(05-14-2022, 06:36 AM)Bullseye Wrote: [ -> ] (05-13-2022, 10:00 PM)TheDuke007 Wrote: [ -> ]I won't quote Bulleye's message in the interest of space. I mostly agree, but have the following comments:
You say that you don't consider Zay Jones to be an upgrade, but who are you comparing him to? Chark? Chark only played 3 full games. In terms of snaps, he was sixth among our wide receivers. Our top three wide receivers last year in terms of offensive snaps were:
1. Marvin Jones
2. Laviska Shenault
3. Laquon Treadwell
All three return, although I expect Kirk to upgrade Shenault and Zay Jones to upgrade Treadwell. I question whether Treadwell even makes the 53 man roster. I think the Jaguars may cut him in favor of Kevin Austin. As for Zay Jones, while I don't expect miracles, he does have a low drop rate. How many times last year were we saying "All I want is a wide receiver who won't drop the ball....."?
...
...
From a "the best ability is availability perspective," yes, Jones would be an upgrade over Chark based on last year's playing time. But for the most part, Jones didn't do much with the time he was in the game for the Raiders. In fairness, he had lots of talent around him with Ruggs, Waller, and Renfrow, but outside of one game, I don't see where his production/ability merits giving him the benefit of the doubt as an upgrade to anyone.
...
...
The thing about Jones that makes him an upgrade to every receiver the Jags utilized last year outside of Chark is his consistent separation and low drop rate.
He's head and shoulders above every receiver we targeted last year (excluding Chark) in both of those areas.
I do not expect him to step in - own the X position - and become a go-to guy. But I do expect that when deployed, he'll get open and catch his targets consistently.
(05-14-2022, 11:14 AM)NYC4jags Wrote: [ -> ] (05-14-2022, 06:36 AM)Bullseye Wrote: [ -> ]From a "the best ability is availability perspective," yes, Jones would be an upgrade over Chark based on last year's playing time. But for the most part, Jones didn't do much with the time he was in the game for the Raiders. In fairness, he had lots of talent around him with Ruggs, Waller, and Renfrow, but outside of one game, I don't see where his production/ability merits giving him the benefit of the doubt as an upgrade to anyone.
...
...
The thing about Jones that makes him an upgrade to every receiver the Jags utilized last year outside of Chark is his consistent separation and low drop rate.
He's head and shoulders above every receiver we targeted last year (excluding Chark) in both of those areas.
I do not expect him to step in - own the X position - and become a go-to guy. But I do expect that when deployed, he'll get open and catch his targets consistently.
I watched Jones' game by game performance from 2021. He received very few targets during the 1st half of the season. However, Carr clearly came to rely on him much more as the season progressed. The majority of his 47 receptions came later in the season. Jones is clearly not a guy who can be relied upon to catch many deep balls. He seemed to be more of a safety valve for Carr due to his excellent combination of route running and reliable hands. It's hard to explain why his stats deteriorated following his 2nd year in Buffalo when he caught 56 balls, but his improved play last season is a good sign.
The receiving corps this season will obviously lack the big play X receiver who defenses always have to be worried about. Pederson is known for utilizing his tight ends as evidenced by Zach Ertz being the team's top receiver in their Super Bowl season. The wide receiver group was lead by Jeffrey and Agholor who caught 119 balls between them. Neither of these players will ever be confused with Davante Adams, Hopkins or Tyreek Hill- to name just 3. I'd expect Evan Engram and Dan Arnold to put up big numbers this season. If Engram drops balls like he did in 2020 (11 drops), the offense will be greatly compromised. The combination of Kirk, Marvin Jones, Zay Jones and an improved Shennault will be equal to or better than the Eagles group in 2017. Add in Travis Etienne as a reliable receiver out of the backfield and the offense will have a much better season. However, they will need to prioritize getting that true X receiver during the 2022-23 off-season in order to compete with teams like the Chiefs, Chargers and Bills.