jaguars have the opportunity to land a supreme talent. They will most likely keep focus on the defensive rebuild, with a huge array of talent on offer.Potentials include cornerback Jalen Ramsey, defensive end Joey Bosa, and linebacker Myles Jack. Jack, widely considered the most talented player available, missed the majority of last season with a serious knee injury and as a result, could fall to number five.After a strong free agency, aside from centre the Jags have no positions of absolute need, so have the freedom to select the best overall talent available. A franchise QB? Blake Bortles is starting to live up to his vast promise The Jaguars were a much improved offensive unit in 2015, and the maturation of Blake Bortles is a major factor behind that. Heading into his third year, Bortles is looking to top his 35-touchdown 2015 season, and must reduce the number of interceptions thrown to prove he can be an elite level QB.With another season under his belt to gel with the weapons around him, Bortles will be keen to kick on and prove himself among the most promising passers in the NFL.The loss of Wisniewski will be a blow to Bortles, who will play next season with his third different centre in three years. The trust between the two positions is integral to a successful offence, and it may be a case of drafting a top choice in the early rounds. A cautionary taleAround this time last year, Bortles was heralded as the best rookie QB of the year before, the Jags had added Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas, and went on to draft highly rated Dante Fowler Jr.A few months later, Fowler was out for the season, Thomas missed the first four games and the Jags finished up with another losing record (5-11).Although it all seems rosy for Jacksonville at this moment in time, it is worth considering that it is only April. If coach Gus Bradley can put all the pieces of the jigsaw together and have the team playing in September, then we can start to look at this team with a view to the play-offs. Also See: NFL Video Rookies guide NFL on Sky Sports Pundits Custom Nike New York Yankees Jerseys . 3. Trevor Ariza left them talkin about 40. Ariza made eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 40 points to help the Washington Wizards win their sixth straight game, 122-103 over Philadelphia on Saturday night. Wholesale Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. https://www.customnikebaseballjerseys.co...baseball.html.J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Online . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Store . Austin does not believe the game-time temperature is going to be an advantage for either side heading into the Grey Cup. "We dont think about (the cold)," said Austin. "Im not even sure how you would determine an advantage.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jeff Samardzija has waited for another chance to pitch in the playoffs, and he is enjoying every part of being in a pennant race again. Hes doing his part to extend Oaklands season into October, too. Samardzija tossed seven strong innings and received some rare run support, and the Athletics kept hold of the top AL wild-card spot by beating the AL West champion Los Angeles Angels 8-4 Monday night. The As moved one game ahead of Kansas City for the first wild card. "This last months been fun for me. Its a new situation for me, and something Ive been asking for for a long time," Samardzija said. "I got in this situation and I want to take advantage of it. Opportunities arent guaranteed and they dont come around too often, so you dont want to waste them." Geovany Soto hit a two-run single to highlight a six-run first inning as the As chased C.J. Wilson after just two outs for the second-shortest start of his career. Stephen Vogt added a two-run single in the seventh. Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer in the eighth for Los Angeles, giving him 1,602 RBIs for 33rd on the career list. Samardzija (5-5) beat the Angels for the first time in three career starts and won for the first time in five starts since a victory at Houston on Aug. 25. Samardzija struck out three and didnt walk a batter while working at least seven innings for the sixth straight start. "Hes been terrific, and really emotional," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "You get that kind of lift when you play behind him knowing hes so into it." When Samardzija has pitched this year, his teams -- the Cubs and As -- have been shut out six times and held to one run or fewer 10 times. The early run support sure helped this time. Some snazzy defence, too. Josh Donaldson stopped a sharp grounder by Chris Iannetta that flipped up off his glove, and the All-Star third baseman made a barehanded catch and threw to first to end the seventh. Samardzija walked off shaking his head in disbelief. "I think he was bored and wanted to make things interesting," Samardzija said. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia made it clear before the game that he wants his team to treat the remaining games with the same urgency even though the Angels clinched their first division title since 2009 last week. "I think its impoortant to play and keep your edge," he said.dddddddddddd. "Naturally, these games have bearing on all the teams." Among his four free passes, Wilson (13-10) allowed bases-loaded walks to Derek Norris and Nate Freiman in the first that put the As ahead. Soto then singled up the middle to make it 4-1. "If youre missing your spots all over the place, its a mechanical thing," Wilson said. Before Sotos single, Oakland was hitless in 18 plate appearances with the bases loaded since Sept. 9. Wilson, the first of three straight southpaws scheduled to start in this series, had his three-start winning streak snapped. His only shorter start was one-third of an inning on May 11, 2012, at Texas. "Thats a rough one for C.J.," Scioscia said. "Weve looked at C.J. from every angle possible. Hes prepared, he knows what hes trying to do, he has terrific stuff. At times it works and hes on top of the game. Sometimes the games on top of him and we saw that tonight." Oakland scored eight or more runs in consecutive games for the first time since July 23-24 against Houston. The As hold a 9-8 lead in the season series, dropping the Angels to 1-6 at the Coliseum. TRAINERS ROOM Angels: OF Josh Hamilton hit off a tee as he tries to work his way back from pain in his upper body that sidelined him for the 17th time in 18 games. ... 2B Howie Kendrick was rested as a precaution a day after he was pulled late in the game with minor tightness in his hamstring. ... RHP Matt Shoemaker, making progress in his recovery from a strained left oblique, played light catch and is still giving Scioscia enough "encouraging" signs that he could make the post-season roster. Athletics: SS Jed Lowrie, who left Sundays game after four innings with a bruised left foot, and C Derek Norris (shoulder) returned to the lineup, though Norris was the DH after requiring an injection. UP NEXT Angels: LHP Wade LeBlanc (0-1, 5.24 ERA) makes his third start and 10th appearance, carrying a scoreless stretch of 10 1-3 innings over his last five outings. LeBlanc has faced the As twice in relief this year. Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray (13-9, 3.28) looks to snap a five-start winless stretch with what would be just his second victory in 11 starts since a 5-0 July that earned him AL pitcher of the month honours. ' ' '