JaguarsTalk: Hall of Fame Game Recap in Real Time?
JT: The punts were phenomenal, as was…well, let’s just stick with one thing at a time
This is the JaguarsTalk version of live tweeting. It was live while I was writing these comments during the actual game. This morning I have the ability to clean some things up, spell some player names correctly and rethink some of the comments I wrote after listening to the post game interviews. So this is actually JaguarsTalks version of revised tweeting. Not so live anymore unless you were seated next to me reading ‘em as I typed them and if that was the case, next time bring something, beer, chips, a smooth bourbon, anything.
Here it is folks, as it happened.
Delayed. Weather. Lightning. Scary thunder. Maybe the refs didn’t want to get their hair wet. Who knows. The sky looks ugly though, let’s hope the Jags do not.
Tony Dungy talked about how two people from his coaching tree are on the Jags staff and how Doug Pederson is changing the culture and making the Jags accountable. My two cents; accountability and responsibility are the two most important attributes to have in life. Let’s hope this is hammered home on the football field as well.
Travon Walker, on the first play of the game, roughs the passer. But did he really? Nine out of ten times that isn’t called. Either way, I like to see that from the number one pick. He was in the QBs face in record time, disrupting the play.
Second play and the Raiders ran for 12 yards. Cisco had to come up and make the tackle. I did not like that at all. But I liked the open field take down by our safety who needs to step up this year.
Muma just made a nice sideline tackle. He tracked that run down and took the correct line.
The Jags redzone defense holds the Raiders to a field goal. I am not unhappy with the Jaguars first defensive series. I like what I saw from Travon Walker. No matter the iffy roughing call, he got to the quarterback lightning fast and disrupted the pass even though it somehow still ended up in a completion. It was good to see Cisco come up and make an open field tackle on their running back after a gaping hole left by our defensive line.
Now on to Jacksonville's first offensive series. Snoop Conner was back to field the kickoff. Touchback.
Jake Luton time. He needs to impress to make the roster because he is sure to get some pressure from a certain newly acquired USFL stand out.
First play is a run up the middle to Snoop Conner. 3 yards. I don’t mind the four yards and a cloud of dust philosophy. I would be happy with that all day long this year. Yeah I know it was a three yard gain. Semantics.
Three and out and really a horrible looking first offensive series for the Jags. I really can’t get too upset however as Pederson told us in the pre-game interview with Ashlyn that the only offensive first teamers starting tonight would be Luke Fortner and Walker Little. Still, Luton needs to settle in.
Beautiful punt followed by a great hustle and tackle by #5, Rudy Ford, for the Jags.
Josh Jacobs is in the game for the Raiders second series and hitting pretty big holes. I know Jacobs is the starting running back for Vegas but the hole he just ran through was big enough for me and my extended family to meander through, shoulder to shoulder. Abreast if you will.
Uh oh. Tyson Campbell is down and hurt on a tight end tackle. This is very very very bad for the Jags. Doug Pederson is on the field and obviously worried. Back from commercials and thankfully Campbell walked off under his own power.
Adam Gotsis (#96) with a great hustle to tackle Josh Jacobs from behind on a screen play.
The Raiders are exploiting the middle of the field, just banging straight through the hole. Muma got rocked by a pulling blocker thus opening the door for a huge run. The young linebacker needs to learn from that.
SACK SACK SACK Travon Walker. And the number one draft pick has quickly justified his ranking, haha. Pederson liked it. Walker’s first of many sacks was quickly followed up by an Arden Key sack. Key, out of LSU, on a stunt with Travon notching back to back sacks. The Jags pseudo first team defense holds the Raiders to a 55 yard field goal. Not a horrific showing by the Jags defense so far.
I realize that Stidham is a backup QB, but is he really. He spent three years as a Patriots backup with Josh McDaniels in New England. While he is not the starter in Vegas, he knows McDaniels offense better than anyone else on that team and has been running it years longer than even Derek Carr. So you can’t really say that Stidham is a typical “back up.”
Hopefully the offense can stay on the field for more than three plays this series.
Snoop Conner brings the kickoff out to the 25 yard line. Caught the ball and ran straight up the field. North and South. I like that about him. No dancing around, he gets the ball and goes.
Snoop on another hand off. Looks like Pederson is trying to establish the run game to open some passing.
First pass completion to #18 Treadwell and he fumbles the ball. Luckily his forearm was on the ground so it will be overturned. Treadwell needs to be a big part of the receiving corps this year.
Great pitch and catch to Snoop Conner out of the backfield for a very nice gain up the sideline.
WHY ARE THEY INTERVIEWING A SAN FRAN HOF INDUCTEE DURING THE JAGS DRIVE? Annoying.
Huge pass play for the Jags to #14 Marvin Hall for a big first down. Great checkdown by Luton to move the sticks. It was good to see Jake go through his progressions and check it down for a positive play.
Snoop is running strong. I think Pederson really has plans for Snoop Conner this year. There may be a real need for Conner especially if James Robinson isn’t 100%.
First field goal attempt by Jags #19, Santoso. A 60 yarder is a tough kick for anyone. It was long enough but missed a few yards to the right. Man, I didn’t realize how big a boy Ryan is.
Muma almost had a fumbled snap recovery. A small thing that had it gone the other way could really change a game.
