Black and Teal » Russell Allen

Jacksonville Jaguars Offseason Program: A Whole Lot Of New

Luke Sims — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:10:25 +0000

Jan 22, 2013; Mobile AL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars new head coach Gus Bradley at Ladd-Peebles Stadium after watching the Senior Bowl north squad practice. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the midst of their offseason program and there is a lot to learn. The team is on its third offseason program with three separate head coaches and the veteran players are in the midst of learning all they can about the new offense and new defense the team will be employing.

Perhaps the biggest change is the departure of Mel Tucker as defensive coordinator, who served as DC for the four seasons previous. In comes Bob Babich and head coach Gus Bradley’s defense and it will take some getting used to. Right now it’s all about learning the terminology and communication. ”That’s what we’ve been doing the first week or so, is learning all terms and naming formations so we can communicate effectively. We have to spend a ton of time getting used to all the different terms and different philosophies,” said linebacker Russell Allen about getting all the new information over the past week.

The defense in particular is getting a complete overhaul. While the base 4-3 defense is the same on the surface, the way the players play and the different roles are a major departure. Under Tucker the defense was simple, relying on the reactions of the players and the ability to play fast. Under Bradley and Babich it will be more scheme oriented.

Departures from the past are new for the defense, but the offense is going through another whirlwind of changes. For receiver Cecil Shorts III this is his third new offense, one for every year he has been in the league. This year appears to be a bit more player friendly under offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch. It will still take some getting used to, but compared to the mass of confusion that was the offense under Mike Mularkey this year’s offense should be easier to grasp. The simplification isn’t making players’ time any easier as they learn an entirely new scheme, however. ”You have to be on your toes,” says Shorts. ”If not, it’s a little embarrassing, because you want to show a new staff and new offensive coordinator you’re on top of your game.”

The Jaguars will head into Phase 2 of the offseason program next week and should begin player-coach non-contact drills. Putting the things the veterans have learned thus far into practice should help the team to grow and learn the concepts faster. For now, it’s still terminology and making sure you’re laying a strong foundation in this new season.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

Diagnosing 2-14: Linebackers

Luke Sims — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:27:11 +0000

Over the next week or so we will be going through the Jacksonville Jaguars 2012 roster to try and find the problems that led to the franchise’s worst-ever record: 2-14. There were so many problems with this team that it goes well beyond one article. So, for the sake of simplicity, we’ll take it one position at a time.

This time: linebackers.

Here are the other parts of the series: QB, OL, WR, TE, RB, DT, DE

The linebacker position for the Jags lacked two major things: Daryl Smith at outside linebacker and a third linebacker.

Oh how we needed Smith in 2012… Source: Fernando Medina-USA TODAY Sports

For a team running a 4-3 defense, the Jags were woefully shorthanded at the linebacking position heading into the season. Part of that was due to Clint Session never getting off the physically unable to perform list (sorry buddy) and the other part was Smith’s replacement being a below average starter. The outside linebacker position was abysmal and the middle linebacker position was poor as a result.

A lot of the 2012 Jaguars season can be attributed to injuries, but a lot of it falls to planning as well.

Russell Allen was there to step up in case a linebacker went down, like Session did in 2011, but what if two linebackers went down? We found out when Smith was injured. Smith didn’t start a game until week 16. So, instead of having a competent backup starting for the majority of the season, the Jags got Kyle Bosworth and Julian Stanford thrown into the mix as well.

To say that starting two backups at outside linebacker throughout the season was a mistake would be a generous. The Jaguars may not have been able to anticipate Smith’s injury, but knowing that Bosworth was the next man up they should have upgraded the depth a little during the offseason. Bosworth was unproven and, when tested, was wanting in all aspects of his position.

In fact, every outside linebacker performed poorly. Allen proved that he was not a high quality starter, Bosworth proved that he probably should no longer be with the Jags, and Stanford showed that starting an undrafted rookie free agent to solve “the Bosworth problem” actually doesn’t work.

All three of them graded incredibly poorly against the pass. Quarterbacks throwing into Stanford’s coverage (the least experienced linebacker) averaged a QB rating of 85.1. Qbs against Bosworth racked up a decent 89.5. QBs throwing into Allen’s coverage averaged 107.3. That’s pretty ridiculous (9th highest among OLBs). While pass coverage is not the sole responsibility of an outside linebacker, the Jags were constantly beat by tight ends due to poor linebacking play. For a defense coming off ranking 8th against the pass in 2011, having Allen and Bosworth/Stanford contributing in pass coverage was a major factor for defensive shortcomings.

Fortunately Allen was much more prolific in his tackling than his counterparts. Allen finished the season second the team with 129 tackles, he was frequently out of position and was making the tackles after the opponent had already picked up a significant amount of yardage. Allen was able to show that his energy and ability to “be everywhere” (eventually) was not the same as making plays. At least he was better than Stanford and Bosworth who combined accounted for just 44 tackles.

