Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jacksonville, FL – The Indianapolis Colts hit the road once again this week, this time to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. Indianapolis is highly favored into this AFC South match-up, and they should be able to come away with a 3-1 record on Sunday afternoon. I was able to connect with Daniel Lago, who is an Editor at the FanSided Network’s Jacksonville Jaguars website blackandteal.com. Listed below are five questions that we here at Naptown’s Finest asked Daniel about the Jaguars.
1. What has been going on with Maurice Jones-Drew this season? Do you see him improving as the season advances?
Maurice Jones-Drew really hasn’t been the same for two years – even going back to his rushing title season. He’s clearly lost a step and – while he still has great vision and knows how to turn a loss of yards to a two or three yard gain – is not a big play threat anymore. He can still provide a steady 5 yard gain and a solid pass-catching presence on third down, but his days as a game-changer are probably over.
2. What are your thoughts on Blaine Gabbert? Is there any chance that he can reach his potential?
Blaine Gabbert has all the physical tools but all of his problems right now are above the shoulders. He’s improved his pocket presence but it’s still very poor and (to quote the great Shane Falco) he is prone to quicksand. As soon as one thing goes wrong it all seems to avalanche for him and he can’t right the ship. The Jaguars are most likely parting ways with Blaine Gabbert after 2013.
3. How is the young Jacksonville secondary matching up with opponents to this point?
The Jaguars have probably the most inexperienced secondary in the NFL. Four rookies – Safeties Josh Evans and Johnathan Cyprien and cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz and Demetrius McCray – are getting a lot of playing time. Evans and Cyprien are still adjusting to some of the complex offensive schemes, but Gratz and McCray both fit pretty well in Gus Bradley’s system. They’ve all performed well as rookies considering the circumstances.
4. Who do you think is the rookie drafted in this past year’s draft that will have the biggest career with the Jaguars?
Given his position and his solid play, it’s definitely first round pick Luke Joeckel. Joeckel has had some rookie growing pains, but he has the makings of a long-term fixture at right tackle.
5. What is your prediction for the game on Sunday?
It says a lot that the Colts are favored by almost ten on the road. Blaine Gabbert and the offense need to show up and move the ball for the Jaguars to have any chance of winning. It sounds obvious, but the defense has actually played fairly well given the overall incompetence of the offense. The Jaguars might put up a good show at home, but Andrew Luck is probably going to pick a most likely tired defense apart.
Colts 27 – Jaguars 17
We here at Naptown’s Finest certainly hope that Daniel’s prediction turns out to be true, but even more lopsided of a victory perhaps. We hope that you have enjoyed this article, and we would like to say a special thanks to Daniel Lago for taking the time to answer these five questions for us.
Evan Massey is an Editor at Naptown’s Finest. Follow Evan and Naptown’s Finest on Twitter.