Another great screen play from the Raiders for a huge first down. Raiders are exploiting the overzealousness of the Jags defense. ***In the postgame interview Coach Pederson was specifically asked about these screens. He said it is tough when you don’t gameplan teams because he and his coaches were trying to evaluate their young guys in these games. Alluding to the fact that they shouldn’t be caught so off guard by screen plays during the regular season. Let’s hope not.
Touchdown Vegas on a running play around the edge, completely untouched. Absolutely no containment by the Jacksonville defense on that play. 13-0 Raiders.
Boselli is being interviewed. He was asked how much it means to be inducted into the HOF. His response: “outside of faith and family, football is the biggest thing.” Evidently Boselli’s first word was “football.”
The Jags were driving well then Marvin Hall fumbled after a catch. Announcer Chris Collinsworth, whom I can’t stand, is talking about how great the Raiders look. He said, I mean I know it’s the Jags, but... Really Chris? That comment hit a nerve.
Another screen play for Vegas and another huge gain. They are destroying the Jags defense with screen plays. Pederson is going to have to nip that in the bud.
Josh McDaniels is throwing every possible offensive package at the Jacksonville defense even though he and Pederson agreed to keep everything pretty basic. That might come back to haunt the Raiders when they meet again in the regular season.
Chaisson and Arden Key got a nice sack on Mullens. So the Jags were horrible with sacks last year and if we can take anything away from this game thus far, it is that the Jags are at least getting sacks.
#89, Tight End Luke Farrell out of Ohio State has had a couple nice catches though he can't seem to shake the first tackler.
Another phenomenal punt by Jacksonville. We are really blasting the ball downfield with plenty of hangtime too. Another positive to take away from tonight, and that may be because the Jags unfortunately do it so often. Either way the punts are out of this world.
Richard Seymour, HOF inductee, had ONE sack in college for GEORGIA and then had over 57 as a Patriots player in the NFL, with three super bowl wins. The big knock against Travon Walker, also out of Georgia, is that he didn't have many sacks in college. Things that make you go hmmm.
Doug Pederson looks weird in a full ball cap and not a visor. You don’t see that very often. Just an observation.
Why did Josh McDaniels put Stidham back in the game? I don’t think he needs to evaluate him anymore tonight, I just think Josh wants to win what is essentially a practice.
Jags are in a two minute drill and Luton hits TE Farrell for a huge gain. Then, Luton to Armstead. Then, Luton with a third straight completion. Then a third and two completion for a huge first down. Then it was brought back on a holding call. Then JAX punted. It started out so well.
Logan Cooke with yet another phenomenal punt pinning the raiders inside their 10 yard line.
HALFTIME.
Kyle Sloter is playing QB for the Jags and it turns out his jersey is in the HOF for his USFL play. So technically the Jags have two hall of famers now. Oddly enough one is still trying to make the team, though he is completing passes pretty damn well so far.
Chris Collinsworth is now talking about how Pederson follows the analytics. I may not like the man as a sportscaster but it seems like Collinsworth might be reading old JaguarsTalk columns.
And finally Jacksonville gets some points from newly signed Elliot Fry who just hit a 46 yard field goal to put the Jags on the board 20-3.
There was just a sideline interview with Lawrence and Etienne. T-Law was asked how things will be different moving forward into the preseason and his response reminded me of something the old Washington Capitals defenseman, Al Iafrate, once said when asked why they lost a game. First Lawrence responded to how things will be different in future games by saying “expect more consistency and more points on the board.” To me that is a good and honest answer to a dumb question. Al Iafrate was asked why he thought his team lost a game and Iafrate’s response was “because they scored more goals.” Ask a dumb question...
Also in the same interview, Trevor said he “feels like [he] can let it rip this year.” He went on to say that Jacksonville has a lot of speed, smarts and intuitiveness with this new team.
And Willy Johnson on a punt return takes it to the endzone. TOUCHDO…WHAT? a penalty? Seriously? #35 for the Jags gets called for holding. Ugh. On the bright side Johnson will still get credit for a great run back and the penalty will allow us to see more of our offense.
Now we are having a Doug Pederson interview. The Coach says defense has kept them in the game and offense is shooting themselves in the foot. Even so, Pederson says he is having fun tonight and looking forward to the season.
Brandon Scherff didn’t give up a sack all year last year. That is a stat I just realized.
Sloter to Cottrell for a touchdown with 3:30 left in the game, followed up by a successful two point conversion. Thankfully my dog woke me up for some reason just in time to see that play.
27-11 final. Raiders win.
Some JaguarsTalk takeaways from tonight's preseason HOF game:
Walker Little and Luke Fortner were the only offensive starters in the game. Jacksonville played their third and fourth string QBs the entirety of the contest, while Vegas played their second string QB, then their third string guy and then for some odd reason back to their second string guy.
Travon Walker had a great quote in the post game interview when he said, “If you get 1% better everyday than you can’t get worse than you already are.” Let’s shorten that to “Strive to get 1% better every day.” Better.
The screen plays killed the Jags all night.
RB Cottrell had one hell of a nice game tonight, as did Arden Key and Travon Walker.
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite new Jacksonville players, Foye Oloukun, who said, “you have two choices in life. You can either stay where you are or you can get better.” What words of wisdom will you leave in the comment section below?