When All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell re-watched his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Authentic Adam Boqvist Jersey , he noticed a recurring issue: The vaunted defense had chances to come up big late in games and failed.
It happened in four of Jacksonville’s final five losses, including – and most memorably – in the AFC championship game at New England.
Campbell felt as if the unit also could and should have done more against the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona and Tennessee.
”When I study the tape and those situations, I realize that as good as we are we have so much room for growth,” Campbell said.
With Campbell leading the way, ”finishing” has become the defense’s motto for 2018. The Jags expect to be better in those fourth-quarter situations, knowing one stop could be the difference in a league that has a penchant for tight games.
”We have to have that mentality of crunch time,” Pro Bowl linebacker Telvin Smith said. ”We know we are not front-runners; we can bang with you. We just have to put our foot on your throat and keep it there from the beginning to the end.”
Jacksonville’s defense was one of the best in the league in 2017. The group ranked second in points (16.8) and yards allowed (286.1) and first in yards per play (4.61), passing yards (169.9), third down rate (33.6 percent) and red zone rate (39.3 percent).
The Jaguars also had 55 sacks and set a franchise record with 33 takeaways.
In some games, it wasn’t enough.
Jacksonville had New England reeling in late January, leading 20-10 early in the fourth quarter. But the defense allowed Tom Brady to convert a third-and-18 play that led to a touchdown and later provided little resistance while trying to prevent the go-ahead score.
In the regular-season finale at Tennessee, the Jaguars trailed 15-10 with about four minutes remaining but gave up two first downs that helped the Titans to run out the clock and essentially seal the victory.
The defense also faltered twice down the stretch at Arizona in late November. The Jags led 17-16 in the fourth before getting torched for a long touchdown pass. They tied the game on the ensuing possession and kept it that way until Blaine Gabbert connected on two first-down passes in the final 16 seconds to set up a game-winning 57-yard field goal.
Those three losses came on the road. The Rams found similar success against the Jags in Jacksonville.
They were up 24-17 with about seven minutes to play and essentially put the game away by picking up three first downs that got them into field-goal range.
”It’s not a conditioning thing. It’s a mental thing
Adidas Henrik Sedin Jersey ,” Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson said. ”That is something that is easily correctable. You just have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what it is. It is nothing wrong with what we are doing, us schematically. It is not that we are not in shape. It is just we have to have that mentality.
”You have to see the blood in the water. You have to go attack.”
The Jaguars expect to see gains from returning 10 defensive starters and having all of them in the same scheme for a second straight year. They also anticipate continued improvement from star cornerback Jalen Ramsey as well as linebacker Myles Jack and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
All that experience has Jacksonville making offseason tweaks to blitz schemes and third-down packages – and waiting for another late-game shot.
”You have to go out there when you have an opportunity, when it presents itself, whether it is a preseason game or during the regular season,” coach Doug Marrone said. ”Then, you have to step up and do it and that will prove that you are able to do those things.
”I think that until you do that in those situations, there is always going to be a question mark. But having the thought of wanting to do that obviously helps because it keeps you aware of that situation.”
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鈥?Maybe the losing and laughing will finally stop. The Browns aren’t fooling around.With three stunning trades on the eve of free agency, Cleveland landed a proven starting quarterback, a game-breaking, three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and a shut-down cornerback.After 16 straight losses on the field, victory.Two months after a winless season mercifully ended, new general manager John Dorsey addressed major roster needs Friday by acquiring mobile quarterback Tyrod Tayl* in a deal with Buffalo, wide receiver Jarvis Landry from Miami and cornerback Damarious Randall from Green Bay
Trenton Cannon Jersey Jets , a person with direct knowledge of the overhaul told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Teams are not permitted to announce any trades until next week.In exchange, the Browns shipped quarterback DeShone Kizer and swapped late-round picks with the Packers, gave the Dolphins a fourth-round pick this season and a seventh rounder in 2019 and sent the Bills the No. 65 overall pick in this year’s draft.All in a day’s work for Dorsey, who brought in major talent without giving up any of the team’s five picks in the first two rounds this year.And the makeover came as the team awaits word from Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas on his future. Thomas, who played more than 10,000 straight snaps before tearing his left triceps last season, is mulling retirement.The Browns gave him more to think about.Not long after Dorsey’s trifecta, Thomas tweeted: “Browns are en fuego!! Here’s to John Dorsey tonight!!The acquisition of Tayl* would seem to change Cleveland’s plans to pursue a veteran quarterback in free agency, which begins Monday when teams are permitted to contact agents. It was assumed the Browns would target Cincinnati’s AJ McCarron, whom they tried to land in a trade last season before the deal was squelched when the teams failed to properly file paperwork to the league.McCarron wants to start and it’s unlikely he would want to compete with Tayl*, who led the Bills to their first postseason appearance since 1999. The dynamic Tayl*, who finished with a 23-21 record in three seasons with Buffalo, can affect the game as a passer or runner and he’s the type of quarterback Browns coach Hue Jackson has sought since coming to Cleveland.However
Buccaneers Alex Cappa Jersey , even with Tayl* around, the Browns are still expected to select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and Dorsey and his staff are in the process of deciding if that’s Southern Cal’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen or Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner who scares some Cleveland fans because of his Johnny Manziel-like showmanship.Cleveland’s next starting quarterback will be the team’s 29th since 1999.But unlike Kizer, who led the NFL with 22 interceptions, went 0-15 and went through numerous growing pains as a rookie starter, Tayl* will have offensive weapons around him.Landry is as good as they get.The 25-year-old, who caught a league-best 112 passes last season, immediately upgrades a Cleveland offense that finished last in scoring and didn’t have any player who threatened a defense until wide receiver Josh Gordon made his late return from an indefinite NFL suspension. With Gordon on the outside, Landry in the slot and Tayl* behind center, the Browns have the makings of a potent attack.Landry signed a $16 million, one-year franchise tag Thursday with Miami
Derrius Guice Youth Jersey , clearing the path for his trade. The Dolphins began shopping him when the parties were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract, which he’s likely to get from the Browns.A big contract could help calm the sometimes volatile Landry, whose 400 receptions are the most by any player in his first four seasons.“Y’all better understand (stuff) about to get SERIOUS… ON MY MAMA,” Landry posted on shortly after news that he was Cleveland bound broke.The additions of Tayl* and Landry certainly must have thrilled new Browns offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was fired in Pittsburgh following the Steelers’ divisional-round playoff loss. Haley spent the past six seasons working with Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. All Cleveland needs is a breakaway running back and the Browns could get one with the No. 4 overall pick if Penn State’s Saquon Barkley is still around.Dorsey also took care of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams by acquiring Randall, a former first-round pick who was inactive for the Packers’ final two games last season with a knee injury.Randall started 30 games in three years for the Packers, who drafted him with the No. 30 overall pick in 2015. He had some injuries issues 鈥?and a visible spat with the team 鈥?in 2017, but finished the year as Green Bay’s best cover cornerback. He was benched in the second half of a Sept. 28 game against Chicago by coach Mike McCarthy, who sent him to the locker room.Cleveland’s secondary was a mess last season after the club decided to waive veteran cornerback Joe Haden.Dorsey’s remodeling of the Browns is far from finished. Before the trades, Cleveland was $113 million under the salary cap and the team figures to remain busy next week.But after an historic losing season, the wins don’t feel as far away..
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