JaguarMaven Week 12 Mailbag: What Happened to the Running Game?

Our weekly question and answer series where we take your pressing Jacksonville Jaguars questions and try to find the solutions.

Each week following a Jacksonville Jaguars game, JaguarMaven will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from our readers across social media and answer them in a question-and-answer format, giving readers a chance to have their voices heard.

You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the JaguarMaven twitter handle or our Facebook page.

Question from @BrodieTaylor8: Do you think the Myles Jack is the MLB (as opposed to SAM) Week 1, 2020? If so, is it the coaches, the player, or a combination keeping him there?

Well, as of Thursday afternoon, defensive coordinator Todd Wash made it clear that Jack’s role as MLB will remain the same.

Do I think he will be Week 1, 2020? I do not.

Jack, albeit uber-athletic, has been a wildly inconsistent player during his time in Jacksonville. Often times, he’ll get a bead on a play and over pursue, fail to disengage from blocks and get wiped out altogether, or get caught freelancing. The Jaguars need to prioritize adding an early-down run defender at MLB, and move Jack to the outside, where he athleticism will really shine. Until the man in the middle is addressed, the leaky run defense will continue to lose them games.

Question from @The_Loguester99: What type of adjustments will the Jaguars have to make regarding this awful, awful run defense, especially against a team that's so good in the red zone?

I think the easiest way to fix these issues would be to sign a traditional downhill thumper, like Danny Trevathan, in free agency, and go after Auburn DT Derrick Brown or South Carolina Javon Kinlaw with one of their first-round picks. Both players have an innate ability to disrupt the ground game and get after the passer. I’m particularly high on Kinlaw, as I feel his skill set best suits this particular defensive scheme, but Brown is considered the best of the bunch.

Question from @zach_goodall: You’re [insert whoever will make the eventual GM/HC hire]. Who is your ideal combo?

I’d have to say Lincoln Riley. He’d change the entire complexion of the team and invigorate some new life. My personal choice would be former Eagles QB/current Chiefs QB coach Mike Kafka, however, but he’ll likely need at least a year as an offensive coordinator before decision makers deem him ready to make the leap. He’s done a fantastic job for a few years now and will certainly be a name to watch.

While everyone knows that Riley is an offensive guru, he has also shown the ability to adapt and make changes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. It’s likely he’d want a large say in personnel, though, so it’s complicated.

Question from @RachaelFla: Why have they stopped using Leonard in the last two games? He was leading AFC and then all of a sudden they don’t use him as much.

I’d point to game-script being a major factor in that. In both of the past two uneven losses, the team has fell behind early, and gotten away from the formula that had been so successful weeks earlier. In order for the team to get back on track, they’ll need to rely on more than just the arm of Nick Foles – they’ll need to give Fournette 20-22 carries to control the time of possession and rediscover that balance.

Question from @_boog1: Josh Oliver’s injuries have been aplenty. Do you expect the jags to draft another TE?

Yes, I think they have to. When a player this early into his career has missed as much time as Oliver has, that is a cause for concern. Now, is he talented? Absolutely. But to go into the season with him as your top option and without a backup plan would be foolish, in my opinion. Enter Jared Pinkney, the dynamic tight end from Vanderbilt. Right now, I have him going as early as the end of the first round, but more likely the early part of the second should be his sweet spot. He is a player that can single handedly transform the Jags offense.

Question from @eastcoastnole: Why didn’t the Jags try better to establish the running game Sunday?

I think a large part of it was them trying to actively get Foles and the aerial attack into a rhythm. When they experienced some turbulence, it was too late, and the game script became pass heavy. Moving forward, it’s prudent that the team gets back to what’s made them so successful with Minshew at the helm -- and that is force feed Fournette the football. Run to set up the pass, essentially.