Tag: Mike Caldwell

Doug Pederson: ‘The players, at some point, have to have enough pride’

Doug Pederson is at a loss for what more Jaguars coaches can do to get the team to stop shooting itself in the foot.

Last week, after a third straight loss, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said coaches had “to find the good” and preach positivity to help the team pull out of its slide.

Well, clearly that didn’t work.

After a 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the coach wasn’t much in the mood for finding silver linings. With 10 turnovers for the Jaguars offense in three games, Pederson instead challenged his team to show a little pride.

“I can’t go out there and do it,” Pederson said. “You know, [offensive coordinator] Press [Taylor] can’t do it. [Defensive coordinator] Mike Caldwell can’t do it. I mean the players at some point have to have enough pride to not turn … listen, they’re not trying to turn the ball over, but there has to be a sense of urgency to have the ball security to protect the football, and it’s not there right now.”

Trevor Lawrence threw two interceptions in the first half Sunday, both of which appeared to be a consequence of miscommunication between the quarterback and his intended targets. That’s been a prevailing theme throughout December for the Jaguars.

Another two turnovers came via fumbles by Lawrence and tight end Evan Engram. There was also a fumbled exchange between Lawrence and running back D’Ernest Johnson that was recovered by Johnson for a five-yard loss.

“You can’t pin this all on the quarterback, right?” Pederson said. “I mean, everybody else practiced. As a team, it wasn’t good. The sense of urgency wasn’t there, we didn’t execute very well on offense, the turnovers keep piling up, the run game, all that kind of stuff. It just affects the whole process. So, it’s not one guy, it’s the coaches, myself, the players, we’re all in this together.”

Thanks to a terrible day for the entire AFC South, the Jaguars are still first in the division with two weeks left. It may even take just one more win for Jacksonville to get into the playoffs. But unless things change significantly soon, it doesn’t look like it’ll matter much either way.

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Mike Caldwell: Crowd noise is a good thing, but we struggled with it

Mike Caldwell agreed with Doug Pederson that home crowd noise caused his defense trouble Monday night.

A few days after Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said the noise from the home crowd at EverBank Stadium created issues for his team’s defense, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell echoed the sentiment Thursday.

“It’s the crowd noise,” Caldwell said when asked why the team had communication issues Monday. “It’s a good thing, as a defensive coach and as a defensive player, you want it to be as loud as it can be. We just have to do a better job of communicating. Getting tighter in the huddle, echoing the call, and go from there.

“You want the crowd as loud as it can be. It’s our job to communicate. We have to get in the huddle, get tighter, make sure we echo the calls, and get the call to everybody. It has nothing to do with crowd noise, it’s just us. We understand that it should be loud at home, it will be loud at home, and we just have to handle it.”

In a 34-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jaguars allowed 491 yards of total offense, the most of any game this season and more than any game last season too. Especially surprising is the fact that it came against a team led by Jake Browning, a quarterback making his second career start. The Bengals averaged 291.7 yards prior to Monday.

Jacksonville, on the other hand, returned all 11 starters from last season and had all 11 of those players active in Week 13.

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Why the Jaguars’ defense, and the ‘other’ Josh Allen, deserve your attention

The 8-3 Jacksonville Jaguars are getting it done with a defense that may have escaped your attention. It’s time to take a closer look.

Quite under the radar, the Jacksonville Jaguars have assembled a 8-3 record, and they’re currently the AFC’s three-seed, behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. The prime mover for this improvement for a team that finished 9-8 last season, snuck into the playoffs, and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, is a defense that currently ranks fifth in the NFL in DVOA — eighth against the pass, and first against the run.

And the prime mover in that defense is clearly EDGE Josh Allen — the Josh Allen who’s having the better season of the NFL’s two Josh Allen’s. The 2019 seventh-overall pick out of Kentucky has the league’s fifth-most pressures among edge-rushers, and his 13 sacks ranks third.

Against the Houston Texans last Sunday in a 24-21 win, that defense and Allen in particular made rookie phenom C.J. Stroud as uncomfortable in and out of the pocket as he’s been in his professional career. Per Pro Football Focus, Stroud was pressured on 28 of his 46 dropbacks, and that’s exactly what it looked like on tape.

“They really didn’t do too much,” Stroud said after the game of Jacksonville’s pressure looks. “They sent some pressure, but not as much as they did early on [in Week 3, when the Texans beat the Jaguars, 37-17]. They got us a couple of times in some weird fronts with some pressure looks. I’ve got to be better with throwing the ball high and things like that, but they really didn’t do much different. They’re a sound team. They’re up front. Josh Allen and [fellow EDGE Travon] Walker set the tone.”

