Got Sunday Ticket streaming thanks to HeHateMe's post so i'm pumped to watch some Jaguars football without click-bait advertisements flooding my computer screen!
Nick Foles has been declared as 'the' answer to Jacksonville's struggle to make its first ever Super Bowl. While he's obviously an upgrade over Bortles in terms of passing, leadership, everything but scrambling, and while it's cool that he gets reunited with John DeFilippo (the two won a Super Bowl together in 2017, beating New England...btw the Jags sure like to get a lot of pieces that have beaten New England, former Giants coach Tom Coughlin being one --and obviously he has a long connection to the team ) I think a lot of Jags fans are really exaggerating.
Foles can be as good as he wants, but he'll need receivers who can get open and consistently catch the ball. Jacksonville's receiving crew ranked second-highest in drop rate last year. So how is that Bortles' fault? Exactly. Bortles is just one more scapegoat that Marrone is using to save his own ass. First it was Hackett, then Bortles....Doug, pray that it won't be your turn next.
DeDe Westbrook is a pristine route runner, he really is. But he contributed to the drop problem. Keelan Cole, who's built an impressive highlight reel, is part of the problem. Marqise Lee is not part of the problem, but only because he can't see the field. He missed all of last year to injury and is struggling again with injury. The Jags drafted Josh Oliver. I assume they would have drafted a tight end earlier if Josh Allen and Jawaan Taylor both didn't fall well below their expected spots. The San Jose State product is known for his vertical abilities but is useless as a blocker. He's there to add some more hands for Foles to throw to. He's not exactly Zach Ertz, though.
The offensive line is a mix of subpar or unproven talent (on the right side) and guys struggling to rehab and stay healthy after long periods of injury (the left side). It is a fragile group that could look even worse (relative to its ability to stay healthy) without a scrambler in Bortles to bail out of the pocket.
Fournette, I must say, is somebody i'm excited about. He had some attitude issues last year and, from what i've read, he seems to have had some kind of Rocky moment, training in Wyoming during the summer and shedding 20 pounds. He'll be the focal point of the offense because we're currently in 1971 (approximately...). He's never had a high YPC -- even in 2017 -- but how could he when he was constantly dealing with eight men in the box? The attention that he drew allowed Bortles to do anything, it was huge for play-action and otherwise scoring 45 points against Pittsburgh. And i'm all the more excited about the dynamic he brings to this year's offense led by a superior passer.
Regarding the defense, i'm thrilled about Josh Allen. I saw him play against Miami and the explosiveness and general playmaking ability that he brought was momentous, even game-changing. It was Miami. But I think he has the skill set and physical prowess (raw speed and strength) to be a rookie DOY candidate. Obviously he has some great mentors, probably the best guy by PFF numbers off the edge in Calais Campbell being one veteran who has surely given him some sound tips.
The defensive line suffered a huge drop in sacks last year. But it ranked fourth in pressure rate and stands to improve on that with Allen. The defensive line was still its usual dominant self. The difference was that the Jags were falling behind in games allowing offenses to be more balanced. In 2017, the Jags went ahead more often and would know to expect the opponent to pass, which made the d-line's job much easier. Which in turn helped the secondary more. And both made way more turnovers and other game-changing plays that were sorely missed in 2018. The interior does lose Malik Jackson. But Marcell Dareus has always been a solid run stuffer, making a big impact on the overall run D. If Taven Bryan has to be relied on much, God help us, this guy has bust written all over him. The Jags liked his athletic ability and physical measurements, but that's literally all he gives.
The rest of the Jags' defense could take a step back in quality, though. Telvin Smith taking a year off was unfortunate as, outside of Myles Jack -- who's reliable with his sideline-to-sldeline pursuit and, as a former safety, his bright spots in coverage -- there's little to know about. In the secondary, Jalen Ramsey and AJ Buoye are still two top-notch corners. Both ranked top-20 last year in opposing passer rating. But both starting safeties (Ronnie Harrison + Jarrod Wilson) have combined 10 NFL starts and, for better or for worse, the Jags decided to sink or swim with them
One thing I hope for this D to improve on is against mobile quarterbacks -- Mahomes, Prescott, even Josh Johnson (lol) frustrated the D in this regard. I can only imagine the Jags used their offseason to offset this issue, so I won't expect any continuity here, but i'll watch for it.
So for all the hope placed on this defense, the pass rush (defensive ends) Jack and corners are known quantities, while the rest of the linebackers and the safeties are question marks.
Mentally, this team had issues with effort last year. It was a cocky, trash-talking team (looking at you, Jalen) that hates losing and had to learn some humility. Hopefully it will be better for that experience and I trust in Foles to have a positive effect in the locker room.
A note on Bryan...he represents a ridiculously long string of bad, senseless, stupid draft choices made by the Jags' Front Office. Bad draft picks are a big reason why this team lacks depth. Preseason is only preseason but it still isn't supposed to go that bad! If Foles gets injured, the team is done. Hopefully the Jags get much better luck in injuries last year.
So really: the offense needs to control TOP, move the ball, and give its defense the lead more often so that the pass rush (an unrelenting strength of this team with its menace of defensive ends) can get to work.
