JaguarsTalk: Sports Bullets - Jacksonville Jaguars Training Camp Update
JaguarsTalk: The First Week is in the Books. Stacking Days until September 11
The offense was reported to be somewhat inconsistent. At Thursday’s training camp they were dominated by the defense and then on Saturday they seemed to take their poor play to heart and solved the issue, setting a new high bar from which to build. Then again on Sunday they fell back below that bar. On one 11 on 11 drill the were smooth and clean while on the next they dropped passes and were defensively dominated.
To possibly help explain the above bullet, Press Taylor was asked about the inconsistency of the offense, especially by the goal line. Taylor gave all of the canned answers that one would expect to hear from a coach during week one of camp. He said he would rather see the drops now in camp than in games during the regular season. It always irks JaguarsTalk when coaches say that it is better to get the pass drops out of the way now, as if there are a certain number of drops for the season and once you reach that number everything else is caught. If that were the case I would have failed Legos in kindergarten so that it wouldn’t have cost me thousands of dollars to retake Organic Chemistry in college. That conversation with my parents would have gone much more smoothly. “Mom, Dad, it’s better for me to fail now in kindergarten, while I still drool all over myself, than to fail in college when it matters.” If we are being honest, I woke up in a puddle of drool many a morning in college as well.
Is it me or is it seeming more and more like Ashlyn Sullivan, Jaguars team reporter, is the more interesting read in the “campservations” columns? She certainly likes what she sees out of left tackle Cam Robinson. According to her reporting he is “playing with a chip on his shoulder” and blowing kisses to the non existent crowd after dominating plays in training camp. That’s great news. Many of us are wondering how Trevor Lawrence is going to play this year and the single most important factor in determining if Lawrence makes a sophomore year jump is his offensive line. This next sentence could use some periods but we are too excited to be bothered with that right now, so please enjoy the run-on. If Robinson is currently dominating the left tackle position, rookie center Luke Fortner is solid and intelligent enough to run the front five efficiently and correctly, Walker Little is using his talent and taking full advantage of his opportunity to start at right tackle as Jawaan Taylor has no current time table for return, Tyler Shatley is best suited flanking Fortner on the left side, and Brandon Scherff is, well, Brandon Scherff, then that leaves two guys who are NFL caliber starters, in Jawaan Taylor and Ben Bartch, to plug and play when and where needed (I should go back and clean this up, but I won’t). This is by far the best and deepest the Jags have been on O-line in a very long time. This is what will ensure that T-Laws second year jump to greatness rests completely in his own hands.
To overemphasize the sports bullet above, Trevor Lawrence was asked about tickling Luke Fortner’s ivorys during first team drills thus far in training camp and he had this to say about the big rookie from Kentucky. He is a “really smart guy, really athletic, moves well. He looks great. Really sharp, directing the guys upfront. Him leading upfront is cool to see.” Coach Pederson all but said Fortner will be the starting center come the Washington match-up on September 11. Coach wants Luke on the field. He likes what he sees. They didn’t draft these guys as high as they did to sit on the bench.
Let’s talk stand-outs. Etienne is getting all sorts of praise around town. In truth he gives the Jags an additional first round rookie this season. But more of a better, super rookie. Like a redshirt rookie who has been working out with the team for a year, learning the playbook, getting focused, getting bigger and stronger, all without wasting a year of eligibility. It is his second coming and so far it sounds as though he is taking full advantage. Trevor Lawrence says Etienne looks to be in better shape than he was at Clemson. Lawrence commented, “He looks sharp and quick. It’s good to have him back.” JaguarsTalk has said in many previous columns that the worrisome positions on this year's Jacksonville team include, but are not limited to, the health of the running back stable. Etienne is proving that he is a Thoroughbred ready to be unleashed at Churchill Downs. James Robinson, however, fills us with angst. Every day that he sits out of camp, working on the sidelines because he isn’t yet cleared for practice, truly worries us. Press Taylor says that Snoop Conner and Ryquell Armstead are capable enough backs to “spell” Etienne every once in awhile, and they are progressing very nicely, but that doesn’t leave the Jacksonville backfield with enough “high caliber” depth. Robinson needs to be 100%, and soon, in order for this position to be taken off the JaguarsTalk “worrisome position” board.
Additional stand-outs in worrisome positions include safety Andre Cisco and defensive back Tyson Campbell. Neither of these gentlemen are currently listed as starters on ESPNs Jaguars depth chart but one if not both might be making the jump soon. Cisco has been seen playing up to his potential. Potential commensurate with the 45th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Tyson Campbell, also a high draft choice in 2021 (33rd overall) has been a show stopper so far in training camp. Shaq Griffin has been singing his praises all week. Campbell had a very slow start to his career but came on strong during the second half of last season and seems to be building upon that this year. If Campbell and Cisco can finally produce, as was expected when drafted so high, then the need for worry among the defensive back position may no longer be warranted. We need to see how they perform against the likes of Terry McLaurin and Michael Pittman Jr. before removing them from the “worrisome position” list, but this is definitely a good start.
