Know Thy Enemy: The Jacksonville Jaguars

Happy to do it

When McD said 335, I was ecstatic. That must be his weight as per when he took his physical, so we have no reason to believe otherwise. 6’5" 335 with the ability to play end is a giant get for the Broncos. Literally.

wunderground.com’s forecast for Denver today:

High 79
Humidity 42%
Wind 6mph
30% chance of thundershowers
65% cloud cover

forecast for Jacksonville on Sunday:
High 92
Humidity 55%
Wind 6mph
30% chance of thundershowers
52% cloud cover

He should be an interesting player to watch. I was pretty high on him when he was at Arizona. Isn’t he the school’s all time reception leader? He’s got some quicks too, so I will be excited to see him. Perhaps he has some Eddie Royal in him?

To be honest, this was just a really brief preview. I will include Mike Wallace in a more in-depth analysis. Thanks for the info.

As for the humidity, it could be a worry, but there is a reason Olympians train in Denver. It is the best place to condition your body. I think you have more of an issue COMING to Denver than leaving and playing elsewhere, but that’s just from personal experience. It’s hot and humid in Sioux Falls in the summer, so you get used to that type of weather. Then you go to Denver, and it’s just odd after walking a flight of stairs. I dunno, perhaps it’s the opposite of what I’m saying?

I don’t see the humidity as a big issue until it’s proven otherwise.

but thought maybe he knew something that I didn’t :P jk

Thanks for catching that, Brian. I have made the change. Really appreciate when people point this stuff out, really helps me for the future.

If you can’t put heat on an NFL QB, he’s going to shred you. See Brady Quinn’s first NFL start against the Broncos in 2008. It’s simply a necessity. Luckily, our pass defense is very good, so we can go with a bend, don’t break approach against this team if the pass rush isn’t there, but that won’t work all season. We need to put some pressure on Garrard, and Jacksonville’s offensive line is gaining experience and improving. I need to see more of them on the field, but they just signed Uche Nwaneri to a contract extension (I think?), and they drafted OL with their first two picks in 09 I believe with Eugene Monroe and the cat from Arizona. Eben Britton.

If you don’t put pressure on Garrard, you’re going to get picked apart in the short passing game. I’m not worried about anything deep, I’m worried about Jacksonville controlling the clock with short passes. We need to force Garrard to make quick throws and decisions, because he’s a smart quarterback. His stats aren’t great, but he is a smart dude.

And I touched on this too—we need to get off to a fast start. A 3-0 lead will be a lead, but it won’t be sufficient. We need to put Jacksonville in a hole right away and force them into their passing game, where they are definitely out of their element. MJD is the centerpiece of this offense. We must force them to throw.

I do think our offense is a lot better than theirs too so even if our run D fails I think our offense will be able to keep us in the game.

I thought it was Denver where you needed to adjust. Obviously, the Broncos will have time to practice before the game, but I am dumbfounded by this. Personally, I’ve never struggled going BACK to the humidity of South Dakota. It’s always the thin air in Denver that affects me. Lots of olympians train in Denver. Again, this is news to me, but I’m willing to defer to better intelligence. Perhaps I have it backwards.

the Dolphins wore their whites that night, forcing the Broncos to wear their dark blues. Very smart move. I hated them for it, but that was indeed a clever move . . .

but if you’ve pinned this game as a loss, then the Broncos might go 0-16. The Jaguars are in contention for the NFL’s worst record this year, IMO. They are already planning on drafting a top quarterback in the next draft. Yes, they have MJD, but are they really more talented than the Broncos in any other facet? Their DL might be more talented, but other than that, they are certainly not the better team.

I said it before, I’ll say it again: The Broncos need to get out to an early lead so Jacksonville cannot run it all day long. Like you said, we get up big early, they will have to pass. Cearly that is an advantage for Denver. At some point though, they will not be able to run all day. This defensive front could prove us all wrong, and I hope they do.

Who showed that he played his best when at tackle. The Jags’ defensive scheme might be “Blitz, blitz and more blitz” but they didn’t sack anybody in 2009, so guilty until proven innocent. Denver DID dink and dunk their way to 6-0 last year, but that won’t be the case this year. The Bronco OL excels in pass protection.

Don’t get me wrong, they should mix in some blitzes, but if they make it a staple, you will see some very big plays from our guys.

This is kind of how I feel. I think overall we’re the better team but there’s just something about MJD going up against our run D that just makes me nervous. I like our chances, but at the same time I’m not guaranteeing anything.

No way one could draft or sign FA aquistions at all the positions we upgraded if you started with the specification that they had to be Pro-bowlers or pro-bowl caliber…and that is assuming I bought into the designation “pro-bowler”. Drafting is a slow, gamble filled process…and although it is important part of building a team (and perhaps more important in maintaining the quality of a team), we had more pressing needs at OL and receivers for those draft picks. Much more can be said to fill this out, but that is the nugget at the center – pun intended :)

accomplished Pro-Bowl caliber players

Like Jamal Williams?