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Jacksonville Jaguars vs Carolina Panthers: 6 reasons for optimism

By Luke Sims

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Dec 8, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Davon House (31) breaks up the pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 43-37. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

4, 5, & 6) Aaron Colvin, Demetrius McCray, & Davon House

We’ll lump the final three reasons for optimism into one listing.

As the Jacksonville Jaguars vs Carolina Panthers game gets closer, keep and eye on the top three cornerbacks for the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are all pretty evenly matched and all three of them are ready to make some noise early in the season.

Perhaps the most exciting player to watch is Aaron Colvin. While there were some questions for his game gearing up for 2015, he remains one of the top prospects in the NFL.

2015 may be the season he breaks out.

Originally slotted as the nickel back for the Jags, Colvin has been competing with Demetrius McCray to play on the outside. That’s a good thing for the Jaguars, representing growth for Colvin and giving the Jaguars a more competitive secondary on the whole.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Demetrius McCray’s stellar play and why Colvin competing with him is a big deal, consider that he allowed just 57% of passes his way to be caught (among the top half of cornerbacks) and that when caught they had the 13th lowest average (10.3 yards) in the NFL and that he only allowed a long of 24 yards all season which was good for fifth best among CBs with at least 25% of snaps in 2014 (statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus).

Demetrius McCray is a legitimate Pro Bowl candidate and Aaron Colvin is a contender with him.

Yet those two aren’t even the best on the team.

We definitely didn’t forget about Davon House. Considered a lock for one of the outside spots against the opposition’s number one receiver, House has some impressive numbers to back up his play. Let’s consider this:

"House doesn’t even let some receivers touch the ball. Remember that 46.8% completion rate? Well, of the 25 targets that didn’t become receptions, eight of them were passes defensed by House. That’s an impressive 17% of the 47 targets going his way. I’d love to see him get more interceptions (just one in 2014) but he’s doing a great job limiting the opposition from even getting the ball in his hands, already. His eight passes defensed is 16th in the league, but he was targeted 11+ times less than his peers (some of them were targeted well over double what House was)."

In a league dominated by the passing game, the Jacksonville Jaguars have three very impressive cornerbacks ready to knock balls out of the way and bring receivers down early. House is among the best at limiting receptions, McCray shuts down players when they catch the ball, and Colvin is a legitimate playmaker.

What gives you optimism in the build up to the Jacksonville Jaguars vs Carolina Panthers game?

Next: Would you rather have Teddy Bridgewater or Blake Bortles leading your team?

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