Jacksonville Jaguars Fan Forums

In most years, the question of how much playing time to allocate to rookies during the preseason is a worry for coaches, players, and fans.  Coaches want to make sure they develop and get a good look at all of the players on the roster.  Starters want to fine tune their skills to be ready for the regular season.  The middle tier guys looking to earn starting roles want a real shot at winning the job.   The players towards the bottom of the roster want ample opportunity to catch the eyes of a coach-if not their own, they want enough good things on tape so maybe they could catch on with another team if they get cut with their original team.  Fans also want to get a good look at as many players as possible.  The only way to accomplish all of these things is for guys to get playing time in the preseason.  But nobody wants to see the starters get hurt.  Typically, especially in the first and last games of preseason.  The mantra is get the starters out as quickly as possible.

 

But this year, for the Jaguars, striking that proper balance between player development and player preservation is more important than ever.  Gone are the Gene Smith drafts where the rookie impact is negligible.  This year, we have at least 5 rookies and first year players if you count Fowler that will either start or contribute heavily: Fowler, Ramsey, Jack, Ngakoue, and Day-all on the defensive side of the ball.  If the goal is to preserve the health of the starters and heavy contributors, then you want them oout of the preseason games as quickly as possible.  But how do these young guys develop their games to the point they are ready to have impact in the regular season?  

 

Arguably, Ramsey-going up against Robinson and Hurns-is getting enough reps in practice against quality receivers such that he could be regular season ready with minimal playing time.  But what about the others?  Fowler, Ngakoue and Day-the linemen, have gone up against guys-especially the left side of the line, that aren't that good and they need to be adequately tested against NFL starting caliber linemen.  Jack needs as many reps as possible to absorb the defensive scheme to maximize his impact.  All of these guys need time to build their endurance-especially Fowler.  When you consider the era of two a days and hitting at practice have disappeared, the argument for longer playing time to prepare for the regular season is a little more persuasive.  Defensive players need contact.  They are the ones that have to absorb and shed blocks, and they have to make tackles.  If the ability to hone those skills has been mitigated by the CBA, they need the games more than ever.

 

So where do you stand on this?  Are you convinced these guys are all regular season ready to go now, and don't need more than token appearances in preseason games, or do you think more reps and extended preseason appearances for the rookies this year are the way to go? My inclination is for fewer preseason reps.  I think I would rather have them develop the endurance and football shape during the regular season and be availaible if less effective early in the season than to expose them to the risk of injury and potentially not have them available at all for part or all of the regular season.

I would play the starters on D a bit longer than the starters on O in each game and call it good.

Build it up.

More playing time for the rooks is my opinion. You can not worry about injuries that much. Stop the whimpy whining and just let the guys play.

Play the rookies for a half the first two games. And then the 3 quarters we play the starters in game 3.


Maybe a bit longer in the first 2 depending on how the snaps play out

I say we play them all the way thru the 4 preseason games.......wrapped in bubble wrap of course.

Quote:Play the rookies for a half the first two games. And then the 3 quarters we play the starters in game 3.


Maybe a bit longer in the first 2 depending on how the snaps play out

I like this idea. Gives them time in each game to face starters and backups. Would maybe let ramsey and jack go longer as CB and MLB usually needs more adjustment reps and quite frankly Fowler looks good to go out of the box.

I say play them the first 3 preseason games.  No matter how "good" the rookies look right now, practice doesn't really count.  The final preseason game should be a "dress rehearsal" with projected starters playing one or two series.

 

You can't be afraid of injuries.  It happens whether it's the preseason, opening day or game 10.  No matter how "good" the rookies look right now, it's only been practice at probably 75% game speed/intensity at most.

Jack is the most behind of them all, so I could see earning the most reps of all the rookies during the prseason games. Jack will probably see some time as nickel LB, but most of his reps will be on the 2nd team as MLB, and maybe special team. I'm interested in seeing how Jack is used this upcoming season.


Fowler is basically a rookie, but really, he should be treated as a veteran where he only plays as long as the rest of the 1s. Same with Ramsey. They will both be playing with the 1s during the regular season, so I feel like they only gain from film vs ones.

And to add on, I do think it's important for the young guys to get time, but this is the most competitive camp we have had in a long time. Gus and Caldwell need to make sure they keep the right guys from 1 to 53, plus the PS. It's really important to keep the right guys around as depth and potential roleplayers.

I say no change in what has happened before.  Play the 1's with the 1's regardless of experience.  Injuries happen regardless of you wrap them in bubble wrap or not.

I hope the defense plays long enough to get some cohesiveness. On offense, I'd like to see them pass just enough to establish their timing but focus mainly on the running game. That part of the offense needs work as does the offensive line.