Allen’s two sacks in this game showed how defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and defensive line coach Brentson Buckner are dialing things up in subtle ways to affect and upset opposing quarterbacks.

The first sack came with 3:14 left in the first quarter. Linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd mugged left guard Juice Scruggs. This made it a six-man pressure look with Olokun dropping and Lloyd occupying left tackle Laremy Tunsil, while Allen came off the left edge unblocked — not a great idea. At the same time, safety Tre Herndon blitzed from the other side on a delay from slot depth.

Allen’s second sack came with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter. Here, Allen was to Tunsil’s outside shoulder, and defensive tackle Angelo Blackson was to Scruggs’ outside shoulder. Blackson occupied Scruggs, and then Allen just made a great play, slipping through Tunsil and Scruggs and chasing Stroud down. This is a defense that can get after your quarterback in multiple ways.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys go deep on this Jacksonville defense, the secret stars that make it work, and how this can set the Jaguars up for success as the season continues.

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring all of Week 13’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Mike Caldwell says eyes, feet explain Jaguars’ low penalty count

Seven games into the 2023 season, the Jaguars have drawn just one flag for defensive pass interference.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been called for 33 penalties through their first seven games. Jaguars opponents have picked up 47. That net advantage of 14 penalties leads all teams through Week 7.

No unit for Jacksonville has been more impressive in its avoidance of flags than the team’s secondary. While there have been 120 defensive pass interference penalties called across the league so far this season, the Jaguars have been called for just one: a Week 5 call against Tyson Campbell that was declined by the Buffalo Bills.

“Defensive penalties come with your eyes being in the wrong spot and your feet being in the wrong spot,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said Thursday. “Our guys have done a good job of keeping their hands to themselves and making plays on the ball. It goes hand in hand, sometimes you have bigger receivers, sometimes you have small, quick ones. If your eyes are in the right spot and you play the right technique, you should be able to keep your hands off of them.”

The Jaguars have had plenty of opportunities to give their opponents freebies via penalty. No team has had to defend more passes so far this season and Jacksonville’s last two opponents combined for an absurd 110 attempts.

Timidity hasn’t been the reason the Jaguars have avoided penalties either. The team leads the NFL in takeaways with 16 and both cornerback Darious Williams and safety Andre Cisco have three interceptions each.

“It’s also about not panicking,” Cisco said of avoiding penalties. “You talk about thinking takeaways, if you’re thinking about the ball and you’re not thinking about tugging on a receiver … that type of mindset can help as well.”

The Jaguars were called for 98 penalties during the 2022 season, 18th most in the NFL. They drew eight flags for defensive pass interference with two each on Campbell and Shaquill Griffin and one each for Cisco, Williams, Tre Herndon, and Chris Claybrooks.

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The Colts dared the Jaguars defense to adjust, but the bluff got called

The Colts hoped their 16-play opening drive would convince the Jaguars to make an adjustment on defense. Mike Caldwell didn’t oblige.

Gardner Minshew’s first game back at EverBank Stadium started with nine consecutive completions. While it wasn’t enough to get into the end zone, the Indianapolis Colts’ opening drive spanned 16 plays and 65 yards before ending with a short field goal.

It was a drive the Colts hoped would cause the Jacksonville Jaguars to make some adjustments on defense. But when the Jaguars were dared to change, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell didn’t oblige.

“They played base defense against us all day, whether we were in our big personnel or our sub personnel… just to alleviate double teams, not let us get to the second level,” Colts center Ryan Kelly told ESPN’s Stephen Holder after the loss. “They did it against us Week 1. [They said] we’ll give you the 5-yard routes. We thought we would be able to pass them out of it, but it didn’t work.”

On the Colts’ first drive, the average depth of Gardner Minshew’s targets was just 1.7 yards. While it was a mostly effective start to the game, it wasn’t something the Jaguars felt was sustainable.

We knew right then and there, they were not going to beat us doing that,” Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen said. “They were not going to score if they kept dinking and dunking. For us, it was finding that moment, finding that opportunity to keep them to field goals and stop them on first down.”

Indianapolis finished with 44 rushing yards on the day on only 17 attempts. It wasn’t much better than the 65 rushing yards the team managed against the Jaguars in Week 1. In the Colts’ other four games this season, they’ve finished with at least 125 rushing yards.

Maybe even more important than the stout run defense was the four turnovers forced by the Jaguars defense. A Josh Allen strip sack and an Andre Cisco interception, both in the second quarter, set up a pair of Jaguars touchdowns that ballooned the team’s lead to 18 points.

