The video scoreboards at EverBank Stadium encouraged fans to be as loud as possible on defense. Jacksonville Jaguars players asked for noise from the crowd throughout the team’s Monday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson apparently thinks his team’s defense might’ve been better off if everyone piped down a little bit, though.
“The crowd, as loud as they are, when we’re on defense, we have to reiterate communication,” Pederson said after the Jaguars’ 34-31 overtime loss. “It’s not communication issues, it’s just being able to communicate the calls effectively. There’s a lot of talk that has to go back and forth because of the way the crowd was.
“The crowd was great today. That’s what you want. It does kind of put your defense in a little bit of a bind because of that, right? No different than the offense going into an environment that’s very loud. I wouldn’t say they’re issues. You’ve just got to over-communicate.”
It’s an odd excuse for the Jaguars’ awful night of defense in which they allowed 491 yards to an offense led by a quarterback making his second career start. But Jacksonville’s communication issues were also hard to miss Monday night.
Over and over, Jaguars veteran linebacker Foye Oluokun was directing traffic and helping his teammates get lined up correctly pre-snap.
“It’s all about executing our calls, making sure our communication is good across the board,” Oluokun said after the game. “When we’re all clean and doing what we’re supposed to do, I know we can play way better than that.”
Part of the issue was the early departure of veteran cornerback Tre Herndon due to a concussion. Second-year cornerback Gregory Junior stepped into the lineup and appeared to struggle to understand what to do against a Bengals offense that used motion often.
“You just got to talk,” Pederson said. “They got to make verbal communication, eye contact. You got to get closer. It’s just part of a loud environment. It’s repeating yourself as much as you can out on the field.”
Next up for the Jaguars is a road trip to play the Cleveland Browns. Presumably, it’ll be quiet when the Browns are on offense. Oddly enough, that might be just what Jacksonville’s defense needs.
