The Jaguars' starting defense, which was out of the game by the end of the first quarter, saw positive things in the loss to the New England Patriots in the preseason opener for both teams on Thursday night.
"It looks like we are going to play good run defense. We have been pretty solid there,"
said coach Jack Del Rio. "We are going to have a good team this year. This is the first step."
The Jaguars added three high-priced free agents to the defense: linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session and safety Dawan Landry. All only played a few series.
"They didn't play a lot tonight by design,"
Del Rio said. "We wanted to basically get them a little exposure and move on. They are all going to be good players for us."
"I think it's obvious when you watch what they bring to us and what we're seeing on tape, not only on the practice field but in the meetings. They're going to have a real positive impact."
"I'm not trying to talk anybody into it right now [that the Jaguars will be a good team]. We're just going to work in camp and glad to have a chance tonight to go against someone else."
Session left the game with an apparent head injury, but Del Rio said after the game it wasn't serious.
Tom Brady did not play for the Patriots. Backup Brian Hoyer started at quarterback and completed 15 of 21 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. New England led 19-9 at the half.
On the Patriots' first offensive play of the game, David Jones, filling in for injured Derek Cox, forced a fumble after a catch by former Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez. It was recovered by new safety Landry and led to a Jaguars' field goal.
The Patriots failed to make a first down on their second series.
Then on the third series, when the Jaguars began to replace the defensive starters, the Patriots took control of the game.
Rookie Ryan Mallett replaced Hoyer to start the second half and put four touchdowns on the board to turn the game into a rout.
The Jaguars' starters, though, saw encouraging signs.
"We just wanted to get some experience together and feel each other out,"
linebacker Daryl Smith said. "I think we got a chance to do that and it was exciting to be out there playing together. It's about getting reps and allowing our plays to speak for itself."
Posluszny, who signed a $45 million deal, had two tackles and one assist in his brief appearance.
"Very exciting,"
he said. "It was great to get back out there with my teammates. I was a little rusty, still have a lot of work to do, but definitely exciting to be out there."
"We did OK. We don't want them to score, but, unfortunately, they put one in on us. The mistakes we made are easily correctable because the guys we have out there have the ability to make the plays."