“The game plan was to stop the run,” Jaguars safety Andre Cisco said. “They came out dinking and dunking. We knew that’s not something you could get successful all day in this league. You can’t just dink and dunk and drive the field every time. Especially against a defense like us.

“We were taking away the shot plays and stopping the run. That’s kind of what they had to resort to.”

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Antonio Johnson aims to ‘just keep proving’ he’s ready for bigger role

Antonio Johnson played his first NFL snaps Sunday against the Bills. Now, he wants to earn more.

Many felt the Jacksonville Jaguars found a steal in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft when they snagged defensive back Antonio Johnson with the 160th overall pick.

Excitement about the rookie continued to swell when he was a standout in training camp. Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell described Johnson as “spectacular” in August. But that enthusiasm was shelved when the rookie suffered a hamstring injury.

For the last two games of preseason and the first four games of the regular season, Johnson was sidelined. On Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the rookie finally made his regular season debut.

“I was excited, there was a lot of emotions out there,” Johnson said. “I just went out there and tried to give it my all. First game back, first game playing. I just wanted to have fun.”

Johnson played 10 snaps on defense and 16 on special teams as the team’s starting gunner. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said the team envisions Johnson continuing to play as a gunner while working his way into more snaps on defense.

“His role will increase, he’ll get more reps obviously on defense, maybe more dime situations or three-four if we go the three safety looks,” Pederson said. “If you go dime, he’s athletic enough to cover tight ends and running backs, stuff like that. I think you be smart with it, don’t overwhelm him with a lot of information, a lot of stuff right now.”

During a decorated career at Texas A&M, where Johnson was a two-time All-SEC selection, he lined up in the slot on the majority of his defensive snaps. Similar to Pederson, Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said Johnson may see more snaps if the team decides to have three or four safeties on the field.

“It was good to get his first dose of play in,” Caldwell said. “I thought he played well. He covered well, he had good play speed. He’ll continue to grow into his role.”

The goal for Johnson is to show that he deserves that bigger role.

“As the weeks go on, just keep proving myself in practice on special teams and on defense,” Johnson said. “Really just give the coaches confidence in me to allow me to go out there and play.”

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Mike Caldwell likes the way Andre Cisco is ‘attacking the ball’

Mike Caldwell likes what he’s seen out of third-year safety Andre Cisco this year.

Pass rusher Josh Allen, who is tied for the league-lead in sacks, is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top graded player on PFF through the first four weeks. But just barely.

Only one point behind Allen’s 89.8 grade is Andre Cisco’s 88.8, which lands him fourth among all starting NFL safeties.

Nearly a quarter of the way through his third NFL season, Cisco has emerged as well-rounded playmaker in the Jaguars secondary. He’s been a force as a run defender, and he’s already hauled in a pair of interceptions.

“I think his understanding of the overall scheme is better, and he’s catching the ball,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said of Cisco on Thursday. “He had opportunities last year and he didn’t come up with those catches, now he’s coming down with them. And he’s a talented player, he has all the skill and a bunch of range back there. You like the way he’s attacking the ball and he will continue to do that.”

The emergence of Cisco as a budding star in the Jacksonville secondary isn’t a total surprise. Caldwell told reporters in August that the 23-year-old safety was “ready to take that next stop” after a pretty solid second NFL season in 2022. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said the football just seems to find Cisco.

It also wasn’t hard to see the evidence of the work put in by Cisco during the offseason. The safety said in May that putting on muscle mass was a main focus of his after the 2022 season.

Cisco is due to become a free agent during the 2025 offseason, but the Jaguars likely won’t let it come to that. It seems they have a cornerstone to build their secondary around in Cisco.

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Doug Pederson encouraged by Jaguars defense through first 2 games

The Jaguars offense is still trying to sort things out, but Doug Pederson is encouraged by the defense’s performances so far this season.

Going into the 2023 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars offense was what held the national spotlight. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Travis Etienne Jr. were set to lead one of the most electric offenses in the league.

But the Jaguars’ defense has been the difference maker through the first two weeks.

“They’re playing physical — that’s something that is the pride for the defense right now,” Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said Monday. “Two weeks in a row, they’ve kept the offense in the game. They did it in Indy until the offense caught wind at the end of the game and then all day [Sunday], they did the same.”

The Jaguars held the Indianapolis Colts to 21 points and the Kansas City Chiefs to 17. The 38 total points allowed through the first two games of the season — 19 points per game — are the 10th lowest total in the NFL.

Outside linebacker Josh Allen racked up three sacks in the season-opener against the dynamic Anthony Richardson. Safety Andre Cisco picked off Patrick Mahomes and racked up 10 total tackles against the Colts. And linebacker Foye Oluokun and safety Rayshawn Jenkins have shown an ability to make plays on ball carriers in the open field.

Pederson singled out Allen, Cisco, Jenkins and outside linebacker Travon Walker for their individual efforts. But it’s the combination of their play that’s paying dividends.

“That’s just a credit to the scheme, what [defensive coordinator] Mike [Caldwell] is doing, utilizing the personnel this year,” Pederson said. “You’re seeing Travon and Josh up their game a little bit on the edge. The secondary is more in-sync this year; just the communication has been better. They’re playing faster, they’re stymying the run and shutting that down.”

Defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi also credited Caldwell for helping the team improve in his second season as the team’s defensive coordinator.

“He’s continuing to do what he needs to do,” Fatukasi said. “He’s giving us every opportunity for us to continue to be in the right positions.”

Fatukasi said the defense had its share of good and bad moments against the Chiefs but said the team is focused on working out the kinks.

“It’s just really more about the defenses gelling even more together, talking more, getting our eyes and hands right, being more technically sound,” he said. “If we get those things together, it turns out a little smoother.”

Jacksonville forced three turnovers and allowed only 17 points, but still lost Sunday. Pederson stressed following the gameplan and putting the offensive players in the best position Monday following the loss.

“The defense kept us in this football game,” Pederson said. “We’ve got to do better. We’ve got to execute. We got too many guys on offense, veteran players that we all need to do better, starting with me.”

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Rayshawn Jenkins: Turnovers are our formula for success

The Jaguars defense is making takeaways its No. 1 priority this season, says Rayshawn Jenkins.

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense is singularly focused in 2023: it’s takeaways or bust.

“We just understand as a defense that turnovers, that’s our formula for success,” Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins told reporters in the locker room Wednesday, via Mia O’Brien of 1010XL. “We know we’re playing against some good teams. They’re gonna make their plays, we’re gonna make ours. But at the end of the day, that ball is the most important thing on the field.”

Last year, Jacksonville finished fifth in the NFL in takeaways with 27 (13 via fumbles and 14 interceptions). Those big plays helped a defense that was No. 24 in yards allowed to finish No. 12 in points allowed.

In April, Jaguars defensive players were given t-shirts that read, “Think Takeaways.”

During training camp, Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell was asked if it’s more important to rack up takeaways or keep an opponent’s offensive yardage in check.

“Probably the takeaways,” Caldwell said. “The takeaways give our offense another opportunity to go out there and it puts our offense on the sideline so the defense is off the field. Anytime you can take the ball away and give it back to our offense, that’s good for us. That’s what we strive to do.”

The San Francisco 49ers allowed the fewest points in the NFL last year. They finished second in the league in takeaways and first in interceptions.

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Veteran DL Jeremiah Ledbetter hoping to ‘make a home’ with Jaguars

After bouncing around a few rosters and rarely seeing the field, Jeremiah Ledbetter is hoping he’ll stick with the Jaguars for a while.

Jeremiah Ledbetter spent time on four different NFL rosters, including two separate stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. The veteran defensive lineman is hoping he won’t be suiting up for a sixth team any time soon.

“Not everybody is with one team their whole career,” Ledbetter told News4Jax on Tuesday. “They travel and do what they need to do, but you know what, I think that’s very huge for me to make a home here in Jacksonville and just make plays for this team so I can call this home.”

Ledbetter, 29, is a lock for the 53-man roster after a strong camp and a dominant preseason. In the Jaguars’ 25-7 win against the Detroit Lions, the lineman was unstoppable and earned a 95.2 grade from PFF, more than 11 points higher than any other player on the team.

With DaVon Hamilton nursing a back issue, the Jaguars could lean on Ledbetter’s contributions into the regular season too.

“He’s a guy that is like a pocketknife, he can do a little bit of everything,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said of Ledbetter on Wednesday. “Whatever you need him to do, he can play the nose, he can play a 3-technique, he can play a 5-technique, he has pass rush ability inside.

“He’s a guy that has a variety of different talents and now he’s starting to master his talent. It’s starting to show. He had a great game for us the other night, he had a solid camp and he’s someone that right now we need to continue to improve and get better.”

During his rookie season with the Detroit Lions in 2017, Ledbetter was on the field for 469 total snaps. In the next five seasons, he was on the field for just 84 snaps, including only 11 with the Jaguars. That seems set to change in 2023 as Ledbetter appears to have finally found a place in Jacksonville.

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