Drops are not a new issue for Jaguars

Jaguars 1st team offense had seven drops during the preseason

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dropped passes are nothing new for the Jaguars. During the preseason the Jaguars first-team offense was credited with seven drops. The issue carried over to their week one loss to the Panthers. Wide receiver Allen Hurns had two drops and fumble against Carolina and says they just have to learn from these mistakes.

"You have to have a short term memory," said Hurns. "Yeah we dropped passes but at the end of the day the next play is the most important. I feel like everyone has drops and no it's not acceptable. If I'm in that situation 10 more times I expect myself to make that play every single time."

Hurns wasn't alone, Allen Robinson was also credited with two drops this past Sunday.

"You just have to catch the ball," said Robinson who had just one drop as a rookie in 2014. "Maybe it's having a little more focus. I know we all have confidence in each other. We all have confidence in ourselves that we'll make those plays each and every day."

The Jaguars offense managed just nine points in the loss to Carolina. Quarterback Blake Bortles completed just 22-of-40 passes (55 %), but his numbers would've been better had it not been for a couple of key drops. Often times a dropped pass serves as a momentum killer and throws off the rhythm of the offense. If Bortles is going to take a step forward this season he knows he's going to need the help of his receivers.

"All of those guys are awesome," said Bortles. "They're unbelievable football players and they're good people. They take a responsibility and great pride making plays. They're not yelling at me when I throw a ball five yards over their head out of bounds, so I'm not going to do the same thing to them when they drop a pass. Its things that we expect from each other and when it doesn't go the way it's supposed to we know there was a mistake made and it needs to be fixed and corrected. Those are things that were addressed and we're going to continue to work at it."

There's a chance that Bortles could have one more weapon at his disposal on Sunday against the Dolphins. Wide receiver Marqise Lee has been out with a hamstring injury since the first week of training camp. He returned practiced on Wednesday and has been anxious to get back in the lineup.

"Anything I can do to help even if it's just being a decoy running by," said Lee. "Last year that helped a lot.  I'm just glad to be back and be around the team. I feel like I'm finally doing something. I got tired of sitting back watching. I want to be out there producing."