JACKSONVILLE – Four days later, Nathaniel Hackett remained pleased.
No, quarterback Blake Bortles' numbers in a season-opening victory over the Houston Texans weren't spectacular, but that didn't matter to the Jaguars' offensive coordinator.
"He was awesome," was how Hackett described Bortles in Week 1.
Hackett, speaking to the media Thursday as the Jaguars' prepared to play the Tennessee Titans Sunday at EverBank Field, said his opinion of Bortles had nothing to with statistics.
Bortles completed 11 of 21 passes for 125 yards Sunday, but the Jaguars' offense produced 280 yards in 29-7 victory in Houston. Bortles threw a touchdown pass and was not intercepted.
"Just to get the win, first and foremost, was huge, but all we talk about with Blake is efficiency," Hackett said. "That's the name of the game in the NFL. The big plays are going to happen. Those are going to show up. We had some opportunities for some huge plays and things didn't go our way.
"He understood what we were trying to accomplish."
Hackett noted that Bortles went through his progressions well against Houston, often making throws to secondary receivers when his initial read was covered.
"That's huge, because what we were scheming for wasn't there a lot of the time," Hackett said. "He had to make things happen by getting from three, to four, to five. It was awesome what he did."
All three coordinators – Hackett on offense, Todd Wash on defense and Joe DeCamillis on special teams – spoke to the media Thursday. Here are notes and observation from Coordinator Thursday:
*Wash said while the defensive line played well during a franchise-record 10-sack performance against the Texans Sunday, at least three or four of the sacks stemmed from "lock-down coverage" in the secondary. "It was a total team effort to get those 10 sacks," Wash said. …
*Wash said the biggest issue against the Titans Sunday is obvious: "Stopping the run." The Titans rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries against Oakland in Week 1 after finishing as the NFL's third-ranked rushing offense in 2016. "They got a little bit away from it [the run] last week, but I don't anticipate them doing that again this week," Wash said. "I think we're going to see 30-to-40 runs; we have to be stout with our front eight and be able to fit up all the shifts and motions they have." Wash also said the addition of offseason rookie wide receiver Corey Davis and veteran wide receiver Eric Decker has made the Titans' offense more explosive. "They've added some real nice weapons here in the offseason. Obviously, [tight end] Delanie [Walker] is tough to deal with in the passing game. We've got to be on our J-O-B for us to have a chance this week." …
*Hackett on the Jaguars' offense overall in Week 1: "I talked to the guys afterward, and I think there were still way too many opportunities that were missed – a lot of yards that were left out there. The big thing for me was how they communicated, talked and played together. That was a really good football team. The front seven is unbelievable. For our guys to talk and execute the way they did was awesome." The Jaguars rushed for 155 yards against Houston and did not allow a sack. …
*DeCamillis was asked about the performances of kicker Jason Myers and punt Brad Nortman in the opener. Myers made three of four field goals in Week 1 and missed one of three extra-point attempts; Nortman punted four times with 46.8-yard average and a 36.5-yard net. "With specialists, it's always a competition," DeCamillis said. "You're competing against the league every week. If you miss a field goal, obviously you don't get that back; same thing with a punt. We have to make sure we continue to look around the league. We also have to continue to try to improve the guys we have right now." …
*The Jaguars' injury report had a few changes from Wednesday to Thursday, with cornerback Jalen Ramsey (ankle) and cornerback A.J. Bouye (illness) the only players not practicing for a second consecutive day. Quarterback Blake Bortles (right wrist) and running back T.J. Yeldon (hamstring) practiced full and center Brandon Linder (knee) worked limited. Safety Calvin Pryor (ankle) and defensive tackle Abry Jones (knee) were added to the injury report as limited. …
