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Jacksonville's Offense (1 Viewer)

packersfan

Footballguy
Despite not having any WRs of note, the Jags were a sexy pick with fantasy owners going into the season. FBG had Garrard ranked as a Top 10 QB; other sites had Jones-Drew ranked among the Top 10 at RB and even though he's 50-something Fred Taylor was a Top 20 RB the past two seasons.

After two games, here is where those three players rank in standard scoring leagues (prior to the Monday night game):

Garrard: 20th

Jones-Drew: 36th

Taylor: 51st

In standard scoring leagues, you could make a case that all three of these players should be benched given their current rankings. Even in Start-2 QB leagues, it's hard to feel good about Garrard given how bad he's been. Taylor shouldn't be started in any league right now and Jones-Drew hasn't gotten enough touches to feel real good about though he did score in Week 2.

We know the offensive line is in shambles but little can be done about that anytime soon. So what do we make of the Jags going forward? Here's a look at their upcoming schedule:

Week 3: at Indianapolis

Week 4: vs. Houston

Week 5: vs. Pittsburgh

Week 6: at Denver

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: vs. Cleveland

Week 9: at Cincinnati

Week 10: at Detroit

Weeks 8-10 are sweet matchups so the Jags will be looking good in those weeks. The Colts' run defense looks terrible so it's possible the Jags get back on track a bit next week. This is a running team and they have to get back to that mindset. Garrard simply isn't talented enough to win games with his arm as the first two weeks have shown. If they can run the ball more effectively, that could enable the passing game to show more signs of life.

So looking ahead - can the Jags recover and will these three key players reach their preseason rankings? Can Garrard be a Top 10 QB as FBG predicted? Will Jones-Drew return to form as a strong RB2 and can Taylor continue to defy Father Time and be a strong RB3 for the third year in a row while being teamed with Jones-Drew?

Thoughts?

 
As you pointed out, it all begins and ends in the trenches and their offensive line is decimated in such a way that I don't know if can be fixed, even in a patchwork way, this year.

I expect Garard, Taylor and Jones-Drew to climb from where they are as their schedule soften a bit, but don't expect them to reach their pre-season FBG rankings.

Maybe halfway between what we have now and where they were expected to be would be a good assumption.

 
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Indy has trouble stopping the run, so you might see an uptick in performance from the RB's next week. I rostered Taylor as a bye week RB, so while I'm disappointed, it really hasn't hurt much.

Someone dropped MJD in one of my leagues with shallow benches - but I was too low to claim him.

 
As a MoJo Drew owner I've been very disappointed with his number of touches. I don't think he had a single carry in the first half yesterday. 12 carries and 7 receptions on the year....I'd like to see him get 15-20 touches per week. He's clearly the best playmaker on that O sooner or later they'll realize it too, I hope.

 
All the jaguars need is a playmaker are WR , and that would change EVERYTHING on offense. Here is some perspective from Jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman:

Greg from Largo, FL

Why does it seem that all teams play the Jags exactly the same?

Vic: That is, in my opinion, a major problem right now. It started in the Pittsburgh playoff game. After having been mowed down by the Jaguars’ running game a few weeks earlier, the Steelers decided to sell out to stop the run in the playoff game. They decided to keep their base defensive personnel on the field in pass/run down-and-distance situations, effectively daring the Jaguars to throw. Every team since then has done the same thing and the result is that Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew have combined for a mere 240 yards rushing in the four games since and including that playoff game in Pittsburgh. The Bills took that strategy to new heights on Sunday. They did something I haven’t seen a team do since Willie Lanier played middle linebacker for the Chiefs. The Bills had middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, at a mere 238 pounds, step forward before the snap and put his hand on the ground, effectively becoming a nose tackle. That’s how loaded up against the run the Bills were and Posluszny was surprisingly successful in that role. In order to get Taylor and Jones-Drew back in the groove, the Jaguars need to begin making plays downfield in their passing game, to back defenses away from the line of scrimmage and force opponents to play “nickel” and “dime” personnel more often. When you get the little guys on the field, that’s when you can run the ball.

 

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