Todd Wash, Jaguars defense prepare for the Miami Dolphins
By David Levin
Thursday night’s dress rehearsal for the Jacksonville Jaguars defense may look a little different than usual.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash told the media on Monday that he likes what he has seen from his defense so far during training camp and the preseason. But on Thursday, with the team’s game against the Miami Dolphins, things will be a little different.
Starters who have been held out of the first two preseason games will see live-action for the first time, giving them a chance to feel the speed of the game that hasn’t been simulated in practices. And for the first time, as Wash explained it, there will be situations that have been designed particularly for different defensive packages and individual players to see how they perform in certain situations.
"“Yeah. I think that we look forward to seeing how they’ve progressed. They’ve gotten a lot of reps in practice, but it’s going to be a different speed, a different tempo,” Wash said on Monday. “Obviously, we game-planned a little bit, so we get to go see how well they’re retaining the information and making the adjustments during the game. So, it’ll be nice to see them out on the grass. How much they’re going to be out there obviously I don’t know, but it will be nice to have them on the grass again.”"
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What this means about everything else is that this team in this defense are preparing itself for the start of the regular season. After two weeks of avoiding the potential for injury, fans will have an upgrade to see big-name players out on the field making an impact. And for those players who are still trying to make the 53-man roster, this gives them another chance to show they belong in the NFL.
Along with the preparation the coaching staff has made for the game in South Florida, players who have made an impression in practice and on the playing field like Breon Borders and Najee Goode can still battle for the few roster spots that remain open for the Jaguars.
"“Obviously his veteran presence. He has been through the wars before out there on Sunday. He adjusts well in our schemes,” Wash said of Goode, who the Jaguars signed in free agency this offseason.“He’s athletic enough to run our scheme. I think at linebacker you have to be able to run and Najee can run and he’s picked it up quick mentally. That’s the good part about bringing in a vet that has played for years.”"
The Jaguars have taken a different approach to this offseason and training camp to avoid injuries. Now, the kid gloves come off and players get a chance to play a regular game of football against a Dolphins team looking to do the same thing.
"“For us, we have certain things we want certain guys to do within the game plan, and certain guys are on pitch counts,” Wash said. “So, when they’re in there, there’s going be calls maybe not made normally in that situation, but we want to make a call with them and stuff like that.”"