Chark, Robinson and Other Jaguars Seeing Early Returns From Sports Performance Department

Ever since Urban Meyer was hired by Shad Khan to lead the Jaguars on the field in January, the former college coach has done just as much to attempt to lead the Jaguars to greater heights off the field as well. And so far, his players are seeing the results.

From placing an emphasis on the sports performance department to unveiling plans for a $120 million football facility, Meyer has pushed the Jaguars to want to improve on more than just the football field. And that investment has trickled down to his best players, with veterans such as DJ Chark reflecting that seeing actual change taking place is among the most impactful recent developments.

"Hearing it sounds good, but actually seeing it is different. Seeing the progress that we’ve been doing since this new staff, this new era really took over, it’s like practicing what you preach," Chark said last week. "Once you show guys that we’re not only saying it, but we are building these things, we are putting extra time in, we are listening to you, asking about your body, what you can do better. I think that’s the biggest thing."

It takes more than improved nutrition, weightlifting, physical therapy, and overall resources to win football games. Whether Meyer is a success with the Jaguars -- and whether Khan was right to give him more power in his first year than most NFL coaches have after several reasons with a team -- won't be entirely dependent on the investments Meyer and the Jaguars are making off the field.

But it does make a difference. It does more than potentially improve the health, strength and speed of the Jaguars on the field. It also goes a long way toward showing veterans like Chark that the new staff is committed to them and committed to winning, which in return builds trust between the two sides. That makes it little surprise the Jaguars have had days during organized team activities in which they have 100% attendance among their 90-man roster.

"That’s why we have so many guys here because they’re holding up their end of the bargain. They’re holding up their end, we have no problem holding up our end," Chark said. "We enjoy being pushed, especially I do. So, hats off and credit to those guys for bringing that energy.”

Chark is one of the team's veterans who has already seen early returns from the team's sports performance department and Meyer's own desire to push his roster to the limit while also supporting them in the best way the team can.

Meyer himself gave Chark an open challenge when he took the job in hopes of having the fourth-year receiver improve his strength and physicality. Thanks to the Jaguars' and Meyer's commitment to improving the Jaguars in the weight room and not just on the practice field, as well as the Jaguars' faith and investment in Chark, the Pro Bowl receiver has done just that.

"I enjoy looking bigger, feeling bigger, running faster. Credit to the staff that we have here, the weight room, the guys, the intensity that we bring. I really enjoy it," Chark said. "It makes it a place I don’t mind going and getting some work in. I’m not hiding from the weight room. I’m pretty excited, I like it.”

But while Chark is so far the face of the Jaguars' commitment to improved facilities and sports performance, he is far from alone. A number of players on the Jaguars' roster entered OTAs with reshaped physiques, with many looking as if they had added significant muscle.

Aside from simply getting bigger, the Jaguars' roster has also focused on speed and explosion. Running back James Robinson said entering the offseason that he wanted to emphasize becoming simply faster. Thanks to the push and investment from Meyer and his staff, Robinson has sensed the improvement he so badly wanted to see following his breakout rookie season.

“First couple of practices, I was able to open up and feel pretty fast. As the days go on, my legs get sore, but the first few days I felt like I got faster," Robinson said last week.

"Just a lot of knee drive. Urban Meyer when he first came in, he was talking about my knee drive. Ever since March, when I come into the stadium, that’s all I’ve been working on really.”

It isn't just members of the roster like Chark and Robinson who saw the old regime operate who are impressed, either. It is players like defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, who has played for a playoff team and has seen what success looks like at the NFL level.

For Robertson-Harris, he has no real background on how Jacksonville has changed since Meyer replaced former head coach Doug Marrone. But he is able to compare what the Jaguars offer now to what he has seen in the past and give an honest evaluation of how the team has reshaped itself to become a player-centric franchise.

“They’re trying to make sure everything is here for us, trying to make sure that we don’t have to go all over the world to get everything done, which is a good thing," Robertson-Harris said.

"Having to travel 30 minutes up the road to get a massage or to get needling and all that stuff, he’s trying to keep everything in-house. It’s been great. I’ve been able to get everything I need done here at the building, so I don’t have to travel, saves me time, saves me gas.”

The Jaguars are still working to shed their past reputation as a franchise that didn't always do right by its locker room. It will take more than one offseason for Meyer's staff to do so, but so far his roster is seeing improvements on the field and in the weight room as a result of the new regime's practices.

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