Nick Foles has been declared as 'the' answer to Jacksonville's struggle to make its first ever Super Bowl. While he's obviously an upgrade over Bortles in terms of passing, leadership, everything but scrambling, and while it's cool that he gets reunited with John DeFilippo (the two won a Super Bowl together in 2017, beating New England...btw the Jags sure like to get a lot of pieces that have beaten New England, former Giants coach Tom Coughlin being one --and obviously he has a long connection to the team ) I think a lot of Jags fans are really exaggerating.
Foles can be as good as he wants, but he'll need receivers who can get open and consistently catch the ball. Jacksonville's receiving crew ranked second-highest in drop rate last year. So how is that Bortles' fault? Exactly. Bortles is just one more scapegoat that Marrone is using to save his own ass. First it was Hackett, then Bortles....Doug, pray that it won't be your turn next.
DeDe Westbrook is a pristine route runner, he really is. But he contributed to the drop problem. Keelan Cole, who's built an impressive highlight reel, is part of the problem. Marqise Lee is not part of the problem, but only because he can't see the field. He missed all of last year to injury and is struggling again with injury. The Jags drafted Josh Oliver. I assume they would have drafted a tight end earlier if Josh Allen and Jawaan Taylor both didn't fall well below their expected spots. The San Jose State product is known for his vertical abilities but is useless as a blocker. He's there to add some more hands for Foles to throw to. He's not exactly Zach Ertz, though.
The offensive line is a mix of subpar or unproven talent (on the right side) and guys struggling to rehab and stay healthy after long periods of injury (the left side). It is a fragile group that could look even worse (relative to its ability to stay healthy) without a scrambler in Bortles to bail out of the pocket.
Fournette, I must say, is somebody i'm excited about. He had some attitude issues last year and, from what i've read, he seems to have had some kind of Rocky moment, training in Wyoming during the summer and shedding 20 pounds. He'll be the focal point of the offense because we're currently in 1971 (approximately...). He's never had a high YPC -- even in 2017 -- but how could he when he was constantly dealing with eight men in the box? The attention that he drew allowed Bortles to do anything, it was huge for play-action and otherwise scoring 45 points against Pittsburgh. And i'm all the more excited about the dynamic he brings to this year's offense led by a superior passer.
Regarding the defense, i'm thrilled about Josh Allen. I saw him play against Miami and the explosiveness and general playmaking ability that he brought was momentous, even game-changing. It was Miami. But I think he has the skill set and physical prowess (raw speed and strength) to be a rookie DOY candidate. Obviously he has some great mentors, probably the best guy by PFF numbers off the edge in Calais Campbell being one veteran who has surely given him some sound tips.
The defensive line suffered a huge drop in sacks last year. But it ranked fourth in pressure rate and stands to improve on that with Allen. The defensive line was still its usual dominant self. The difference was that the Jags were falling behind in games allowing offenses to be more balanced. In 2017, the Jags went ahead more often and would know to expect the opponent to pass, which made the d-line's job much easier. Which in turn helped the secondary more. And both made way more turnovers and other game-changing plays that were sorely missed in 2018. The interior does lose Malik Jackson. But Marcell Dareus has always been a solid run stuffer, making a big impact on the overall run D. If Taven Bryan has to be relied on much, God help us, this guy has bust written all over him. The Jags liked his athletic ability and physical measurements, but that's literally all he gives.
The rest of the Jags' defense could take a step back in quality, though. Telvin Smith taking a year off was unfortunate as, outside of Myles Jack -- who's reliable with his sideline-to-sldeline pursuit and, as a former safety, his bright spots in coverage -- there's little to know about. In the secondary, Jalen Ramsey and AJ Buoye are still two top-notch corners. Both ranked top-20 last year in opposing passer rating. But both starting safeties (Ronnie Harrison + Jarrod Wilson) have combined 10 NFL starts and, for better or for worse, the Jags decided to sink or swim with them
One thing I hope for this D to improve on is against mobile quarterbacks -- Mahomes, Prescott, even Josh Johnson (lol) frustrated the D in this regard. I can only imagine the Jags used their offseason to offset this issue, so I won't expect any continuity here, but i'll watch for it.
So for all the hope placed on this defense, the pass rush (defensive ends) Jack and corners are known quantities, while the rest of the linebackers and the safeties are question marks.
Mentally, this team had issues with effort last year. It was a cocky, trash-talking team (looking at you, Jalen) that hates losing and had to learn some humility. Hopefully it will be better for that experience and I trust in Foles to have a positive effect in the locker room.
A note on Bryan...he represents a ridiculously long string of bad, senseless, stupid draft choices made by the Jags' Front Office. Bad draft picks are a big reason why this team lacks depth. Preseason is only preseason but it still isn't supposed to go that bad! If Foles gets injured, the team is done. Hopefully the Jags get much better luck in injuries last year.
So really: the offense needs to control TOP, move the ball, and give its defense the lead more often so that the pass rush (an unrelenting strength of this team with its menace of defensive ends) can get to work.
