Breaking down Josh Jacobs development for the Oakland Raiders
By Daniel Davis
Week 1 vs. Denver Broncos (Monday Night Football)
The very first play of the game was a run to the right side straight at Von Miller. This run is important for a few things.
1: It’s his first game so he’s going to anxious.
2: This team is better with the run when Derek Carr has play actions to help hold linebackers at bay; instead of rushing 5, the defense only rushes 4.
3: He understands that running the ball is all about gap control: whoever fills the gaps with their men wins the battle.
Jacobs sees the right side start to open up but a hole opens up to the left and he has a cutback lane until the safety comes in and fills it up. Jacobs recognized that, and continued his path for a 4-yard gain, verses, what I call, “being a hero.” He took the easy 4 yard gain and the offense had a 2nd and manageable.
A few plays later on the same drive, Jacobs made another great run which, when watched at full speed, you can miss the importance of the play. On a 2nd and 1 at the Oakland 48, the 5-yard run displayed his patience. It was a shotgun play, and a draw at that, and it was supposed to go to the right but the blocking broke down.
He used his quickness and agility to quickly find the cut-back lane and then run right at it, nearly breaking a tackle from the safety in the process. Again, he was patient and used his vision to his advantage.
The next play I want to go over is early in the second quarter. After a Trent Brown false start, the team was backed up inside the 5-yard line and needed some space. The 1st and 13 had an 8-yard run having a manageable 2 other downs left. The off-tackle run to the left saw Jacobs knife up B gap as Kolton Miller opened the hole up and went North instead of East or West.
His first touchdown run came on a leap over the defenders and the offensive linemen. It was simply just an overpowering of the defensive line with smart play by Jacobs. He recognized he wasn’t going to be able to outrun the defenders to the outside and didn’t have anywhere to go inside. Instead, he just leapt to a score and got his first pro touchdown.
His second touchdown of the game came on some tough running. It was a run up the A gap and he just put his head down and played until the whistle ended the play. Jacobs wasn’t phased by the defenders stacking the box, but rather bulldozer-ed his way through the line for the touchdown.
In the first game, Jacobs ended with 23 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie debut.