Rashean Mathis, doing what he does best

Yesterday we took a look at the Jacksonville offense, so let’s turn out eyes to the other side of the ball today.

The Jaguars have a relatively weak secondary with the exception of Rashean Mathis. He is an elite corner who has the ability to play up to even the most tricky receivers in the league. Mathis possesses the rare quality of being able to make adjustments in full sprint. He can adapt to jukes on the run and with his height can be a threat to swat a few passes as well.

Bernard Berrian will have real trouble stretching the field against Mathis, but should have more success in the intermediate game providing he gets physical and pushes around a little.

Drayton Florence, however, is a below-average cornerback. He is a good athlete, but not a great corner. Florence will get beat and give up some yardage to Sidney Rice, Bobby Wade, and even Aundrae Allison.

In the defensive backfield, Reggie Nelson roams from the free safety position. He is very fast, and very aggressive. His aggressiveness may be his downfall, though, as he struggles to change direction once going full speed. Nelson isn’t that great of a run-blocker, so he hangs back on most plays and only provides support should Peterson break the first two lines. The thing is, Nelson is great at angles. If Peterson can break off some big plays he will have to out-run Nelson.

Brian Williams is just your average strong safety. He isn’t really spectacular at anything, but can consistently get just about any job done. 

The middle linebacker is Mike Peterson. Peterson is a very solid linebacker who can effectively read quarterbacks eyes and cover almost any tight end. He does everything well, but doesn’t have any real “superstar abilities.” Peterson can make adjustments, is very agile, and can push around bigger tight ends.

Weak-side linebacker Daryl Smith has just enough experience to be feared. He is also great at reading quarterbacks, but his speed sometimes works against him. Smith can defend intermediate passes, but struggles when tight ends run post routes deep down the field.

Strong-side linebacker Clint Ingram is still relatively new to the league, and has only three years of

Clint Ingram

experience. Ingram isn’t very good at defending the pass, so the Jaguars usually take him out when switching to the nickel — which is a better pass defense package, if you weren’t aware. Ingram can get stuck up in traffic fairly easily, so all the Vikings need to do in order to shut him down is put a body on him.

As a whole, the Jaguars defense isn’t great. A team like the Cardinals or Saints would have a field day against Jacksonville, but the Vikings will be limited not by opposing free safeties or corner backs, but themselves.

The Vikings should have a regular day in Jacksonville; Frerotte won’t be lights-out, but has he ever come close to that? Berrian, Rice, and Wade won’t be considered fantasy starters, but have they ever?

I will be back tomorrow with a more detailed look at the Jaguars as a whole, and bring you some of the most crucial matchups as we prepare to watch this very crucial game!