Doug Marrone on Jaguars 2020 Schedule: "We're Excited That It's Out"

The 2020 NFL schedule was released on Thursday night and the Jacksonville Jaguars now know what their fall will look like in terms of matchups and travel.

Knowing the travel is actually what's more important to head coach Doug Marrone now as opposed to what matchup takes place when. Marrone, while on a LIVE stream with Jaguars team media said, "That’s probably the only thing in the schedule, you know I kinda wish the bye week and the Chargers game were flipped.

"So we play the Chargers, cause it’s a long travel game and then come back and then have the bye week to rest up. Now we’ll rest up and we’ll go there and we’ve gotta do a good job as a team recovering on the way back because we a division opponent the next week but at least it’s at home."

The schedule release was much-hyped, complete with a three hour broadcast to break down each week and primetime matchups. Already knowing who the 2020 opponents would be, Marrone admits he didn't spend much time worrying over the details such as dates.

"I really don’t put a lot of thought into it prior to the schedule coming out because you really don’t have any control over it as far as you know when, what time you’re playing or how they’re gonna set the teams or where you’re gonna play them in the year. I don’t try to go too forward in that, because you know, who’s playing well, who gets hot, injuries come into play, there’s a lot of things."

The Jags will travel to historic Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on November 15, a frigid atmosphere to those acclimated to Florida weather. Marrone jokes the cold weather game mostly just affects the equipment guys who have to plan for extra coats and heaters. But still, there is something to be said for a change in weather and atmosphere and it involves a lot of having younger guys prepared with fundamentals.

"The one thing—most of these players have played in conditions. Somewhere along the line in their career like that, you'll have a small percentage of guys that have never played a cold weather game and I think that one of the things that I've always been taught to emphasize when you play the cold weather games is the tackling, making sure—people say well your hands and keeping them warm and everything. But I think the thing that you see in cold weather games—whether you're a cold weather team, whether you're playing there all the time or not, it's always a little bit tougher to tackle; when I'm talking about cold now, I'm talking about freezing conditions...I'm talking about tough conditions."

Jacksonville will open with two division opponents, the Indianapolis Colts (in Jax) in Week One and then traveling to the Tennessee Titans in Week Two. The Colts were also the Jags finale game in the 2019 season. As for back-to-back division opponents to kick-off the season, Marrone feels it's an opportunity albeit one with challenges.

"There’s pluses and minuses in that the one thing I like is that we know both teams. But they also know us," he jokes.

"It’s a chance, an opportunity to get yourself a leap in the division because we know the best way to make the playoffs is obviously to win your division, that’s set. So I think going in there and going early and then finding out about your football team. You go through training camp, you may have a vision what you’re gonna be and how you’re gonna play but until you get out there—and the preseason at times, I've been fooled by the preseason…so you wanna get everything together but basically you wanna get to that and those games and you want a healthy football team that’s ready to go."

While there is still uncertainty around the season and immediate future of the sport with COVID-19 still spreading across the country, the promise of football in the fall gives teams and fans something to look forward to, especially now with the details in place.

Says Marrone, "We’re excited that it’s out. Now it gives us a chance to start playing it."