Atlanta Falcons vs Jacksonville Jaguars Preview With BlackandTeal

I recently conducted an interview with Daniel Lago, the editor of BlackAndTeal.com. As we all know, on Thursday it will be the Falcons vs Jaguars. To communicate the differences between these two teams, who better to ask than a very talented writer and respectable fan of the Jaguars?

1. How Important is Preseason Week 4 for the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Honestly it’s not very important. Most of the starting spots are settled, and the first team is going to see very little time, probably not even a quarter. There are a handful of back-end roster spots up for grabs, but the biggest intrigue in the game is seeing Blake Bortles one more time before the regular season.

2. If you think the Jags and the Falcons played in the first regular season game, who do you think would win? Please explain.

Week 1? Probably the Falcons, just because Chad Henne is currently the starting quarterback. The defense actually looks pretty solid, and I think the Jacksonville defensive line in particular would fare well against a suspect Falcons’ offensive line. If it were Blake Bortles starting, I’d be more tempted to pick the Jaguars.

3. Who would you rather have on your team, Toby Gerhart or Steven Jackson?

Toby Gerhart simply due to the amount of tread left on his tires. Jackson was barely on the field last year, and he wasn’t exactly super effective at only 3.5 yards per carry. Gerhart has a higher ceiling right now since he’s still a little bit of an unknown. When he was given his biggest workload in 2011, Gerhart averaged 4.9 yards per carry.

4. How do you the Jaguars season shaking out?

It’s hard to predict a record just because no one knows exactly when Bortles will finally start, but I think the Jaguars should be somewhere around 6-8 wins given the schedule they have. If they start Bortles earlier than expected, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them squeak out a 9-7 season.