DJ Chark Provides Blunt Truth For Jaguars Struggles
A typically jubilant DJ Chark was quiet and reserved on Sunday afternoon. He chose his words carefully but the disappointment in his voice was obvious, which is understandable considering the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-16 loss to the Detroit Lions at home on Sunday.
“I’m a competitor, I like to win. I go out every time to win. When we don’t win, it’s frustrating, it makes the week long, it makes going home tough. I’ve been here three years and still haven’t really won," Chark said after the loss.
"It makes it tough, it makes it hard, it makes football more difficult, but the only way out of it is to win. And the only way to win is to come to work and do what you’re supposed to do. We just have to take that mentality throughout the whole team."
Chark is one of the brightest spots on Jacksonville's otherwise bleak roster, but even the Pro Bowl third-year wide receiver has been flummoxed by the team's 1-5 start.
After Sunday's loss to the Lions, the Jaguars have now dropped five straight. During that period, the Jaguars have been outscored 161-98 and have scored more than 16 points only twice. They have lost to three winless teams and a Lions team that entered the game 1-3 amid with questions about the job security of head coach Matt Patricia.
Even during the softest stretch of Jacksonville's schedule, the Jaguars continue to get blown out each Sunday. As a result, Chark came to a sobering realization on Sunday.
"Personally, I don’t think, really, that any of these teams are just better than us. I don’t know if you’re supposed to say that or not, but I don’t. But, you walk off the field and it’s 31-10 or 31-whatever-it-is, you can’t make that argument too much," Chark said.
Despite the Lions having perhaps the worst defense in the league entering Sunday's game, the Jaguars were stifled on offense until garbage time, save for a few big plays.
None of those big plays came from Chark, who caught seven passes for 45 yards on 14 targets. Chark struggled to get on the same page as Minshew, with each letting the other down. Minshew underthrew Chark as he streaked downfield on a second quarter interception, while Chark later dropped what was Minshew's best throw of the season down the middle of the field.
All in all, the Jaguars recorded just 231 net passing yards on over 45 dropbacks. So, what does Chark think the Lions did to limit him and his fellow wideout?
“I mean, I felt like we were open. Yeah," Chark said.
That is a brutally honest and sobering evaluation of what was a stagnant passing game. But when watching how Sunday unfolded, Chark's tough assessment of the offense, and by proxy Minshew, was justified.
It didn't help that the Jaguars allowed touchdowns on their first two defensive drives, going down 14-3 early in the game. When the Jaguars continue to start slow and allow teams to handicap them, losses are the results the Jaguars will continue to see.
“We tried, we did some things. I felt like there was a play, a post, that I should have had. But yeah, I feel like their defense came out, they played well, but I felt like, as receivers, we got open," Chark said.
"We have to get on the same page and we have to move the ball more efficiently so we don’t get to a point where we’re just throwing the ball and they can just sit back and not do anything. I don’t think there’s a DB in the league that can just sit there and follow every play and just completely shut down (a wide receiver) without any help. I think, when we get behind, and you’re up by a touchdown or two, you play safe as a defense. You play off, you force everything underneath, you send pressure and I think that’s what they did.”
The Jaguars will next have to figure out how to turn their season around before it flounders even worse than it already has. But as of today, things look bleaker than they have since, well, last season.
Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden provided a shot to the arm of the offense in the first two weeks but has since been ineffective. Minshew has regressed enough to the point where receivers looked frustrated at times on Sunday. And the running game has failed to take off more often than not.
So, what can the Jaguars do, particularly on offense? In Chark's eyes, the answer is simple: make plays.
“Yeah, I feel like, honestly, players play, coaches coach. Yes, the coaches have to put us in good positions to succeed. On offense -- I can’t really speak for defense, I don’t really know their schemes to a T like that, but offensively -- Coach Gruden tries," Chark said.
"We’re on him about getting James (Robinson) the ball, we’re on him about getting me the ball, we’re on him about all this, but at the end of the day, the plays are being called and the attempts are there. [Coach Gruden] can’t go catch it for me, he can’t throw it to me, he can’t hand it to James [Robinson] himself. I think we just have to find a way to make things happen.”
