Jacksonville Jaguars Mid-Season Report Card – Grading the Pass Catchers
By Daniel Lago
Sep 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Clay Harbor (86) celebrates after a touchdown reception against the Oakland Raiders during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Raiders defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-9. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the midst of arguably the most inept stretch of football in the history of the NFL. Mercifully, they have a bye this week to regroup and reevaluate some players and decide how to approach the last 8 games.
The bye week also gives us the opportunity to grade the personnel and their performance so far. Today’s unit is the pass catchers.
| Rec. | Targ. | Yds/Rec | TD | Drops | YAC/Rec | PFF Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil Shorts | 46 | 86 | 12.3 | 1 | 6 | 4.7 | 2.6 |
| Ace Sanders | 16 | 31 | 11.4 | 0 | 4 | 3.7 | -2.8 |
| Justin Blackmon | 29 | 48 | 14.3 | 1 | 2 | 7.4 | 0.7 |
| Mike Brown | 13 | 23 | 17.4 | 1 | 2 | 7.1 | -0.1 |
| Stephen Burton | 7 | 12 | 9.3 | 0 | 1 | 4.7 | -3.3 |
| Marcedes Lewis | 2 | 6 | 18.5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -3.7 |
| Clay Harbor | 12 | 18 | 12.8 | 1 | 0 | 6.3 | 0.3 |
Cecil Shorts clearly has been the go-to receiver on this offense, especially during the first four weeks when Justin Blackmon was suspended. He’s second in the NFL in targets behind Vincent Jackson and tied for 9th in the league in receptions. He was supposed be the vertical receiver on the team, but he’s been forced to do it all including being a possession receiver. His drop rate is a little bit concerning despite the huge number of targets.
Justin Blackmon has been really good for the most part since coming back in week 5. His YAC/Rec is currently 10th in league and he’s done a good job catching short passes in the slot and breaking out for more yards. He’s had a couple costly drops that could have been touchdowns however.
Ace Sanders has had alarming troubles with drops, but he has shown the penchant for getting open in the slot and making people miss. Mike Brown has come in and done a better job over the last few weeks and had the only exciting play last week when he took a pass 29 yards for a touchdown.
Marcedes Lewis only has two receptions due to injury, but one of those catches was followed by an awful fumble. Clay Harbor has flashed as a potential move tight end and is a threat down the middle of the field when he’s actually used.
Mid-Season Grades: Pass Catchers
Cecil Shorts III – B
Ace Sanders – C-
Justin Blackmon – B+
Mike Brown – B+
Stephen Burton – D
Marcedes Lewis – D-
Clay Harbor – B
– Daniel Lago
Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89