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What's Wrong with the Jaguars? · Duval Daily: A Jacksonville Jaguars Podcast

• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's up everyone.
• 0:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome in a dual daily.
• 0:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Jack McFall.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I hope everyone's having a good one as your Jacksonal Jaguar is losing an inexplicable fashion in Houston this past Sunday.
• 0:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: One of if not the worst loss I can think of this team's ever had, at least in my lifetime, very few losses are this and excusable.
• 0:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean the last time I can think of a loss, leaving this bad of a taste in everyone's mouth.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think I look all the way back to week 18, 2024.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: when the jacks lost the tines to be eliminated from playoff contention, that was when they started 183.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately, this loss is made two times as bad looking at the division implications that come with it.
• 0:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: The culture, you know, looking to run away with the division out of eight wins, even though they started to come back down to earth a little, you know, going into
• 0:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: OT with Atlanta and hugely a one-game behind the jags now.
• 0:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: This was the Jaguar Shenzhen and Houston season and staying in the race for first and the South and they crumbled.
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: And now you have to worry about a wild card spot.
• 1:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even, you know, I don't think nine wins is going to cut it.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: The season was likely at the way of shaping up.
• 1:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Chiefs are not a player spot right now, and they're going to end up more than nine wins, you know, more likely than not.
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, looking at that, it means you're probably going to need 10, maybe 11, even wins to secure a spot.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And there's definitely a win of games on the way.
• 1:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: but still losing games when you're in this race is tough and especially losing game like that it is just awful when it makes this lasting so much worse.
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get into what went to this loss and contributed to this, you know, this shocking Sunday.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: So first off, I want to talk a little bit about something that I think hasn't been talked about much.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm kind of surprised.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: It hasn't because to me, it's a big reason why dolphins has been so underwhelming.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And there's so much that has gotten into that, right?
• 2:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like there is.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want to talk about specifically how the lack of anything at the tight end position has hurt this offensive operation in the run-and-pass game, really, since the Brent and Strangendry now being Cohen did announce that his project window is being opened, which is big news, hopefully he can be back immediately.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if he can play against the chargers, that's ideal.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Since he went down in the Kansas City game, the Jaguars have had absolutely no positive production from the position at all.
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's honestly at a point where it feels like opposing defenses can seemingly just forget the position as a whole, which puts your entire operation on a disadvantage because they can use that safety or linebacker that might be keeping an eye on that tight end in other ways.
• 2:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: with sitting back in his own, et cetera, whatever it may be.
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hunter Long didn't play against Houston, but he served as that top-head end for the time since the strange injury, and he's a good athlete, but really offers nothing when it comes to run blocking, and in the past game either, I mean, I think he's fine at special teams, but actually playing tight-end, little and starting.
• 3:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: is going to be an issue.
• 3:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And look, I think Johnny Mont is probably a good guy and he's been in the league for a while, but he really just is not capable of playing tight-end in offense.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's unfortunate because he's been thrown into this position where especially with Hunter Long not being 100%.
• 3:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Him and Quentin Moore are the tight-ends, you know, and
• 3:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't have good hands, he really can't block.
• 3:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's not a really good athlete.
• 3:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's just kind of out there, that's where we've been.
• 3:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Look, the offense has been bad in like every single way, so I don't want to harp on it too too much, but when you don't have a tight end that at the very least can catch the attention of the defense and work that middle of the field and open up spaces for the receivers and in your passing game, it's going to be bad.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I do kind of feel like
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it might be a bit of an overreaction, but the front office, you know, kind of sabotage their own offense by ignoring that tight end depth, especially after the Burnt Strange injury.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they just...
• 4:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think, before the season even started, a lot of fans would have said, I was saying that the tight end position was a weakness, even with Brent and Strange, you know, having a good year last year when he had to play, I mean, with Ebenegmer going down, but there was nothing behind him.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then he got hurt and now, you know, they're thrown in this position, where
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: they have nothing there.
• 4:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing there.
• 4:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's obviously been an issue.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's too late now.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the trend day lines over.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: So they're kind of just stuck with what they have.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's bad.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not, it's not good.
• 5:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: As for the Rusty offense, it was another ugly one, obviously.
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: look at specifically when the loss.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think a lot of it's on the offensive line and look the Texas defenses were deusely good.
• 5:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean they have two elite pass rushers and they definitely made their presence known on Sunday.
