Game overview:
Both teams played their 1st-teams for a quarter+ here, so we got to see some possible ‘tells’ on rotations, etc.
The Jags 1st-team looked hyper-efficient, but their first drive ended in a fumble at the goal line going for the TD, and then the next time they got the ball it was another 6+ minute drive and this time for a score...two long series and out for the starters.
Miami’s 1st-team played like they had other things on their mind. Not as crisp, not as sharp. They three-and-out punted on their first drive and had a long drive on their second attempt but stalled to a field goal.
In the battle of 1st-teams, the clear winner for this brief display was Jacksonville.
After that, the backups battled back-and-forth and then the game ended short (8+ minutes to go) when a Miami player was carted off and they decided to ‘call it’.
Scouting Notes from the game:
-- It felt like I was watching literal and figurative mirrors of each other at QB, in the battle of Trevor Lawrence (8-10 for 92 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) vs. Tua Tagovailoa (4-6 for 67 yards, 0 TD/0 INT). They both play a similar style -- short drop, stare down an option, and quick fire. It may seem like I’m poking fun at them, and I kinda am, but I have to say -- they are both really good at their style of play.
Many uptight NFL teams want to play this style...it’s like a West Coast Offense on speed. Short, safe throws neutralizing any pass rush and most coverages. It’s a sophisticated dink and dunk on a certain level. It’s hard to press up on every WR/TE and try to blanket them off the snap. It’s actually a very smart, savvy, efficient offense if you perfect it and have the right receivers -- but you need the right QB and the right play calling, and you CANNOT get into long-to-go 3rd-down situations because then they are at-risk.
Both Trevor and Tua are not sharp throwing from a deep drop pocket on a known passing play, and they are terrible under pressure -- so, if they can keep danger to a minimum...they’re fine. They are not likely to win games by their sheer force/’will’ of assassin-like passing, but most QBs can’t do that regularly anyway...only a select few can. Of the QBs/teams that run the sped-up West Coast Offense, Miami and Jacksonville run it very well.
Tua and Trevor can be fringe QB1s in their offenses as long as they don’t face an overwhelming opposing defense or get themselves into many 3rd-and-longs in a deficit. I give them both credit, which I don’t wanna do -- but they are efficient QBs in a style I do not like if I were a GM/HC. But it works for them.
The Chargers showed the way on how to take this offense down last year...really squashing Trevor in the playoffs and Tua in the regular season, but I don’t know if other NFL defenses will have picked up on it.
Miami faces said Chargers Week 1...last season, Tua went 10-of-28 passing for 145 yards against Brandon Staley. They have Miami coming east-to-west to take them on again in the season opener.
-- After Tua, Miami turned to Skylar Thompson (15-24 for 135 yards, 0 TD/2 INTs), a QB who I think has looked very good, is progressing nicely this preseason -- and then Skylar promptly entered the game and threw two picks in his first few throws of the game. There may have been some miscommunication with the receivers...or just bad throws. It looked weird, but credit Skyler for shedding those thoughts and firing away after that. He’s a really solid backup QB who is growing/trying to be a possible starter in the future.
-- There’s a lot of ‘splittin’ goin’ on’ in the Jacksonville backfield this preseason...
It’s like a near equal rotation the last two weeks. Travis Etienne (8-39-1) is the lead but quickly rookie Tank Bigsby (6-37-0) is brought into the flow. It may be just trying to get him up to speed, but I am buying what everyone was wondering this offseason -- would Doug Pederson go seek a split backfield this offseason? He did, and Bigsby is making sense.
I wasn’t a fan of what I saw of Bigsby scouting his college tape, but I saw the light in Week 2 of the preseason...and saw more of it here. He’s a very solid, between the tackles power runner with a little juice. I missed this upfront.
It could be a 60/40 split real soon...or right from the start of the season.
Speaking of the RB group, I think D’Ernest Johnson (6-26-1, 2-8-0/2) has proven himself as the #3 RB the past two weeks, in a landslide after a slow start Week 1 of the preseason.
-- Jags passing game notes...
What I’ve seen all preseason -- Trevor favoring throwing to Calvin Ridley (3-50-0/3) a lot...his first hope/option much of the time. Ridley is gonna make Christian Kirk (1-8-0/2) and Zay Jones (210-0/3) random event, FF-disappointments...especially on Kirk’s current ADPs.
And within that...Evan Engram (0-0-0/0) is like a ghost in this passing game in the preseason -- which really scares me that he is going to be an odd-man FF-out as well...a fringe TE1 not a dominant TE1.
-- Dolphins RB notes...
Nothing of my notes matters on RBs if/when the Dolphins acquire Jonathan Taylor. I think the trade will happen, more than not...but like 51% sure. There’s a lot of moving parts to this potential...and Indy really doesn’t want to do this, but their owner got involved and now everything is a mess.
If I’m Miami, I go for it, if they can sign Taylor to a reasonable deal (with incentives) AND his foot checks out OK -- send a 1st-round pick but get back a 3rd/4th...then it’s almost like nothing was given. The Dolphins 2024 1st-pick will be a high pick anyway.
If I’m Indy, I do the deal just to be rid of low-value RBs on a Colts team not winning the Super Bowl this year. I try to get the 1st, give back a 5th at worst...and I ask for Miami to send an RB back, which they would because they have so many.
The RBs Indy will ask for are probably Myles Gaskin (6-23-0, 5-30-0/5) or Salvon Ahmed (4-43-0, 1-5-0/1)...and both are very solid NFL RB hands. Ahmed looks very nice this preseason.
But if I were the Indy GM, I’d ask for UDFA rookie Chris Brooks (6-33-2, 1-10-0/1) instead, a guy who continues to display NFL starter hopes someday, in this preseason.
In the end...I think Taylor will be traded for a conditional 1st-round pick (based on JT play count for the season), it could wind up a 2nd-rounder if JT doesn’t hit the mark. Indy will get one of Gaskin-Ahmed. Miami will get JT and a 4th-5th-round pick back.
If this happens, it will take a few hours/a day before the analysts start theorizing that Richardson might run for 1,000+ yards with no Taylor this season.
*I thought you might find this interesting about Mike McDaniel...a video that was pushed to my YouTube feed but it’s from like a year ago: https://youtu.be/RxElEIS-zVc?si=-d8r2x7c9cnZle_L