2012 was a wasted season for Posluszny’s talents. Even with some big plays he was unable to jumpstart the rest of the defense. His heart and ability deserves a better supporting cast. Source: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The linebacking positions failures on the outside resulted in increased pressure on middle linebacker Paul Posluszny. Poz is generally considered a good linebacker and had a great year in 2011. This season he led the team in tackles (139), had three interceptions, two fumbles forced, and finished fourth on the team with two sacks. With a good supporting cast that isn’t too bad. With a bad supporting cast it just isn’t enough. Poz couldn’t make enough plays from his position as the “captain of the defense” to matter in 2012. I greatly admire the heart that he showed in each game, but the 2012 season was beyond his ability to fix. This may be most telling in his ability to limit quarterbacks (or maybe they had better places to throw it) to just a 77.8 QB rating when throwing into his coverage. For a linebacker who is not known for being great in coverage, that’s pretty good (they threw 92.7 on him in 2011).

The Jaguar linebacking unit was unprepared this season. Too much trust was put on unproven talent and not enough was done at the position to help lead 2011′s sixth ranked defense back to the top. Rather than improving the defense, the Jaguars failed to address a critical hole at OLB that only widened without Smith in the lineup. That hole proved fatal.

Allen showed that he could continue to be decent depth, Poz showed that he can still be a good middle linebacker in a good defense, and the rest showed that linebacker needs a complete overhaul.

Understanding how the Jags got to 2-14 has a lot to do with personnel failure. Ex-GM Gene Smith’s oversight may be most well seen at linebacker. Good riddance.

Next we’ll look at the cornerbacks.

- Luke N. Sims

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Paul Posluszny Deserves Jags MVP

Luke Sims — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:34:37 +0000

Is this man the most valuable Jaguar? Source: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve still got four games left in the season, but with the revolving door at running back, quarterback changes, offensive lines shifts, and secondary problems, it’s becoming pretty obvious who is setting themselves up for team MVP honors on the Jaguars.

To me there are really only a few candidates for MVP for the Jaguars:

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB
Paul Posluszny, MLB
Cecil Shorts III, WR
Russell Allen, OLB

You coulda been a contender! Source: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

As much as I respect MJD and the work that he does for the Jaguars, he hasn’t been on the field long enough to really deserve MVP. He has been in only six games this season, one of them was the win over Indianapolis in which he dominated, and was part of two overtime losses. While his influence cannot be doubted, his injury has kept him sidelined for too long for legitimate consideration, in my opinion. If Rashad Jennings had produced numbers anywhere near his 2010 numbers then he would have surpassed MJD in yards. Instead, despite appearing in four less games, Jones-Drew is still the leading rusher on the team with 414 yards. Value goes beyond game changing ability though.

Paul Posluszny, as evidenced by the title of this article, is my choice at this point for the Jaguars MVP. Posluszny replaced the injured Daryl Smith as the heart and soul of this defense for the 2012 season. Despite the pieces around him falling to injury, Poz has been a rock in the center of the defense. He leads not just with heart though. He leads by example. Posluszny leads the team in tackles with 101 (tied with Russell Allen), has two fumbles forced, and three interceptions. For a guy who is not the most mobile and plays like a linebacker from the ’80s, Posluszny has really stepped up and shown that guys like him and Brian Urlacher are still important part of defenses. Without Poz, this defense would be worse than it currently is, and to be honest I think we’re already at the bottom of the barrel.

Cecil Shorts is having a heck of a season. Shorts is on pace to be the first Jaguar receiver with 1,000 yards since 2005, he has the most touchdowns on the team (7), the most receiving yards (824), and the most yards per reception (19.2 – second highest in the NFL). Shorts has forced overtime with a ridiculous catch, won a game with a ridiculous catch and run, and has kept us in games with even more over the top play. He has become a player the Jaguars frequently dream about. As much as I like his play and the success he has seen, I just don’t see him as the most valuable to this team. Despite his strong play, he is really only the recipient of a small number of plays, thus making his relevance per snap considerably lower than it could be. He is becoming the go-to guy but hasn’t cemented the role yet. Not to mention that as a playmaker, Shorts is great, but he is not yet a game changer that forces better scheming. Shorts has managed to take advantage of openings in defenses, but if schemed against I don’t think he can overcome more diverse and complex coverages.

Allen has been downright scary when he’s been really good in games. The guy has so much energy and heart. Source: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Russel Allen is the guy I see behind Posluszny as the most valuable player on the team. Allen has been the Jaguars’ do-it-all backup linebacker for years. When finally asked to replace Clint Session, Allen responded with vigor. His play is energetic, soulful, and he is always in and around the ball. His jump from backup to starter in such a critical role after the Jags lost two starting linebackers, has eased the pain that permeates the defense. Allen has 101 tackles (tied for first with Posluszny, but ahead with 80 solo tackles), and one fumble recovery. His speed, ability to close on the ball, and awareness is what a linebacker should be. Allen is a good player who was forced to learn quickly and responded well. While I give the nod to Poz, Allen has been just as crucial in trying to hold this flailing defense together.

While the offseason awards will wait for the offseason, I think it is difficult to argue against Posluszny for MVP right now. The guy has been dominant and shines on a dull defense. If Chad Henne comes alive then he deserves to be in the conversation, especially if some wins come, but he has been too hot and cold to deserve it yet.

We’ll see if these players rise or fall over the course of the season. Who else do you think should be in the conversation? Anybody I grossly overlooked?

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- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims