–Carlos Hyde will make his Jaguars debut this Sunday against the Eagles with one question in mind: can this former second-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers be a game-changer for the Jaguars running attack? That’s what Jacksonville is hoping for which is why they were willing to give up a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to the Cleveland Browns. He had gained 382 yards in 114 carries (3.4 average) this year and was the Browns’ leading rusher. Hyde had rushed for 938 and 988 yards in the last two seasons with the 49ers before signing a three-year, $15.25 million contract with the Browns in March. If he continues to match his 63 yards per game pace with the Browns thus far, he would be in line for a 1,000-yard season.
The Jaguars like the idea of a big, bruising type runner, which is why they drafted Leonard Fournette with their No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft. Unfortunately, Fournette has only played two quarters in two games this year, missing five other contests due to a hamstring injury. He won’t play again this week which means the earliest the Jaguars would get him back on the field is Week 10 for the Indianapolis game on Nov. 11. In the meantime, the Jaguars are hopeful that Hyde can help fill the void at running back, starting this week in London.
“First of all I need to learn this playbook,” Hyde said when asked how soon he could be up to speed and ready to play. “I’ve got to get on that ASAP. Once I get that part down pat, hopefully I can provide a spark to the offense and get things going moving the ball, keep the chains moving and put some points on the board.”
Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone feels good about being able to use Hyde for the Philadelphia game this week.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Marrone said. “The offense that he has been involved with, terminology-wise, is kind of close. In other words the philosophy, the principles, the foundations of the system is the same. I think that he has been very hungry and eager and today is the first day that we’ll get out there and see it. We’re excited about that.”
–Sacks and turnovers. They were two staples that the Jaguars used in 2017 in putting together one of the best defenses in the NFL that season. They registered 55 sacks, second only to Pittsburgh’s league-leading 56 sacks. In the takeaway department, the Jaguars recorded 33 (21 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries). The 33 takeaways were second most in the NFL (Baltimore had 34) as were the team’s 21 interceptions, trailing only Baltimore which had 22).
But Jacksonville, on the eve of the halfway mark of the 2018 season, are nowhere near those numbers this year. Through seven games, the Jaguars have recorded 15 sacks and just three interceptions. It’s quite a discrepancy in numbers and differences in the two categories and has Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone promising to put more emphasis on both categories in practice this week.
“We’re not playing like we want to play or should play. Obviously, the thing that has been getting us – the first one is obviously takeaways and giveaways,” Marrone said. “For us, we’re going to spend extra time and put it in the practice schedule to make sure we’re putting more of a major emphasis on that. It’s something that we have emphasized since the first day I have gotten this job. I have always emphasized it every time I’ve been a coach and especially when I’ve been the head coach.
“That’s what we have to do; we have to get out there with a lot of enthusiasm. We have a lot of things logistically that a lot of us have been through before with this trip going over to London. We have to get ourselves mentally prepared for that, doing all of the things that we have done in the past and get on the field and go practice and look forward to getting out there, putting in the work, look forward to getting out there to play this game.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 8,500 — Approximate number of miles that the Jaguars will fly in their round-trip excursion to London this weekend to play the Philadelphia Eagles. They will be airborne for slightly more than 16 total hours.
