Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette the victim of offensive identity
By Larry Brake
Leonard Fournette has not lived up to the billing of being the No. 4 pick so far in 2019 but is he a victim of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive identity?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have fashioned themselves as your old school run-first offense. However, the Jaguars have had two offensive coordinators in Doug Marrone’s tenure as head coach. Marrone has hinted that Leonard Fournette has not had a fair chance to get rolling through the first three games in 2019.
John Oehser of Jaguars.com reported Marrone’s comments on the Jaguars running attack, highlighting that it’s not just one guy causing issues:
"“We just have to pick up the run game,” Marrone said. “It’s very easy to pinpoint protection issues. With the run game, it’s really collectively. You need more cohesion to be better in the run game…”"
Marrone seems to think that the individual positions create the cohesion instead of philosophy. In other words, he believes meshing the right group of linemen together works better than scheme. Could it be more of an aggressive or passive approach that has stifled the running game?
Fournette was drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. He had an outstanding rookie season. Marrone was entering his first full season after replacing Gus Bradley late in the 2016 season. Since 2017, changes have been made which might have affected Fournette and the running game.
Let’s look back at how the Jaguars’ offensive identity has evolved, starting back in Fournette’s rookie season.