JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The full pads went on Tuesday at Jaguars training camp and now the real work begins.
Jacksonville’s first day in full pads was relatively relaxed, save for the scorching and sweaty morning at Miller Electric Center. Full pads didn’t mean full contact though. The team’s sixth training camp practice was a little more spirited but nothing near full-on collisions.
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That’s coming though.
Jacksonville’s preseason opener at Dallas is less than two weeks away and there’s plenty of strides to make in that span as the Jaguars look to take a major step forward in coach Doug Pederson’s second year in town.
“It does [change] a little bit [putting the pads on], but again, we have a veteran group. We just got to make sure the young guys understand and watch how the vets practice,” said defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell.
“When you put the pads on, it does become more physical, but we’re teammates. So, we have to practice and protect each other. That’s a big message. Doug does a great job of showing examples of how to practice and telling young guys to pay attention to that. They’ll do that and start to follow in step.”
It’s been a mixed bag in the offense and defense battles thus far in camp, with each unit essentially taking turns swapping big days. The receivers have all looked good, from newcomer Calvin Ridley to second-year stars Christian Kirk and Zay Jones.
Jones turned in another round of big catches that brought some of the biggest cheers of the day from the crowd. And rookie running back Snoop Conner punched in what would have been two touchdown runs in red zone situations. The defense had an impressive stretch, too. Antonio Johnson came up with his second interception of camp. Caleb Johnson and Erik Hallett added picks, too.
Hallett and Caleb Johnson are battling for roster spots. Antonio Johnson is trying to push his way into a starting or at least a backup role as the team’s nickel corner spot. Incumbent Tre Herndon and second-year player Gregory Junior are also in that battle.
“It feels great to put the pads back on first and foremost. I love this team, I think offensively we did a heck of a job today,” said linebacker Josh Allen. “Defensively, started off a little slow but we kind of picked it up. To be the defense that we want to be, we can’t come out like that again. Tomorrow’s point is to start faster and finish faster. That’s probably the only thing I can take away from today’s practice.”
While the full tackling didn’t begin Tuesday, that is on the docket for camp. Caldwell said that one of the biggest disappointments last year was too many missed tackles. The defensive players have to work on fixing that during camp. Even when players aren’t permitted to tackle, they have to go through the protocol of making a tackle. And that’s difficult to do in noncontact drills.
“Really, the way we look at it, in the NFL, you hardly ever get a chance to tackle your teammates. When we’re not in pads and when we are in pads, you have to go through the dynamics of making a tackle,” Caldwell said. “You have to run to the ball, machinegun your feet, lower your target, and put yourself in a position to make the tackle, not just run by a guy. That will translate when it’s time to really make a tackle.”