Tag: Heath Farwell

ST coordinator Heath Farwell talks Jaguars’ revamped return team

ST coordinator Heath Farwell talks Jaguars’ revamped return team

The Jaguars revamped their return specialist corps this offseason.

First, the Jaguars allowed three-year returner Jamal Agnew to depart via free agency upon the expiration of his contract. He averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return and 8.5 yards per punt return but missed 15 games over three seasons with Jacksonville.

And with two returners now encouraged on the receiving end of kickoffs, due to the NFL’s March overhaul of the play, the Jaguars allocated resources in both free agency and the 2024 NFL draft to shore up the position, signing former Baltimore wide receiver Devin Duvernay and selecting running back Keilan Robinson in the fifth round.

The duo of Duvernay and Robinson has impressed Jacksonville special teams coordinator Heath Farwell throughout the offseason.

Duvernay immediately displayed “elite speed” during Jacksonville’s offseason team activities; Robinson’s draft scouting report and early returns in practice have showcased his potential to contribute not only on returns but in other special teams phases and even on offense.

“Duvernay [has] elite speed, that’s one thing I would say. It shows up. One of the first weeks he was here he was running 23 miles an hour. Elite speed that really shows up. So, we’re excited to have him. He’s a talented player from the Ravens. I watched him for years, and of course, he’s always been good,” Farwell said Monday.  

“Keilan Robinson was a guy that was my number one running back that I watched. I loved him right away. You saw what he did as a returner, I saw him playing other phases. He has the ability to play multiple phases for us, whether it’s gunner, corner on punt return, which he did some in college. He’s an elite returner, a kick returner, and he has actually been out there doing punt returns as well,” he continued. 

“He is a talented player with very good speed, tough, physical, does all the things we liked. Then of course I think he does a good job on offense. The offensive guys were on board. They liked him as well, catching the ball in the backfield doing some of the stuff he does.” 

Duvernay, a third-round selection by Baltimore out of Texas in the 2020 NFL draft, averaged 24.8 yards per kickoff return over 73 attempts, scoring two touchdowns, and recorded 12.8 yards per punt return over 69 attempts in his four seasons with the Ravens.

Duvernay also caught 94 passes for 898 yards and five touchdowns as a rotational and spot-starting wide receiver, making him a solid candidate for Jacksonville’s No. 4 wide receiver role moving forward. He signed a two-year deal worth $8.5 million with the Jaguars in March.

Robinson, also from Texas after beginning his college career at Alabama, was Jacksonville’s second fifth-round pick this year, taken at No. 167 overall, following cornerback Deantre Prince, at No. 153.

Over five college seasons, Robinson averaged 23.6 yards per kickoff return over 39 attempts, scoring one touchdown. He also reached the endzone after recovering a blocked punt, and blocked a punt of his own for a safety.

While his usage was limited offensively with the Longhorns and Crimson Tide, Robinson scored eight rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns over 151 total offensive touches, reaching 1,131 yards from scrimmage.

Although Duvernay and Robinson profile as Jacksonville’s return tandem entering 2024, Farwell has prioritized identifying depth at the position with the new kickoff rules in mind.

He singled out second-year running back Tank Bigsby as someone currently competing for such a role. Fellow 2023 Jaguars draft pick, wide receiver Parker Washington, returned 12 punts for the team last season, making him a sensible option, too.

“You’re going to need some other guys,” Farwell said. “Tank has done a really good job as well. We have a good group, nucleus of good returners [that] we’re going to need this year.” 

Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Team connections

A few, but notable, connections can be found between the #Bills & #Jaguars:

The Buffalo Bills (3-1) are heading to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) in London in Week 5.

While a brand new NFL weekend, both teams are familiar with one another. Some players and coaches more than others.

Here’s a quick list of connections the two teams have with one another ahead of Sunday’s matchup:

Jaguars’ Ross Matiscik wants to lead NFL long snappers in tackles

Jaguars special teamers want to see Ross Matiscik win the long snapper tackles title this season.

