Out of the Box: Jacksonville Jaguars were Out-Coached

Today, after what was one of the most disappointing Jacksonville Jaguars performances in history, the cries for Bradley’s head are not if, but when.

I don’t use the term “out-coached” lightly, but on this day, on the wrong side of a 38-14 drubbing, that wasn’t even as close as the score shows, this is exactly what happened to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 action in San Diego.

Too often the word is used when it isn’t about coaching, but about execution. The same as a play call is determined to be bad or good based on how it is executed. All over the field, but most notably on defense, there was a sense that the Chargers were one step ahead of the Jaguars.

With the weak roster that Gus Bradley inherited, you could understand some poor showings over the past few years and although the win-loss record didn’t show it, there appeared to be some progress. Upon receiving the chance to return for 2016, I thought the decision was sound, giving a chance for a better roster to work with and to not impact the significant progress on offense.

But today showed exactly why so many have been calling for Bradley’s head. Previously, this might have been unreasonable. Today, after what was one of the most disappointing Jaguars performances in history, the cries for Bradley’s head are not if, but when.

The Jaguars offensively were conservative, unimaginative and inefficient. The conservatism and lack of imagination is certainly something that falls on the coaches, starting with offensive coordinator Greg Olson. The Jaguars’ opening two drives came with poor field position, and were impacted by penalties, but were scarily predictable. Yes, this writer spends a lot of time watching Jaguars offensive film, but so do the Chargers ahead of a matchup and this was all too easy.

Bortles was inaccurate often, this is an execution issue, not a coaching one, but how the staff rallies to lift the output, which made wide receiver Allen Robinson an afterthought today, will be critical. A serious review of their approach is needed. Sure, Chris Ivory’s absence for a second straight week looks like an easy excuse, but it isn’t as though he would have made plays that TJ Yeldon couldn’t or didn’t.

The real coaching deficit was on defense. Todd Wash, former defensive line coach under departed coordinator Bob Babich (more on him shortly) looked completely inept in both game planning and in-game responses.

Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, and head coach Mike McCoy put their collective powers together to puppeteer the Jaguars into just the matchups that the Chargers wanted. If you end up with a veteran linebacker like Paul Posluszny covering a player like wide receiver Travis Benjamin, you are in trouble. Posluszny’s limitations in the coverage game, which are well known, were exposed, and whilst most linebackers would have had trouble in this situation, the calls for rookie star Myles Jack’s were deafening with this matchup nightmare.

Yes, there were times this was a player not doing his job, but also a product of a stressed defensive scheme making this task more difficult.

So how did the Chargers do so well with this? It is clear that the Jaguars defense is an easy study. How they would respond to a personnel group, in a formation and through motion was clear for the studious Chargers. Having the right matchups for Antonio Gates, Benjamin, and Woodhead early on helped dismantle the Jaguars scheme.

Worth noting the presence of sacked Jaguars coordinator Bob Babich on the Chargers staff as linebackers coach. With the scheme virtually unchanged in essence, how vital was this insight for the Chargers. Or a better question: How foolish were the Jaguars in ignoring this fact?

The scheming issues weren’t only an issue in the passing game, Rivers and the Chargers were able to manipulate the front in the run game, causing issues with run-fit. Yes, there were times this was a player not doing his job, but also a product of a stressed defensive scheme making this task more difficult.

Gus Bradley’s postgame platitudes won’t please the many infuriated fans on the ‘Fire Gus’ bandwagon. But this one tends to state what most are thinking…

The seat was hot. Now, Bradley simply cannot sit down. Shahid Khan has been a patient owner, some would argue too patient, but this was an embarrassment from the Jaguars, who are 0-2. For all the off-season excitement and positivity, football is won between the lines on Sundays. This is where Jaguars football needs to see a change.

Next: The Chargers stomp on the Jags' hopes and dreams for 2016

On a quick unrelated note, we do wish for good news on the Kelvin Beachum front. From a personal and an offensive scheme standpoint.