Breakdown: Defense vs. Jaguars

FOXBOROUGH — Football on an actual field with tackling can mean only one thing: we finally get to break down film again!

Now, for full disclosure, I don’t have access to the coaches film in the preseason, so I’m making due with the TV telecast (hey Patriots, don’t be afraid to throw in a few more replays), so it’s not a complete breakdown. But it’s enough to get a handle on things.

We’ll start with the defense, and post the offense later.

Here’s what we saw:

Overall

Thought things went fairly well as a group, considering the Jaguars did use their starters for two series, and the Patriots played their backups. Obviously the Jaguars got 21 points and 218 of their 447 total yards on three bad plays (97-yard pass from Chad Henne to Keelan Cole, a 79-yard run by Corey Grant, and a 42-yard pass from Brandon Allen to Dede Westbrook). Outside of those plays, however, the Jaguars had 229 yards and 10 points on 52 plays (4.4 yards per play). Not bad production. Outside of the big plays, the other glaring problem was the pass rush. Now, the Jaguars only attempted 18 passes, and I had the Patriots for three total pressures (16.7 percent). Not terrible, but not good either.

Defensive line

This group was ruled by three interior players: Darius Kilgo, Josh Augusta and Woodrow Hamilton. Had the unit for 20 “plus” plays in the game (plays where they went above the call of duty), and the interior trio had 13 of them. Both Kilgo and Augusta had five each. Kilgo had 1.5 stuffs (runs of 2 yards or less), and three other plus plays against the run. He was very strong at the point of attack and was able to get off blocks effectively. Augusta (2 half stuffs, three plus run plays) was similar with Kilgo in that they were effective at standing up blockers and then playing both gaps effectively. Hamilton led the team with three solo stuffs. He’s very strong at the point of attack, but he was shoved out of his gap on the Grant TD run. Deatrich Wise (half stuff before leaving with injury after 10 plays), Adam Butler (half stuff), Geneo Grissom (half knockdown), Derek Rivers (half knockdown, which was forced by Grissom’s rush) and Caleb Kidder (QB hurry) all had moments. Butler’s been better in practices but he is small and will have trouble against bigger linemen if he can’t out-quick them. Liked how Rivers was effective in coverage on one snap. Thought Kony Ealy continued his lackluster camp. He got caved in on Grant’s run, and lost the edge on an 11-yard run.

Linebackers

This unit had a mediocre night. Elandon Roberts (2 plus plays, stuff) flashed on a few plays but he was largely guessing wrong. Missed a tackle, had a few gap issues and had a tough time on Grant’s touchdown run. Harvey Langi (half stuff) and Jonathan Freeny (half stuff) were the best of the bunch. Trevor Bates (stuff) missed two tackles and Brooks Ellis (hurry) had one issue in coverage.

Secondary

Outside of the play against the run by CB D.J. Killings’ (1.5 stuffed runs) and S Damarius Travis (stuff), this group had its fair share of issues. Cyrus Jones allowed Cole a free release, recovered well but then gave up the touchdown when he turned to look for the ball (especially in zero, man coverage, the Patriots usually like their cornerbacks to play the man). Jones also had a missed tackle and a few other issues in coverage away from the ball, including a jam that whiffed, but I wouldn’t say he was god-awful. On the Westbrook touchdown, the Patriots appeared to be playing Cover 2, which should provide Jones deep coverage, but Jordan Richards played it poorly. That’s not to absolve Jones — he could have re-routed Westbrook off the line and carried him deeper down the field — but Richards, who also showed poorly on the Grant run, should have been there to defend Westbrook. Instead of dropping wide toward the corner of the end zone, Richards took a step to the post and that’s all it takes for a speedy receiver like Westbrook to win the play. Justin Coleman tackled against the run well (he did miss one tackle), but at least twice he got turned around in coverage. Jason Thompson showed off his speed attacking one pass, but he didn’t fill the gap well on Fournette’s 1-yard run, and had a sloppy pass interference penalty when he was beaten (it appeared the Patriots were in Cover 3 and he had the deep middle).

Three up

DT Darius Kilgo: Showed that he can hold his own in the middle of the line with power and strength.

DT Woodrow Hamilton: Was probably the most effective defender against the run. Got off blocks well.

LB Derek Rivers: Could easily make a case for Augusta, but Rivers did provide some pass rush and didn’t appear to make many errors. A good start for him after a rough beginning to camp.

Three down

CB Cyrus Jones: The second touchdown wasn’t his fault, but he had a rough night all around.

LB Elandon Roberts: Needed to show that he learned from last year, when he was largely relegated to the bench at the end. Same boom or bust performance. Needs more consistency.

(tie) S Jordan Richards, DE Kony Ealy: Lack of foot speed has always been there for Richards and now it’s becoming harder to ignore. Ealy, just like he has been in camp, was invisible and getting washed out.