(10-01-2021, 09:02 AM)Bullseye Wrote: This is almost what we've been waiting for.  The team has been gradually and incrementally improving since the week one disaster in Houston.  They cut down on the stupid penalties.  They cut down on the drops-I don't recall any last night.  In fact, there were a couple of really good catches that continued drives for once.  They started running the ball more.  I've often said it takes about 5 weeks for a team with a new coach and new schemes to put it altogether.  The Jaguars looked like have put it all together in four weeks-at least in the first half.  My thoughts on the game.

1.  Sucks to hear about Chark and his fractured ankle.  Hopefully he'll be okay and will return this year.  Hopefully Cann is okay.

2.  One of the things that made me proud about this performance is how the team performed in the trenches.  In the first half the O-Line dominated in the running game, and the D-line was right there with them.  The first sack of Burrow was a thing of beauty...a clinic on pocket collapsing.  This is the kind of small ball/big boy football we've urged for a couple of weeks now.  The so called "big uglies" performed well.  Outstanding work!  The second half?  Offensively the lin play was still pretty good, though I don't like that hit TL took on the play where defensive holding negated the sack.  The problem came defensively.  What the heck happened?  We stuffed everything in the first half, and then all of a sudden we couldn't stop zone?  We need to find a way to rush the passer/

3.  I have to give credit to the coaching staff.  I thought for the most part, the play calling was superb.  I wasn't crazy about that 4th and goal call.  I supported going for it, but I wasn't thrilled with that call.  But I can see why they did it.  It had been working all first half.  But that triggered a pet peeve of mine-getting too cute inside the 5.  When Brunell threw those AFCCG end zone INTs againt New England and Tennessee, the team was getting too cute.  To give a more contemporary example, when Bevell's Seahawks were in the Super Bowl, they threw at the one instead of running beast mode.  Even though they didn't pass, TL in the shotgun?  No.  I would have preferred him under center and just pounded it in.  If you were going to pass, play action and a bootleg would have been my preferred strategy.

4.  Maybe I'm being a bit harsh here, but I was actually annoyed at Myles Jack's play.  Conversely, Agnew is a candidate (top 3) for MVP of the first quarter of the season.

5.  This was a strangely officiated game.  Not necessarily egregiously officiated, but strangely officiated.  They didn't throw many flags, which helped the flow of the game immensely, but there were some head scratchers.  On the 4th and2 punt they called an illegal motion penalty on the Jaguars.  Tey seemed to assert the long snapper bobbed his head, but he never seemed to move his head.  Even the announcers wondered why they called that penalty.  The Bengals jumped offside on their own.  To be honest, there were several other times the Jaguars should have been called for that and weren't.  There was a questionable hit on Trevor Lawrence I've seen called for other QBs that wasn't called (they waived off the flag), but there was also a play where I thought the Jaguars could have been guilty of a personal foul (Norwell) on a run play that wasn't called.  That holding penalty on that second half sack was a killer.

6.     Special teams was nondescript.  Cook had a decent game.  Agnew didn't have many returns, and he fumbled one of them out of bounds.  But most notable is our kicker made all of his extra point.  At least for that game, it gave the appearance of competency in the place kicking.

7.     Rookie Watch

     A.  Trevor Lawrence-had perhaps his best game as a pro.  he committed no turnovers.  He made very good decisions to throw the ball away, whether to acoid a sack or to avoid an INT.  He used his mobility to rush for some key yardage throughout the game.  If you wonder why he was taken first overall, recall his throws to Agnew down the left sideline and to Shenault on a scramble to the right for 52.  There weren't the long stretches where he made no completions and the offense completely bogged down.  He responded well when the Bengals tied the game, leading a drive to retake the lead.  This game definitely represents progress as far as his development is concerned.

     B.  Travis Etienne-DNP...on IR

     C.  Tyson Campbell-Was torched deep by Jamar Chase on a key pass in the 3rd quarter that flipped the field and gave the Bengals momentum.  Once again frustrated me with his play.

     D.  Walker Little-DNP

     E.  Andre Cisco-did not see him at all.

     F.  Jay Tufele-I don't think he was active

     G.  Jordan Smith-I don't think he was active

     H.  Luke Farrell-had his best game.  Had some key blocks in the running game, earning praise fromt he announcers.  IIRC, he also had a catch.

 
8.  Speaking of TEs, our new guy, Arnold, had a nice first game, especially considering we just traded for him and it was a short week.  he showed more physical ability regarding speed/agility than any TE we've had on the roster in years.

9.  James Robinson had a heckuva game.  The more he runs, the more I'm left to wonder why the team got away from him at any point in the season.

10.  Bottom line-Offensively, the team played about as well as you could play and still lose.  There were no drops or penalties.  They controlled the LOS for most of the game.  They took care of the football, didn't beat themselves, and moved the ball throughout the game.  Defensively, they were effective in the first half, and largely invisible in the second.  We need more catalysts on the defense.  The secondary was torched y four guys:Chase, Boyd, Uzomah and Burrow.  How many CBs can we trade away and still expect to have decent coverage?  I know I run the risk of sounding like a pollyanna, but I'm proud of the way the team played.  Nevertheless, to come away with another L is still disappointing.  Such is life as a Jaguars fan, I suppose.

Great recap as usual Bullseye.

Regarding the parts in bold, after finally watching the game I tend to agree.  There is a part of me that thought "take the points" yet there is another part of me that figured Robinson could punch it in, or maybe a play-action bootleg kind of play if they insisted on Trevor Lawrence running it in.

The hit on Lawrence when he slid should have been a penalty (in my opinion).

The second half seemed like a "meltdown" of the defense.

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