Jacksonville Jaguars
coach Doug Marrone is optimistic about his team — for now.
JACKSONVILLE — With only two organized team activity practices remaining, Jaguars coach Doug Marrone is still at a loss on assessing his team’s readiness for the upcoming season.
Though Marrone has seen quarterback Blake Bortles toss spirals, it’s not come under an intense pass rush like he is going to face this upcoming season. He’s seen rookie running back Leonard Fournette blast through holes only to go untouched instead of tackled.
With urgency to become a better football team, the Jaguars’ OTA workouts, which began on May 23, have been all about building camaraderie, perfecting techniques and hitting pads instead of each other.
Under NFL rules, that’s all the Jaguars and the league’s other 31 teams are allowed to do until training camps open in late July.
For the OTAs, players are not permitted to be in full pads; only helmets and shorts with no contact work allowed.
“Until we get into full pads, I can’t tell you really who can play football and who can’t,’’ Marrone said. “What I do like what we are doing is that we are progressing naturally, just like every team.
“We’re trying to get all that stuff down and we’re trying to train the players mentally to think quickly because what happens is in this period of time, you tend to be more relaxed because you’re not in full pads. For us, we’re trying to create an adverse situation where we get hard, where we’re going fast, where we’re trying to put the pressure on them so they can make faster decisions when they start playing. That’s one thing at least you’ve trained outside of the physicality.”
For the past three weeks, the Jaguars players have heard Marrone say plenty, especially about having a lot to prove.
Whether it’s a motivational ploy or not, a majority of the players participating have taken a business-like approach, embracing Marrone’s challenge after going 3-13 last season.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue says the work has been beneficial, even though they are not able to tackle.
“It just makes you more aware of your technique,’’ Ngakoue said. “You have to use your hands better. I think it’s a pretty good thing not having pads right now because when you’re getting tired and stuff like that, you definitely just have to work your technique. You can’t just run into somebody and let the play develop and be over with. I definitely feel like with no shoulder pads and no contact, it makes you rely more on your technique and just being more precise.”
Safety Peyton Thompson is pushing through the work, however, he understands when coaches say it’s hard to evaluate when there is no contact work.
“I understand why they say it’s hard because it’s hard for me to tell, ‘Did I win that down? Did I lose that down?’ Yes, he caught the pass and yes, I had every intention of running through him [to make the tackle], but I had to back off,’’ Thompson said. “You ask yourself, ‘If I had hit him, would he have bobbled it? If I was there, would he have dropped it?’ You have to just try and get better with what you do and in the games, I have to do what I did last year playing in the middle – run and hit them.’’
Fullback Marquez Williams, 5-foot-11, 260 pounds, was drafted in the seventh round by the Jaguars during the April 27-29 NFL Draft because of his blocking ability. Although Williams has not been able to show off his physicality on the field much in OTAs, he has made a point about putting himself in the appropriate position to block correctly during drills.
Marrone said it is important now for players, especially rookies, to spend the necessary time to concentrate on improving all aspects of their techniques, assignments so when training camp opens they won’t have go back to it.
“Really after this week is over, we will have done pretty much everything that you can do, situationally, meaning third-down, red zone, backed up, two-minute, empty [sets], no-huddle, whatever it is,’’ Marrone said. “We are doing what everyone is pretty much doing. Putting those things in and implementing those situations or situational offense. Doing the same thing on the defensive side. Doing things from that nature.”