Category: Jay Gruden

Tyler Eifert discusses his transition into Jay Gruden’s offense, Gardner Minshew

From the moment Jay Gruden joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, many fans singled out Tyler Eifert as a player who could join his former coach in Northeast Florida as the team had a need for a veteran tight end. As expected, the reunion between the two …

From the moment Jay Gruden joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, many fans singled out Tyler Eifert as a player who could join his former coach in Northeast Florida as the team had a need for a veteran tight end. As expected, the reunion between the two became a reality in March and now the two are ready to restore the success they had with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In a Zoom meeting with the media Thursday, Eifert was asked about his connection with Gruden and how well his transition was going. Unsurprisingly, he stated that things were going as well as possible despite the limitations that the coronavirus has caused.

“We get along great,” Eifert said Thursday in a conference call with the media. “I had a good understanding of the offense he runs. Just having that familiarity with the offense is nice. There’s some new stuff in here. But just being familiar with it and having a general idea of what’s going on makes it a lot easier to learn.”

Eifert’s addition wasn’t one only made to bring an experienced veteran into the mix but it was also one made for the sake of giving quarterback Gardner Minshew II the big target he desperately needed up the middle in 2019. Of course, the reason for the Jags’ struggles at tight end was due to the slew of injuries they had at the position as James O’Shaughnessy and Josh Oliver were placed on injured reserve. In addition to Eifert both will be back, which could give the Jags a huge boost offensively.

In the Zoom call, Eifert praised Minshew’s abilities as a leader and stated that he felt the young quarterback was someone the team could rally behind despite not meeting him in person since signing with the Jags or watching film on him.

With the NFL stating that the season will begin on schedule, Eifert and Minshew will eventually take the field together though it isn’t certain when. In the meantime, it appears the veteran and the rest of the offense is doing everything in their power to hit the ground running when team operations start.

Jaguars sign RB Chris Thompson to a 1-year deal

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be bringing in former Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. RB Chris Thompson is signing a one-year deal with the Jaguars, per source. Good pass-catching …

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be bringing in former Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Thompson, 29, was a fifth-round selection (No. 154 overall) out of Florida State for the Redskins in 2013 NFL Draft. While there he served predominantly as a pass-catcher and will enter Jacksonville with 1,772 career receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. As a rusher, he managed to garner 1,194 career yards and five touchdowns with Washington.

Thompson is also a native of Greenville, Fla., just an hour and 45 minutes from Jacksonville.

Thompson played under current Jaguars coordinator Jay Gruden from 2014-19. With there being a connection between the two, it appears the Jags wanted to add a veteran to their running backs room. Currently, the group includes Leonard Fournette, Ryquell Armstead, and Devine Ozigbo at the top of the depth chart, none of whom have been in the league as long as Thompson.

Reports: Jags have ‘legitimate interest’ in Andy Dalton, Patriots eying him as well

The Jags could use some competition at the quarterback position and are eying Andy Dalton to come in and provide it.

Earlier in the month NFL insider Ian Rapoport joined Jags Wire for an episode of “Bleav in the Jags” and revealed that the Jacksonville Jaguars would have interest in veteran quarterback Andy Dalton if released.

Well, that time has come and he’s a free agent.

[protected-iframe id=”453a474282dff9ed4fb1bc10b76e58cf-105974738-159322853″ info=”https://art19.com/shows/bleav-in-the-jacksonville-jaguars/episodes/360da3da-e0e7-473a-9af9-adc5c810f141/embed” scrolling=”no”]

Since his release this morning many have come forward to confirm that the Jags are now looking into bringing Dalton in including a report from Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who also stated the New England Patriots have interest, too.

Afterward, NFL Network’s Steve Wyche also chimed in on the report, stating that his source, who is close to the situation, said the Jags’ interest in Dalton was “legitimate.” He added that the potential addition of Dalton is one that may put Minshew Mania “on hold” but said the Jags’ salary cap situation could be a snag in talks.

According to the NFLPA’s public salary cap report (generated daily, per their site), the Jags have over $18.6 million in available cap space. It’s unclear if that included the franchise tag assigned to Yannick Ngakoue (approximately worth $18 million), but one would assume so. With that being the case, the Jags could look to bring in Dalton on a “prove-it” type deal like the one Ryan Tannehill signed last season with the Tennessee Titans (worth $12 million with incentives and guaranteed $7 million).

The only issue they would have to worry about at that point is someone offering a better deal (as a backup or starter) as Wyche said. Then again, maybe he’ll be drawn to the Jags because of his familiarity with Gruden and the system, even if other offers are better. Regardless, fans should be on Dalton watch these next few days as the Jags clearly want him to join the organization.

Bengals release QB Andy Dalton

The Bengals have released Andy Dalton, which now means the Jags can take a swing at him as a free agent.

After the selection of Joe Burrow first overall, many figured it was a matter of time for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to part ways with the Cincinnati Bengals. That moment came Thursday morning, now putting the veteran on the open market.

