Doug Marrone Commends Myles Jack's Double-Digit Performance Vs. Colts

As the Jacksonville Jaguars inched closer to their 2020 NFL season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Head Coach Doug Marrone had a feeling about Myles Jack.

“I felt good about that, during the week I felt really good.”

The fifth-year linebacker had famously been moved to the outside during the 2020 offseason. After bringing in Joe Schobert at middle linebacker, coaches decided to line Jack up at the weak side position. They made comments like, it was a better utilization of Jack’s skills; or that it allowed pressure to be taken off his shoulders so he could just play.

Going against him in practice every day, quarterback Gardner Minshew II always knew what Jack brought, but saw a difference in the linebacker’s game as he worked in a more natural position.

"Myles is the guy, ever since I've gotten here you know you realize when he's out on the field, he's different. He moves so well, so fluid for a linebacker and I think, I think it also helps him having Joe [Schobert] out there. I think those two work really well together. And I'm excited for both of them as they lead kind of the defense. Both of them are really good players. Myles, you know, Myles played incredible, and he's really grown as a leader too.”

Jack has been moved around the linebacker corps since arriving in Jacksonville five years ago. In 2018, he was one of only three defensive players in the NFL to play every defensive snap for their team. So when Schobert was brought in and Jack was moved outside, it seemed logical. Depth charts are set to put the 11 best players on the field, no matter the position.

But still, there was always going to need to be a game played in this season, this system, before knowing if a permanent move to WILL for Myles Jack was sustainable or just a failed experiment.

On Sunday, as the Jags defeated the Colts in their opening—and divisional—match, Jack not only built on the week of practice that had gotten Marrone excited; he surpassed it, to the tune of 11 tackles, three quarterback hurries and a sack for a six-yard loss.

"I told him I thought on Sunday when we played, if you took all the numbers off of everyone and you took what everyone has done or was doing, I thought you could argue [that] Myles [Jack] was probably the best player on the field and I think he played like that. I think he played extremely well,” argued Marrone.

Jack, who was held out of the 2019 win due to injury, sacked Jacoby Brissett the one play the backup QB came into the game. But it was a drive early in the first quarter Jack really inserted himself in the game. The Colts were on the Jaguars six-yard line, facing a 3rd and 4. They could essentially get a first down and still have four more shots at the end zone from the two-yard line.

A handoff to Nyheim Hines bulled forward, only to be stopped a yard short of the chains by Jack. It forced a 4th and 1. Philip Rivers took the snap and handed off to Hines again. As broken down step by step in the below video, Jack forced the Colts to change their protection when he read the run the whole way.

While Myles Jack wasn't the one to make the tackle, but he played a huge role in stopping the Colts on 4th down.

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Abry Jones and Josh Jones are credited with the tackle that not only kept Hines out of the end zone but short of the 1st down marker, but Jack was the first domino to fall and came in to help push by Hines as well for good measure.

“I think when you look [at] last year, there [were] a lot of things that hurt us in a certain area of the field, throwing the football-wise," continued Marrone.

"And we were able to get Myles there and really work hard on it. You know, [Philip] Rivers has always had a lot of success with a lot of things. And at times, depending on what your call [is], that Will linebacker is the guy that’s going to be there one-on-one or be able to make the play. So again, saw the tough physical, saw the tackling coming up, you see Joe [Schobert] directing everyone. So I was very happy with that.”

It was, by Marrone and statistical standards, one of Jack’s best games. After Sunday’s match-up, he now has seven double digit tackle games in his career. Only twice has he had more than he tallied this week (14 versus Houston, September 10, 2017; 13 versus Tennessee, December 6, 2018).

Jack finished with his best average in 2018, averaging 6.7 tackles per game. If his 11 against the Colts are any indication, he could be heading towards his best season yet.

“I told him you set these expectations or you set these bars for yourself and then now it’s a matter of you have to go out there and be consistent. If you’re not, the same with the coaches, you really don’t know what you have. But I think Myles is in a good place and I think he’s playing well, and we need him to play well. He’s a good football player."