AFC South Discussion Thread

[-Hope-]

yeah, you guys are gonna eat against houston's OL, especially with a secondary that can stick to their guys better than ours can. harold landry was playing in his first nfl game coming off a high ankle sprain and he was in their backfield all day. ngakoue is gonna feast.

[.Buzz]

Titans fans talking like this NE game is our SB.

Cute.

[.Buzz]

 

[titans0021]

6 hours ago, .Buzz said:

Titans fans talking like this NE game is our SB.

Cute.

I think the problem is, even when you guys were good last year, Bortles still looked like the Bortles we've become accustomed to and the team as a whole just didn't blow anyone away in our two games. Obviously that has no bearing on this year, but if you come out and stomp us next week, that would obviously change our perception a bit.

[.Buzz]

13 minutes ago, titans0021 said:

I think the problem is, even when you guys were good last year, Bortles still looked like the Bortles we've become accustomed to and the team as a whole just didn't blow anyone away in our two games. Obviously that has no bearing on this year, but if you come out and stomp us next week, that would obviously change our perception a bit.

How though? Did you watch the last 4-5+ games of last year and into the playoffs? Did you see us go up to Pittsburgh and get out to a 21-0 lead, give it back, and still put up 45 to seal it? Did you watch the AFCCG where we got out to a big lead but Brady did Brady things and won it? Blake played very well that game, our coaching staff went conservative (which is well documented).

He hasn't had great games against you guys, but I personally don't base my opinion on players just off games where they play my team. Maybe some of you guys do that, I don't know...

Last year Bortles was a solid QB. He took care of the ball for the most part and did what was asked of him. In games where he had to step up with no Fournette and the gameplan was altered, we went 3-0. We saw again today what he can do if we allow him to do his thing. When Fournette is out there we force the run more than we need to and are much more conservative/limited in what we do in the passing game.

Both fanbases have plenty of **** talking about each others QB's, I get it, so I could care less about the Bortles comments in all reality. I just take them in stride at this point. We all (Jaguars fans, or at least most of us) love him and for good reason. The guy puts it all out on the line every game, we saw it on that head first dive attempting for a 1st down in the 4th quarter. He does that all the time, and although he may have his issues at times, I see a lot more good than bad, especially since mid-season last year and on. 

Does that mean he won't have his down games? No, every QB does. It could happen any week. But I like our chances.

 

Anyways, what you commented on really had nothing to do with what I was annoyed/confused by. There was a comment saying "Let them have this week, this is basically their SB." Like...what? Not sure how because our players/fanbase was pumped about a rematch against the team that eliminated us from the playoffs means that this is the biggest game of this season. Hell, we were in the playoffs and damn near were in the Superbowl this past season. This isn't close to our biggest game this season. It was just unfinished business and something to show that we really did let a game go last year and we can beat this team that has been running the AFC for over a decade.

Edited September 17, 2018 by .Buzz

[titans0021]

2 minutes ago, .Buzz said:

Not sure how because our players/fanbase was pumped about a rematch against the team that eliminated us from the playoffs means that this is the biggest game of this season.

This. Yes. I don't think it's crazy to think that the rematch against the team that eliminated you brought a little extra emotion and fire into the team and fanbase. Something that you certainly wouldn't get from New England for just another early season, road game. I'd say it was your biggest game of the first half of this season. And I wouldn't at all be surprised to see a let down next week. Though that is, of course, assuming Mariota and Lewan play.

4 minutes ago, .Buzz said:

How though? Did you watch the last 4-5+ games of last year and into the playoffs? Did you see us go up to Pittsburgh and get out to a 21-0 lead, give it back, and still put up 45 to seal it? Did you watch the AFCCG where we got out to a big lead but Brady did Brady things and won it? Blake played very well that game, our coaching staff went conservative (which is well documented).

