Falcons and Jaguars: Five questions with the opponent

The Falcons will welcome in the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final home game of the year. A battle of two teams that are ending the year in a much different fashion than either expected.

Both Falcons and Jaguars have changed tremendously since they saw each other back in the preseason. Both had playoff expectations and instead, both teams will more than likely see many changes in their front offices after next weekend.

Blogging Dirty had a chance to sit down with Blank and Tea site expert David Levin l to preview this week’s matchup.

In just 2 years the Jaguars went from contender to bottom of the barrel. Where did Coughlin go wrong?

Where would you like to start? The Jaguars are a bad football team with some good players to build around. As a whole, they are average right now but figure to get better with time.

Coughlin’s style of discipline wore thin on players. He had too much control and could not follow his own rules. Also, his decisions with free agency and the NFL Draft were suspects. Coughlin is a coach first and everything else, second. He could get another chance to help another football team, however, he should not have the autonomy he did in Jacksonville.

It’s like the line in the Breakfast Club [paraphrasing], the players didn’t change to revolt against the coach. Coughlin could not change to meet the desires of the player and the organization.

What has Minshew Mania been like in Jacksonville? Did you ever expect this given his weird following in college?

It’s the best thing to happen to the Jaguars since their playoff run in 2017. Minshew is a solid quarterback who makes do with the skills he has.

His ability to move around in the pocket and make plays makes him an exciting player to watch. And he is the perfect fit to complement the team in the future.

With Coughlin being fired, what other changes do you expect to happen at seasons end?

That’s tricky since there are plenty of scenarios to go around. Maybe the safest is that the front office should look to fire Todd Wash or create a different defensive scheme. The Jaguars have had issues with the run game and a soft middle with this unit.

Yes, injuries have played a role in the team’s lack of productivity, but not having a solid scheme to work with has allowed opponents to run against this team at will. David Caldwell, the team’s general manager may get another season to see if he can make progress without Coughlin in the fold.

The same goes for head coach Doug Marrone.

Which young player do you hope the Jaguars build around moving forward?

Josh Allen. It’s been a topic of conversation this week. The rookie with 10 sacks this season, is still learning to play on the NFL level. He is one of the most gifted football players the Jaguars have ever had.

Lining him up on one side and Yannick Ngakoue on the other is asking a team how they want to be assaulted in the pass rush. Allen said when asked, that he does not have a true pass rush move yet. Think of what happens when he can put everything together and just play football?

The Jag’s win if…

The team can play the same way it did in the second half of the game last Sunday in Oakland. The Jaguars defense didn’t play poorly in the first half but was still exposed by playing in a zone scheme that allowed the Raiders tight end to feats on the coverage over the middle.

I think we will again see a steady diet of Leonard Fournette in both the run and passing games. If he is healthy, DJ Chark needs 46 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. It should happen this weekend. Look for Minshew to get the ball to Nick O’Leary as well in the passing game.