Hope and the Jacksonville Jaguars have not gone hand-in-hand during the Shad Khan era, or really for most of this century. However, after what we saw from the 1s against the Browns and Steelers this preseason. It’s time. Time for a Jaguars hype train.
As any good Jags fan knows, building a Jaguar hype-train could result in a catastrophic derailment and, ultimately, bitter disappointment. Honestly, though, who wants to focus on that during the preseason? Coming off the brief but felt much longer Urban Meyer era, it’s time Jaguar fans have some joy watching the black and teal.
No more panic-watching. No more negative thoughts dwelling in the back of your head. It’s time to board the Jaguars hype train. With that in mind, here’s what to get hyped for as the regular season draws a little closer.
First stop on the Jaguars hype train: Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence took some heat for holding the ball too long against the Browns. There might be something to that, but as we all know, there are many moving parts in football. Most times, it’s never simple as Lawrence held the ball too long. Like in this play, Nate Tice of the Athletic pointed out. Lawrence is waiting for Jones to get open, and it never happens.
https://twitter.com/Nate_Tice/status/1558847281004048384?s=20&t=5_wYzWdenLxobJTXJ2Zzdw
You could make the case that Lawrence should move on to his next option faster. Yet, it’s the preseason, and he’s trying something out. He’s giving Marvin Jones the benefit of the doubt to get open. Better to take these chances now in the preseason than when the game matter.
Lawrence’s accuracy was off against the Steelers. It felt like he watched film from the Browns game and wanted to make quicker decisions. He was much faster at pulling the trigger against the Steelers but on several throws it came at the cost of his accuracy. Let’s also give credit to the Steelers defense too. They’re a board line top-12 unit.
I’m not worried about Lawrence figuring it out. The contrasts between the Browns and Steelers games, shows you how committed he is to becoming a better player. Plus, some of the throws he had
https://twitter.com/_John_Shipley/status/1560644984801460224?s=20&t=5_wYzWdenLxobJTXJ2Zzdw
It’s one of those throws where you say, “Noooo. Why would you – Yoooooo! Zay Jones, you have got to come down with that one!” There were two Brown defenders in the corner of the end zone, and Lawrence placed that ball where only Jones could make a play. Unreal accuracy. We got a real one in Lawrence.
There were also this throw against the Steelers. (Gotta love the swagger too!)
https://twitter.com/Demetrius82/status/1561238651782238208?s=20&t=86hrJFNOneHouFNa1DlQ_w
Second stop on the Jaguars hype train: Travis Etienne Jr.
Etienne had a mixed night vs. the Browns. Sometimes he tried to do too much in search of that big play. Only to be taken down for a loss. It was similar to those early years of Reggie Bush in the league. Where he tried breaking a big play on every touch.
Etienne looked far more patient against the Steelers. The Jags run blocking could use some improvement, but they were also going against one of the league’s best front seven.
Like Bush, Etienne will learn, and when he does. Look. Out. The man is going to be a menace on defenses! When he got to that second level, you could see his speed, explosiveness, and underrated power. He will take ankles and truck some dudes this season.
Third stop on the Jaguars hype train: The defensive line and defense
Rookie Travon Walker continues to show why he’s the No. 1 overall pick. Dawuane Smoot has been dominant. Arden Key, DaVon Hamilton and Foley Fatukasi. And, oh yeah, there’s Josh Allen. This defensive line could be incredible and wreak havoc this season.
Like a high tide that lifts all boats, an excellent defensive line raises the floor for a defense. Then with the linebackers (Devin Lloyd hasn’t even played yet.) and the improvement in the secondary. The Jags’ defense could be in store for a more significant leap than the offense.
The Steelers don’t have the strongest of O-lines but the fact that the Jags could get home with just four brings up fond memories of 2017. Jags DC Mike Caldwell was using all sorts of different combos along the D-line and they still made life hell for the Steelers QBs.
https://twitter.com/clayharbs82/status/1561364513718505472?s=20&t=86hrJFNOneHouFNa1DlQ_w
And here is Tyson Campbell being a bully.
https://twitter.com/LaurieFitzptrck/status/1561154202902077441?s=20&t=86hrJFNOneHouFNa1DlQ_w
The Steelers did get that two-minute drill on the Jags. Other than that, they’ve been dead on all preseason.
Fourth stop on the Jaguars hype train: The offense and play calling
Last season’s Jaguar offense and play calling damaged one’s soul. It was so awful, it questioned your faith in humanity.
Watching Doug Pederson’s vanilla offense in Week 1 of the preseason was the antithesis of last year’s woes. They were taking shots downfield. Zigging when the defense thought they were zagging. There was a rhyme and reason to every call.
The red zone miscues have been hard to watch. Yet, I think Jags fans are missing the forrest for the trees. Think about the last decade and how painful it was to watch the offense. How many times were you chanting, “Please don’t go three-and-out. Please don’t go three-and-out. Please don’t go…dammit.” We’ve got red zone issues, that’s massive progress for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Once the regular season gets under way, we’ll see more plays like this one from the Browns game. The TD to Evan Engram was *Chef’s kiss* beautiful. The entire Browns defense carried the other because the Jags set it up perfectly with similar looks earlier in the game.
https://twitter.com/JaguarsNationCP/status/1558240530336825347?s=20&t=5_wYzWdenLxobJTXJ2Zzdw
Just think what the Jags’ offense will look like once the shackles come off for the regular season.
Fifth stop on the Jaguars hype train: The Jaguar receivers
The weapons for Lawrence and the offense have greatly improved from last season. Zay Jones looked nice against the Browns. Given how Pederson likes his tight ends, Engram will factor in heavily this season. Marvin Jones showed he can be a security blanket against the Steelers.
Christian Kirk (The man who reset the receiver market) and Laviska Shenault Jr. got their first run of the preseason. For Kirk, we got to see glimpses of how Pederson plans to work him into the offense. Let’s just say he’s going to be a steal at his current ADP. He was open all night.
Lawrence missed Kirk on a few throws. That’s going to get worked out as the season progresses. When it does, I’m going to have to write an apology to Jags GM Trent Baalke.
For Shenault, it’s about redemption. Everyone knows last season was a disaster. It also didn’t help that Shenault didn’t play well either. But, Shenault is closer to the player we saw in his rookie season (79 targets, 59 receptions, 600 yards, five TDs in 585 snaps) then we did last year. (100 targets, 63 receptions, 619 yards, zero TDs in 697 snaps) 2021 was an aberration.
Shenault’s comp on player profiler is that of A.J. Brown. Not that he has to be Brown exactly but getting close to that gives the Jags another dynamic playmaker. He’s on the outside looking in terms of the rotation and will have to work to crack it. I still believe in the talent, and he will make the Jaguars that much better when he breaks out.