A Few Thoughts about the Jags Game, In no particular order

[Virgil]

After some games, I make the choice to take some time away from the games to let what I just watched sink in.  Overall, I look for the positive spin on games, which can be challenging in some of our blowouts.  For this game though, I really had to let the emotions die down from a game that was all over the place.  It's easy to look at a win over a 3-7 team as easy, but there's a lot of great teams right now that are below .500.  Also, we know the Jags defense is on the level and our offense is under question.  I don't know what I was expecting from this game, but this game made me jump out of my seat more than any other game this season.  This isn't going to be my typical write up because it was a game that was all over the place.  With that.....

 

1 - Momentum - I could probably write the entire game post under this first thought, but I will do my best to keep it simple.  I've always had an issue with the idea of professional athletes playing harder depending on the opponent or who their coach is.  These guys make millions to play a game and I would hope to see them be playing at a high level all the time.  However, they are still human beings and emotion is an interesting thing.  But I digress.  If this were a boxing match, this was a game that almost came down to a judges decision, but one of the fighters made a momma joke forcing the other fighter to throw hay-makers in the final round for the knockout.  We owned the first quarter in a way that made me think the game wouldn't be close.  We got run over in the second in a way that made me think we'd lose by 20 and wouldn't score again.  The third quarter was all them and they almost landed the knock out punch until they woke the sleeping giant.  Because NO ONE CIRCLES THE WAGONS, LIKE THE BUFFALO BILLS!

 

2 - Deep Pass to Foster-  This play deserves it's own point because it made me yell out in an empty room.  This play was beautiful on every single level.  First off. the play action gave Allen barely enough time to get the pass off.  And when I say barely, I mean I still don't know how the ball came out like it did with two Jags on top of him.  Not only did he get it off, he got it off perfectly deep down field.  Then pre-season stone hands Foster pulled off another amazing catch, even better than last week.  He got full extension in the air and made a beautiful over the shoulder catch.  From there, his speed took over for what was the best passing touchdown I've seen all season by this team.  It was absolutely amazing in every way.  Any Allen or Foster defender needs to only show this play as a reason of hope for their futures.

 

3 - Penalties - Let's just get this out of the way now.  The replay showed that most of the replays called were accurate calls.  As true as that may be, they need to keep the flag in their pockets sometimes.  I get that both teams played hard and players were getting overpowered.  I get that emotions were high.  But to have over 20 penalties in a game, many on the same drive, I just don't know.  I think discretion needs to be wielded sometimes.  There were multiple drives extended for the Jags on penalties.  The 12 man on punt was inexcusable by Crossman.  Again, I can't say they were all wrong, but they also missed some big ones.  We should have had a safety on the Jags first drive because Hughes was mugged in the endzone before Bortles was able to get the pass off.  However, Allen won't get credit on the stats sheet for converting two consecutive 3rd downs that got called back on penalties.  I was very impressed him on those plays.  

 

4 - Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket.

 

5 - Offensive Line - Our offensive line got manhandled by the Jags front 4.  Say what you want about Dareus, but it could have been a lot worse.  We did try to go deep a bit against their cover 3, which was good to see, but the line had a hard time pass protecting much at all.   Hell, they had a hard time run blocking as well.  The Jags rarely sent pressure and rolled with 4 LB's in middle zone and 3 safeties deep.  They dared us to rush the ball and put a lot of confidence in their front 4, which was confidence well placed.  I don't know if it's more credit to their defense or bad for our offense, maybe both, but it was probably their worst game of the season.  

 

6 - Defensive Line - Maybe Fournette was just that good since coming back from his injury.  Maybe momentum makes that much of a difference.  But for the Jags to be able to run the ball right down our throats when everyone in the stadium knew it was coming was disturbing.  What's interesting about it is that we were able to get decent pressure on the pass rush.  Kyle had a monster game.  Star made some good gap pressures.  Hughes was held all day but still got to the QB.  There were at least 2 batted balls.  They were just overall very different on the pass vs the rush.  Again, not sure what made the difference out there today, but I was glad to see Fournette leave the game.

