Giants vs. Jaguars: 5 questions from liuyt's blog

 Authentic Rhett Ellison Jersey , answers about Jacksonville We have been studying the Jacksonville Jaguars from a variety of angles this week. Today, let’s go right to the heart, right into Big Cat Country, for some information. Ryan O’Bleness answers our 5 questions about the Jaguars, whom the New York Giants face on Sunday.Ed: I will turn the tables with a question you asked me. What surprised you the most about how the Jaguars built their 53-man roster?Ryan: There weren’t a ton of surprises on the roster front, but I was happy to see Tre Herndon, an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, make the squad. He was the only UDFA to make the initial 53-man roster and worked his tail off throughout training camp and the preseason. I was a little bit surprised to see tight end Ben Koyack -- who had the game winning touchdown reception in the playoff win against the Buffalo Bills -- get waived initially, but the Jaguars signed Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Niles Paul in the offseason. Koyack cleared waivers, however, so he will revert back to IR with some sort of undisclosed injury and have to miss the entire season. The Jags also chose to roll with only three running backs on the active roster, which is a little bit lighter than normal, but not all that shocking. Ed: Heading into Week 1, any injuries with Jacksonville that are concerning?Ryan: The Jaguars lost No. 1 wide receiver Marqise Lee (torn ACL) for the season during a preseason tilt with the Atlanta Falcons. This is the second season in a row that the top receiver (Allen Robinson in 2017) has gone down before the first quarter of the first regular season. game has even finished. I guess the silver lining there is that Jacksonville is a run-first team, and has other capable receivers on the roster. Outside of Lee -- knock on wood -- the Jags have been unusually lucky with injuries. The same injury luck was true last season Authentic Kerry Wynn Jersey , which helped Jacksonville achieve the success it had. The only notable injury on the active roster is with starting center Brandon Linder who suffered a knee injury in Week 2 of the preseason. With that said, Linder participated in practice on Monday and I expect that to continue throughout the week, so he should be good to go on Sunday. Ed: How do you see the Jalen Ramsey-Odell Beckham matchup playing out?Ryan: I’m really looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Odell Beckham is probably a top-three wide receiver in the league, while Jalen Ramsey is a surefire top-three cornerback, and possibly the best in the league at his position. I’m sure both players are going to make plays, but I also imagine the jawing between the two will be pretty intense. I think it will come down to which one can phase out the other one’s trash talk and just play their game. If I had to guess, I would say Ramsey gets the better of Beckham, and by that I mean limits his damage to something like three or four catches with zero touchdowns. Wouldn’t be surprised either way, though.4. If you could take ONE player not named Beckham off the Giants roster and put him in the Jacksonville lineup who would it be? Why?Ryan: Interesting question. I’ve always been a fan of Landon Collins, but the Jaguars are pretty set at both safety positions. A part of me also wanted the Jags to draft Will Hernandez early on in the process, but the Jags signed All-Pro Andrew Norwell at left guard in free agency, and A.J. Cann has looked much improved at right guard this preseason. So then, if I can’t have Beckham, I would take Sterling Shepard and see if he could give the Jaguars’ wide receiver corps a boost with Lee out for the year. I do like the young and talented players Jacksonville has there, but they are mostly unproven at this point and I would think Shepard could provide some stability. Ed: Are you a believer in Blake Bortles? I’m sure there are many who still wonder if the Jaguars can win big with him at quarterback.Ryan: I am Authentic Alec Ogletree Jersey , to a degree, a Bortles believer. With the caveat that I understand what Bortles is and I don’t have crazy expectations. The Jaguars want to play smash-mouth football and run the ball down your throat. The ball is often being taken out of Bortles’ hands, but you also have to deal with opposing teams putting eight men in the box at a higher rate than normal and will need to count on Blake to make plays sometimes. With all of that in mind, this team can win with Bortles, and that was proven last year. Bortles had a very nice playoff run last season, and has looked poised, confident and in better command of the offense throughout training camp. Another underrated aspect of Bortles’ game is his ability to make plays with his feet. He has had both good and bad moments in the preseason games. His teammates trust him, though, as he was named a captain this week. He seems to be in line to have the best season of his career, but it has always been Bortles’ inconsistencies that have caused his biggest issues. If he is able to limit turnovers, make better decisions and make throws in tough situations, then this team will go very far. His play is pivotal. The co-owner of the New York Giants is embarrassed by the team's second straight 1-5 start and he wants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to make his highlights on the field instead of getting recognition from off-the-field comments.Speaking before the fall meeting of the NFL owners Tuesday, John Mara was clearly miffed by the disappointments of a season he had hoped would make fans forget the 3-13 campaign a year ago that led to the firings of coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.New general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur turned over more than half the roster, spent almost $80 million rebuilding the offense line, made Beckham the highest-paid receiver in the league with a $95 million deal and had high hopes heading into the season.It hasn't worked out and the biggest disappointment came Thursday when the struggling Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles came to MetLife Stadium and embarrassed the Giants.What made the loss even more disappointing was the Giants felt they were close to turning things around."I'm sick about it Authentic Nate Solder Jersey , particularly the way we've disappointed our fans," Mara said. "To start out like this is very disappointing. I don't think you ever expect to go 1-5 ... two years in a row. I'm still embarrassed being 1-5. I can't stand up here and make any excuses about that. We suffer as much as our fans, maybe more."Beckham had been on his best behavior this season, but the losing seemed to catch up to him in recent weeks. He did an interview on ESPN more than a week ago where he complained that Eli Manning was not throwing the ball down the field. He also questioned the heart of his teammates.That did not sit well with Mara, who had spoken to Beckham about getting his act together in the offseason."I think he needs to do a little more playing and a little less talking," Mara said. "I wish he would create the headlines by his play on the field, as opposed to what he says and does off the field."Beckham leads the Giants with 45 catches for 506 yards, but he only has one touchdown catch.While the 37-year-old Manning has gotten most of the blame for the woes of the offense, Mara said a lot of players have to share the blame. He added that it would be up to Shurmur to decide if a change was to be made.Mara believes Gettleman and Shurmur will turn things around, and he defended their choice of running back Saquon Barkley with the second pick overall in the draft."We went with the best player in the draft," Mara said. "I still believe he's the best player in the draft. I'm thrilled with what he's accomplished so far, and I think the sky's the limit for him."Barkley has rushed for 438 yards and four touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 373 yards and two TDs.The choice has been criticized by some because the Jets took quarterback Sam Darnold with the third pick and they are 3-3.