Of course, this news is important to Jacksonville Jaguars fans because they’ve been long rumored to have interest in him. Several weeks ago, NFL insider Ian Rapoport joined us via the “Bleav in the Jags” podcast and labeled Dalton as a guy to watch for the Jags if released. The veteran spent the first three years of his career playing under current Jags offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and the two seemingly built a good relationship in the process.

The Bengals were also able to make the postseason each time although they could never exit the first-round. That eventually led to Gruden getting a head coaching job with the Washington Redskins where he spent just over four seasons.

The Jags seem to be ready to start Gardner Minshew II, but acquiring Dalton would give them one of the better backup quarterback situations in football. Dalton will enter 2020 with a 62% career completion rate (2,757-of-4,449) for 31,594 yards, 118 interceptions, and 204 touchdowns.

As it stands, the Jags’ No. 2 quarterback is Joshua Dobbs, who doesn’t have a career start to his name despite the team giving up a fifth-round pick for him last season. They also have Oregon State’s Jake Luton, who they selected in this past weekend’s draft. He’ll be coming off a season where he threw for 2,714 yards, completed 62% of his passed, and accumulated 28 touchdowns.

 

CBS slots Jags at No. 27 spot of power rankings

Occasional Jags radio analyst Pete Prisco slotted the team at the No. 27 spot of his power rankings, which is actually better than others.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2019 season was one in which was hard to watch and fans actually rejoiced its end. They only bested their win total from 2018 by just one win with a 6-10 record, well below their expectations.

Someone who watched them extensively throughout the process was CBS Sports and occasional Jags radio analyst Pete Prisco, who recently released his post-Super Bowl power rankings with the Jags slotted at the No. 27 spot.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

Even after the bad showing last season, coach Doug Marrone is back. They have a new offensive coordinator in Jay Gruden, who has to decide on Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles as his quarterback.

The Jags named Jay Gruden to their staff last month, and as Prisco pointed out, he’ll be an important part of the Jags’ season if they are to have a turnaround. While his run with the Washington Redskins ended unimpressively, his success as on offensive coordinator certainly indicates that he can get the Jags’ offense right.

In addition to deciding on who will be the better option behind center, the Jags will need to find pieces around which ever quarterback is declared the winner. The Jags’ offensive line needs boosting, they need significant upgrades at tight end, and could use a receiver to pair with DJ Chark Jr., so Gruden will have his work cut out for him. If Gruden can overcome the Herculean task, however, the Jags could find themselves further up Prisco’s power rankings this fall.

As for the rest of the AFC South, Prisco slotted the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans at the No. 10 and No. 11 spots, respectively. The Indianapolis Colts came in behind them at the No. 20 spot.

3 things to know about new Jags QBs coach Ben McAdoo

The Jags have a new quarterbacks coach in Ben McAdoo who has had quite an interesting career prior to signing.

The Jacksonville Jaguars filled another vacancy on their staff Tuesday night as former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo signed to take the team’s quarterbacks coach vacancy. With the team having an unusual season behind center in 2019, McAdoo will now be charged with getting the best out of Gardner Minshew II and Nick Foles, who will battle to start this offseason.

With McAdoo being such a key hiring for the Jags, here are three things to know about the veteran assistant who will return to coaching after a few years off:

He’s been in the league for 16 years

McAdoo initially entered the NFL as a quality controls coach in 2004 with the New Orleans Saints and has worked his way up the ranks. It was there where he met and was interviewed by current Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who he followed to San Francisco and Green Bay (where McCarthy became a head coach).

While in Green Bay as a tight ends coach (2006–11) and a quarterbacks coach (2012–13), McAdoo saw the Packers have great success including a victory in Super Bowl XLV and numerous playoff runs. However, his biggest achievement was getting to coach Aaron Rodgers for two years, who he grew a solid bond with (which we’ll bring up later).

McAdoo’s last stop before Jacksonville was with the Giants where he got his first crack at being an offensive coordinator (2014-15). In just his second year with the role, he propelled the Giants to having the sixth-highest-scoring offense in the NFL. Eli Manning also had career highs in passing attempts, completions, and touchdowns that season.

Of course, that led to the Giants promoting him to their head coaching role in 2017. Initially, he was able to have some success in his first season by aiding the team to their first playoff berth since 2011. Unfortunately after that, the wheels fell off in 2018 and he was fired but there are certainly some good achievements on his résumé.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Could addition of Jay Gruden lead to the Jags having interest in A.J. Green?

The addition of the Jags’ new offensive coordinator could send them in the direction of A.J. Green this offseason.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are heading into a crucial offseason and one in which general manager Dave Caldwell knows he has to make the right moves. With Shad Khan being patient with both him and Doug Marrone through two losing seasons, the team will be in “win now” mode once again this offseason and will have to land several starters in free agency and the draft.

