Week 14 Post-Game Prescription: Gus Bradley Must Make Half Time Adjustments
By Luke Sims
Playing 60 minutes is a lot harder said than done. Gus Bradley and the Jacksonville Jaguars have been bitten by only playing one half of good football all season long, though. After playing the Houston Texans tight during the first half on Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars completely fell apart in the second half, unable to make adjustments to come out on top against their division rival.
Making halftime adjustments is what separates good teams from bad teams. It’s what elevates the team above the opposition. If a team can compose itself in the locker room, identify what it needs to work on, and come out hammering that to success, then they will win.
Gus Bradley hasn’t been able to do that this season. His team is either too far behind at the end of the first half or they collapse in the second half. If NFL games were 30 minutes long, the Jags would have a couple more wins, including one this week.
The Jags entered halftime with a three point lead, up 13-10 after scoring field goals on two long 10+ play drives. They got points on the board when it mattered and they managed to leave the field with some momentum. The team got the ball back after halftime to boot.
But the Jags failed to adjust. They knew the Texans would emphasize tightening up against the offense. They knew that Arian Foster was burning them in the running game.
Schemes and offensive attacks didn’t change to accommodate, despite a weak running game anyway. The defense didn’t tighten up against Foster either.
Instead, we saw the Jags flounder on offense, punting away chances to stay ahead.
The Texans, meanwhile, marched down the field behind Foster’s strong running. They met little resistance from the Jags D.
This is on Gus Bradley and the other coaches. Their is no excuse to not come out after halftime and make adjustments to stay ahead. Maybe the lead got to them and they just couldn’t handle the first half success like in week one? Who knows. But right now, Bradley has to work on his half time adjustments, making sure that the Jags stay a step ahead of the opponent.