Training camp notebook: Offense makes some plays, but defense shines on Monday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Monday blues. Everyone hates Mondays, especially Garfield, a reference seems pretty dated these days. Well, after Monday’s practice, maybe the poster of Garfield can be replaced by the Jaguars offense because they may hate Mondays as well. Outside of a few dynamic plays, the defense controlled the day.

That is the nature of training camp. There will be days that the offense dominates, but Monday belonged to the defense. Overthrown passes, sacks and interceptions were all the calling cards of the day.

1 on 1’s

The catch of the day goes to Zay Jones. Don’t forget about Zay! He made some big catches for the Jaguars last year and could be the beneficiary of defense focusing on stopping Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk.

Iron sharpens Iron. During 1-on-1 drills, Tyson Campbell and Calvin Ridley gave the people what they wanted to see. Campbell and Ridley matched up twice. Ridley won the first rep on a comeback but Campbell won the second rep with tight coverage on the deep ball even though the pass was overthrown.

Gregory Junior had a pair of reps in 1 on 1′s against difficult assignments. First, he went against Jamal Agnew. Junior had a nice break on the ball to break up the pass. On his second rep, he was matched up with Christian Kirk. Junior had tight coverage the whole way but Kirk was able to stop and make a nice play on the football.

Parker Washington vs. Tre Herndon. These sorts of 1-on-1 drills always favor the offense. So, you try not to put too much stock into them. But when a rookie gives a veteran player all he can handle, there is something to be said. Herndon and Washington went at it twice. Herndon had to hold on for dear life on the first rep. On the second rep, Washington beat him off the line on a slant. These sorts of reps will help solidify Washington’s spot on the roster and put the nickel cornerback spot more up for grabs.

📓Notebook 📓

• After the draft, the Jaguars said they saw Antonio Johnson as a safety and not as a slot corner. Well, they have clearly changed their minds to some extent. Johnson has been mentioned by the coaching staff as a player in the competition for the nickel job. Monday, Johnson took a handful of reps playing in the slot matched up against wide receivers.

• Andre Cisco spent time with the trainers. He walked off the field on his own.
• Trevor Lawrence threw his second interception of camp. This one went into the hands of Daniel Thomas and looked as if the pass may have been tipped at the line of scrimmage.
• Rookie undrafted free agent Kaleb Hayes came up with an interception. Hayes has had a quiet camp so far.
• Rough day for Anton Harrison. During team drills, Travon Walker and Josh Allen both beat him around the corner to have would-be sacks on Lawrence.
• It was a Sacksonville kind of day. Jordan Smith got into the backfield during team drills for a sack. Smith, going into his third year, is a player who could be ready to step into the role as the third pass rusher.
• Gregory Junior got into the backfield off a blitz from the slot and sacked Lawrence. He bounced off Lawrence (a big no-no) and looked up to see he was at Doug Pederson’s feet.
• Full pads tomorrow.