Last year the Jagz OL started 2 rookies and 1 one-year player (Joeckel).
The rookies were center Luke Bowanko (6th round) and OG Brandon Linder (3rd round).
Joeckel was a high first round pick in 2013 who struggled both as a rookie and last year (though he only played a few games in 2013 before getting injured…ironically, against the Rams).
The initial news out of Jacksonville when it comes to starting a lot of inexperienced linemen is not good. But then, they also started a rookie qb for 13 games. They were 32nd in points for, and 31st in offensive yards. They gave up an amazing 71 sacks. Their sack percentage was an eye-bugging 11.3%.
They threw a lot…in fact they threw the ball 63.5% of the time, which is one of the highest pass-heavy percentages in the league. So they were both forced to throw a lot AND had a high sack percentage. This is not a winning combination. They were also 30th in offensive plays run.
HOWEVER, it’s not all hell and high water.
They DID manage to get 4.5 per carry running. They just didn’t run much. So while they were 6th in yards per carry, they were 28th in rushing attempts and 21st in rushing yards. A lot of that was Bortles, who ran 56 times in 13 games, getting 7.1 a carry. That upped their avg.
The Jagz situation does not look like an endorsement of starting young linemen. So what’s the potential difference between the Rams offense and the Jagz offense?
This is all “on paper” but…
1. the Rams too will (possibly) start 2 rookies and an inexperienced LOT, plus an inexperienced center. HOWEVER, they have a veteran qb to go along with their staple of effective backs.
2. the Jagz defense was 26th in yards and 26th in points, which put even more pressure on the offense. Rams offense and special teams ought to take some pressure off of the offense.
Points 1 and 2 combine to suggest that the Rams ought to have a more productive running game, and a situation in which they can run the ball more than the Jagz did.
So that’s something.
Interestingly enough, though, PFF did not rank the Jagz OL from last year that low.
Here’s their take:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/01/08/2014-pff-offensive-line-rankings/2/
18. Jacksonville Jaguars
Stud: There’s no doubt the Jaguars are happy with just how quickly Brandon Linder (+16.6) has acclimatized to life in the NFL. He’s contributed to a top-notch group of rookie guards.
Dud: With eight sacks allowed and a team-worst pass blocking grade, the Jags must have hoped for more from Luke Joeckel by now.
Breakdown: They got better when they replaced Jacques McClendon with Luke Bowanko [at center] and have taken a huge step forward this year. A new offensive coordinator will still need to get more out of a unit that didn’t help their rushers enough in the run game.
.
Agamemnon
