Doug Marrone is the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though the team had success in 2017, they currently sit at 3-8 and are basement dwellers in the AFC South. Why is that? There are many variables. From injuries to match ups to coaching philosophy it’s hard to predict how teams will fare from year to year. Take the defending Super Bowl champions for example. The Philadelphia Eagles took down the New England Patriots last year but now sit at 5-6 and are in third place in the NFC East. There are many reasons that teams find success from year to year. Some can’t be controlled. But coaching philosophy is important and coaches definitely choose how their team will play. Marrone’s coaching philosophy is one of the past and it’s hard to win with it. This season is an indictment on Marrone’s strategy to lead the team.
Doug Marrone’s Offensive Philosophy Is Not Working
What Went Right in 2017
The 2017 season was a lucky one for the Jacksonville Jaguars in more than one way. First was the fact that two starting quarterbacks in their division were out for extended periods. Deshaun Watson‘s season ended after an ACL injury in practice after seven games. Andrew Luck didn’t see the field after continued problems with his shoulder. And there is also the fact that the Jaguars were very lightly affected by injuries. Besides Allen Robinson in Week One, there weren’t many prominent injuries.
The most obvious success in 2017 was the Jaguars defense. They had 55 sacks (two games with 10). They also recorded 21 interceptions and allowed the second fewest points in the league (268). It was truly a dominant year for the defense.
Because the defense was so good, the offense just had to be competent. Don’t turn the ball over. Blake Bortles had one of his better seasons. His completion percentage was 60.2 and he threw 21 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. More of a game manager than his previous years. Add in rookie Leonard Fournette and you have an offense that is passable. Especially with a potent defense. But that was then and this is now.
Doug Marrone Employs an Offensive Philosophy of the Past
Doug Marrone’s recipe for the Jags offense is a strong run game. With a strong run game you would also expect it to set up play action pass plays. If this is employed mistake free, it will work. But that is of course not the case.
Whether Bortles throws a pick or someone fumbles, the offense is not set up to be high powered or with the ability to attack quickly. It’s more of one that needs limited errors, time of possession, and a stifling defense to help. This philosophy needs many things to fall into place to work. You need a best case scenario often. But we all know the best case scenario doesn’t happen with regularity. That’s why the best quarterbacks are called on to come in the clutch and bring their team to victory.
If you watched the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs Week 11 match up, you know the direction the league is heading. It’s a pass heavy league and Doug Marrone and Tom Coughlin seem to think they know better than the rest of the NFL.
A Quarterback That Doesn’t Match Any Offensive Strategy
When Blake Bortles was first drafted, the plan was not for the team to be so reliant on the run game and for him to be a game manager. Granted, Gus Bradley was the head coach at the time of drafting Bortles. But, it’s key to remember that the Jaguars drafted two receivers in the second round of 2014’s NFL draft. Both Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee joined the Jaguars the same year Bortles did. So did Allen Hurns, who was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2014.
Fast forward to 2015 and you have the season that Bortles broke some franchise records. He threw 35 touchdowns, had 4,428 passing yards, and had 355 completions on 606 attempts. That also led to a big season for the “Allen’s”. Allen Robinson had 80 receptions for 1400 yards and 14 touchdowns. Allen Hurns had 64 receptions for 1031 yards and 10 touchdowns. But many critics would say that much of Bortles’ stats in 2015 were garbage time yards and touchdowns. The “Allen’s” were definitely talented but it was an outlier season for Bortles.
Now it’s 2018 and you have a receiving corps that lacks the best receivers from the Jaguars 2015 campaign. Robinson is now on the Chicago Bears and Hurns is now on the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, Lee hasn’t played a snap in 2018 due to a season ending knee injury in the preseason. Though they added Donte Moncrief in free agency, general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone have obviously shifted away from having the best talent possible at wide receiver. The reason is obvious. Marrone knows Bortles has limitations and he is also in love with a power run philosophy. When you have a quarterback that isn’t a great passer and doesn’t even cut it as a game manager you have a problem.
The Last Word
The jury is still out on whether Doug Marrone should be in Jacksonville long term. To his defense, Dave Caldwell is likely the reason Blake Bortles is still on the team. But his idea to go with a power run offense is outdated and not currently embraced by the league’s best teams. In fact, his philosophy is probably partly to blame for Allen Robinson’s departure. Marrone’s philosophy goes against the grain of his contemporaries and devalues talent at the wide receiver position. If he wants to stay in Jacksonville much longer, he’d better change the game plan, or hope the team is really lucky.
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