Quote:It was nice to see my first extended view of Dante Fowler, and he did not disappoint.  He flashed on a sweep to his side, beating the T and tackling Yeldon for what would have been a loss.  He beat Wells on an inside move that would have resulted minimally in a hit on Bortles.  He rushed from the LDE as well.  Parnell acquitted himself well against him, but the one play against Parnell that stood out was he gave Parnell a beautiful bull rush.  He got his hands in his chest, gave him a head butt, and back Parnell went into Bortles, flushing Bortles to his left.  The PA announcer gave credit to Malik Jackson for the pressure, but he could have easily given that to Fowler.

 

When the Jaguars selected Blake they were forced to pass on Khalil Mack. I'm ok with this because Blake has turned out so well, but Mack is quickly becoming one of the few best defensive players in this league and this has remained on the back of my mind. Fowler is starting to make me forget about passing on Mack. That said, it's still not quite enough to forget about passing on JJ Watt for Blaine Gabbert.


 

Ramsey did not disappoint me.  I was beginning to wonder if Bortles was going to challenge him.  The first time they threw his way was the completion to robinson that drew the flag on Ramsey.  Ramsey had him in press coverage and was in his face from the snap of the ball.  He was with him the first five yards and throughout the route.  He wasn't beaten cleanly off the ball, but you could tell he and Robinson were jostling throughout the pattern.  Yes, Ramsey drew the flag, but on that he showed me what I was expecting to see-a big, physical press corner who will make a receiver earn everything he gets.  He also had a very nice stop in run support.  He's not afraid to mix it up.  If he continues, he will easily be the most physical CB in team history.

 

If the Jaguars defense does emerge as one of the few best, I can see Ramsey in the Pro Bowl as our best CB.


 

To be honest, I am not too sure what to make of Jack after watching the scrimmage.  There were a couple of run plays where he stuck his nose right in the line and attacked the G, only to have the much bigger G move him laterally out of the hole.  The second time, he appeared to mistime his blitz.  But there were other times, especially in short yardage, where he made impact in the run game.  It was difficult to gauge his pass coverage, because I did not recall a play that had him in man, running step for step with a TE or a back (though oddly enough Skuta once had really good coverage on Thomas on a deep route).  Jack seemed to be in zone the entire time, more often staing in the middle of the field.  There was one play 85 crossed behind him and he did not follow him.  Not sure what to make of that play because I don't know his assignment.  I think it was good that 85 did not cross his face, but I have no idea what his reponsibility was.  There were signs he appeared to have a grasp of the defense.  I noticed several plays where he appeared to communicate with his teammates while adjusting positions, at one point seeming to check the alignment of the S.

 

I noticed in his interviews that he's talking about learning the scheme and keeping his head buried in his playbook. Remember he missed the OTAs and this is really his first action with the team. It was thought he'd be a day one starter, but we may need to be more patient with him. He'll get there, and once he starts acting on instinct and stops thinking about every little move, I have no doubt he'll meet every expectation.


 

It was good to get my first good look at Ngakoue.  He certainly looks the part of a DE and appears to have good quickness.  He seemed to beat the LT with speed on a play, and showed good pursuit on a bubble screen early on, but did not really stand out to me.

 

I'm still excited about Ngakoue. I was reading where Bosa, who is still standing out (Ramsey injury may have been a blessing in disguise), had a drill in the OTAs where he faced several linemen and even the backups stoned him cold. As great as these guys are in college, they have to learn new skills to remain effective in the NFL. Fowler has actually been healthy for quite some time, and probably has spent a great deal of time talking with other players and learning these moves. Had he never been injured, I doubt he'd have looked as rookie like he does now.


 

 But one newcomer who DID stand out was Amukumara.  In his post game, Bradley indicated the last few days, the DBs were really challenging the receiver, and Prince epitomized that mindset.  I remember reading the boards over the years and seeing people echo some of my frustrations about CBs playing so far off the receivers.  The one time Amukumara was "beaten badly" was on a play where he seemed to have off coverage (presnap 10+ yards off the LOS) and Robinson appeared to run an in in front of him with lots of separation, but Bortles' pass was way overthrown.  Seeing Amukumara and Ramsey playing tight press coverage like that was reminiscent of the style the Raiders CBs used to play back in the 1980s (a good thing for those of you not yet born or too young to remember).  I definitely think our pass defense will be better, and the ability to play physical press coverage will be a big reason why. 

 

With Colvin out four weeks and Ramsey having his own rookie learning curve, it's a darn good thing Prince is on the September roster. It'll be interesting to see where how Ramsey, Colvin, House and Prince stack up on the depth chart once they're all healthy, active and clicking on all cylinders.


 

Admittedly I have not been at minicamp or training camp untill now, and I have not charted either of the kickers, but the sense I got leaving the scrimmage is that Ficken (note to posters: please pay special attention to your keyboards when typing this name) has the edge in the kicking competition at this point.  Myers had a very long attempt (55 yards).  They did not cut off the scoreboard for him like they did last year, and he missed it wide left.  Anyone watching the board afterward could read his leps and easily see his frustration.  Ficken nailed his kicks.

 

Everyone should keep in mind that Ficken has not made the roster yet. At this point he's merely entered himself legitimately into the competition for the Preseason. Personally I hope Myers wins the job because Ficken is quickly becoming a nightmare for us mods.


 

 I thought Marcedes, and Rashad Greene looked good too.

 

Last year they said it was Marcedes' "best camp," but he looks even better this camp. I can see him as a legit red zone threat, although his main role is to be their 6th blocker.


 

 The FA CB from Minnesota (Bodde Calhoun (?) had a nice pass breakup on a deep sideline pass, as did Nick Marshall.

 

It's interesting you say this because I already had these two possibly battling for the final roster spot. I noticed Boddy-Calhoun's bio when they picked him as as a UDFA and felt he might be a legit threat to be among those who actually make the roster. If you look back to my roster prediction before training camp, I even had him making it over Marshall. That said, they may have to make it as a 6th CB assuming McCray and Gratz are battling for the 5th spot with the loser of these two out the door. At the very worst I see Boddy-Calhoun on the PS.


 

 I thought Cyp did a good job covering the flats on a couple of plays, but he was beaten by Thomas on the TD.

 

I'm still far from sold on Cyp as a starter. Even when you hear Bradley and Wash talk about him it's not entirely glowing. Wash did say that Sample is not challenging Cyp for the start like some think, but they both talk about Cyp having to still do more to be where they want him. I can't help but think this is a glowing weakness, and that offensive coordinators are going to go out of their way to test him.