Two times through the first three games of the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Logan Cooke boomed a punt for more than 50 yards and the opposing punt returner was brought down by long snapper Ross Matiscik after picking up just four yards.

That pair of plays made by Matiscik has him tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Christian Kuntz for the league lead in the long snapper tackles race.

It’s no Mark McGwire vs. Sammy Sosa, to be sure. But it’s still a race that Matiscik and the Jaguars are keeping a close eye on.

“That would be sick,” Matiscik said of winning the long snapper tackle title. “My job is to tackle and protect and then anything after that I kind of view as extra. But I take pride in my coverage abilities. I like making plays downfield and helping the team.”

Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell said Thursday that it’s a title the entire unit wants Matiscik to win.

“It’s something that’s funny because we have a lot of fun in our room and we actually show the long snapper tackle board,” Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell said Thursday. “It’s something we have a lot of fun with, they love Ross so it’s been a little deal with them on if he can lead the league in tackles. It’s a big part of what we do in our coverage.

“At some point, other coordinators are probably going to start blocking him and not treating him like a snapper, which is a respect for him and his coverage. He’s covering fantastic.”

Matiscik, 27, was a linebacker at Baylor before winning the long snapping job in Jacksonville in 2020. After two reliable seasons in the role, Matiscik signed a five-year, $5.965 million extension with the Jaguars last offseason.

Jacksonville’s special teams struggled in Week 3, allowing a blocked field goal and an 85-yard kickoff return touchdown. But the punt coverage unit has allowed only 5.6 yards per return and it has pinned its opponent inside the 20-yard line seven times — landing the Jaguars in the top 10 in both stats. Matiscik’s coverage downfield has contributed to that success.

“You see people actually blocking him when they usually just let snappers go,” Cooke said. “He just turns into an extra cover guy.”

“He always tells me, ‘Keep them away from the sidelines so they’ll come to me a little bit,'” Cooke added with a laugh.

Last year, Matiscik finished with four tackles — one behind the Denver Broncos’ Mitchell Fraboni and Dallas Cowboys’ Matt Overton for the league lead among long snappers.

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Jaguars ST coordinator Heath Farwell explains blocked field goal error

Heath Farwell explained why there was a crease exploited by Will Anderson Jr. on a blocked field goal.

After a sluggish start for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, momentum swung even harder in the Houston Texans’ direction when a 51-yard field goal attempt for Brandon McManus was blocked. Instead of cutting the Texans’ lead to 7-3, the visiting team quickly ballooned its lead to 14 points.

To block the kick, the Texans didn’t have a speedy player dive to make the play after bending around the edge. They didn’t have a player jump over the lines. And there wasn’t a Jaguars lineman pancaked on his back by a Houston player bulldozing his way to the kicker.

So why was Texans rookie linebacker Will Anderson Jr. able to squeeze through a gap and make the play?

“The way field goal protection works, everybody has to be in unison,” Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell explained Thursday. “It’s all interlocked in. When you have one guy that’s off or two guys that are off, you get a little crease.

“Our left tackle who has done a really good job for us so far this season, just got a little leaning forward and didn’t get his outside arm up. His job is to be interlocked in with that tackle, and make sure he has a heavy weight foot as his inside foot, so he doesn’t get pried out. Also, get a good arm hook. When you get a little crease like that, a good rusher like [Anderson], he’s able to get in there.”

While Farwell didn’t name anyone specifically, the issue came when tackles Walker Little and Anton Harrison didn’t work in unison on the left side of the line.

“Just not great execution and that’s on me,” Farwell said. “That’s something we have got to be much cleaner, that’s something we will work on a ton and it’s been addressed. We’re moving forward with it.”

It was one of two massive errors for the Jaguars special teams unit Sunday, as the team also allowed Texans fullback Andrew Beck to break free for an 85-yard kickoff return.

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Brandon McManus explains why he called the Jaguars as a free agent

Brandon McManus is excited to be joining an “up and coming” team.