Yes, I've watched Blake. I've watched more Blake than I'd ever like to. He's not a good quarterback. He was solid today, certainly, but I watched as much as I possibly could of the Jags down the stretch last year, he's not impressive. The offensive scheme is impressive. The constant use of intermediate crossers going both directions to serve as natural picks in man coverage and to place a ton of pressure on each defender in zone is great, and should be used far more than it is league wide. But for most teams, that's just an aspect of the offense. For the Jags, it's almost their entire passing game. As it should be. It gives Bortles easy throws. A lot of easy throws. Really, an insane amount of easy throws. It gives him a chance to get in a rhythm. I said the same thing last year. And I saw the same thing today. He made a few truly good throws today, but the vast majority of his completions are easy throwing lanes and passes that rarely travel more than 6-8 yards in the air. Hell, he had a 60-yard touchdown on a basic crossing route that traveled five yards in the air to a wide open receiver. Despite running that exact same play roughly 20 times today.

The defense is great. I'm kind of indifferent towards Fournette (I probably feel the same about him as I do about Derrick Henry to be honest). But as long as Blake is the quarterback, I will never go into a Jags game with the same mindset that I do against the Patriots, or really any other great team. Where I just expect a loss. The Bortles that played today could be scary. But it's literally the first time I've ever seen that Bortles. I certainly didn't see that Bortles last week. Or throughout the vast majority of last season. And I'm not concerned that he'll play that well two straight weeks. He can get nice stats on the back of easy throws and with a coaching staff that knows that they rarely need to ask him to take real chances because they have the best defense in the league to fall back on. I mean, you guys went 1-5 (2-6 if we want to include playoffs) in games in which the defense allowed more than 17 points last year. And obviously, that can and will work. But it's not exactly terrifying.

Anyways, I'm excited for Jacksonville week. Always fun.

[.Buzz]

14 minutes ago, titans0021 said:

This. Yes. I don't think it's crazy to think that the rematch against the team that eliminated you brought a little extra emotion and fire into the team and fanbase. Something that you certainly wouldn't get from New England for just another early season, road game. I'd say it was your biggest game of the first half of this season. And I wouldn't at all be surprised to see a let down next week. Though that is, of course, assuming Mariota and Lewan play.

Yes, I've watched Blake. I've watched more Blake than I'd ever like to. He's not a good quarterback. He was solid today, certainly, but I watched as much as I possibly could of the Jags down the stretch last year, he's not impressive. The offensive scheme is impressive. The constant use of intermediate crossers going both directions to serve as natural picks in man coverage and to place a ton of pressure on each defender in zone is great, and should be used far more than it is league wide. But for most teams, that's just an aspect of the offense. For the Jags, it's almost their entire passing game. As it should be. It gives Bortles easy throws. A lot of easy throws. Really, an insane amount of easy throws. It gives him a chance to get in a rhythm. I said the same thing last year. And I saw the same thing today. He made a few truly good throws today, but the vast majority of his completions are easy throwing lanes and passes that rarely travel more than 6-8 yards in the air. Hell, he had a 60-yard touchdown on a basic crossing route that traveled five yards in the air to a wide open receiver. Despite running that exact same play roughly 20 times today.

The defense is great. I'm kind of indifferent towards Fournette (I probably feel the same about him as I do about Derrick Henry to be honest). But as long as Blake is the quarterback, I will never go into a Jags game with the same mindset that I do against the Patriots, or really any other great team. Where I just expect a loss. The Bortles that played today could be scary. But it's literally the first time I've ever seen that Bortles. I certainly didn't see that Bortles last week. Or throughout the vast majority of last season. And I'm not concerned that he'll play that well two straight weeks. He can get nice stats on the back of easy throws and with a coaching staff that knows that they rarely need to ask him to take real chances because they have the best defense in the league to fall back on. I mean, you guys went 1-5 (2-6 if we want to include playoffs) in games in which the defense allowed more than 17 points last year. And obviously, that can and will work. But it's not exactly terrifying.

Anyways, I'm excited for Jacksonville week. Always fun.

Not going to get in a huge back and forth here. You can have whatever opinion of Blake you want. He played like a top 20'ish QB as a whole last year, and I'd say from that IND game week 13 of last year through the playoffs til now he's slightly above that.

