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This season's first AFC South rematch looks like a mismatch

in Allgemeines 21.08.2019 04:16
von panxing18 • 147 Beiträge

.The surging Indianapolis Colts have averaged a little more than 33 points over their last eight games while the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars have topped 21 points once in the last two months. The Colts (6-5) have won five straight since a less-than-ideal start. The Jaguars (3-8) have dropped seven in a row since thumping the New York Jets to end the season's opening quarter."Definitely dumbfounded Super Bowl Darwin Thompson Jersey ," Jacksonville defensive tackle Malik Jackson said. "If you would have told me in April we'd be 3-8, I'd say you're lying. I don't know what's going on. ... I don't know what to say, what to change. We work hard. Guys have bought into the scheme. The locker room is still together."Nobody's waving (goodbye), nobody's searching for flights to get out of here at the end of the season. Guys are locked in. To go out there and keep losing, it's unexplainable. I don't even know what to say to you."The teams played three weeks ago, with the Colts winning 29-26 thanks partly to Jacksonville receiver Rashad Greene's fumble in field-goal range with 1:30 remaining.Jacksonville won't look the same in the second meeting.Coach Doug Marrone fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and benched quarterback Blake Bortles this week, making two major changes in hopes of jumpstarting one of the league's worst passing attacks. He promoted quarterbacks coach and former CFL head coach Scott Milanovich to play-caller along with backup quarterback Cody Kessler. Kessler, who went 0-8 with Cleveland in 2016, will make his first start in two years.Those tweaks could provide a spark for Jacksonville and might be a challenge for the Colts."I have been in the situation before on the other side where we have had a quarterback change, whether it be by injury or you are just changing," Colts coach Frank Reich said. "In my experiences, it's not quite as big of a deal as everybody thinks."It's usually not as big a systematic change as people might think. You nuance a couple things, you shift a couple things, but mostly you are running your system. So he will be ready. He's been running their system, right? He's been running their system Darwin Thompson Jersey nfl draft , been in it, so we will just prepare against what we have been seeing on tape."Indy won't have to prepare for Jacksonville's best offensive player. Running back Leonard Fournette was suspended one game without pay for leaving the sideline, running across the field and instigating a fight at Buffalo last week. The penalty will cost Fournette about $100,000.Former Browns running back Carlos Hyde is expected to start in place of Fournette.Jacksonville also will be without left guard Andrew Norwell (ankle), who became the third O-line starter and fifth lineman to land on injured reserve."We've had some injuries," center Tyler Shatley said. "You hate to see that."The Colts know the feeling, having played all of last season without quarterback Andrew Luck and losing by a combined score of 57-10 in two games against Jacksonville in 2017.Now, Indy is going for its first six-game winning streak since 2009, and Luck has three or more touchdown passes in eight consecutive games."You work together and you should be getting a little better every day," Luck said. "It's great to see it show up on the field, but we know as the season goes on, the challenge gets a little bigger and the climb gets a little tougher."Here are some other things to know about the Colts and Jaguars:TIGHT SPOTNo team has been more proficient finding tight ends this season than the Colts.Eric Ebron already has 11 touchdown catches, matching his total from the previous four seasons, and he's tied for the league lead with Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill. In fact, Andrew Luck has thrown 18 of his 32 TD passes to tight ends 鈥?more than twice as many as any other team.PENALTY PROBLEMSThe Jaguars are hoping to play a little cleaner. They lead the NFL with 22 personal fouls Xavier Williams Jersey , and Marrone has grown tired of all the flags for undisciplined behavior ."The way the team plays is a reflection on me," Marrone said. "I understand that. I've always taken a lot of pride in having a well-disciplined, smart football team and obviously I'm not getting that done."HOLDING THE LINEThe biggest turnaround for Indy has come on the offensive line. The Colts have given up just 11 sacks all season, matching New Orleans for the league low and have allowed just one over the last six weeks. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Steve Spagnuolo spent much of his year out of coaching making the 45-minute drive from his home in Philadelphia to the headquarters of NFL Films in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.Spagnuolo had finished a tour as the interim coach of the New York Giants and missed out on the full-time job after the season. He turned down an assistant coaching offer and decided instead to spend the season recharging his proverbial batteries while getting a different perspective on the league.No better place to do that than the repository for all NFL game film.“I’m glad I did it. There might have been another year I should have done it,” said Spagnuolo, who was hired a couple weeks go to be Andy Reid’s defensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs.“I found it to be both challenging and rewarding,” he explained Wednesday. “The challenge was missing football, missing the camaraderie of the players and coaches. The reward was to sit back and see a big picture of the NFL and the game of football, as opposed to being in these buildings during the season with blinders on. Just a big-picture view of the league, the game of football.”While ensconced at NFL Films headquarters, the former St. Louis Rams head coach had plenty of time to check out the Chiefs, whose Super Bowl run came up short in the AFC title game.One of the clearest reasons? Their defense, which ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category. In fact Patrick Mahomes Jersey , it was the defense that failed to stop the New England Patriots in overtime of the championship game, preventing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of their dynamic offense from even getting onto the field in the extra session.More than anything else it was that performance that sealed the fate of longtime defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. He was fired within days of the season ending, and almost his entire staff was let go, found jobs elsewhere or, in the case of Emmitt Thomas, simply retired.Now, it is up to Spagnuolo to turn around the Chiefs’ weak spot.“I don’t really go backward. I’m not going to pass judgment,” Spagnuolo said. “I think the world of Bob Sutton. Bob and I have known each other a long time. A change was made — coach Reid made that decision — I’m just happy I was able to fall into what I think is a great position.”There are certainly pieces in place for a quick turnaround. There are also some crucial decisions to be made in short order.Top pass rusher Dee Ford is due to become a free agent, though the Chiefs are expected to place the franchise tag on him as they pursue a long-term deal. Defensive tackle Chris Jones is coming off a breakout season and is eligible to sign an extension, while the albatross contracts of safety Eric Berry and linebacker Justin Houston must be dealt with in some fashion. Perhaps they get restructured. Perhaps the two elder statesmen are released. Either way, the Chiefs could sorely use the salary cap relief to shore up other areas of the defense.They also have the draft in April, and a first-round pick for the first time in two years, though they spent nearly all their picks on defense last season, with modest returns.“This is a process. There are no quick fixes. There is no magic wand,” Spagnuolo said. “One person does not assure success Mitch Morse Jersey , but we’ll do everything to put something together.”Spagnuolo acknowledged in an interview Wednesday the lure of the Chiefs, who are well-positioned to chase championships for years. They have one of the most stable ownerships in the NFL, a highly respected head coach in Reid, the reigning league MVP in the 23-year-old Mahomes, and plenty of high-powered talent on offense to keep pace with just about any other team.The biggest piece missing is a defense that can get off the field when it matters most.Like overtime of the AFC championship game.“You won’t touch a defensive coach in the NFL that wouldn’t want to be on a team with, A, a really good head football coach and, B, a really good quarterback,” Spagnuolo said. “It goes without saying I’m really excited to be part of an organization that has an elite quarterback, and quite frankly to work with Andy Reid again, and what he’s all about and what he’s meant to this franchise and the league as a whole is really, really special.”

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