Brandon McManus is happy to be the newest member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The former Denver Broncos kicker was so interested in joining the team that he tracked down the phone number of Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and gave him a call after he became a free agent.

“I loved Heath and I loved our conversation, but I don’t know that he was the draw,” McManus said Tuesday after his first practice with the Jaguars. “This team is up and coming, a lot of young roster here. A phenomenal run to close out the season last year as AFC South champions and then an incredible comeback in the playoff game.

“I’m a big fan of Doug Pederson as well, what he was able to do in Philadelphia, win a Super Bowl. A lot of that culmination here, obviously it’s a beautiful place to live here in Jacksonville, Florida. And Heath was a bonus. It’s always nice to like your boss.”

McManus, 31, said he didn’t exactly call the Jaguars blindly. After finding out that general manager Trent Baalke had expressed interest to his agent, McManus tracked down Farwell’s phone number by reaching out to Joe DeCamillis, a veteran special teams coach who had stints with the Broncos and Jaguars.

In nine seasons with the Broncos, McManus made 40 field goals from at least 50 yards and 223 total field goals.

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Brandon McManus called the Jaguars to ask for a contract

Brandon McManus called the Jaguars to express his interest after he became a free agent.

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t been a top-tier destination for free agents in a long time, but that has changed, as of late. After winning the AFC South and a playoff game last season, expectations are now pretty high for the team heading into the 2023 season.

So much so that kicker Brandon McManus called the Jaguars to ask if he could get a spot on the roster when he became a free agent earlier this month.

“Brandon reached out to me, so he’s a guy who wanted to play here,” Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell told reporters Tuesday morning. “I think that just kind of gives you a picture of where the culture has gone. We have players who are free agents after getting released saying ‘Hey coach, I would love to play here.’ It’s just a testament to what Coach [Doug] Pederson has done, what the overall team is like.

“So it’s a guy who wanted to be here and then it was an opportunity to get better as a group. Riley [Patterson] did a really good job, but [McManus] is a guy who gives us a lot more flexibility, not only on kickoffs to pin them deep and do different things, but it gives us a longer kickoff line on Sundays.”

Farwell said he didn’t have much of a pre-existing relationship with McManus, who he had only met prior to a few games in the past.

McManus spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos where he made 223 field goals, including 40 from at least 50 yards.

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Logan Cooke deserves Pro Bowl spot, says Jaguars special teams coordinator

Should Logan Cooke be a Pro Bowler?

The Jacksonville Jaguars appear unlikely to send any player to the Pro Bowl at the end of the 2022 season, but special teams coordinator Heath Farwell thinks that’d be a disservice to punter Logan Cooke.

“We’re able to watch a very, very talented punter and Pro Bowl talent, and hopefully this is his year,” Farwell said of Cooke in a Thursday press conference. “If it’s not, he deserves it. He’s a special player we’re lucky to have. I was fortunate to have him here, the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him, and I just walk into a spectacular player.”

Cooke’s abilities were on full display during the 28-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens. After 70- and 68-yard punts both trickled into the end zone after they couldn’t quite be saved by the coverage unit, Daniel Thomas managed to track down another one that was downed at the two-yard line and counted as a 68-yarder.

“I see him do it every day,” Farwell said. “He’s super talented, he works at it every day. One is spectacular, let alone to have three of them, it’s pretty special. It’s something he works at all the time, and then to have [Thomas] go down there on that one at the two just made it even better.”

Through the first 12 weeks of the season, the only punter in the NFL (with at least 10 punts) who has recorded more yards per punt than Cooke’s 51.2-yard average is the Tennessee Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse with 53.1 yards. In the first update of Pro Bowl voting, Stonehouse was the leading vote getter among AFC punters.

Cooke, 27, was a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and signed a four-year, $12 million contract extension with the Jaguars in March 2021.

Jaguars rookie Chad Muma has been ‘unbelievable’ on special teams

Special teams coordinator Heath Farwell has loved what he’s seen from rookie linebacker Chad Muma.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Chad Muma hasn’t played much on defense through two games with Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd ahead of him on the depth chart, but special teams coordinator Heath Farwell hasn’t minded.