• 5:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, but you've got to be able to protect.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's as simple as that and look, I know a lot of people are coming from Trevor's head and I understand you didn't play a great game.
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: I do understand that.
• 5:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I also think that if you really watch the game and have a line played plus the skill group, he was throwing two against the best defense NFL when I had, you couldn't have some slack.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, I think you did not play a great game by any means.
• 5:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying you did, but for me personally, I'm gonna wait to make any conclusions on him until I feel like there's reason.
• 5:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And right now he's playing quarterback and a bad offense.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does it contribute to that?
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Of course he does.
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: He has not played great, but I can't think of many quarterbacks that would elevate the play of this unit the way they've been enough to make a big difference, you know, they've been that pet unfortunately.
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I mean, back to the line, Walker little continues to be bad.
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's been a total liability against any edge rush events, even slightly above average.
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: He needs to either have a chip or a double on his side every single play, including in the run game too, because I mean, he's now showing that he can't keep him with any good NFL-aged defenders.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's a conclusion now, unfortunately, he's kind of showed it his whole career.
• 6:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: He had some good games at the beginning of the year, but against the Panthers, you know what I mean?
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: The beat up 49ers,
• 6:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, all right, he played all right against the Bengals.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Transition didn't play the whole game, so that's a lot of it.
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, he's now allowed almost 40 pressures in nine games with a lot of those coming again from
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: good defenses, good edge rushers, and it's absolutely a cause for concern because again kind of similar not the same but similar to the totem position there's no depth behind them that you can come comfortably go to.
• 7:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean you could move Patrick McCarrier around but it's even better than one or little probably not, which is a problem.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: And staying on the line to the penalties every week, it's talked about, and it's exhausting, but it has to be brought up.
• 7:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anytime the offense builds momentum, they're cold back for a penalty, and it's hurt the more year, and it continues to be...
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's the big story on the team, really.
• 7:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: That game alone you had a drew Myers touch down called back.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: They ended up scoring so okay, but still, and you had the big play at the end of the game that probably would have put you in a position to win with a field goal.
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: called back to hands of the face penalty.
• 8:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Both those on Chuma Doge who has not been good and the opportunity has been given, he's been a penalty machine, he can't run block.
• 8:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I mean the office was completely invisible, the entire fourth quarter and a lot of that was because of the run blocking, just not being there, you know, when you're up by that much and the fourth, you're going to want to run the ball, run the clock out.
• 8:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: and they couldn't at all, and it's not on each end.
• 8:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, no one's going to say that because it wasn't.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that was a game where legitimately, like, it couldn't be completely different if they even got one for a standard offense in that fourth quarter.
• 8:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, with the way the clock ended up, with the way that the Texans marched on the field at the end.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, literally, if you get one, a couple first downs,
• 8:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: You probably wouldn't like game, and they couldn't.
• 9:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's a problem, and here we are, after the loss, I'm not, I'm still not over it, honestly.
• 9:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Looking at the defense, I think, to me, it probably is a bigger worrying cause for concern for the rest of the season, just because I think with the offense, you can point to things like injuries and penalties in some ways, penalties on defense too, but especially injuries on offense, which will sort themselves out eventually, hopefully, um,
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: But with the defense, they're kind of just losing at every level now.
• 9:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: And they started out well, but past month and a half has been all the way really.
• 9:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, it kind of brings you back to that 23, 24 season where they started eight and three.
• 9:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Where the defense played great in the beginning of the season.
• 9:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the reason they looked so good was because of the turn of the reverse they caused.
• 9:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, they were calling card.
• 9:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And once they sort of did a physical away, they kind of showed who they really were, which was a group that couldn't now physical deposing offense.
• 10:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: And look, the Jags Patras pass the rush, excuse me, has been and continues to be such a huge disappointment.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Heinz Allen has kind of become this pressure master, where he's able to force pressure but never finish.
• 10:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think some of that is due to Trayvon not playing at 100% with the rest.
• 10:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he's not winning consistently, although he had opportunities on Sunday, and he has looked better.
• 10:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: But with that rest, he's been his play has kind of been hindered.
• 10:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: which means the offenses have been able to double-hines Alan and then pick the defense apart because they're not rushing to quarterback, they're not getting to them.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: And good teams can rush the quarterback before.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's a known fact, Ray.
• 10:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you have to be able to rush with four, and the jacks can't do it right now.
