Jacksonville Jaguars need to correct mistakes, penalties
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been flagged 25 times in two preseason games and will need to play tighter ball if they want to win in 2016.
It isn’t that the Jacksonville Jaguars are a team that lacks in discipline an overt amount. For all the knocks against head coach Gus Bradley, having a team that is unruly is not one of them.
And yet, after 25 flags for a total of 253 yards in just two preseason games, it may be time to wonder if there is something going on.
253 yards (132 against the New York Jets and 121 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) is a lot of production wasted. It’s also giving the opposition extended drives (as seen against the Bucs) which doesn’t do the rebuilt defense any favors.
While the points of emphasis that the referees get for the coming season are actively flagged in the preseason (think of it like a trial run) and there will likely be less in the preseason, it’s still concerning that right now the Jags look like a team that just can’t get its act together. For a bunch of young players, it’s important to get off on the right foot.
Before the Bucs game, I asked the question if young players Dante Fowler Jr. and Myles Jack are too aggressive. This came after a fight in practice for the former and a couple of aggressive plays (one flagged) for the latter. The aggression is good. The speed is good. The effort is good.
The flags? Not so much.
It isn’t just those two, though. So far it has been the coaches and veterans like linebacker Telvin Smith and Johnathan Cyprien as well. From personal fouls to pass interference, the team needs to play tighter.
Hopefully this does just end up as a preseason fluke, but it would be nice to see the Jags put together a cleaner game in the third preseason game. That third preseason game is more like a dress rehearsal for the season and will feature a lot more playing time for the starters.
What Aggression?: Myles Jack for defensive rookie of the year
Let’s see if they can keep it clean.