 

7 - Linebackers - I don't have the space to talk about Edmunds and Milano, so I'm lumping them together.  Edmunds had a fantastic game spying whoever the Jags sent to the flats.  He made a monster tackle on 3rd and short to force a punt early in the game.  I don't think a lot of players could have made that tackle where the offensive player was stopped dead in their tracks after building momentum.  Just great to see him come along and get fired up during the game.  As for Milano, I'm about to get this kid's jersey.  He just makes plays every game by being in the right place at the right time.  His interception was a big momentum swing and I love the idea of these young guys on our team for years to come.

 

8 - The Fight - I've never been on the Lawson train.  I've just never seen the production to warrant how high he was drafted. He was a product of the Rex/Clemson love affair.  With that being said, Lawson's actions in this game changed the outcome, the momentum, this week's media focus, and probably even some culture more than any other incident I can remember in recent memory.  Does that seem over the top, maybe?  But you can't say that we were a different team after and McDermott is going to have to address the results of this game.  With that being said....the rare second paragraph.

 

It's 1st and goal in a tie game.  The momentum is all on the Jags.  The penalties are going their way.  They are running the ball right down our throats.  We haven't score since the first quarter.  They score and the game is probably over.  But all game, for reasons even I don't fully understand, both teams are getting chippy.  Maybe it's the Ramsey smack talk.  Maybe it's leftovers from the playoffs last year.  Maybe there's a little hatred for St. Doug.  Either way, Fournette takes a swing at Lawson and all hell breaks loose.  Both teams are going at each other, both players are ejected, Lawson is seen in the tunnel still trying to get a piece.  McDermott is right there in it trying to restrain his team but also pissed off.  The refs look completely overwhelmed.  Once the smoke clears, it's still 1st and goal in a tie game, but the momentum is clearly different.  The fans and defense just aren't having it.  We are done.  The line was drawn in the sand and we weren't budging.  Kyle, being the heart and soul of this team comes up with big plays and we knock them back 20 yards, partially due to penalties as well.  Either way, you could feel it and you knew the field goal would get missed.  Then what happens?  Oh yeah, this is a team game and Allen comes out fired up too.  They drive right down field for a Touchdown with a rush by Allen that wouldn't be denied. 

 

9 - McDermott - There's so many players I want to get to, but I'm really curious to see how this week goes for the team.  It was a very emotional game with the penalties and fight; two things that you know McDermott doesn't stand for.  It's a tough spot to be in as a coach because the fight brought the team together and sparked the victory.  My hope is, he's proud of them for the win, praises the effort, but everyone knows they need to run some laps and we need to find a way to be better next week.  We aren't that team, but ***** just happened this week.  As a parent, you want your kids to take the high road, but sometimes you have to punch the bully in the mouth. 

 

10 - Allen - I was very curious to see what we'd get from our offense and Allen this week.  Barkley played a hell of a game last week and I thought he deserved another shot.  Allen was injured and I have no problems with sitting rookie QB's like Rodgers and Mahomes.  Also, Allen's had enough struggles to make me question the pick.  And yes, I saw those inaccurate throws and I'm sure the All-22 review will show some missed receivers.  On the first drive, Zay was open deep in the endzone, but Allen didn' t have time to make the throw.  With all of that being said, I think Allen played a hell of a game.  For a rookie, he made some mistakes, but he made them within the realm of reason and still got the win.  He looked deep, he hit the throw to Foster, showed some wheels, and you could see him really fire up the team.  You can tell the guys were rallying with him which is as important to me for a QB as anything.  He didn't have a lot of time to throw and was surprised he only had 8 attempts in the first half, but he also didn't turn the ball over.  He protected the ball and made some great throws.  Putting up 24 points against this defense is no easy feat and I'm very happy with what I saw from him.  If he can build off today, get Zay more involved, and Foster can keep it up, I'm genuinely looking forward to how this season plays out.

 

*Bonus - Kudos to Poyer for the game sealing pick.  He played a great game today and we haven't heard a lot from our safety duo recently.  Awesome job today and I hope to see more of it.

