Jacksonville Jaguars @ Dallas Cowboys

JT: In a theme carried over from last season, Trevor started slowly!

There was no Dak, and not much else to speak of in terms of a Cowboys first string, but the Jags played their starters for most of the first quarter. A couple of players definitely stood out to me for some good and maybe some not so great reasons. Shout-outs go to Gregory Junior, a 2022 draftee out of a college that nobody is sure even exists, Ouachita Baptist University, and located in a place that is obviously completely made up, Arkadelphia, Arkansas. This kid is the first ever to be drafted into the NFL from this fictional, fabricated university. How in the world do they even have a football team? If I am ever able to get past the school and location, I might able to tell you that Junior was a stud last night against the Cowboys. Making the most of his playing time, my man was in on two key takeaways for the Jags. On the first, he recovered a fumble when the punt returner was stripped of the ball by long snapper Ross Matiscik (more about this unfortunate debacle of a position later) and also, I believe wide receiver Tim Jones. I think I saw #15 get in on that strip as well but as I get older the mind becomes foggier. Some say I could take actual notes during the game but where is the fun in that? In addition to Gregory Junior’s fumble recovery he was the catalyst for another fumble on the Jaguars goal line right as the Cowboys were about to punch it in for a TD. If his playing time in this pre-season game was not a resume builder than I don’t know what would be. Junior is currently listed third behind Tyson Campbell and Tre Herndon in the depth chart but if he keeps up this level of play he may find himself on the roster with some actual playing time. Kudos to the man from the made up school.

The second set of accolades for the week will be going to third string quarterback Nathan Rourke out of Ohio. You can’t go anywhere on the internet this morning without seeing this kids sensational Harry Houdini touchdown play. He was essentially sacked four different times, somehow staying on his feet and maneuvering toward freedom. It was as if he had oiled his pads with some pre-snap 10w30. Not only did he use all nine of his QB lives on this one scramble but he managed, while in the grasp and being pulled down to the turf, to execute the Dan Marino. A perfect pass, leading his man, in stride, for the “easy” reception and another Jaguars touchdown. He also ran for another touchdown and passed for 153 yards. How secure is Beathard’s new contract, sitting directly behind Trevor? This might be another C&C Music Factory moment (if you don’t get it you should look it up. I’ll wait).

In addition to the above highlighted players, Josh Allen had a good game He was involved in most plays and always around the ball creating havoc. This contract year will be a good season for the Jaguars defensive end. Christian Kirk and Zay Jones looked good, the two combining for the Jags first 8 points. Calvin Ridley also looked sharp for the limited time that he was involved. All three of the Jags receivers are small guys, thus begging the question, if they can get open then does a team really need a tall 50/50 guy? I guess that question becomes a bigger issue in the redzone where life gets a lot cozier. Oh, and nose tackle DaVon Hamilton along with rookie DE Yassir Abdullah (1 sack each) had themselves a day as well. Now for the not so great…

Your dose of pre-season Jaguars nepotism saw long snapper Ross Matiscik incur a boo boo after his strip tackle on a Jags punt play. He was replaced by back-up long snapper, and son of head coach Doug Pederson, Josh Pederson. His first snap was low, but award winning, and best ever punter, Logan Cooke was able to take it off the laces and clobber it downfield. Pederson then overcompensated and sent the second snap high and to the right triggering Harry Doyle’s voice to sing in my ear, “Just a bit outside.” Fortunately for Jacksonville, Logan Cooke is 6’5” and also the best punter in the world. Cooke was somehow able to athletically snag the ball out of the air, run to the right, and rugby style kick it downfield. Hopefully Matiscik will be all healed up for the regular season. Also, in the category of less than ideal, we present the start of one Trevor Lawrence. His first pass of the game was a solid completion… to the other team. Is it me or does Trevor always seem to start out slowly (or in reverse as is the case here)? Either way, he turned it on and became his usual self for the short time he was in the game. He went 5 of 6 for 36 yards with a TD and a two point conversion completion to Zay Jones, who really climbed the ladder in the back of the end zone to bring that one down. In addition, Lawrence’s TD pass to Kirk showed poise and patience in the pocket (I love alliteration) allowing Kirk to find the open spot. This TD was a testament to the offensive line. T-Law could have made himself a PB&J while he should in that pocket.

Another disappointing showing involved the much talked about Tank Bigsby. Minus a Devin Lloyd gain (33 yarder) that he bounced outside late in the first half, tank Bigsby played more like a bicycle than an M1 Abrams. In fact, after a sub par throw by Beathard which somehow resulted in a completion due to the amazing hand/eye coordination of one back up wide receiver, Jacob Harris out of UCF, I stated out loud that this is where we see Bigsby do his thing. The exact words I wrote down (sometimes I do take notes) were, “I expect a healthy dose of Tank here.” Well, we got two straight hand offs from the four yard line with nothing to show for either. On third down we faked the hand off and Beathard literally walked in the endzone. Though to be fair, I think Tank might have been able to get that third one over the goal line had he actually been handed the ball. The issue I had with Tank in this game was that several times he was handed the ball in obvious ground and pound, short yardage plays where he was stopped short of the line to gain. These plays are the reason he was drafted but his Marshawn Lynch type hype just did not show up in Dallas.

I think the biggest cause for concern that I witnessed in last nights game was the pre and post halftime play. The drive going into halftime and the one exiting halftime were atrocious. The Jags shut out Dallas the entirety of the first half, that is until the very last drive. Jacksonville let Dallas score a TD on a 12 play drive just before the half and then let Dallas come out of the tunnel and put more points on the board with a 13 play drive. Just like that everything the Jaguars did during the first half was negated. It was a sorry sight. Some would argue if you win those two drives you win most games. Jacksonville needs a lot of work during that crucial part of the game. It is a momentum swinging moment and the Jags were on the wrong end of the pendulum last night.

The last few negative issues I saw for JAX dealt with penalties. I believe that Jacksonville had 14 penalties (12 accepted) called on them last night and most were pre-snap. That just ain’t the Pug Dederson way. Talk about digging yourself a hole. I expect that to be nipped in the bud before the regular season begins, however. Lastly, I feel for Snoop Connor. He is playing for his life here in JAX and possibly the entirety of the NFL. With Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, JaMycal Hasty, and D’Ernest Johnson ahead of him on the depth chart what Connor can’t afford to do is fumble the ball back to Dallas right after a Jaguars takeaway late in the fourth quarter. That wasn’t the best of moves and may have sealed his fate here on the first coast.

Let’s end this column with a couple more bright spots, shall we. The Jags had three takeaways. Win the turnover battle and win the war, right? In addition, it was good to see Parker Washington getting reps at punt returner and wide receiver. He was viewed by many to be a steal in this years draft. The only issue I have is that every time I see him on the field I think it’s Marvin Jone Jr. and I get happy, for just a second, until I realize it’s not MJJ. So, Washington has some pretty big shoes to fill with that jersey choice because Jones Jr. was big time clutch for JAX. That in mind, Washington has the potential to be the Jags version of the Patriots version of the tiny, over the middle, short yardage specialist receiver. I’m looking at Parker to be our Wes Welker. Hell, I heard Bucky Brooks telling Brent Sexton that Washington has some of the fastest feet on the team, second only to Calvin Ridley. That’s some pretty high praise.

To sum everything up into a nice little package, I find myself coming away from this first pre season game the same way I came away from last years entire pre season…I sure hope our first string stays healthy. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.