Jaguars Mailbag: Did a Win in London Create a Spark Heading Into the Bye?
Each week during this year's season, Jaguar Report will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from our readers across social media and answer them in a question-and-answer format, giving readers a chance to have their voices heard.
You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguar Report Twitter handle or by submitting them here.
Q: Can the win in London be a season-changer?
A: That largely depends on what your expectations for the rest of the season are, but I do think the Jaguars needed that win in a major way due to the bye week. Winning that game and in that fashion was a major morale boost to the Jaguars as they headed to their week of rest post-London. Making the long trek overseas just to lose and go 0-6 entering the bye would have created a poor taste in the mouths of many. Doing so would have like helped erode any semblance of confidence the Jaguars would have had left.
Instead, the Jaguars got their biggest confidence boost of the Urban Meyer era. That could impact how the Jaguars enter next week as they still ride that high, but I am skeptical that any one win in a 17-game season can be a season-changer. The Jaguars are still 1-5 and are beyond the outside looking in when it comes to meaningful divisional races, even with 11 games remaining.
With that said, the Jaguars do have a solid chance to be 2-5 this time next Monday. A win over a Seattle Seahawks' team starting its backup quarterback would create the first winning streak of the Meyer era and would at least give the Jaguars a better fighting chance to keep their season respectable.
Q: Has Urban Meyer improved in your eyes?
A: It is too early to say. I view improvement from coaches as a season-by-season basis, but I do think Meyer has at least adjusted a few different things they needed to on the defensive side of the ball. One of these was incorporating less man coverage and more zone coverage into the scheme after offenses beat the Jaguars' with ease with man-beater routes. The second was to take the green dot off of Myles Jack. With that said, the latter decision should have been made much sooner, and the former decision largely happened because of the Jaguars' and Meyer's personnel moves at cornerback. He has shown areas of growth
Q: With us likely picking in the top 3-5 again, do you think we’ll see the org ship off some vets for more picks before the deadline — and if so, who? Also, when are they going to play some of these rookies to see what they have in them? No excuse for a team this bad to not be playing young guys.
A: I am not sure they will move anyone of significance. Cam Robinson has had a fine season and I just don't believe the Jaguars are ready to put a rookie left tackle in front of Trevor Lawrence. Jacob Hollister could be an intriguing low-cost option but he wouldn't net anything of significance. I think Taven Bryan would have been a prime candidate to be moved before the deadline, but then Jay Tufele broke bones in his hand in London during a pre-game warmup. Ultimately, the Jaguars just don't have many players who would really make sense to trade -- in large part because they have already traded most of them.
As for the second part of your question, I don't think we see the Jaguars make any of those types of concessions any time soon. The Jaguars have more or less treated rookies like freshmen this year, placing more of an emphasis on veteran experience. It makes sense why they would do that at tackle, but guys like Andre Cisco and Jordan Smith need to see playing time sooner than later.
Q: How can we work Cisco into the defense more?
A: I think by doing the same thing they did against the Miami Dolphins Andre Cicsco only played two snaps, but those snaps came in specific packages implemented in the game plan just for Cisco. While two snaps out of 60+ isn't exactly worth patting the Jaguars on the back for, it does show the Jaguars are at least willing to mix things up to get Cisco involved.
The simple solution would be to elevate Cisco to starter status, but it is clear that isn't happening, at least not any time soon. The Jaguars aren't taking Andrew Wingard off of the field and they certainly aren't taking Rayshawn Jenkins off it either. The best hope to see Cisco right now is for the Jaguars to continue to come up with creative packages for him.
Q: Can we put to rest any draft talk now? Still 11 games to go and a chance to make a season
A: In fairness, there is draft talk year-round! It is hard to blame anyone for looking ahead to the draft, too, when the Jaguars are 1-5 and are one of the handful of teams who are still mathematically probable to land a top-3 pick. With that said, there should be no focus diverted away from this season. Anyone whose expectations were the playoffs was simply getting far too ahead of themselves. The Jaguars were always going to struggle at times this year, so it makes sense to focus on the future, but this can be done without taking away from what Trevor Lawrence and his squad are accomplishing now.
Q: We looked pretty porous defending intermediate passing routes in the middle of the field giving up a lot of yards to players like Gesicki. Do you think this is a legitimate cause for concern and if so, how do you think the issue could be addressed?
A: I think it is a major concern, largely because it is something the Jaguars have had issues with all season long. Just think back to Weeks 1 and 2 when tight ends were making massive plays because they were either wide-open downfield or were able to get easy yards after the catch. No matter the offense the Jaguars have played, tight ends have been able to find rousing success against them.
At this point, though, I am not entirely sure how the Jaguars fix this issue, at least during the season. They are getting beat by tight ends for two reasons: their blitz-heavy scheme leads to big passing windows at the second level, and because both Myles Jack and Damien Wilson have struggled in coverage. The scheme isn't changing, so the only real hope the Jaguars have is for Jack and Wilson to play better, with Wilson needing the most improvement.
Q: Is Kayvon Thibodeaux really that good? Is he as good as Myles Garrett or Chase Young were?
A: I am torn here because I do believe Kayvon Thibodeaux is an elite prospect who is worthy of being selected No. 1 overall. He has a complete skill-set as a pass-rusher, has room to continue to get better, can play both the run and the pass, and is a freak athlete. For my money, there isn't a player in this year's draft class who should hear their name called before him.
With that said, I am not confident in saying he is quite on the Myles Garrett/Chase Young level. I am not sold he is Joey or Nick Bosa either. That is more of a compliment to all of those players than a dig on Thibodeaux, but I do think it is a genuine question of whether he is viewed so positively simply because the 2021 class is so weak at the top.
Q: Are there any things Trevor Lawrence is doing that you’re surprised by, good or bad?
A: I am not surprised by many things simply because I thought Trevor Lawrence was truly an elite quarterback prospect, but there has been one thing that has taken me by a bit of surprise: Lawrence's command at the line of scrimmage. Lawrence has been given complete authority at the line of scrimmage for the Jaguars, checking in and out of plays, setting protections, and simply engineering the offense from his viewpoint. While that may not sound like much, it is amazing to see Lawrence do this so early in his career considering the college offense he came from. Clemson's offense was debatably a negative impact on Lawrence's development as a quarterback, so seeing him find so much command and poise in a traditional NFL offense has been stellar to watch.
Q: With what you’ve seen through 5 games, would the Offense really be *that* much better with Etienne healthy?
A: I am not sure it would be much better, largely because Etienne would have played mostly running back and we haven't seen any reason for the Jaguars to not have James Robinson on the field. It would have had more potential for explosive plays, though, which is something the Jaguars have struggled with. Etienne would have been used often in mismatches against linebackers in the passing game, an advantage the Jaguars simply do not have now.
Q: Assuming Jacksonville ends up with the #1 pick, who would you draft and what’s your backup plan if we pick #2?
A: I am taking Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 1, while Evan Neal and Derek Stingley Jr. are the backup options. Thibodeaux is the best player, Stingley fills one of the biggest needs, and Neal is a legit blue-chip talent along the offensive line. You can't go wrong with any of those options, at least not for what the Jaguars need.
Q: Chark isn't getting re-signed, is he?
A: If you asked me this question before Week 1, I would have said no. And after watching Chark struggle to make an impact before his injury -- and taking into account his injury and durability concerns -- I would expect for the Jaguars to have a new starting receiver next year. Chark is a talented player and an even better teammate and locker room member, but the Jaguars' newest regime never seemed all-in on him to begin with. They need speed added to the offense, so I would expect they replace Chark with a different deep threat.