The last of the JaguarsTalk worrisome positions for Jacksonville in 2022 is wide receiver. Christian Kirk has been praised for his leadership and speed. He and Trevor Lawrence have been connecting well throughout the offseason and training camp. He may not be a true number one WR but he is efficient and solid and that is enough to win games. In addition, during a recent training camp press conference, offensive coordinator Press Taylor was asked if it is “fair to call Zay Jones’ game quarterback friendly?” Not the best question in the world but in his answer Press explained what QB friendly means to him. Taylor said he “has enjoyed working with Zay Jones. His work ethic is great, he anticipates well, he has good length and good speed.” These are all positive attributes that quarterbacks like. Taylor also commented on undrafted WR Kevin Austin Jr. out of Notre Dame by saying that he “has done a good job. Great job attacking it and working hard.” So really where does the worry come in? The receivers were up and down during this first week in camp. Press Taylor was asked about this struggle as well. He told us that when the offense struggles during camp, especially in the red zone drills it can somewhat be attributed to the fact that the defense knows all of the calls and formations. They’ve seen everything numerous times which makes it difficult for the offense. That said, Press and Coach Pederson expect the offense to execute no matter the situation. He is not worried about the receivers though. He explained that he has been in the game long enough to know that camp ebbs and flows. It will be interesting to keep an eye on the hands of tight end Evan Engram. Engram isn’t always the most reliable receiver. Good thing we have Dan Arnold as well. Coach Pederson says “Dan Arnold is a sneaky athlete.” He is an under the radar tight end whom Jacksonville might need to pick up the slack.
We certainly can’t blame all drops on receivers so let us now spend a sports bullet talking about quarterback Trevor Lawrence. How does Trevor think Trevor (and his offense) is doing? He was asked this very question and Lawrence said he feels “very good this year. Preparation equals confidence. I know that I am prepared mentally, physically, all those things. We had a really great offseason. Had a great spring with these guys. It’s about how you get better everyday. I feel like we are in a great spot. I am happy where we are at. But we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Lawrence says the Jags “are two deep at every position. We are really explosive. We look good.” So, that about sums that up.
Let’s close out by talking some more defense, particularly the least worrisome area of the field for Jacksonville, the front seven. Ashlyn Sullivan, the Jags team reporter, says “Travon Walker has been lining up on the edge opposite Josh Allen rushing the passer.” I know that Mike Caldwell will use Travon’s athleticism in multiple looks this year but it seems that for now, thus far in camp, Walker is an edge rusher. That couldn’t make us happier. The combination of Walker and Allen remind me of Manley and Mann. Dexter and Charles. A quarterbacks nightmare. As an aside, in rookie meetings Travon Walker was supposed to sing a song, a little melody for his teammates. Being the quiet and humble giant that he is off the field, the tune wasn’t quite up to par, thus the defensive line filled his car with packing peanuts. It might have made getting in his car a little more difficult but best to package your number one draft pick safely. “Fra-gil-e, it must be Italian.”
Opposite Travon is the man who is going to wreak all kinds of havoc in the NFL this year, Josh Allen. Allen, being proactive, asked Mike Caldwell what he wanted out of him this coming season. Caldwell looked at him and replied matter-of-factly “we want him to be the best defensive player in the league.” No pressure there. The bottom line is that Jacksonville has surrounded Allen with everything he needs to shine this year. Allen is playing with an extremely talented front seven so the only thing holding him back from being the best edge rusher in the league is himself. Allen’s situation is similar to Trevor Lawrence’s. Baalke, Pederson and Khan have provided the protection with a more than capable O-line, so there is no longer a reason Lawrence can’t succeed in 2022. Allen summed up his approach to the season by saying, “lead by example and work hard. The good is going to follow.”
Rounding out this column is linebacker Foyesade Oluokun. Foye led the entire NFL in tackles last year when he was with Atlanta. He’s a quiet leader who is very underrated. In 2022 Oluokun will be Jacksonville’s green dot guy (wearing the green dot as he did in Atlanta) leading the defense. His intelligence (Foye went to Yale) and well above average football acumen will allow for the rest of the Jags D to flourish.
It is important to note that Coach Pederson is going to try and keep injuries to a minimum by modeling his training camp practices after his in-season weeks. During two of the days there will be no real hard hitting. Pederson believes this “will help prevent soft tissue damage from creeping up and taxing the team” come the beginning of the season. If we are being honest, the dead zone tends to lull us to sleep here at JaguarsTalk. Now that we are officially out of the dead zone and football is firing on all cylinders, our soft tissue damage is creeping up. We obviously didn’t prepare our typing fingers well in the offseason. More importantly though, let’s tax some of your typing fingers by commenting below.