At first glance, the Jaguars-Patriots AFC Championship game just appears to be a new, young team looking to knock off the proven GOAT combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. This would give New England the unfair advantage of experience, however, Jacksonville has the one guy that both Brady and Belichick do not want to play against. No it is not Jalen Ramsey nor Leonard Fournette, but instead a man who will not even touch the field.
The guy who sits up in the booth away from all of the action, Jaguars executive vice president of football operations, Tom Coughlin. Before joining the Jags, Coughlin was the beloved head coach of the New York Giants. He famously led that team to two Super Bowl wins against none other than Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Giants fans will never forget 18 AND ONE! While Coughlin may not directly admit that he is excited to face off once more against the Patriots, others have thought about allowing Coughlin to coach the game!
That is a little ridiculous and quite rude to Doug Marrone who has coached the team all season. This Jacksonville team does resemble those two Giants teams who made those impractical Super Bowl runs. For starters, the team has an incredible defense, something both Giants teams had with stars like Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Antonio Pierce, and Jason Pierre-Paul. Jalen Ramsey has emerged as an elite corner and one that welcomes a challenge like guarding Rob Gronkowski. When talking to the media on Friday about covering the tight end who has been phenomenal when healthy he said, “He hasn’t played a corner like me before”. The team also likes to refer to itself as “Sacksonville” for his tough hitting front made up of Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, and Malik Jackson. Campbell is considered a heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2007 Giants team also boasted a terrific running back duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, thanks in part to a fully functioning offensive line; something the Giants have not had in years. Similarly, the Jaguars also boast a beast in the backfield in Leonard Fournette. Fournette came in to the league as one of the most talked about college players and he lived up to his hype. Unfortunately, he suffered a setback on an ankle injury he has been dealing with all season during last week’s divisional game against the Steelers. Despite the setback, he rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns, including two early scores before the setback. When on the field, Fournette is one of the most productive running backs in the league. His production last week is a welcomed sight as his stats had started to slip towards the end of the season and the Jags Wild Card game against the Bills.
Also similar is the lack of overall confidence in the quarterback. Before 2007 it would hard to find a Giants fan who was fully confident in their quarterback. Flash forward to two Super Bowl wins later and fans were ready to boycott the team for benching Eli Manning. Well if one quarterback can relate, it is Blake Bortles. He has not been the measure of consistency, throwing 21 touchdowns to 13 interceptions this season. He can be serviceable like he was last week against the Steelers. Despite only throwing one touchdown and 214 yards, he had a QBR of 94.1. Many players around the league have mocked Bortles, but he is the one facing off for a trip to the Super Bowl.
