FanPost

Redskins Recon: Week 2 - Jacksonville Jaguars

If you have only just joined us, we have been taking a detailed look at the 2014 Washington Redskins opponents one by one over the last few weeks. So far we have covered our divisional rivals (click for reviews of Giants, Cowboys and Eagles), and last week we took a look at the Texans. Today we are going to look at our week 2 opponents the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The last three seasons for the Jaguars have been difficult. 5-11 in 2011. 2-14 in 2012. 4-12 in 2013. It is not like before that they were a consistently good team either. Admittedly they have had a tough division up until recently, facing the Texans and Peyton Manning twice a year would be tough for anyone. Now, however, the former is weaker and the latter has gone. How long will it take for the Jaguars to start putting it all together and doing a Kansas City or even a Seattle Seahawks? Can they get back to the playoffs in the near future? Well it is not that easy (as we Redskins fans know too well) and it takes a marriage of a few different aspects to turn a team around, plus some good timing. Going into week 2 of the 2014 season the Washington Redskins will be asking these questions of the Jaguars. They will be trying to identify if the Jags are a serious threat or just another Jaguars team from years gone by. Naturally 2013 gave us some clues as to what the organisation are trying to achieve and I for one believe that this will be a much tougher game than most people will give it credit for when flicking through our schedule.

Let's start from the top. The Jaguars are a work in progress. Their 2013 season showed us that they have:

  • A solid defense that keeps them in games
  • A stuttering offense
  • A good group of young and hungry coaches
  • Some excellent and promising young players
  • A template from top to bottom taken right out of Seattle

The last point above comes in to stark focus when we look at the coaching situation. The Jaguars hired Gus Bradley as their Head Coach prior to the 2013 season. Bradley came from his previous role as the defensive coordinator for one of the most talked about groups in football, the Seattle Seahawks. Just to underline that; Bradley and Pete Carroll spent 4 years at Seattle planning and creating the great defense that recently lifted the Super Bowl. Obviously everyone currently attributes this success to Carroll but Bradley is attempting to prove with Jacksonville that this was not the whole story.

This was a bold hire by the Jaguars organisation. They identified Bradley's talent and ambition and gave him the keys to this team for years to come. So what does this mean for the Jaguars? For a start it means that they will be using the template for defensive success seen in Seattle.

Specifically they will be mimicking the Seahawks use of the ‘4-3 Over' formation that has been written up and talked about ever since it became evident that Seattle had a rather good defense. For those of you who like reading about schemes and Xs and Os check out the following links from the Field Gulls SB Nation site, I would really recommend it.

Introduction

Pt 1

Pt 2

It is worth noting that Bradley hired Bob Babich as his Defensive Coordinator to help him install this aggressive defense. Babich is a relatively unknown coach and his main experience has come as a positional coach, so this tells you a lot about who is running this side of the team.

Obviously, employing a system that is proven to work in Seattle does not guarantee success otherwise everyone and his dog would be running it. Seattle are successful at what they do because they have the players to make it work. Bradley was aware of this, and when he joined he immediately stripped back what was an already efficient top 10 defense. This gave him the room in free agency this year to make some important acquisitions that would help to mould this group of players around his scheme.

The Jaguars picked up Red Bryant from, you guessed it, Seattle. Bryant will be that important 5 technique/2 gap anchorman needed for this system. This will free up Tyson Alualu, Hood (free agent from Pittsburgh) and some backup rotational defensive tackles to make plays on the inside. Finally the Jags brought in Chris Clemons from (surprise surprise) Seattle to take up the important ‘Leo' role (see introductory piece on field gulls above) to split time with Jason Babin and complete this impressive defensive line with some depth to spare. If this line settles into this scheme opposing teams will need to be on their guard as it is all about quick inside pressure and stuffing the run.

Behind the offensive line the Jaguars have a sub par linebacking crew, with probably the only stand out being Paul Posluszny who had a good season last year and will be looking to build on this going into 2014. The Jaguars need to add players with coverage skills into this group for it to mimic Seattle as the Bradley system requires the linebackers to drop into zones frequently. I wouldn't be surprised if they looked to strengthen at LB in the draft, but this is certainly an area the Redskins can focus on when game planning, especially when looking at Jordan Reed.

The secondary is a young and promising group for the Jaguars. A lot of youth was the key to last season. Players like Cyprien, Evans, Gratz and Guy are all in their football infancy, but experience is there with the consistent captain and cornerback Alan Ball. Another key to this group is flexibility, with many of the players being able to play at cornerback and safety, meaning coordinators and coaches can get creative when lining up their players. There is much that this group needs to learn, and they will make mistakes as they did in 2013, but if they continue to grow then they will be an asset to this team for years to come.

