FanPost

Some thoughts on select individual performances so far

It's early in the Jacksonville Jaguars' season, too early to make draw any real conclusions, but I think there are a few guys worth talking about. Because I am defensive guy at heart, this is mostly going to focus on that side of the ball. If I don't mention someone, it's not because I think they are bad, or not worth discussing, just a reflection of the limited time I have to do this.

Let's get to it.

Myles Jack

Well, I've long believed that Jack is entirely miscast as a MIKE backer, and the early returns this season have done nothing to disabuse me of this perspective. Predictably, Jack has been very good in coverage most of the season, especially when he's in man, and as a blitzer. He's got exceptional athletic talents, and in college, he excelled as a blitzer and coverage player, largely as an outside linebacker. These two qualities make Jack (the player) worth every penny of his new contract. He's a very valuable player for this defense and I am a huge fan of what he brings to the table.

However.

Jack has been an absolute train wreck vs. the run this season -- with perhaps the one exception the play that knocked him out of the game last night. His instincts have long been an issue. This is why he's better when he's responsible for a specific guy in coverage, for something straightforward like setting the edge or rushing the passer. But when he has to read and react - an absolutely critical quality at middle linebacker - he is often completely and totally lost. This has not improved much this year, and in fact he has been a less effective run defender this year than he was last year, something I attribute to Telvin Smith's departure, and to him maybe pressing too much to make plays.

I don't know that our staff is self-reflective enough to recognize this and respond, and in any case, there isn't anyone better than Jack on the roster right now. I DO think that next year they might consider moving Quincy Williams to MIKE, and keeping Jack's responsibilities more straightforward, as they would be on the outside. But between the bad reads, the false steps, getting lost in the traffic, and gods, the missed tackles, I can safely say Jack is a poor choice for the MIKE role. He's a very, very good player, but he's a liability vs. the run... not just mediocre, a liability.

Here's hoping he can get it together, but he just terrible against Houston and there's something very disheartening about seeing your MIKE linebacker lay a clean hit on a scat back like Duke Johnson and bounce off ineffectually...from an eval standpoint, the bigger issue is how far down field Johnson was before Jack got to him.

Quincy Williams

As bad as Myles has been in the run game, Williams has improved each week. He is an absolute natural in the run game, and while he's made his share of mistakes, he's also made a handful of really impressive impact plays. He's still finding his feet in coverage, though he has the speed to matchup in man if need be, but he is quick to diagnose and brings an absolute hammer down on ball carriers in the hole. His recognition and comfort within the scheme has accelerated dramatically since the game against the Chiefs, where he was out of position -- like most of the defense for most of the day -- and looked utterly lost at times (though he also had a nice tackle for a loss on one of the first plays of the game).

I think Jaguars fans should be very excited about his potential moving forward.

Jarrod Wilson

Wow. This guy has been potentially the biggest surprise of the year. He has played well in spurts in the past, which is what gave the team faith in his ability to replace Tashaun Gipson on the backend -- coupled with the intelligence and maturity that coaches and teammates have lauded going back to last year. One of the most important elements of playing safety in the Jaguars scheme is limiting opportunities over the top, and simply being in position with consistency.

He has not been victimized in coverage this year, unlike his compatriot, Ronnie Harrison, who has improved from week one but still feels a little bit like a question mark. He has been absolutely stellar as a tackler and in run support. The guy may never be a true star, but he's already shown that he's a good player, that his performance in spot duty the last two years was no fluke, and that he can be steady, reliable, with flashes of excellence. I think we will miss Gipson's man coverage chops -- he was outstanding vs tight ends -- and his veteran presence, but I believe Wilson will demonstrate a similar mastery of the scheme by the end of the year. Another guy we should all be very pleased to have, and, honestly a guy the FO and staff deserve credit for unearthing, for developing, and for putting their faith in.

Taven Bryan

One of the most physically gifted players on the team, the question with Bryan has been -- and to be clear, still is -- can he translate those gifts to something special on the field?

Heretofore, the answer has been no. He flashed a bit late last season as an interior run defender, most notably vs. the Bills, but he seemed to regress this offseason and turned in a truly woeful preseason performance until the game vs. the Dolphins high school-quality offensive line. He was okay the next week, but not special. Then the season started, and like many defensive players, he didn't do much of note against the Chiefs.

However.

