Jaguars vs. Giants: Evan Engram's First Game Against New York Looks Like Just Another Game

"I don't think about you at all."

Don Draper or Evan Engram? This week, it is hard to tell. While legions of New York Giants fans have flocked to revel in the Giants facing Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram as an opponent for the first time, it doesn't appear to be a mutual feeling.

Engram downplayed the "revenge game" narrative in the locker room earlier in the week. That hasn't stopped those in New York from asking about him or making his status with the Jaguars one of the biggest storylines of the week, but it shouldn't doesn't appear like one to Engram and the Jaguars.

“Honestly, I don’t know that I do," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said this week when asked if he can tell a different focus coming from Engram this week as he faces the team that drafted him out of Ole Miss in 2017.

"Evan is a guy that from the day he’s got here, been extremely focused. He’s always been about his business, about his work, puts in the extra work as much as anybody else we have here."

That has been the story on Engram since the Jaguars signed the former Giants tight end and Ole Miss star to a one-year, $9 million deal with $8.25 in guaranteed money in March. He has been known since his first day at TIAA Bank Field as one of the team's hardest and most tireless workers, clearly entering with a chip on his shoulder to prove he is the top talent he was drafted as five years ago.

And through six games, Engram has done nothing short of what the Jaguars have asked. Engram has caught 24 passes for 208 yards and hasn't had any mistakes that have doomed the Jaguars like he frequently had in New York, dropping just one pass in 32 targets and acting more as a safety blanket for Trevor Lawrence than anything else.

"Evan is, number one a great person, that’s the first thing. Number two, he brought a lot of experience and a lot of depth that we needed at that position," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told New York media earlier this week.

"His route running ability and overall leadership are things that I’ve seen. Very unselfish player. He does whatever it takes to help us try to win football games and he’s been great in that way."

So while Giants fans and even some inside the building may be looking forward to facing an old friend or foe this Sunday, it certainly doesn't appear Engram has given any impression that Sunday will be anything but the next game for him.

"I don’t know if I’d say anything different, he hasn’t acted any different to me. I haven’t really brought anything up with him, too. I think there’s always a certain proving step of, ‘I’m not there anymore, I want to show you all of this.’ I don’t worry about that with Evan really," Taylor said.

"Evan’s always been locked in and working as hard as he could to prepare himself, ready to play on Sunday.”