Doug Marrone took the job as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars under Gus Bradley.
When Marrone first arrived in the AFC South, there was a No. 59 at outside linebacker for the Houston Texans that was jumping out at him when he was reviewing the film of divisional opponents.
“I was like, ‘who is Whitney Mercilus? This guy is unbelievable,'” Marrone told the Houston media Wednesday in a conference call. “You talk about a guy that can hold a point against the run and make plays and can’t get outside him, to a guy that has just that uncanny ability, he has enough speed to get around the edge, he does a great job of his long reach and being able to knock the ball out, and then he’ll come back and he has a spin move that I haven’t seen many people stop.”
The Jaguars got a friendly reminder of the talent Mercilus brings on the edge in Week 2. During the Texans’ 13-12 victory over Jacksonville at NRG Stadium, the 29-year-old produced 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, three quarterback hits, and three combined tackles. Mercilus was part of a “welcome to the NFL” moment for rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew, who was making his first career start.
“He’s got power, he’s got speed,” Marrone said. “He’s going to be a tough matchup for us. We’ve got to know where he is all the time.”
Mercilus will receive added pressure from opposing offenses now that defensive end J.J. Watt is done for the year. As the Texans’ lone recognizable edge rusher, Mercilus will probably have to fight through double teams. However, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel says the onus isn’t on Mercilus to make plays; the rest of the defense has to step up in the absence of Watt.
