Jaguars' Jawaan Taylor Explains the Experience of Playing on the Road in 2020

Jawaan Taylor reflected on Monday on what it is like playing on the road during what is the most unique NFL season ever.

Nothing is quite "normal" in 2020, especially for NFL teams. All former procedures and patterns have been thrown out the window in a big way, especially when it comes to traveling on the road. 

As Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor put it on Monday, the new changes are simply the norm that teams must grow accustomed to. 

"No, not weird and bizarre because at the end of the day we’re all just trying to stay safe and healthy. We just got in the bubble pretty much and you have to wear masks on the buses, on the planes, and different things like that," Taylor said. 

"It’s a little different, but it’s the way of life now. It’s how the world is so we have to adjust and that’s just what we do now.”

The Jaguars (1-2) are set to make their second road trip this weekend, traveling to Cincinnati to play the Bengals. Their first road trip came in Week 2 when they went to Nashville to clash with the Titans, which gave the Jaguars and their players an idea of what traveling to play on Sundays would look like this season. 

Going out to eat? A thing of the past. Meetings? Taking place before the players are in the hotel.

“We had meetings before we left so we were in the bubble, not allowed to leave the room. If you want food or different things, you want to order out. The only thing you can do is go down to the downstairs area where the food is at. I forgot the name of the room but that’s mainly where they keep the food at for the players, that’s about it," Taylor said. 

"Other than that, you can’t go to the lobby. [There are] different things you can’t do. You have to stay in the room. For me personally, I was just sitting there watching film and treating myself, treating my body, so that’s about it. [I] watched a little football, the college games were on, different things like that, but I didn’t get bored. It was just a regular night.”

There is also the aspect of having to play without fans. Some players have pointed out that playing on the road in a fan-less stadium, much like the Titans' was other than eight people in Week 2, is a less than desirable scenario. Others, such as quarterbacks, can all use to quiet stadiums to their advantages. 

For the Jaguars, who have played in front of 11k+ fans in each of their two games, they will be seeing some fans in Cincinatttti this weekend. The State of Ohio is allowing 6,000 fans to attend the game, as explained here by AllBengals. 

“It’s amazing, especially for us, the tackles on the outside, me and Cam [Robinson]. Usually we have to dial into the different silent counts with the centers and the quarterback on how we want to go about our business, but definitely it’s a little bit better," Taylor said Monday. "You don’t have to worry about the noise and the silent count, so it’s easier for us.”