Jaguars’ Ramsey ready for challenge
By The Associated Press
All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey wants to cover the No. 1 receiver each opponent has to offer. He welcomes the challenge. He requests it.
In the AFC championship Sunday at New England, it’s a tight end. Rob Gronkowski is considered the NFL’s best at the position, a 6-foot-6, 265pound behemoth and a daunting matchup for nearly every defender in the league.
Not for Ramsey, who might get a chance to test his skills against the fellow AllPro. “He hasn’t played a corner like me before,” Ramsey said Friday.
Ramsey has held his own against a handful of the most dynamic receivers in the league: DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Keenan Allen, Larry Fitzgerald, Doug Baldwin, Marqise Goodwin and others.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Ramsey has the size, speed, athleticism, instincts and body control to stay with anyone. Gronkowski would create other issues, mainly because of his strength and agility.
Asked what advantage he would have against Gronkowski, Ramsey replied: “Everything.”
The Jaguars certainly have faith in their trash-talking, second-year pro. “If I had to bet on a corner to cover [Gronk], I’d put money on Jalen Ramsey for sure,” quarterback Blake Bortles said.
“I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve ever seen out of him. His physical tools and obviously his mental toughness and what he’s able to do throughout the game and getting in guys’ heads,” Bortles said.
Jets
Wide receiver Robby Anderson faces charges in Florida, including threatening a police officer’s family and saying he would rape the officer’s wife. Anderson, 24, was stopped early Friday in a sport utility vehicle after it ran two red lights while traveling about 105 mph. Police say he made the threats and then boasted about how much money he has. Anderson faces nine charges, including threatening harm to a public servant.
Raiders
The NFL said that Oakland complied with the “Rooney Rule” when it hired Jon Gruden as head coach. The league said a review found the Raiders conducted “bona fide” interviews with minority candidates during their search for a replacement for the fired Jack Del Rio.