This defense is a serious contender, and the Redskins will have to be on their guard coming into this game. Our offensive line will need to be strong and flexible to withhold the pressure particularly up the middle. Alfred Morris may also find it difficult to find running room in the stacked box that we will be shown on many downs. Following on from week 1 vs Texans, the Redskins will have faced a couple of good defenses to start the season. That is a trend that will continue in 2014 as we will see in coming weeks.

In a reversal to the Cowboys review a few weeks ago it is quite obvious where the problem lies when talking about the Jaguars. Offensively they just can't score points. Last year the team had a horrible start, which resulted in some predicting one of the worst offensive performances in living memory. The team started to pull things together however, and this resulted in the Jaguars winning 4 from a 5 game stretch after their bye week, however this was against the Titans, Texans x 2 and the Browns, so how much we can read into this is up for debate. What is obvious though is that the offense started to score more points and play with more freedom. Still, with this minor improvement the issues this team face are obvious.

Coach Bradley brought in a relative unknown coach called Jedd Fisch to run his offense. Fisch brings with him experience from the college level, and he is very much a West Coast, zone run disciple who falls under the Mike Shanahan branch of the coaching tree. This may help the Redskins defense who have practised against this type of offense for the last few years, but even if not, it is no Eagles or Broncos by any stretch of the imagination.

If his first year is anything to go by then Fisch has a lot to do to turn this team around, however an argument can be made that he does not have any weapons at his disposal. Which is very true.

Let's start with the QB position...

....Ok let's move onto the offensive line.

Jokes aside, Gabbert has been shipped to the 49ers this offseason, and Henne is not the long term answer at QB.. The big questions this organisation has coming into this draft is whether they take one of the top QB's to answer this glaring hole. Reports out of Jacksonville indicate that they probably won't, and the logic is that the team wants to put itself in a position where they can simply plug in a QB when they find one they like. Does this remind anyone of the Seahawks? This should be music to any Redskins fan's ears, as it means we could easily be lining up opposite Henne in our matchup. That said, if they don't pick up a QB at all in this draft I would be very surprised.

The offensive line is another issue for the Jaguars. Pro Football Focus ranked them 31st in 2013. Since then they have added pro bowl guard Zane Beadles, who will help this team immediately. Former 1st round pick Luke Joeckel, who got injured early on in his rookie year, will return from injury to help add more talent, however this is spreading it a little thin, and the right side of the line in particular is weak. The Jags will definitely need to bolster this group before the start of the season, or it doesn't matter who the QB is - they will likely be on the floor.

The tight end depth chart features Mercedes Lewis, who is a good blocker and an effective red zone target. He is 30 however and behind him it looks very thin. Another area of need.

The Jaguars are moving on from long serving running back Maurice Jones-Drew who has joined the Oakland Raiders (I seem to have mentioned them a lot in these write ups). He leaves the door open for new acquisition Toby Gerhart to take the predicted heavy load of this offense in 2014.

Wider receiver is also a much talked about position in Jacksonville. Justin Blackmon has been suspended by the NFL for continued substance abuse policy infringements, and the Jaguars are not sure when he will be available again. That leaves Cecil Shorts, who is recovering from a hernia picked up in December 2013, and Ace Sanders who is a second year playmaker that flashed at times in 2013 and is one to watch. Many expect the Jaguars to pick up Sammy Watkins in the upcoming draft, who would certainly add something special, but as it stands this group is very uninspiring.

The consensus on the Jacksonville Jaguars offense is that it is still a few years away from giving the team a chance to win games off it's own back, and my research above would lead me to believe the same. The team will look to pound the running game hard and often, and use play action to open up the field when teams start to over commit. We all know the routine from our experience with the Shanahan's. Zone running, rollouts, timed drop backs etc etc

To summarise, the Jaguars are a tale of two teams. If the Redskins can stuff the Jaguars running game I feel like the game lands on RGIII's shoulders and our offense can start to spread the game out. The game can easily be put beyond Jacksonville's reach if the Redskins defense can stay on top of this stuttering offense. I am sure we are all confident of that? Win or lose this game will be an interesting watch as it will provide some insight as to how the Redskins will plan to face the Seahawks a few weeks later.

The keys to the game will be:

  • Containing the Jaguars defensive line and pass rush

  • Can Alfred Morris establish any kind of running game?

  • The Redskins defensive stuffing the Jaguars running game.

  • Attacking the weak Jaguars offensive line

  • How will Garcon, Jackson, Roberts and Reed play against the Jaguars secondary and weaker linebackers?

So that is it for our look at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next week we will be skipping ahead to week 5 of our schedule since we have already looked at the Eagles and Giants. Week 5 is the Seattle Seahawks, and I smell redemption...