8 OBSERVATIONS + PLAYER GRADES FROM LOSS TO BUCCANEERS

Shareef provides 8 observations plus players grades from the Jaguars loss to the Buccaneers.

By Shareef Alnachoukati
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Well, this looks familiar. Hello fellow Jaguars fans, today I'll be giving my observations on this Bucs Vs Jags Game. But I don't really have to write a ton to prove my point about today's performance. One word, Bad. Yes, the Jags first team looked as empty as my liquor cabinet tonight but there still might be some hope lurking in the shadows. Here are 8 observations for this 12-8 loss as well as notable grades and dishonorable grades.

1: First things first, The Jaguars starting QB spot is up for grabs.

Well here we are.. 

The Quarterback position will be an eye opener for all NFL fans as we are halfway into the preseason. Blake’s horrendous showing on Thursday left many people with a bad taste in their mouth. Especially Head Coach Doug Marrone, who said “It's an open competition for the job”. It is very unfortunate to have Blake look even worse than he did last year, even considering that he trained for about 4 months to improve his mechanics and release.

Blake overthrew, under threw, threw in traffic, and made terrible decisions as a whole. That's when Doug decided to test the first team with Chad Henne. Now I'm not going to say that Chad Henne was special or anything like that but he did impress in my eyes. His play looked more polished than Blake indeed but I still didn't see enough out of him. Maybe Keelan Cole should've grabbed that catch that seemingly looked like a 30 yard TD, that would've definitely put Henne in a better situation now.

But it wasn't Chad Henne that had the most impressive performance Thursday night, It was the second year player out of Arkansas named Brandon Allen. Brandon completed 10 of his 15 passes for 144 yards and 1 TD. Brandon Allen also led the team in rushing yards which brings me to a key observation, Run Blocking.

2: Run Blocking is a problem:

Now don't get me wrong here I'm not defending the running backs in any way shape or form in this point. Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon still looked awful and couldn't get past the line one time. But this isn't all on them either. The Line had an awful showing and couldn't get any creases for the RBs to run through. It was completely pathetic. 

Omameh, Linder, and Cann all had forgettable games and especially Omameh. He couldn't get anything going whether it was pass blocking or run blocking. He was even letting 2nd and even 3rd string players for the Bucs overpower him. Not good.

The Jaguars Running Backs carried the ball a total of 17 times for 30 yards, JUST 30.
And that's coming from 5 different running backs. Just awful.

3: Dante Fowler Jr. and Sheldon Day have been exceptional so far.

Dante Fowler was coming into this season as letdown for the Jaguars fans. His terrible outing in 2016 and his off the field issues seemed to be the end of the former 3rd overall pick. But he has been resilient indeed. Dante seemed to be getting in the quarterback’s face almost every snap. He was also very disruptive on the edge and even had a strip sack on QB Jameis Winston. Although he can improve on some things including his run stopping and finesse moves on the edge, he still put up a good half.

Sheldon Day has really surprised me this offseason. I can tell the 4th round product out of Notre Dame wanted to prove to everyone he was worthy of having a big role on a stacked defensive line. He has just been an untamed beast. Some plays he looked like he was completely unblocked. His power and explosiveness sets him apart as a defensive tackle. Even his penetration on run plays and just holding up on powers just caught my full eye. He had a sack on Winston in the red zone where it looked like it should've been a pick by Barry Church but they credited Day instead. Sheldon Day , Ladies and Gentlemen.

4: Jason Myers either needs the Aguayo treatment or competition.

Jason Myers has looked awful in camp and even worse in the preseason games. He's missed 3 field goals and just two games. Also had a PAT that got kicked into the first row of everbank field. Something has to change. We saw this last week with Bucs kicker Roberto Aguayo and he eventually gets cut.

Now I don't think Myers gets cut yet but he has a great chance of getting someone to compete with him. Maybe someone like a Shaun Suisham. Or maybe just wait for the Bears to decide who they are going with and if they decide Aguayo over Barth then we make that move.

5: Dede Westbrook is a stud

I loved this move from the beginning. I clearly thought that Dede Westbrook was a top 5 receiver in the draft and we picked him up in the 4th round. He mainly slipped all the way to the 4th because his “off the field issues” which we haven't heard from again since 2014. 

The heisman finalist is the complete package. He Can run a variety of routes, can catch in traffic, and we all know about his speed. Dede leads all receivers in the preseason with 173 yards and even has a TD.

6: Run defense wasn't there

The Jags d line is as hyped as it can be. But they did not look good at all in those first 3 drives the Buccaneers had. Telvin taking bad angles, Pos not making the tackle on time, and the whole line just getting overpowered by a below-average line. It just didn't make sense. Also Malik Jackson looked bad today on both phases of the game. 

It is preseason so they might not want to go full out but still got to stop an average running back in Doug Martin. The Bucs rushed for 130 yards. With Doug Martin having 5 carries for 30 and a TE

7: If Ramsey and Bouye somehow both get season ending injuries, i'd be surprised to win one game

There's was a ton surprising elements to this game, but the most surprising of all is how the Bucs only scored 12 points. With Mike Evans and Adam Humphries ripping up the D and the run doing its thing, 12 points isn't usual. But Charles Gaines and Stanley Jean-Baptiste didn't look good at all yesterday. Even back up receivers were getting their way against them. 

Just isn't good enough, we need more depth on corner.

8: We have to get back to work

Bad showing on both sides. I know that Doug Marrone can fix this problem and I think he will. A good thing about both games is that the Jags have been disciplined well. Doug just has to fix the O line woes. The Defense can easily bounce back with their star power.

Next matchup is a dress up game between the Panthers and Jags. We have to see what happens with the QB situation and the offensive line. Maybe this game gives us momentum heading into the season if we possibly succeed.


Notable Grades:

Blake Bortles: 3.8/10

TJ Yeldon: 4/10

Ivory: 6/10

Omameh: 3.4/10

Linder: 4.5/10

Cam Robinson: 7/10

Dante Fowler: 8/10

Malik Jackson: 5/10

Sheldon Day: 9/10

Barry Church: 8.6/10

Brandon Allen: 8.4/10

Chad Henne: 7/10

What did you think about Thursday’s game? Leave a comment down below.