Jaguars' secondary ready for challenge against Batman, offense organizing organic possessions

There’s a statue of Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson in Philadelphia.

Well, more accurately, there’s a statue of Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles as an homage to their iconic “Philly Philly” moment in Super Bowl LII. The gutsy play call, on the grandest stage of football, helped deliver the Eagles their first Super Bowl victory in three appearances.

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When asked about the statue on Wednesday, Pederson said he’s never seen it in person — though he thinks his family has.

“Personally, I’ve never seen it in person,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a great honor to have me and Rocky Balboa, I guess, in the city of Philadelphia, and Nick Foles. It’s an honor. It really is, for something we accomplished as a team, as an organization, in 2017 and 2018. It’s a nice reminder.”

Pederson was head coach of the Eagles for five seasons and compiled a 42-37 record before parting ways with the team in 2020.

This week will mark his first return to face the franchise he etched his name into history with.

Stopping Batman

After scoring his first touchdown as a member of the Eagles last week, receiver A.J. Brown was seen on the sideline wearing a Batman cape.

It was a nod to a comment made by cornerback Darius Slay, calling Brown a swole Batman, with DeVonta Smith filling the role of a skinny Batman and Quez Watkins as a fast Batman.

Slay made sure to clarify: There aren’t any Robin’s on the Eagles roster.

When asked about the comments on Wednesday, Jaguars’ corner Shaq Griffin jokingly said there weren’t any Robin’s in Jacksonville’s secondary but acknowledged they’d have to make the game difficult for the Eagles’ offense.

“The mindset is just make everything hard, we’ve got to make it tough. We know they have good receivers, but we have great [defensive backs],” Griffin said in the locker room after practice. He missed Sunday’s game with a hip injury he picked up late last week. He was listed as limited for Wednesday’s practice but was seen working with coaches during the special team portion of practice.

“The main thing is make it tough,” he continued. “Make Jalen Hurts make tough throws. We’re just competing all 60 minutes.”

Hurts was named the NFC Player of the Month this week, throwing for 916 yards (third most in the league) and rushing for 167 (second most for a quarterback) with seven touchdowns and an undefeated record through three games.

His favorite target this season has been Brown who’s fourth in the league in receiving yards so far. Brown was a member of the Titans last season, giving Griffin an edge on how to face off against swole Batman.

“I’m telling the guys now, if you get a chance to go against him this week, you might get some different looks where he might try to use his size to his advantage,” Griffin said on Brown. “If you try to reach too hard, he might grab you, swing you by. A lot of big receivers tend to do that … he’s really good with his hands to be his size. A person who’s going to stretch the field down the field and also use his body to go and highpoint for the ball.

“He’s just an aggressive player. That’s something that I’ve seen going against him last year and something I’m looking forward to seeing him this week. My thing is, we’re going to be just as aggressive and when it comes to 50-50 balls, we’ve got to be the ones that win them.”

Don’t sleep on skinny Batman either. Smith was a Heisman winner with Alabama and can be a dangerous player in multiple facets of the game. Jaguars’ cornerback Tyson Campbell faced off with him when the two were in college.

Smith recorded 11 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the dominant victory for the Crimson Tide. It was his sixth best receiving output that season.

“I remember he runs good routes, smooth guy, good hands, strong hands and just an overall playmaker,” Campbell said recalling the matchup with Alabama. “He can be a threat in the return game and also in the receiving game. Good player.”

Time of possession is organic for Jaguars

The Jaguars are currently second in the NFL in time of possession, averaging more than 34 minutes a game through their first three contest. It’s a stark contrast to last season where they finished second from last in possession.

Against the Chargers, the Jaguars had the ball for nearly 40 of the 60 minutes in the contest. They went on methodical drives and put the game away with back-to-back drives spanning 14 plays and more than eight minutes in the second half.

When asked about it on Wednesday, quarterback Trevor Lawrence said the drives were from organic places based on the team having success on first and second down and the team has been able to stay on schedule.

It also helps when the Jaguars convert on fourth down at a clip of more than 60 percent like they have in their last two games.

With the offense putting together lengthy drives, it gives Jacksonville’s defense the chance to recharge on the sideline. It’s been a key part of why the defense can come up with stops against offenses that are battling the clock.

“It helps a lot for the defense,” defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot said in a press conference on Monday. “The best thing we want to do is not be on the field. The best defense is not on the field. We’ve been happy with the production of the offense and being able to keep us off the field for sure.”

The mark of good teams normally falls along the possession battle and a strong defense. Through the first three weeks the Jaguars are doing well in both aspects.

Uniform Reveal

The Jaguars will be donning black helmets, white jersey’s with teal pants against the Eagles this week.

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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