As long as he is smart with the football, that is more than enough to run the table and win a lot of games while being a SB contender. If he plays like he has over his past 8-9 games (for the most part, TEN and BUF games weren't great), than that increases our chances even more so. If Hackett allows him to do more as he did today, than we can go and beat anyone handily (as we just saw). 

Unless you are guys like Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Brady, etc. a lot of it is how good your coaching/talent level is around you. If you want to knock Bortles because he has a lot of short quick passes be my guest, but that's what good teams do. Find what a guy does well (unless he's some insane talent ala the guys above) and keep doing it. Bortles has showed he can air it out when need be on many occasions in his career. But you don't do that constantly, especially  if Bortles/the supporting cast doesn't fit that style. Garrapolo did that to our defense last year and was viewed as the 2nd coming and seen as "the way to beat us" because of it. 

Also, the guy who posted that first snippet clearly didn't think it was just our "big game" of the early going. As for letdown game, I don't think that's in our teams DNA, especially considering you beat us both times last year. They'll be ready, whether we execute is a different story.

Edited September 17, 2018 by .Buzz

[pwny]

6th in yards, 8th in points scored by offenses only, but they were actually not good...

 

Ok. 

[.Buzz]

I've never understood that argument. A QB shouldn't have to throw it downfield consistently to be seen in a good light.

The whole goal is to get it in the hand of your playmakers and make high percentage throws. Throwing it downfield provides more risk and a lesser chance of that happening.

Blake can throw it deep. He's done it plenty. But they're not high percentage passes and they provide a large opportunity for a negative play or create a longer down and distance for the next play. That shouldn't be your bread and butter or something you do consistently.

When you have a run game that ranked at the top of the league and an elite defense that pretty much just asks you to not give them a short field, that makes exactly zero sense.

[.Buzz]

5 minutes ago, pwny said:

6th in yards, 8th in points scored by offenses only, but they were actually not good...

 

Ok. 

Most efficient QB in the redzone last year as well as a top 5 rushing QB statistically in history.

Idk man, I just don't know...

No one is saying the guy is a top QB. But good lord with the "he's bad" talk. Maybe in 2016, but not last year nor so far this year under improved coaching/mechanics.

[pwny]

If you look at Blake’s last 9 games that matter (pretending that his clunker against the 49ers was a game that mattered), he’s gone 193/292 66.1% 2432 yards, 16 TDs and 5 INTs. This for a 102.99 passer rating  

 

Across a 16 game season, that’s 4324 yards, 29 TDs and 9 INTs. And again, 102.99 passer rating

Get out of my face with that “I watched him down the stretch and he wasn’t good.”

[pwny]

Just because Mariota can’t read a defense so he’s always throwing into tight space, it doesn’t mean that Blake is bad because he can read a defense and find an open receiver with running room. 

[-Hope-]

8 hours ago, pwny said:

Just because Mariota can’t read a defense so he’s always throwing into tight space, it doesn’t mean that Blake is bad because he can read a defense and find an open receiver with running room. 

lol

[dtait93]

17 hours ago, .Buzz said:

Titans fans talking like this NE game is our SB.

Cute.

“It’s definitely the most important game of my life...the most important week of my life, for sure.” - Myles Jack

[.Buzz]

5 minutes ago, dtait93 said:

“It’s definitely the most important game of my life...the most important week of my life, for sure.” - Myles Jack

Myles Jack was a part of a pretty big play if you recall. You know, the fumble recovery where he was ruled down when he wasn't touched and if he wouldn't have been touched down likely runs it to the endzone to ice the game? We have t'shirts saying it. Myles Jack knows about all of this. Hell, there was a gofundme for someone to fly the message "Myles Jack wasn't down" prior to the game.

I would hardly say Myles Jack saying something like that when he knows how the fans have his back means the team viewed this game as anything more than a revenge game that happens to be week 2.

Especially considering the reports that Fournette would have went if it was later in the season/must win game. That usually isn't stated if it's "Our SB". Not to mention we're actually a legit contender, you're kidding yourself if you think this is the biggest game of the year.

Edited September 17, 2018 by .Buzz