Scouting the Jacksonville Jaguars
COMMENTARY
You may be writing off the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rest assured, the New England Patriots aren’t.
The Patriots aren’t familiar with the Jaguars, which means they’re cramming like they’re studying for a final in a class where they’ve read almost none of the material.
“Obviously, you have to study the personnel more,’’ said defensive end Rob Ninkovich. “When you’re playing somebody you play every year twice a year, you have a better understanding of their schemes and who is executing those schemes. … When you don’t play a team that’s in your division, you have to know them and study them.’’
Here’s a look at some of what the Patriots will see in scouting their Week 3 opponent.
Record: 1-1
How they got here: The Jaguars nearly knocked off the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, but a third-quarter pick-six swung the game en route to a 20-9 Panthers win. Quarterback Blake Bortles didn’t make the same mistake (or any mistakes) in Week 2, and the Jaguars knocked off the Miami Dolphins in Jacksonville to pick up their first win of the season. Bortles was sacked five times in the Jaguars’ loss, and zero in their win.
Key cog, offense — Allen Robinson, WR: The Jaguars have a big-bodied group of wide receivers that all stand at least 6 feet tall, but Allen Robinson is the best of the bunch. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound second-year receiver has great downfield speed, leaping ability, and a good release off the line, making him the perfect boundary threat. Robinson hauled in six receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins. He’s a threat all over the field, but particularly on deep balls, where he has caught four of the eight balls thrown his way that traveled 20 yards or more through the air.
Key cog, defense — Jared Odrick, DL: The Patriots aren’t familiar with a lot of players on the Jaguars roster, but one player they’re very familiar with is Jared Odrick. The former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman has given the Patriots fits for years, and has notched nine hurries, five hits and two sacks in the last six games against the Patriots. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound defensive lineman has lined up on the outside and the inside for the Jaguars, with the coaching staff using him where ever he can create mismatches. Odrick notched a sack, a hit and a hurry in Week 2 against the Dolphins, all from the outside as a defensive end.
Stats and notes:
The Patriots faced an aggressive, blitz-heavy defense in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, but Week 3 is a swing in the complete opposite direction. The Jaguars have sent a blitz after the quarterback just 16 times out of 82 dropbacks (19.5 percent) according to Pro Football Focus. That could have something to do with the mobility of the quarterbacks they faced (Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill are both athletic quarterbacks who can move around the pocket) but this is hardly a new philosophy for the Jaguars, who ranked dead-last in blitz percentage as a defense in 2014.
On the flip side, opposing teams seem to be taking the same approach against the Jaguars’ offense; they’re not forcing the issue with the blitz, but rather counting on Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles to make mistakes on his own. The Panthers and Dolphins have combined to blitz Bortles on just 22 of his 81 dropbacks (27.2 percent). Considering the Patriots have only blitzed on 17 of 82 dropbacks by their opponents (20.7 percent), don’t expect them to suddenly turn up the heat on Bortles.
The Jaguars will be attempting to avoid a 10-game road losing streak on Sunday. Their last road win was against the Cleveland Browns on December 1, 2013. The Jaguars are 4-20 on the road in the past three seasons.
The Jaguars are a banged-up team right now. Left tackle Luke Joeckel (ankle) has missed the past two games; defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. (knee) is out for the season after tearing his ACL at Jaguars OTAs this spring; tight end Julius Thomas (hand) is still recovering from surgery, but he’s returned to practice over the past week; wide receiver Marqise Lee (hamstring) and running back Toby Gerhart (abdomen) have both been limited in practice.
Photos: The 2015 Patriots Draft Class
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