The Jacksonville Jaguars have worked to clean up their offensive execution throughout the 2026 season, and running back Chris Rodriguez acknowledged that the team needed a reminder about one particularly important detail: getting in and out of the huddle quickly.
Speaking with reporters ahead of Thursday night's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Rodriguez was asked about the importance of getting back into the huddle promptly, particularly when crowd noise makes communication difficult.
"That's just us as an offense from the start," Rodriguez said in a video shared by Action Sports Jax. "We kind of got lax there at the beginning of the year, and coach kind of told us about it."
Chris Rodriguez says the Jaguars were “lax” getting in and out
of the huddle early in the season. The team has addressed this going into a tough road environment in Baltimore. “We kinda got lax there at the beginning of the year and coach kinda told us about it. ‘You guys aren’t… pic.twitter.com/JcDyYmQGmO
— Action Sports Jax (@ActionSportsJax) November 5, 2026
According to Rodriguez, head coach Liam Coen emphasized the need for players to get into the huddle and break it more quickly. The running back added that those expectations began during practice and are now being reinforced in team meetings.
Penalties are an issue that have been costly for Jacksonville.
During the Jaguars' Week 5 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in London, the offense committed three delay-of-game penalties, including two during a fourth-quarter possession that reached the Eagles' 1-yard line but ultimately ended without points.
Coen took responsibility for the problems afterward, acknowledging that his play calls sometimes included too much information for the offense to communicate quickly, and explained that simplifying calls could help players get lined up sooner, especially in loud environments.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence also addressed the issue, explaining that ideally, the Jaguars would break the huddle with approximately 20 seconds remaining on the play clock. That would give the offense more time to identify defensive alignments, make adjustments, and prepare for the snap.
The Jaguars have shown improvement with penalties in recent weeks, including fewer delay-of-game flags. However, that could be challenging Thursday, as the Jaguars travel to Baltimore on a short week. M&T Bank Stadium is a notoriously difficult road environment, and communication becomes particularly important when crowd noise makes it harder for players to hear play calls and adjustments.
For Rodriguez and the rest of Jacksonville's offense, the preparation begins well before kickoff. And with the Jaguars looking to improve to 6-2, avoiding the communication problems that plagued them earlier this season could be an important part of securing their next victory.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Chris Rodriguez says offense got 'lax' with huddle timing
