Chapter 402: First in the League
“I never expected that the Minnesota Vikings would collapse in the National League Finals!”
"Wait a minute, are the Minnesota Vikings weak or the Philadelphia Eagles too strong?"
"I can't understand this year's playoffs. I really can't understand it."
"Can anyone explain to me, is it normal for the National League finals to end like this?"
"The Minnesota Vikings just blew themselves away, haha."
"Wow, the Philadelphia Eagles are crazy! The Philadelphia Eagles are the champions!"
Social networks went crazy for the first time, and the unpredictability of competitive sports caught everyone off guard, again and again.
For a while, netizens didn't know whether they should call this National League finals exciting; in this way, it seems that there is nothing wrong with holding the American League finals in a night game. Maybe it will bring additional surprises?
Then--
"Wait, the Jacksonville Jaguars aren't going to collapse like the Minnesota Vikings are they?"
A question popped up and spread across social networks in an instant.
After all, the league's top defensive team fell apart in front of the little-known Foles, and it is not impossible for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have no superstars and no stars, to completely collapse in front of Smith and Levi.
This... the night game won't be ruined too, right?
but.
Reid had different opinions. This veteran coach who had been in the league for many years always remained calm and calmly controlled the atmosphere in the team's locker room——
The Jacksonville Jaguars should not be underestimated.
If anyone is underestimating this team, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a warning.
Perhaps, some people are curious how a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose offense and defense can't find star players, became the favorite to win the Super Bowl. This doesn't seem to make sense.
The answer is that a group of hard-working blue-collar players, under the correct tactical command of the new coach Ma Ruo, can truly create the effect of one plus one greater than two and demonstrate the team power of rugby. This is the real danger.
Indeed, even if the regular season has come to an end, it stands to reason that a team that has performed so well this season should have a large number of outstanding players. However, this is not the case. Currently, in the Pro Bowl voting, the Jacksonville Jaguars only have A player enters the roster.
This is really rare.
It can be seen from the side that Caldwell has created the characteristics of this team.
In the NBA, big-name players often dislike each other and refuse to cooperate, leading to chaos in the locker room. In the end, there is a bad situation where one plus one is less than two. It is clear that there are a lot of superstars but still cannot win the championship.
Caldwell avoided such a situation. During the offseason, he traded a bunch of blue-collar players from the free market, especially several defensive backbone veterans brought in by new coach Marjo from his former club Buffalo Bills——
The stars are not bright, and the salary is not high, but he is down-to-earth, cooperates with tactics, and completes the task conscientiously.
The team is always put first.
Each player completed the work in his own position, each player played a role in the corresponding tactics, and finally became a rope.
Perhaps, no one player stands out and that’s because every player has their moments.
In team events, such a team is often prone to upsets.
For example, Greece won the European Cup in 2004.
Now, the Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to replicate that miracle. The Minnesota Vikings’ winning model still focuses on the quarterback——
Keenum.
Xiao He is also a success, and Xiao He is a failure.
The Minnesota Vikings' tactics fell on Keenum's right arm and they advanced all the way, so Keenum received countless praises; similarly, on the National League stage, Keenum's mentality collapsed and the team's offense and The defense was retreating steadily and could not stop the car at all.
But the Jacksonville Jaguars are different. This team can win unanimous praise from professionals, not through luck or insider information——
Being number one in the league naturally has its reasons.
Until the NFC finals were upset and the American League finals were about to start, many fans still couldn't understand how the Jacksonville Jaguars advanced to this point and became the number one favorite to win the Super Bowl among professionals.
As a result, social networks have generated a series of discussions that follow the trend of others. They do not explore the true essence and do not understand the uniqueness of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In fact, the answer is right in front of you.
This season, the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive front has earned the nickname "Sacksonville." The nickname comes from the city of "Jacksonville," and the first letter is modified to become "Sack."
In sixteen games during the regular season, this defensive line completed 55 sacks, second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 56 sacks, ranking second in the league, and is also the only two team to sack quarterbacks more than 50 times. team.
Moreover, they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round.
The power is evident.
The Jacksonville Jaguars run a "4-3" defensive formation with four defensive linemen and three linebackers.
Back then, when the Seattle Seahawks were at their peak, they often used linebackers, cornerbacks and even safeties to join the pass-rushing raids. They relied on numerical advantages and sudden tactics to create sacks, rewriting the defensive tactics of the new century.
However, the Jacksonville Jaguars rarely use such tactics. At most, they add linebackers. They do not rely on numerical advantage but rely on the cooperation of players to complete sacks. Detailed and rich tactics, this is what head coach Ma Ruo leads the team. Brand new content coming.
Defensive ends, Calais-Campbell and Yannick-Ngakoue.
Defensive tackles, Malik Jackson and Abry Jones, as well as Marcell, who joined from the Buffalo Bills during the season to add depth to the bench. -Dareus).
The most widely known name mentioned above is Jackson. This player once followed Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl 50 championship, and he was the main player.
Jackson has always been considered an excellent defensive tackle, but his ability has never been recognized accordingly. In his career, he has never entered the Pro Bowl or the first-team All-American and second-team All-American.
Everyone knows that in the 50th Super Bowl, the Denver Broncos relied on defense to reach the championship, and linebacker Von Miller was awarded the Super Bowl MVP; it is precisely because of this that the Denver Broncos dared to force Manning to retire. It can be seen that Jackson is a down-to-earth blue-collar player.
Unfortunately, without glory, Jackson seems to have always been underestimated.
Among the defensive fronts, only Campbell and Darius have ever entered the Pro Bowl, but not many times. Campbell once and Darius twice.
Campbell, who has performed well this season, is the only player from the Jacksonville Jaguars who may be selected to the Pro Bowl.
Low-key, calm and restrained.
But, efficient.
It was this defensive front that completed 55 sacks throughout the season. Except for Campbell, who led the way with 11.5 sacks, the other three players plus the rotation of Darius were evenly divided. Everyone had outstanding performances. Everyone had their moments to shine, causing countless offensive linemen and quarterbacks to suffer throughout the season, even earning the nickname "Sack Village."
And that's just the tip of the iceberg for the Jacksonville Jaguars defense.
(End of chapter)