Which Jaguars Have Stood Out As Veteran Leaders Through Camp?
As training camp rolls on, the Jaguars have amped practice up over the last week and are starting to really grind. With just under a month before the regular season kicks off, head coach Urban Meyer is looking for guys who will step up and become leaders on this team.
He has pushed guys like DJ Chark, been heavily involved in special teams and on Wednesday probably yelled out ‘win’ a few hundred times during one on ones throughout practice. This is where the veteran leaders really show their value.
Camp is a grind and it can be easy to succumb to the heat and not maintain the level they need to keep making progress. So, who on this team is going to keep everybody in check not only physically but also mentally?
WR Marvin Jones Jr.
Coming over from Detroit, Jones is an experienced veteran and that’s exactly what he was brought in to provide. This Jaguars receiving corps is very young and having a guy like Jones to lead the way for them and show them exactly what it’s like to be a pro in this league as well as understand offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s offense the addition makes a lot of sense.
He has already been a stand out in camp and according to Bevell he is like another coach out there, helping this group.
“Our receiver room is a young room, just guys that have been in the league for a couple years. To have that veteran to come in — one to kind of show them how he has lasted 10 years,” Bevell said Tuesday after practice.
“That’s not the norm and he has done it at a high-level so how does he take care of his body? What does he do in the offseason? For me it’s like another coach over there in the receiver room because he has been with me for two years and we have coached up a lot of these things.”
Jones may or may not lead this team in receiving this year. It could be Chark. It could even be Laviska Shenault. One thing is for sure though. Jones is the most valuable receiver on this team. What he is doing in helping this group out and taking guys under his wing is “invaluable.”
“There new stuff that’s added, but he is able to kind of able to be that voice in there and be like ‘Hey this is what he is looking for and this is what we like to do there.’ It’s invaluable to have a guy like that,” Bevell said.
C Brandon Linder
Linder is the oldest Jaguar on the team and one of the most important. His experience not only in the league but also with the Jaguars is one of the most important aspects on this team.
With a rookie quarterback as valuable as Trevor Lawrence behind him, Linder is responsible for everything going on within the offensive line.
“I always call the center the apex,” Meyer said following Saturday’s training camp practice. “We’re fortunate to have one of the best centers in the league. He really controls the offense and to have a young quarterback behind him, that’s priceless. I’m not sure you could function without a non-veteran center with a young quarterback.”
Now that the Jaguars can hit, seeing Linder's veteran leadership in the trenches is evident. He takes a lot of pressure off Lawrence while he is still adapting to the speed and difficulty of the NFL.
Think of Linder as Lawrence’s Google. You may not realize how valuable it is on the surface, but as soon as he doesn’t know something he can just Google it. Imagine if he didn’t have it. It’s just one big thing he doesn’t have to worry about right now.
“He is one of the key components of offense—everyone is—but as far as a leadership standpoint, having him that’s been there, done it and just is really smart, for one, and a great player,” said Lawrence on Saturday.
“Having him just takes a little pressure off me because he can direct the traffic and some of the stuff I got to get used to doing that I didn’t do in college that I’m still learning, he can kind of help me with all that. He has been great.”
CB Shaquill Griffin
The Jaguars biggest free agency signing has come in and already made a big impact in the teams secondary. Griffin has been a standout so far in camp not only on the field but off it as well. Before camp even began he told the secondary group that they are going to have to trust in each other and lean on one another.
“One thing I did preach yesterday before we even started practicing is this is going to be hard. This is going to be tough,” Griffin said. “There are going to be days where we’re like, ‘Man, how are we going to get through it?’ Lean on someone. This is a brotherhood. Lean on us. If you’re going through something, talk to me.
“If I’m going through something, I’m going to come holler at you. I’m going to ask questions. I’m going to try to get whatever it is on my chest, try to get it off. We need everybody and this goes way beyond just camp. You’re talking about having an extra game now. Our season is going into January and that’s not even talking about playoffs.
“We’re going into January on our last game. That’s a long time. You have rookies who are coming from a college season, they’re doing around 12 to 14 games. Now, you’re going up to 20. That’s a long time, so it’s going to be tough. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, this football stuff is not easy, but you have to be able to lean on each other.”
Going that extra mile to go and tell the group that and lay it out so everybody is on the same page is a big deal. It shows how important and tight-knit this group is to him. And he’s only been here a few months.
Through camp he has made a lot of plays, especially now that they can contest passes. He’s picked off some passes and is looking like many thought he would after signing a three-year, $40 million deal.
With other new faces in the secondary like Andre Cisco, Rayshawn Jenkins and Tyson Campbell, Griffin has had to help get this group together and so far has done a great job of it. He’s vocal and can lead by example.
“[He] brings a lot of leadership, good mobility, [ability] to flip his hips and break all of the passes,” Chark said of Griffin. “I think this acclimation period helps the DBs a lot because it makes it tougher for them, having to shadow a receiver. But you know, I think he’s a solid corner and it’s good that we have him here.”
With CJ Henderson now on the practice field, Griffin will be waiting to bring him up to speed as well. The secondary is very important in today's pass-happy NFL. And with Griffin leading this group they seem to be in good hands.