After a rough season, the Jags will have to put a lot of resources into building around Gardner Minshew II (or maybe even Nick Foles). Of course, that will include bolstering the offensive line and landing the best tight end possible. The one area that seems to get overlooked is the receivers corps, however, where the Jags could use a star to keep teams from keying in on DJ Chark Jr.

With a new offensive coordinator in Jay Gruden, he’ll likely have some input in declaring what’s needed, and if he feels receiver is worth addressing, it wouldn’t be a shocker for him to bang the table for his former player A.J. Green. As many are aware, Gruden was his coordinator during his first three years in Cincinnati and was very successful in the process, totaling three 1,000 yard seasons, three Pro Bowl nominations, and two second-team All-Pro nominations.

Green, 31, is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason if the Bengals don’t retain him. While he’s over the age of 30 and didn’t play last season, many feel he has several good years left in him and the Jags could honestly use a veteran of his caliber. The reason for that is because they are as young of a team as fans will find, which clearly showed in 2019 between the penalties they accumulated and struggles in general.

If the Jags were to add Green, there wouldn’t be much of a transition for him in terms of learning the scheme and he could help the Jags’ key players like Minshew and Chark pick it up, too. In fact, the situation would be identical to Foles’ addition to John DeFilippo’s scheme last March as the veteran already knew a great deal of the system’s verbiage and strengths.

Personally, I don’t think the Jags should try and add Green but it definitely will come up behind closed doors as the team begins to discuss free agency. However, the key thing to consider here is the fact that the Jags will have to be selective of the money they spend. In all probability, the position they may need to spend the most on is at tight end, the defensive line, or at linebacker, which are significantly more pressing needs.

Additionally, the wide receivers class for this year’s draft is great and deep. The Jags could find a pretty cheap option outside of the first-round, but if they value experience at the position, don’t be shocked to see them have interest in Green.

Kirk Cousins on Jay Gruden: ‘I owe him him a great deal for my progression and development’

One of the last two NFL games of the 2019 season will be played this Sunday as the AFC and NFC will duke it out for the 2020 Pro Bowl. One player who fans will get to see take the field in the process is Kirk Cousins, a former quarterback of new …

One of the last two NFL games of the 2019 season will be played this Sunday as the AFC and NFC will duke it out for the 2020 Pro Bowl. One player who fans will get to see take the field in the process is Kirk Cousins, a former quarterback of new Jags offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

Earlier this week during practice, Jaguars reporter Ashlyn Sullivan was able to talk to Cousins about Gruden, who had nothing but praise for his old head coach from his time with the Washington Redskins.

“It was a great hire. I don’t think they could’ve done any better than coach Gruden,” Cousins said on Thursday. “So experienced, he’s had so much production in calling plays with a variety of different players in a variety of different places. So he will do a great job with that team, with that system, and I think everybody is in a good place hiring him.”

Cousins words definitely should mean something to Jags fans because, after all, he is playing in the Pro Bowl and has had postseason success, too. This postseason, the Minnesota Vikings and Cousins pulled off a huge upset against the New Orleans Saints to open up the postseason. Simply put, wouldn’t have been possible without Cousins’ experience while with Gruden and the Redskins.

“When he came in I was a nobody in this league. I couldn’t even spell Pro Bowl,” Cousins added. “And so I look at his development with me and the work he did through 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. I was with him for four years. I owe him him a great deal for my progression and my development as a player, and he knows that. I expect him to do the same with a lot of those young players in Jacksonville.”

Now, Gruden will be tasked with coaching up another young quarterback in Gardner Minshew II (and a veteran in Nick Foles), who flashed as a rookie by winning six games but is far from a finished product. With Gruden’s west coast scheme allowing Minshew to make quick decisions, it could be move that helps the team tremendously as the Jags need a spark offensively after finishing 26th in points and 20th in yards.

Poll: Do you approve of the hiring of Jay Gruden?

Did the Jaguars get their OC hire correct? Let us know in the poll.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have filled their most important vacancy by adding former Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden to the staff as their new offensive coordinator. The hiring is one that gives the Jags an experienced veteran who has been both a head coach and offensive coordinator, something Doug Marrone stressed he wanted within his staff.

Sure, Gruden’s stint with the Redskins didn’t go as planned but there were some good things to come out of his run with the organization. He was able to register two winning seasons, one of which resulted in a playoff berth and he was able to coach up Kirk Cousins to the point where he could get a historic contract, although not with the Redskins.

Before that, he was able to help the Cincinnati Bengals make three straight postseason appearances (2011-13) while grooming Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, both of whom he worked with during their rookie seasons and beyond. That said, it appears Marrone felt Gruden’s resume with young offensive players was worth giving him a shot and the rest is history.

Now, we’d like to hear from you all at home. Was the addition of Jay Gruden a good hire?

[protected-iframe id=”f5caf53d1f71c6e6d637584002d2971e-105974738-159322853″ info=”https://static.apester.com/js/sdk/latest/apester-sdk.js” height=”360″ class=”apester-media”]