Jaguars Vs. Saints: 5 Questions Ahead of Preseason, Week 2
After the Jacksonville Jaguars more or less laid an egg against the Cleveland Browns' backups a week ago, the Jaguars and Urban Meyer will get a chance to show improvement on Monday as they face off against the New Orleans Saints.
With the Jaguars' and Saints' matchup on the horizon, we talk with Chris Conner of Canal St. Chronicles to go over five questions ahead of kickoff.
Q: Michael Thomas' relationship with the Saints has been rocky to say the least over the last year. Do you see him getting traded anytime soon and do you think the Jaguars make sense as a fit?
Conner: To act as if Thomas won’t be traded at some point would be quite naive. The Saints have proven repeatedly that they’ll trade players that they deem problematic, no matter how talented.
For whatever reason, I just don’t believe they’re approaching that situation yet. Several guys in the Saints organization love Mike and know how much of his moves and frustration are tied to passion and wanting to win.
Plus the Saints cannot afford to make any moves with Mike this season that would cost a pretty high cap hit number. Could it happen down the line? It could, but between the need at WR, Mike’s elite talent and the overall financial side of things, I don’t believe there’s a move to be made anytime soon.
As far as Jacksonville I think having Mike’s college coach with Urban Meyer is a huge plus. I’m not sure what it would cost to get Mike away but Jacksonville is already loaded with receiving options from my perspective, so adding Thomas could make them elite and rookie Trevor Lawrence’s NFL transition that much easier. There’s a few places that would look like good landing spots, Jacksonville would be one of them.
Q: The ideal usage of the Jaguars' backfield to many is to replicate what the Saints have done with Ingram/Murry and Kamara over the years. What is it about those complimentary rushing attacks that worked so well?
Conner: You’re always keeping guys fresh and every snap matters in a sense. If you’re a young guy with something to prove like Alvin Kamara was, you know the opportunity will arrive eventually. If you’re a veteran like Adrian Peterson or a Tim Hightower, you’ll also have a fair shake for an opportunity even if it’s temporary.
The Saints have also done a great job of making sure their running backs all are capable of doing multiple things, so defensives can’t key in one element. That has allowed several formations with multiple running backs on the field whether one is split out wide or they’re running a split backs look. At the end of the day you’ll probably always see a “thunder and lightning” type of situation for most teams but the difference is now, you want that thunder to have a little bit of shock with him. The Saints have repeatedly done that over the past decade-plus, even that means even playing three running backs.
Q: Is there one player on the Jaguars' roster that you think could make the Saints a much better team if you could place them on the roster?
Conner: Myles Jack would normally be my selection, linebackers with his element of speed, power and intelligence don’t come around often. CJ Henderson would have to be the pick though. Long, tall, fast, and a guy who can make plays on the football. The Saints still could use an upgrade at that number two CB position, and it’s been a spot they’ve been looking to upgrade long term since Marshon Lattimore got drafted. CJ would be that kind of guy, and with him being young and still fairly cost-controlled, it could allow roster flexibility in other areas.
Q: What made Sean Payton's partnership with Drew Brees so successful? Jaguars fans are hoping to see the same type of cohesiveness between Meyer and Lawrence.
Conner: Communication honestly.
Those two were honest with each other, never showed the other one up, and they met at places in their careers in which they needed each other. So when the pitfalls came, they were ready for them and made the best of several uncomfortable situations. Both Sean and Drew love the game and are highly competitive individuals. When you can get that mixture of passion and competitive nature, some special tandems can form. All it takes from there is understanding each other and putting people in the best places to succeed. Payton always knew how to use Drew’s strengths. He asked him often how much he liked certain looks and plays. It never felt like a power or ego struggle with those two.
The rest was history.
Q: What is your outside view of the Jaguars entering 2021?
Conner: I see a talented team that wasn’t as bad as their record indicated last season. I love some of the upgrades defensively like grabbing Griffin from Seattle to play next to Henderson. I love the wide receiver depth, and think a guy like Marvin Jones Jr. could become an early favorite of Lawerence’s. I think Jacksonville’s running back position is one of the deepest in football. I truly believe if Lawerence plays well the Jags may be able to sneak up on some people and fight for a wildcard spot.
