Jaguars’ Veteran Makes Case That Deferring to Second Half Doesn’t Impact Defense
Ever since the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) opted to defer receiving the ball to the second half after winning the coin toss in a 31-13 Week 3 loss to Miami, head coach Doug Marrone has continued to reiterate that he is evaluating his philosophy.
The Jaguars have won the coin toss and deferred in all three games this season. And in all three games, the Jaguars have seen the opposing offenses drive down the field for a touchdown, putting the Jaguars down 7-0 right as the game begins.
But with Marrone considering changing his philosophy to attempt to put an end to the slow and crippling defensive starts, there is one question to consider: would it actually help the defense if the Jaguars took the ball first?
Logic says the Jaguars could use the ball first to get off to a fast start on offense and help make sure the defense isn't falling into a 7-0 hole and playing catchup from the start of the game. But how do defenders actually see it?
“To be honest, I really don’t care. We’re going to be out there regardless of whether we go out first [or] whether we go out second," Jaguars cornerback D.J. Hayden said Monday during a media conference.
Jacksonville's next chance to put their slow starts behind them will be in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville has fallen behind 7-0 or 14-0 after the first two possessions of each game, so something has to change.
Should that something be whether the Jaguars receive the opening kickoff or not? It remains to be seen. We will likely get an answer much sooner than later, but Hayden makes a case that the Jaguars simply just need to execute better.
"Whichever team goes out there first, they just have to punch them in the face, whether it’s the offense [or] whether it’s the defense. It shouldn’t matter who goes out there first. We should just go out there and play our type of football, so I don’t know," Hayden said.
But even with that in mind, look for Marrone to continue to evaluate whether his defense needs to be on the field first -- at least until they prove they can stop an opening drive.
“I think that what I am looking at potentially [is] taking the ball first,” explained Marrone on Friday.
"I think I’m trying to get a peek at what’s going on and how we can settle these guys down more. So, I think we’re going to have these discussions, but it’s not anything that I’m looking at going, ‘No, I would never do that’, so it’s definitely something that’s on the table.
