Bye Bye, Bye Week - San Fran is in JAX
JT: I was always partial to Backstreet Boys, but an N’Sync song in this column’s title just seems to fit.
The Jaguars weren’t the only ones on a bye the past two weeks. While your team was enjoying family time, healing their bodies and getting refreshed for today’s contest against the San Francisco 49ers, your boy was in a tree putting down bucks with a compound bow like nobody’s business. That’s right, the Jags bye week coincided perfectly with the rut this year, and thus it was time to fill the freezer. With a seven and a ten point on ice we can now return to your regularly scheduled JagsTalk programming. There were a lot of interesting occurrences over this bye week and we need to talk briefly about each of them. I say briefly because I am currently typing this article at the tailgate across from The Bank and it is much more fun to be participating in the debauchery than it is to studiously develop a well written column (thus why you are very hard pressed to find one of those on this site).
Firstly, the trade dead line came and went, and while the Jaguars did not trade for a pass rushing, sacktastic defensive end, it turns out that they were in the running for Mr. Chase Young out of Ohio State and more recently a Washington Comman-puke…Redskins DE. Young was a beast in college and injury plagued in the NFL. When healthy he is a force to be reckoned with however, and guess which uniform he is currently wearing after the trade deadline? You guessed it, he is a 49er. So we will get to see Young today at Everbank. That means that the Jags offensive line will have to account for both Bosa and Young. Yay for us. News out of Wash is that Young is a bit of a lose cannon who does his own thing and that is one reason why he was traded, but as a life long Redskins fan (not a Commande-threw up in my mouth a little bit just now, fan) I have learned not to trust anything from that organization since Snyder took over and more recently since Riverboat Ron became the less than mediocre head coach (he should be on his way out with this new leadership). Whatever the case may be, Young and Bosa will be a handful and test Trevor’s quick release today.
Turns out that a trade was made by Trent Baalke before the deadline with the Minnesota Vikings. While it wasn’t the trade everyone was hoping for, DE, Danielle “the QB” Hunter, it was a smart move worth talking about. so we will give it a sentence or two with more to come depending upon his performance today. I am, of course speaking of Ezra Cleveland. The big left guard moved from a cold climate to a not so warm climate today. Ezra bumped Ben Bartch to the practice squad and will presumably be the starting left guard for the Jags, making Walker Little, our best overall lineman, the best overall swingman in the league. Interestingly enough Cleveland is currently listed as questionable on the depth chart according to ESPN with Little in the starting position. No matter what happens at the guard position today this will be a big day for Cam Robinson and rookie Anton Harrison. Let’s hope those PEDs paid off for Cam cause Bosa ain’t no joke.
Lastly, one of the most interesting aspects of today’s game is the fact that Mr. Irrelevant will be leading his team against the #1 overall draft pick. That’s right, it’s literally first against last. It’s like that kick ball game we all played in elementary school where it was always the same person picked last and then they turned out to become a starter and win numerous games in a row, showing everyone that they deserved to be captain of the team. Okay so maybe the Hollywood ending never materialized for the uncoordinated geeky grade school kid. They still somehow managed to “strike out” kicking at a big bouncy red ball. But the story has been different for San Francisco’s Brock Purdy. He has saved that franchise after they traded away the entirety of their future during the Trey Lance debacle. San Fran gave up multiple first round picks for the right to draft a guy who is now the back up in Dallas. Needless to say Purdy has been a God send for the city by the bay. He and Trevor Lawrence have similar stats this season so it will be interesting to compare the two head to head.
With Debo Samuel back in the line up, and Christian McCaffrey being, well, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Caldwell will have his hands full scheming for this offensive juggernaut. Let’s hope he spent his bye week learnin’ and workin’ and not in a tree stand huntin’. This will be a hard fought game by both defenses. I feel that the winner of this game comes down to whomever has the strongest offensive line. That’s it for right now, the debauchery is calling. Time to give in to temptation and sign off. Oh and JPP is still sitting out there…Things that make you go hmmm. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.