Last week vs. the Texans something happened. Taven Bryan made some plays. Now, the Texans line is bad. Very bad. But to this point, you would have to say that Taven Bryan has also been bad, so any sign of life, or dare I say, performance, is noteworthy. That carried over into the game last night, where he actually played really, really well. He won some individual matchups. He got off blocks (most notably defeating Saffold en route to a play on Henry) He got pressure on the QB. He looked lie a player who might, might, be able to contribute meaningfully on this defense. The jury is very much still out here. But Taven Bryan plays a position most fans don't notice unless it generates sacks, and I don't think this will be that kind of year for him. But if he can become a good contributor, a guy who can actually be disruptive with some consistency, that not only helps this team out dramatically in the short term, it means we as fans can start feeling as though he's making progress, as though this might be the beginning of his development as opposed to the sinking fear that he's another first round miss. Remember, he's still young, was known to be raw coming out, and this is only the beginning of his second season. There's still plenty of reason for optimism here.

DJ Hayden

A guy who is persistently under-appreciated, probably because he replaced the much-much loved Aaron Colvin -- a player more notable for his physicality and tenacity than his pure coverage ability, IMO. Going back to last year, Hayden has been consistent and reliable. Like Colvin, he's a good blitzer off the edge, and like Colvin, he's a good tackler. And while Hayden can be had at times - he's no burner - he is rarely beaten badly and does a nice job against the majority of shifty slot guys that he's matched up against. There's not a ton to say about him, because he's very much a lunch pale type of player, but he's a luxury as a third corner, and he just doesn't get a ton of credit for playing as well as he does.

Lastly, and probably most controversially...

Leonard Fournette

Now, as most people here know I am, and have been, a fan of this kid. I think that when he's right he's an upper tier back, who has been productive behind a bad line, with zero passing threat to take the pressure off him, and facing more loaded boxes than any other back with his number of carries. But, admittedly, that was the story of 2017. Last year he missed a lot of time, and when he played, he played poorly. He ran like a guy who was afraid of being hurt, and he clearly lacked the burst that led him to reach the top of the NFL's on-field speed measurement his rookie year. He played one very good game last season, vs. a solid Buffalo defense, but torpedoed any good feeling by getting himself thrown out and falling out very publicly with the team. That said, he came in this season and by all accounts looked good. I thought he did some nice things in preseason, and personally, I thought he looked entirely refreshed against the Chiefs. He made guys miss (!!!) created yards for himself, and looked genuinely explosive. His 5 YPC did not come on one busted run, and although he had his first career fumble and dropped a pass that led to a pick, he looked really good running the ball. I will take it to the tape with anyone over this eval.

However.

Against Houston, Fournette again displayed the tentative, almost ginger, running style that characterized much of his 2018 season. Was he hurt? Not according to any intel I've seen. His chop steps in the hole, his seeming indecision in one-on-one matchups, leading to slow motion attempts to run around defensive backs instead of through them, everything screamed uncertainty and bordered on self-preservation. I don't begrudge a human being the unwillingness to slam into another human being, but if you're a big speed back whose game is all about the straight line, you can't hesitate to deliver the blow; yes, he's got a nice little chop juke when he's at full speed, but he loses all his juice when he decelerates. That was his calling card coming out, and it's who he was his rookie year; you could rely on him to move the pile and plow forward, even when things were gummed up. This year, that hasn't been the case. Now, I will say the offensive line has been really poor, particularly on the interior, something reinforced by ESPN's Mike Dirocco here.

Versus Tennessee, I honestly can draw no conclusion. No matter where you stand on Fournette, he had absolutely no chance for the majority of the game, routinely getting swarmed by defenders as soon as he touched the ball. The Titans have a very good front, and the Jaguars have a very poor interior line. I think we can also safely say that the Titans, - and every other team the Jaguars have faced since at least 2017 - sold out to stop the run at all costs, knowing that this is what the team wants to do. The difference is that now we have a QB who, at least thus far, has shown the ability to throw guys open against tight man coverage, something his predecessor could not accomplish.

At this point...I don't know what we have. I know many of you have a strong opinion here, and I've had to change my perspective, not necessarily because of the stats - I think YPC is extraordinarily simplistic way to eval backs - but because of what my eyes tell me. Fournette does not run the same way he once did. Or at least, he doesn't run the same way game in and game out. I'm hopeful, because I am old school, I love running backs, and I am a fan of the player I saw as a rookie. But I have seen him regress, I am no longer confident in his continued development, and I have to admit that we're getting to the point where Ryquell Armstead needs to see more of the field.

Hopefully, the emergence of Minshew, coupled with a healthy line that gels and improved its push, will produce better outcomes for the Jaguars running game, no matter who is taking the carries. Personally, I would like to see Leonard put it together, because I do believe he has the tools.

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