Behind Enemy Lines: Four Questions About Indianapolis Colts’ Opening Opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars

As the Indianapolis Colts venture to the Sunshine State for Sunday’s season opener at Jacksonville, JaguarReport editor John Shipley was asked four questions about the Jaguars.

The Indianapolis Colts will be trying to win a season opener for the first time since 2013, and are also tasked with trying to win on Sunday at Jacksonville against the Jaguars for the first time since 2014.

JaguarReport editor John Shipley offers insight on the Jaguars.

Fans are probably upset about the Jaguars purging some good players from the roster. Are they the only ones making noise, or do you get the sense that some players are upset, too?

They're mostly the only ones. Running back Leonard Fournette (recently released) often made it clear on social media, and even in some interviews, that he wished the roster turnover didn't happen, but overall most of this roster didn't spend a lot of time with the players who have left. Only two defensive starters from 2017 remain, while the Jaguars have overhauled everything but their O-line on offense from that season.

Jacksonville's mass exodus of players is jarring, but just about 30% of the active roster are rookies. Add in the veterans who are first-year Jaguars, and this is a locker room that frankly shouldn't care too much about the overhaul.

How much of the Jaguars offensive is Gardner Minshew to D.J. Chark Jr.? Or perhaps a better way to put it, who do you trust to help those guys out?

A good bit of the Jaguars offense runs through Chark and Minshew. Chark is arguably Jacksonville's best player overall, so it'll be of the utmost importance for the Jaguars to feature him predominantly. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has mentioned several times throughout the offseason that he wants to move Chark around the formation more to give the offense better mismatches. It's unlikely Gruden would go to those lengths if he wasn't confident in Chark.

Outside of Chark, the Jaguars have a cast of intriguing options, but none who are certified stars. Tyler Eifert has been a productive tight end when healthy, while James O'Shaughnessy had a good connection with Minshew before his ACL injury last season. At receiver, the Jaguars will rotate Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook, and rookies Laviska Shenault and Collin Johnson. Add in Gruden favorite Chris Thompson, who will be the team's third-down back, and the Jaguars' skill positions have plenty of speed and playmaking ability.

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Head coach Doug Marrone has survived the Tom Coughlin era, but do you get the sense his job is in jeopardy? And how fair do you think that is?

One gets the sense that everyone in Jacksonville has their job on the hot seat this season, save for a few players like Chark, Josh Allen, Jawaan Taylor, etc. The entire coaching staff, front office, and roster are facing pressure to win or else lose their jobs. Owner Shad Khan gave Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell win-now mandates at the end of the 2019 season, and there is no real reason to believe that's changed.

I think it's fair to a degree. Four years is more than enough time for a coach to show whether he's the right man for the job or not. The Jaguars went 10-6 in Marrone's first season, but just 11-21 in the last two seasons. He's also been unable to keep the Jaguars' personalities from clashing and creating a toxic and disastrous locker room over the years. With that said, his players appear to like playing for him and he has been severely limited by Tom Coughlin and his front-office gaffes. He is also the only person in the Jaguars organization who was honest about Blake Bortles, benching him twice in two years.

Who is a surprise player we should keep an eye on?

Strong safety Josh Jones. He had a rough first three NFL seasons after Green Bay selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but he has become a favorite of Jacksonville's coaching staff over recent weeks thanks to his study habits and ability to make plays against both the run and pass. Jones was so impressive in camp, he leap-frogged Ronnie Harrison on the depth chart, which directly led to Harrison being traded to the Browns.

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(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)