JaguarsTalk: Jacksonville vs Atlanta - A Scrimmage in Flowery Branch
JT: Cocky or confident? The team comes alive in Flowery Branch, Georgia
Hotlanta was the location for the Jags / Falcons first scrimmage, a precursor to Saturday’s preseason game between Atlanta and Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence had a great scrimmage. Christian Kirk had a great scrimmage. James Robinson had a great scrimmage. Travon Walker had a great scrimmage. Devin Lloyd had his first scrimmage. It seems everyone had a great scrimmage. We here at JaguarsTalk are slightly reticent to discuss the positives of said clash as we don’t want to portray Jacksonville as over confident. Alas, it’s our job to shoot the breeze about the last week the Jaguars starters will see competition before their September 11 trip to face Washington at FedEx Field.
Injuries have been a constant storyline throughout the Jaguars preseason. So far, knock on wood, none have been major. This week, in Atlanta, is the first time that nearly every JAX starter was well enough to participate. Inside linebacker Devin Lloyd finally got on the grass to show what he is capable of adding to Jacksonville’s already stout defense. Jacksonville’s first team run defense has essentially shut out its preseason opponents thus far. Granted neither Nick Chubb nor Najee Harris were toting the rock against Jacksonville this preseason however their offensive lines were first teamers and their running backs are still NFL caliber. Even the Jaguars pass defense chipped in and held Deshuan Watson of Cleveland to 1-5 for 7 yards. The Steelers didn’t fare much better accumulating 24 rush yards, averaging 1.7 yards per carry. The front seven of the Jags shut out opponents for seven consecutive quarters. All of this was done without first round draft pick Devin Lloyd.
Out of Utah, Lloyd, who has been nursing a hamstring injury since the beginning of camp, was impressive in his first scrimmage against Atlanta. Senior Writer John Oehser of Jaguars.com said Lloyd “looked fast and athletic.” Most importantly he looked healthy. Travon Walker had one hell of a day as well. Twice he batted balls at the line, nearly intercepting one of them. Tyson Campbell continued his good play against Atlanta, at times defending Kyle Pitts, the Falcon’s super giant tight end. And Josh Allen, well Josh Allen continues to be Josh Allen, which is to say dominant. JaguarsTalk is excited about the prospect of Jacksonville having a lights out defense. It’s fun to be excited.
On the offensive side of the ball Trevor Lawrence took a little time to get going, but once the engine was warm he was difficult to stop. He and wide receiver Christian Kirk have developed a quick rapport. In the first Falcons scrimmage they teamed up for some red zone touchdowns. This is a welcome sign considering the love affair the Jaguars first team offense has had with field goals this preseason. Often critics of the Jaguars point out that Christian Kirk was overpriced and that Jacksonville does not have a true number one wide receiver. True or not, this preseason has shown that Trevor Lawrence has no issue spreading the ball around to Kirk, and both Jones’. JaguarsTalk has a feeling ETN will become a large part of Doug Pederson’s passing offense as well. I guess we can give Press Taylor some credit for any offensive success as well. Taylor has a pretty good problem on his hands. He needs to decide who is going to start at right tackle, Jawaan Taylor or Walker Little. A great issue to be sure. Jacksonville is somewhat stocked with very good linemen who could all start in today’s NFL and they just recently traded for OL Cole Van Lanen. Van Lanen was acquired from the Green Bay Packers for a future seventh round pick to bolster T-Laws protection. Doug Pederson understands that nothing happens in any offense without protection. It’s where scoring success begins and ends. One can have Hall of Fame receivers, running backs, and a quarterback, but unless the defense is counting out five Mississippi before they rush, skilled offensive linemen, and a lot of them, are a necessity.
Prior to the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Doug Pederson told the press that he needed to see more first downs and more touchdowns. While the Jags ran several 7+ play drives, converting on many third downs, they still failed to punch it in for 6. Pederson also told the press that when the Jaguars entered the red zone they wanted to focus on the run game and convert touchdowns on the ground. They have yet to show this capability, until possibly now. James Robinson displayed excellent running ability in Georgia during the first scrimmage. His injured achilles appears to be feeling pretty good. This bodes well for Pederson's desire to run for touchdowns. The puzzle pieces seem to be coming together nicely for Jacksonville… as long as they can stay healthy.
The one thing that doesn’t necessarily worry JaguarsTalk but has us slightly perplexed is the reaction of Trevor Lawrence at his post scrimmage press conference. We want to read it as confidence, having fun, enjoying his occupation and having a firm grip on Pederson’s offensive scheme. Upon having a very successful scrimmage Trevor Lawrence said “I really like where I’m at. As far as the offense goes, I feel really comfortable.” T-Law also loves the progress of the O-line. Lawrence and Fortner are “on the same page more and more, so I have a lot of confidence in that group up front, and I love where we’re at.” It’s never good to have over confidence in a franchise quarterback, but we choose not to read it that way. Lawrence set our minds at ease when he also exclaimed, “I’ve said it before, it’s about getting better every week.” That last statement negates any trace of over confidence and stresses Lawrence’s strive to constantly better himself.
Please leave your heart felt warm fuzzies in the comment section below.