 

 

I know I left things out.  I know this was different.  But this game was different.  I can't do it justice and look forward to @Shaw66 Rockpile review.  For anyone who didn't see the game, I encourage you to watch the game summary on YouTube.  I loved this game overall.  I don't care that the Jags were 3-7.  I don't care what our record was.  We all knew what this season was.  I saw a team come together, fight for each other, score some points, and put another nail in the St. Doug coffin.  It felt good and gave me optimism for this team as a whole.  

 

Go Bills!

 

 

[Virgil]

5 minutes ago, BuffaloButt said:

Wow!  That's a lot to read!  Good breakdown!

 

It was a lot to type.  Still don't feel like I did this game justice.

[Beach]

how did McD cut his hand?  Too much clapping?

 

[HappyDays]

14 minutes ago, Virgil said:

It was a very emotional game with the penalties and fight; two things that you know McDermott doesn't stand for.  It's a tough spot to be in as a coach because the fight brought the team together and sparked the victory.  My hope is, he's proud of them for the win, praises the effort, but everyone knows they need to run some laps and we need to find a way to be better next week.  We aren't that team, but ***** just happened this week.  As a parent, you want your kids to take the high road, but sometimes you have to punch the bully in the mouth. 

 

Excellent breakdown as usual. This was my favorite game of the season bar none. I was happy to see us shut Ramsey up. No matter how good you are as a player you should never be giving your opponent free bulletin board material. As we saw in this game that kind of thing matters.

 

Jacksonville looked like a team that could contend for a Super Bowl if they had even average QB play. If they had average QB play today we might have been blown out of the water. But I'll take it. I just want to see Allen develop this season and considering how he played I wasn't going to be disappointed regardless of the final score. Admittedly after the fight I was very invested in seeing us win and I'n happy we pulled it out.

 

With regards to the part I quoted, McDermott said in his post-game presser he will not discipline Shaq Lawson for the fight because he wants his players to defend themselves. I think the whole choir boy narrative is overblown. McDermott doesn't want perfect human beings, he just wants players that are committed to the team. He walked away from the fight with blood on his clothes. I don't think he's upset with anyone on the team about how that played out.

Edited November 26, 2018 by HappyDays

[Virgil]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

 

Excellent breakdown as usual. This was my favorite game of the season bar none. I was happy to see us shut Ramsey up. No matter how good you are as a player you should never be giving your opponent free bulletin board material. As we saw in this game that kind of thing matters.

 

Jacksonville looked like a team that could contend for a Super Bowl if they had even average QB play. If they had average QB play today we might have blown out of the water. But I'll take it. I just want to see Allen develop this season and considering how he played I wasn't going to be disappointed regardless of the final score. Admittedly after the fight I was very invested in seeing us win and I'n happy we pulled it out.

 

With regards to the part I quoted, McDermott said in his post-game presser he will not discipline Shaq Lawson for the fight because he wants his players to defend themselves. I think the whole choir boy narrative is overblown. McDermott doesn't want perfect human beings, he just wants players that are committed to the team. He walked away from the fight with blood on his clothes. I don't think he's upset with anyone on the team about how that played out.

 

I missed the post game. I passed out listening to it.  That’s good to hear. I think that goes a long way with the players 

[NickelCity]

Good write up! A different game indeed.

[Rico]

8 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

I missed the post game. I passed out listening to it. 

[aceman_16]

13 minutes ago, Beach said:

how did McD cut his hand?  Too much clapping?

 

Pretty rough troll job..... I expect a better effort next time! 2/10

[PittsforDave]

What the ***** does #4 suppose to mean?  

Edited November 26, 2018 by PittsforDave

[Nihilarian]

1 minute ago, PittsforDave said:

What the ***** does #4 suppose to mean?  

Sounds like a snip from the Goonies movie. 

 

Gotta love it when they win and Allen looks like the franchise guy is here.

[Bakin]

But seriously. Good write up. 

Not sure I caught it but I was annoyed to hell with all of Shady’s beboppin and jivin left right up down and never straight through. 