“Chad played unbelievable,” Farwell said Thursday of Muma’s contributions on special teams in Week 2. “You guys saw the tackles, but it was the physicality that was impressive of just getting off blocks, running his feet, just physical play.

“I challenged our guys, ‘Let’s play just as fast as them or match that,’ and our guys battled. They played hard, and he was a big part of it. He played physical, played fast, so he played unbelievable. That was impressive.”

Muma, 23, was the Jaguars’ third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and made a push for a starting role on defense while Lloyd was out of action for much of August. But the Jaguars’ second of two first-round picks eventually earned a starting spot and has excelled early.

While that hasn’t left room for Muma to contribute much on defense, Farwell says it’s only a matter of time before he’s no longer a help on special teams.

“Early in training camp, we saw the signs of, ‘This guy is going to be a really good special teamer,’ and he’s a guy that we’ll lose because he’s too good of a player not to have on the field on defense,” Farwell said.

Through two weeks, Muma has taken eight snaps on defense and 33 on special teams. He’s recorded four tackles.

Jamal Agnew will get more chances ‘as legs get tired’ later in the year, says Heath Farwell

Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell isn’t worried about teams trying to avoid returner Jamal Agnew.

One of the few bright spots during a horrible 2021 season for the Jacksonville Jaguars was the dynamic return ability of Jamal Agnew. But in a Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders, Agnew’s only action on special teams was diving on a punt that looked like it may have bounced off a Jaguars player.

Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell isn’t worried about teams trying to limit Agnew’s chances, though.

“Every team is trying to avoid him, they’re going to try to kick touchbacks anyway they can,” Farwell said Thursday. “[The Commanders] were fortunate to have a guy that can do that. But, the reality is, as legs get tired, they won’t be able to kick those deep.

“So, we may only get one opportunity, and that’s what we talked to our guys about, is that you may only get one opportunity because they’re trying to kick touchbacks. We got to be ready at any point. So, those plays will come and I think as the year goes on, it gets colder, the legs get more tired, the ball is shorter, now all the sudden they can’t kick those touchbacks. Those plays will come.”

Agnew, 27, returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown late in a Week 2 loss to the Denver Broncos last season. A week later, he returned a field goal miss 109 yards for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. Agnew’s season eventually ended early due to a hip injury suffered in November.

Heath Farwell has ‘a ton’ of confidence in kicker Riley Patterson

Farwell is secure in his decision to start Patterson in the #Jaguars’ regular season debut.

Last week’s roaster shake-ups saw the Jacksonville Jaguars cut two kickers who had looked promising in preseason action. They would go on to sign one of them, rookie James McCourt, back to the practice squad, but the team would eventually decide to rely on new acquisition Riley Patterson for full-time help at the position.

Special teams coordinator Heath Farwell was asked about the Jaguars’ situation at kicker on Thursday and told reporters that he was more than comfortable with his staff’s decision to roll with Patterson in Week 1.

“I’ve got a ton of confidence,” Farwell said about his new kicker. “He’s done a great job since he’s been here. He started out the first two practices 10 of 11. He did a really, really good job, exactly what we thought he’d do. Yesterday wasn’t as good, but that’s what practice is for. So much of getting him caught of to speed of the timing, the timing aspect of our snapper, with Logan’s (P Logan Cooke) holds, what does that look like, when does he leave?

“I say when does he leave, I mean when does he approach the ball? You’re talking 1.2, seconds to get there and get the kick off, so we’re just working through that timing of it. Nothing but confidence in him. I think he’s going to do a fantastic job. We’re kicking again today, so that’ll be good to get one more look at it before Sunday.”

There will be no true way to prepare Patterson for the rigors of a season spent starting in the NFL, even as a kicker. The precision that will be necessary to survive the year is going to be overwhelmingly demanding at times, and without any teammates to lean on as a safety net, he will need to be nails from his opening kickoff to the final field goal attempt of his season.