Conservative Play-Calling Limiting Jacksonville Jaguars' Special Playmakers

Finding the balance between conservative, safe play-calling and a more aggressive approach is difficult for any offensive coordinator. For Jacksonville Jaguars OC Greg Olson, it's even more difficult.

With a selection of explosive weapons and a quarterback who can deliver to them in Blake Bortles, it may not seem all that hard. But with Bortles' inconsistency, deciding what to do with this offense can be problematic.

We've seen a mixture of the two sides over the past two weeks. Against the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars looked to take shots down the field, but against the Baltimore Ravens, it was much more conservative and horizontal in nature.

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Even 10 games into the season, the Jaguars haven't quite nailed down their offensive identity. It's definitely progressed and is getting close to reaching the final product, but there is still some loose ends to tie up.

Part of this is due to Bortles' aforementioned inconsistency, but the majority of it rests on Olson's shoulders. The indecision to commit one way or another has left a few questions regarding the Jaguars offense, and their recent red-zone struggles don't help either. 

Before the Jaguars' late touchdown through tight end Julius Thomas, the Jaguars had gone through a rough stretch in the red zone, as Ryan O'Halloran pointed out.

Olson's done a relatively good job this season, but the play-calling in the red zone has been almost stubborn in nature. Three runs with running back Denard Robinson against the Titans and four attempts for RB Toby Gerhart against the Buffalo Bills come to mind. 

With options like RB T.J. Yeldon, Thomas and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, those moments are inexcusable. But it goes deeper than the decisions in the red zone. 

As painful as numerous turnovers and interceptions can be, Bortles and his weapons are simply too explosive to not play to their strengths, and that means a vertical passing attack balanced out by Yeldon on the ground and working Thomas and TE Marcedes Lewis in shorter situations.

In Thursday's 19-13 win over the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars were able to consistently move the ball, and obviously Olson deserves some credit. But it was when the Jaguars extended the field through deep balls to Robinson that the offense started to be a real threat. 

Receiver	Yards	Receptions	Targets	Touchdowns	Average
Allen Robinson	113	5	7	0	22.6
Bryan Walters	35	2	3	0	17.6
Julius Thomas	28	5	8	1	5.6
T.J. Yeldon	28	3	4	0	9.3
Allen Hurns	19	3	4	0	6.3
Clay Harbor	17	2	2	0	8.5
Rashad Greene	2	1	1	0	2.0

Olson and Bortles looked determined to include Thomas in the game early and consistently, as seen above, and he had a few catches to start, but not targeting Hurns or Robinson until late in the second quarter was almost concerning.

After Robinson's opening 38-yard grab, Bortles was able to find him for 20 yards or more on two of the next three drives. Robinson was set to bully the Titans secondary all night, but the Jaguars played it relatively safe up until late in the second quarter.

And who knows, that may have been for the best. But Bortles was completing a high percentage of his passes, as seen below, and the Jaguars should've been looking to go vertical in a way closer to the plan against the Jets.

	Yards	Completion Percentage	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
Blake Bortles	242	70%	1	1	91.3

Obviously, as Bortles improves and cuts down on bad throws, the Jaguars can get more and more aggressive. Olson was brought in thanks to his ability to play to Oakland Raiders sophomore QB Derek Carr's strengths, and he's done a decent job of containing Bortles' errors.

However, the Jaguars simply have too many weapons and are now playing for something real. That obviously doesn't mean that the Jaguars should play the other way to a fault, but considering how close and legitimate the AFC South race is, it seems like the Jaguars have more to gain with a more aggressive strategy.

Olson and the Jaguars have to walk a thin, difficult line. But as the season has progressed, the team has found it's key weapons in the "A-Team" and are now playing for something tangible each week. It's time to strike.

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All stats provided by ESPN unless otherwise stated.

Evan Reier is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter @evanreier.