Not sure what he’s thinking but he’s looking for holes that aren’t there. He needs to make a cut and go. I know out OL is a middling to weak bunch but Whatever / he’s got to make the move north south. 

[The Frankish Reich]

11 minutes ago, PittsforDave said:

What the ***** does #4 suppose to mean?  

Bill from NYC started these random thoughts post-game threads, and he'd always quote a Grateful Dead lyric for one of his points. Virgil picked it up from him, first with Barenaked Ladies lyrics (perhaps revealing Canadian ancestry, because if not that, well, then why?) and now with ... I'm not sure what.

Great job on the post-game post otherwise, Virgil!

[Virgil]

Just now, Bakin said:

But seriously. Good write up. 

Not sure I caught it but I was annoyed to hell with all of Shady’s beboppin and jivin left right up down and never straight through. 

Not sure what he’s thinking but he’s looking for holes that aren’t there. He needs to make a cut and go. I know out OL is a middling to weak bunch but Whatever / he’s got to make the move north south. 

 

Trust me, I think about length every time I write one and for each thought.  But this game just wouldn’t allow me to go short. I envy Shaw this week because I could have gone much longer.  

 

#that’swhatshesaid

[PittsforDave]

11 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

Sounds like a snip from the Goonies movie. 

 

Gotta love it when they win and Allen looks like the franchise guy is here.

I love virgels random snippets. Didn’t catch this one. 

 

Thanks for sharing Virgel. 

[Virgil]

1 minute ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Bill from NYC started these random thoughts post-game threads, and he'd always quote a Grateful Dead lyric for one of his points. Virgil picked it up from him, first with Barenaked Ladies lyrics (perhaps revealing Canadian ancestry, because if not that, well, then why?) and now with ... I'm not sure what.

Great job on the post-game post otherwise, Virgil!

 

Did DMB and BNL quotes. This year’s been movies which has got the most reaction.  Reservoir Dogs quote may have lost me some followers

[The Frankish Reich]

Just now, Virgil said:

 

Did DMB and BNL quotes. This year’s been movies which has got the most reaction.  Reservoir Dogs quote may have lost me some followers

Aha! I was wondering where the rhymes went ...

[Skins Malone]

38 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

I missed the post game. I passed out listening to it.  That’s good to hear. I think that goes a long way with the players 

I agree.  I really liked Mcdermott's reaction to this.  

[mannc]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

It was a lot to type.  Still don't feel like I did this game justice.

Great write up, but it wasn’t “momentum”.  How could it be momentum when the other team just completed a long pass play to your 1-yard line?? No, they were just pissed off and weren’t going to let those asshats score!

Edited November 26, 2018 by mannc

[HomeskillitMoorman]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

 

Excellent breakdown as usual. This was my favorite game of the season bar none. I was happy to see us shut Ramsey up. No matter how good you are as a player you should never be giving your opponent free bulletin board material. As we saw in this game that kind of thing matters.

 

Jacksonville looked like a team that could contend for a Super Bowl if they had even average QB play. If they had average QB play today we might have been blown out of the water. But I'll take it. I just want to see Allen develop this season and considering how he played I wasn't going to be disappointed regardless of the final score. Admittedly after the fight I was very invested in seeing us win and I'n happy we pulled it out.

 

With regards to the part I quoted, McDermott said in his post-game presser he will not discipline Shaq Lawson for the fight because he wants his players to defend themselves. I think the whole choir boy narrative is overblown. McDermott doesn't want perfect human beings, he just wants players that are committed to the team. He walked away from the fight with blood on his clothes. I don't think he's upset with anyone on the team about how that played out.

 

Well to be honest this team had earned the "soft" label after what Gronk did last year in what was one of the dirtiest, cheapest shots I've ever seen and then saw our guys do absolutely nothing about it. I was so mad about that. 

 

I was happy to see some of our players defend themselves today. You absolutely have to. I'm still irrationally holding out hope that we'll get revenge on Gronk but it probably won't ever happen. 

[Warcodered]

1 hour ago, PittsforDave said:

What the ***** does #4 suppose to mean?  

Something Samwise said in Lord of the Rings I believe.