TK Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 http://redskins.com/story.asp?ContentID=12203 With First TD, Jacobs Gets In the Mix at WR 11/04/2003 By Gary Fitzgerald Redskins.com Taylor Jacobs has had limited playing time thus far in his rookie season, so he certainly didn’t go into last Sunday’s game at Dallas expecting to register his first NFL touchdown. With the Redskins in catch-up mode, down 21-6 late in the fourth quarter, Jacobs was able to step up with an impressive 19-yard touchdown grab. On the play, Jacobs was lined up in the slot and ran an out pattern while being covered one-on-one by Cowboys’ All-Pro safety Darren Woodson. At the line of scrimmage, the Redskins were able to pick up the first wave of the Dallas pass rush, but safety Roy Williams came on a delayed blitz and hit quarterback Patrick Ramsey just as he released the ball. Jacobs cut outside near the goal line, beating Woodson, and made an over-the-shoulder, fingertip catch, hauling in the pass in the right end zone. The score pulled the Redskins closer, but Dallas hung on to win the game. “I never thought that I would get a touchdown in the game,” he said. “I was so excited I couldn’t believe it. But I realize that we have to keep on getting better. We did lose the game and I would trade that touchdown catch for a win.” Said head coach Steve Spurrier: “Patrick hung in there tough and made a courageous throw to Taylor Jacobs, and he made a courageous catch.” For the Redskins, pass protection has been a problem this season. Defenses are blitzing Ramsey with increasing frequency. He was sacked four times in the game. Jacobs, who played in Spurrier’s highly successful “Fun ‘n’ Gun” offense at the University of Florida for three years, has said on several occasions this season that Spurrier’s pass routes are different at the NFL level. He thinks the head coach has altered his schemes somewhat because defensive linemen and linebackers are smarter and more athletic in the pros. “The things that Steve Spurrier is doing in the NFL are different than what he did in college,” he said. “We used to run more routes that exploited zone coverage. We’re seeing a lot of man coverage right now. Sometimes you can’t run the kind of routes we run against zone coverage. So he’s doing different things. It’s not the same offense. “Coach has a good plan,” Jacobs added. “It’s just a matter of us going out there and executing.” The touchdown catch was Jacobs’ second reception of the season. (He caught a modest 4-yard pass in the Week 5 game at Philadelphia.) Jacobs has worked hard to play himself into the mix at wide receiver after suffering an abdominal injury in the pre-season finale at Jacksonville. He landed hard on the foot of a defender as he was catching a pass and bruised his pancreas. He was sidelined for the first three regular-season games. The emergence of Darnerien McCants and Patrick Johnson (who had three catches against Dallas) seemed to drop Jacobs further on the depth chart. Twice this season, he was named the Redskins’ third quarterback, basically sidelining him for the games (because third quarterbacks can’t play unless the first two quarterbacks are out of the game). During his recovery, Jacobs’ weight dropped a bit, but after he resumed practice, it picked up and he returned to his 198-pound playing weight. He regained his quickness and speed. “When I was idle, it became frustrating because I wanted to compete,” he said. “I wanted to contribute in a big way. Now, I just have to keep on making plays, especially on the practice field because that’s how you earn your spot in games.” But Jacobs has fought through the adversity and as he gains confidence playing at the NFL level, his skills won’t be ignored. Just last year, at the University of Florida, he posted 71 catches for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns—all career highs. He was the Redskins' second-round draft selection last April. Now that his recovery is complete, Jacobs can focus on playing well enough to earn more playing time and helping the Redskins overcome a four-game losing streak. “I feel we can compete with anybody in this league,” he said. “At one time, we were the best offense in the NFL, so we know what we can do. I’m looking for the offense to go out and have a big day [against Seattle].” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Spread that field OBC! Get those WR out in quick routes. No secondary can handle the speed of Coles/Johnson/Jacobs and the power/size of Gardner/McCants. Spread the field when you pass OBC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 spread the field? its already a trackmeet to ramsey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 There are two ways to beat a blitz on a pass play: 1) pick it up with blockers; or 2) release the ball quickly to a receiver who's open because the blitzer vacated a part of the field. The spread offense is not inconsistent with the second option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I found the most interesting comments were those concerning the differences between Spurrier's college playbook and his pro playbook. Jacobs should know, having played in both. Too bad all those "experts" who have been blasting the OBC for not changing his ways, didn't think to ask someone like Jacobs whether or not he has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I dare to argue if the RBs picked up a couple of those blitzes just enough for PR to get a good throw off, You would not have seen much of the blitz after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Originally posted by redman There are two ways to beat a blitz on a pass play: 1) pick it up with blockers; or 2) release the ball quickly to a receiver who's open because the blitzer vacated a part of the field. The spread offense is not inconsistent with the second option. Exactly. It's not like every reciever is on a go route. There will be some short passes- hot routes built-in to the play's design. And, like bubba mentioned, the second they get burnt by blitzing, they will be forced to stop, especially if someone like Coles gets the bean on a short route and turns it upfield. Man, that b*tch has some moves! The end of the Dallas game was like this- the one successful drive of the game was utilizing the spread. We have talent at WR. And hey...it's not like we'd be any worse off! It's not like we'd be abandoning something that has been so successful. I'm not saying spread the field the whole game. But sh*t, when you pass it, pass it. Enough PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I'm happy for Jacobs but hey, Desmond Howard had a TD in his rookie year too. I'm not making comparisons, just saying it's too early to start extolling Jacobs' virtues. (Ten-dollar phrase alert). I certainly hope he has plenty more where that came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraw238 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I'd like to see a little more of Jacobs and P. Johnson using their speed. Send a couple of these guys deep and have a couple guys doing the shorter stuff as a hot read against the blitz. Why not have McCants in the slot and doing a short out or slant as a hot route against the blitz. Eventually he'll break a few tackles and got the distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Originally posted by redman There are two ways to beat a blitz on a pass play: 1) pick it up with blockers; or 2) release the ball quickly to a receiver who's open because the blitzer vacated a part of the field. The spread offense is not inconsistent with the second option. Excellent analysis. You see it all the time. Ramsey has guys wide open at times during blitzes, but he's not seeing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraw238 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Ramsey has guys wide open at times during blitzes, but he's not seeing it. Excellent point, we sometimes forget he is a really young QB. We need the OL to tighten up, I believe Friedman at center is a nice start, and for Ramsey to recognize the blitz and find a receiver a little quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Jacobs is no desmond howard that I'm sure of. Ramsey can only get better with film study Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OaktonSkins/BushFan Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I like the idea of using Taylor as the #3 more often because we need our WR's open more quickly for Ramsey. McCants certainly has his place, but not as a fulltime #3. I also like the idea of Coles, Johnson and Taylor for the same reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraw238 Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I like D. Macs hands. Put him in there at TE on the passing routes and as the #3 wr on some sets. He is a big target and has great hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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