We are all one big happy family here at SBNation. This is particularly true in the NFL. We have been working with Big Cat Country for years and I have been working with Gus Logue throughout that time. We got to catch up again in advance of the first of two games against the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. It has been a pleasure catching up with Gus over the years and he was generous enough with his time to answer some questions about the Jaguars.
Battle Red Blog: It’s another new offense for Trevor
Lawrence and things look better in the early going than they did a year ago. What are the main differences between this offensive system and the Doug Pederson offenses of the past few seasons?
Gus Logue: Really, the biggest difference has been a well-coached ground attack. Jacksonville currently leads the league in rushing yards after finishing 26th last year, and they also rank first in yards from screens and 12th in yards off play action. Credit to all of the players and coaches involved, especially Liam Coen for his play calling and culture setting. The Jaguars have scored over 25 points in consecutive weeks — something that occurred only once all last year.
Lawrence has benefitted from an offense that’s more balanced, and a system that provides more answers. He has full autonomy to audible plays at the line of scrimmage; receivers are no longer running stagnant routes (which limits YAC opportunities); and there are more full-field reads with progressions that are actually tied to the timing of route concepts. We still haven’t forgiven Press Taylor.
BRB: Obviously, much of the attention will be on Travis Hunter who might be the most unique player in the NFL in the past few decades. How are they using him so far in terms of the number of plays he is in on offense and defense? So far, which side of the ball does he seem to be better at? The Jaguars traded a lot to move up to get him. Is he living up to expectations so far?
GL: Hunter played 42 offensive snaps in both games so far, with 6 defensive snaps in Week 1 and 43 in Week 2. He’s worked with the offense more since being drafted — he was more refined as a cornerback prospect and playing receiver usually takes more development anyway — but Liam Coen said Wednesday that he’s spending time on each side of the ball at a pretty even rate now. He hasn’t proven himself as an every-level receiving threat yet, and will likely never be a plus run defender, but man, can he cover.
The Unicorn hasn’t lived up to “we traded two first-rounders for you” expectations. His first “wow” moment in the NFL has yet to come. But it’s only been two weeks. The organization seems pleased with his development and attitude behind the scenes.
BRB: Who are some of the new faces in Jacksonville (other than Hunter) that will make a significant impact on the game on Sunday?
GL: Early returns from the Jaguars’ two rookie backs have been remarkably good. Fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten looks like De’Von Achane lite with a little less speed but a lot more power, while seventh-round pick LeQuint Allen Jr. has already had some of the best blitz pickups I’ve seen by a Jaguars running back. Their brisk development allowed Jacksonville to trade Tank Bigsby for two draft picks after Week 1.
Beyond those two and Hunter, there’s no other rookies worth mentioning at the moment, but GM James Gladstone may have aced the free agency cycle. Interior linemen Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari have fit seamlessly into the offense; slot corner Jourdan Lewis is perhaps the secondary’s best player and the team’s biggest dawg; former Texans safety Eric Murray has an interception in both games; and if we forget his painful drop in the endzone last week, Dyami Brown has been an excellent addition to the receiver room. It’ll be fun to watch Lewis match up against former Jaguar Christian Kirk, assuming he’s healthy enough to play.
BRB: We get new readers all the time, so I always have to ask this question again for our new readers. Who do you see as the class of the AFC South so far? Which team do you see winding up on top in the end? Which team in the division do Jaguars fans enjoy beating the most?
GL: Through two games, I gotta hand it to Shane Steichen’s Colts — they set an NFL record by scoring on each of their first 10 possessions of the season. Daniel Jones looks surprisingly competent and Lou Anarumo was expectedly a huge hire. Beating Denver in Week 2 takes them out of the fraud watch list for now after they steamrolled a soulless Miami team.
That said, I do expect Indianapolis to fall back to Earth at some point. It’s Daniel freakin’ Jones. We know what he is. Jacksonville is coming off an ugly loss and Houston has yet to win a game, but it should ultimately be a race between those two for the division crown. Anyone but Tennessee, who we very much enjoy defeating.
BRB: The Jaguars are favored at home (insert line here) over the Texans. How do you see the game going on Sunday? Are there any prop bets you feel comfortable recommending to our readers?
GL: Jacksonville got away from the run a little bit in Week 2. I expect them to want to get back to their ground game in Week 3 against a Houston defense that’s allowed the highest rushing success rate to start the season. With an efficient run game and a poised Trevor Lawrence, I could see the Jaguars winning by a touchdown or two. But Lawrence will probably have a bone-headed turnover and Nico Collins will probably torch the secondary (Jacksonville was no match for Tetairoa McMillan or Ja’Marr Chase).
I’ll be betting on Collins to score a touchdown, Cam Little to kick 2+ field goals, and Trevor Lawrence’s over for rushing yards.
We want to thank Gus for his time and dedication to what he does. It has been a pleasure working with him over the years. Remember, you can catch his work and all of the other great writers at Big Cat Country. We want to wish Gus and the Jaguars the best of luck this season. As per usual, we hope that luck begins on Monday morning.
