Week 13 Post-Game Prescription: Jaguars Offensive Line Must Play Mistake Free
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line struggled against the New York Giants. If I were a doctor (which I’m not) and I specialized in making NFL teams play better, I would be suggesting emphasis by the coaching staff on getting the offensive line to play mistake free.
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That doesn’t mean that the Jaguars offensive line has to play the game without hurries, hits, or even sacks credited to them (though that would be nice) but it’s also important to play without having penalties called on them.
On Sunday, the Jaguars offensive line combined for four penalties. Left tackle Luke Joeckel was the biggest offender with two. Poor Sam Wells, replacing the injured Austin Pasztor mid-game, looked absolutely devastated by his penalty when the Jaguars were driving to stay in the game late in the fourth quarter. Zane Beadles…well Zane Beadles should simply be playing better football at this point in his career, though Sunday’s penalty was just his second on the season.
Overall, the Jaguars offensive line has had 20 penalties called on it so far this season. Some players, like right tackle Cameron Bradfield, are no longer with the team because of shoddy play. Others, like Jacques McClendon, have been relegated to backup roles. Those shifts have brought better play along the entire unit.
But 20 penalties in 12 games from one of the most important units in football is troublesome for any team. It is difficult for the rest of the offense to be successful when mistakes are being made, whether they be false starts, holds, chop blocks, or blocks in the back.
To see the Jaguars be more successful in next week’s game against the Houston Texans, I prescribe an emphasis on offensive line penalties, bringing them down to zero. The Jags were fortunate to get a win against the New York Giants despite their four penalties. Penalties on the offensive line are momentum killers. They force the team backward and they cause division as the unit must act as a cohesive whole. If the Jaguars emphasize playing mistake free, expect the Jaguars to perform better on offense.