• 10:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: No matter who's out there, they can't do it.
• 10:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's extremely upsetting because you're paying hands down like a from red rusher.
• 11:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Trevor Walker, again, injuries, and he's played good the past two seasons, but he's the first overall pick, you know, you're going to probably pay him with ton of money realistically.
• 11:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you have a lot more money scattered around the line, whether it's on the interior with I mean, Eric Armstead, you have Devin Hamilton's getting paid.
• 11:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's not much a past pressure, but he's getting paid.
• 11:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: You have depth.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: veteran depth that had done nothing between smooth, awkward, they've done nothing.
• 11:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it showed in a big way on Sunday against Davis Mills, my dad, who was just able to sit in the pocket in the fourth quarter and just surgically pick apart the secondary which I think brings us to the second point of the defense, which is the scheme.
• 11:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I think Coach Camp has done a good job at getting the guys
• 11:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: hungry for turnovers and hunting for the ball and that has showed all year with the turnovers, but with the way the units played the past month or so, it's time to question how could a job he's doing in my opinion.
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: the second week in a row where the opposing team's best player has just taken over with no issue and and no change seemingly like throughout the game.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Last week was Bowers obviously he had like 12 catches and three touchdowns and then this week was Nico Collins who had another 100 yards game excuse me against the jacks.
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's been a jack's killer ever since he came into the league but
• 12:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: schematically especially this year and this game it's like nothing was done to pay him any extra attention and you'd like to think that you know throughout the week throughout the preparation meeting up to the game some emphasis would be made on him you know and it probably was realistically but it would you couldn't see it was not shown um and you let him kind of take over
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: with the backups, you know, and Davis Mills has experienced make a call with any started some games, but he still a backup, and if you're able to take away the player that he feels like he can rely on, you know, Nico Collins, which, you know, Smith, it was Brock Bowers, that queer ex kind of struggle.
• 13:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, it's not a backup, let me be clear about that.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: But they're going to struggle.
• 13:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: It really is as simple as that.
• 13:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, it's just, it's kind of inexplicably,
• 13:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: happening and they're leaving these guys one-on-one, they're not paying a many extra attention and it's showing and it's hurting them and it's a big reason why they lost and you know staying on the schematic issues I think that Texan's last drive the whole fourth quarter but really the last drive is a great example of why it's becoming issue and how it's becoming issue I think the
• 13:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was kind of as if they were more worried about not losing than winning if that makes sense.
• 14:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were way less physical on run place, you know, that they've been good in the run game the whole year.
• 14:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's been the one thing you can kind of rely on with the team, but not in the fourth against Texans.
• 14:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were completely out of physical.
• 14:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: That they were the Texans average.
• 14:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think it was like nine yards of carry in the fourth quarter.
• 14:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
• 14:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, and then the secondary played way too soft, you know, that I think, and that obviously is the scheme, you know, they were playing this like soft zone.
• 14:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were scared of getting beat over the top, so they were giving up these, you know, 10, 12, 15 yard passplay is that obviously I did up and they lost the game.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the one thing they couldn't do was let a bag of quarterback, come in and drive down and score three touchdowns
• 14:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: and here we are.
• 14:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, so frustrating, this loss is going to sting for a long time, especially if the rest of the season doesn't go how we want it to.
• 15:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: You got the charges coming up at home, which is another pre-solid defense, unfortunately, but it's the NFL.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Herbert's been hit so much every week.
• 15:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he is a quarterback that's been hit the most this season But will he against the jags?
• 15:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I guess we'll have to see the jack should be getting some reinforcements on the injury front as well Hopefully Brian Thomas plays
• 15:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully, Brent and Strange plays.
• 15:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully, during Lewis plays, Devon Lloyd's back.
• 15:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: You'll have a more controversial, big Myers, which will be a big help.
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: You'll know a playbook better.
• 15:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: He'll probably play more saps.
• 15:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think that this game coming up against the chargers is going to tell you a lot, you know, how they bounce back, how they play.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's going to tell you a lot and I think it really is going to set the tone for the second half of the year.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I'm sure I'm sure Jordan will talk about that, you know, leading up to the game throughout the week, you know, he does such a good job as you all know, but yeah, here we are.
• 16:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for tuning in as fans we deserve better about the team we care so much about.
• 16:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: but you can bounce back and we'll see what happens.
• 16:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, thank you, enjoy your week, and yeah, go Jex.