Welcome into jags Am on this Thursday. The fans are already in their seats as they get geared up for day two of joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We are inside in the Miller Electric Center for the studio today as we get ready for jag Zam. I'm Kinnannie Stevens, Brian Sexton and John Oser are back with me as we get ready for day two of joint practices. That's our big thing number one today as well, Day
two of those joint practices with the Bucks. As you kind of get settled in a little bit, Brian, we saw some of the action yesterday, but going through the motions getting used to playing with another team, what can you kind of look for specifically on day two.
Well, if you go back to day one real quick and just talk about the fact that it was a physical performance by the Jaguars, they wanted to see it, they got it. Today they're in shelves and helmets, so it's not gonna be the same physical challenge that it was.
But you want to see the technical side of it. So today's the day that.
You watch the receivers in their routes and the defensive backs and their coverage and things of that nature. This is a Bucks team that made the playoffs last year and they're a good football team, so you want to see young players. We talked about the class of twenty three at nauseum here. You want to see those guys continue to play well no matter who they're matched up against.
Yeah, and they went this route last year. They had a real physical day against the Lions on the first day of the dual practices last year, and then not so physical the second day because you went to shelves. I agree with Brian. You want to see them working on the skill positions. I thought the defensive backs from what I heard, played well yesterday against the Bucks receivers. You want to see a repeat of that, and you want to see them continue working on looks that they
don't necessarily get from their own team. I expect to day be a little more about mental than physical because of that.
Our second big thing is keeping it clean. Obviously much more physical yesterday, but kept things everything in between the lines. No fights. We know this can break out at joint practices, John when you switch out of pads. You touched on this a little bit, but focusing in on those key skill positions. What else can you learn, Like, what are the big guys kind of doing on a daylight today repping.
I'm sure they'll get some pass rush in terms of technique, it won't be as physical, you know. I get that pads are important, but when you're controlling it the way they do, you can probably get eighty seventy five eighty five percent of the work that you normally would in pads because they're so understandably tentative about not tackling to
the ground, about not putting players in tough situations. Brian that I get, you get a little more out of it when it's padded work, but they're trying to get the mental and some high speed stuff on the outside. I guess you might say, you know I.
Did like today Kai Tony Selly said yesterday that blocking is about your feet, which seems countertuitive, right. Blocking is about, you know, being able to get your hands on a guy, but really it's about having a guy in between the pass rusher and the quarterback, and so it becomes very very technical. You'll hear Phil Rauscher talking about dropping their head, dropping their hips.
Are your arms all the way out? Here.
In fact, Mike Malarkey, the former Jags coach, was out here yesterday and he said, you ever see anybody rush with their hands way out here? And I said no, He goes, well, then why are they blocking with their hands way out here?
Right?
He was talking about one particular player who's technique was way off, and that's what they're looking for today. Again, Buccaneers have a talented defensive front. Dug Peters Snardi talked about Vitavea and what a handful he is in the middle. So you're looking to see where a guy's feet and hands are and then those are all coachable, correctable things.
Our final big thing today is going to be flashes as we check in on the skill groups and as you talked about technique today as well. You did see some placid yesterday. Brian Thomas Jenior looks good. If he's really every single day, I feel like we've seen him out there. Brian, was there anyone that you saw flashing yesterday in not joining practice?
I say it again, Ventral Miller's just everywhere you look you see fifty one. Maybe it's because he's got that big club on his handle, though it was you know, painted black, not the white que tip that Doug Peterson laughed a bit at on Monday in his news conference. Every time I look in the direction of fifty one, I see him near the ball, whether that was Saturday night against Kansas City or yesterday against Tampa. I don't know that he breaks the starting lineup, but he's pushing hard for it.
Yeah, they have some depth there, and he's a guy if he can stay healthy, should be on the field in some capacity by the end of the year. A Christian Brasswell, Chad Muma, Parker Washington. Those are all the guys you're hearing about. You guys know me. I put very little faith in rookies actually contributing, But Brian Thomas seems to be developing at a pace that surprises me. I had some car troubles yesterday, wasn't on the field, but had a catch yesterday for a touchdown, had one
on Monday for a touchdown, had one on Saturday. He started to stack stuff. It makes you think usually rookie wide receivers, if they get one or two plays that you remember, oh, pretty good year. I think he's going to be more than that, and that makes this receiver corp very interesting.
I think one of the impressive things with Brian too is he seems to always be in the right place. The play might not always work out the way they wanted to, but he seems to be understanding the offense and in the spots that he's supposed to be at the right times. We'll talk a little bit more about that and what else we saw a joint practice on day one and what we're looking forward on day two here coming up after the break here on jags am
geg XAM brought to you by Fields Atto Group. You can see Jacksonville's premier luxury auto group by going to Fields Auto dot com. Well, I've looked at joint practice day number two with the Bucks. Hopefully just as good as yesterday's fight free but you know, obviously we love to see some competition, but keep think a little more low key.
After practice yesterday, I'm sure you guys noticed this.
There were players from both teams all over the field, you know, congregating and talking. I mean it was so after really physical practice. They were all getting along well, right, they made a point of it.
So I think that comes from the coaches.
It does, for sure.
There's nothing stupider than a football fight.
But it's funny though, because they have comments on them and pretending a bunch but.
A coaches generally consider them a waste of time as they are, and if coaches are encouraging it or allowing it anyway, come on, I mean, it's it's it's time to go to work. And might have disagreements, but at the end of the day, all these guys are after the same thing. They're trying to get better. Maybe an emotional flare up, but not.
You know, let's be honest. How many times do you see a fight between frontline guys?
You don't.
I mean most of the camp fights are guys who are battling, you know, at the very bottom of the roster, fighting for a spot, fighting for a spot, They lose their temper, they let it go the starters. I can remember one night here in two thousand and eight where you had Big John Henderson fighting Maurice Williams. That's from the last time that you saw two frontline guys go at it.
Who's fighting Big John?
Not many people, but what was tough guys so he wouldn't back down fair enough.
As we mentioned, this starts at the top right. This is the coaching staff. Todd Bulls spoke after practice yesterday and he said his respect for Doug Peterson and just they're both understanding of how to practice together is why he wanted to do this joint practice.
No, man, some good work done, Doug, run's a good program. We try to run a good program with some good work done on both sides. We got to see different schemes, and that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to make each other better. You know, the physicality is part of the sport. We did a good job of taking care of each other today.
He did. We didn't see as we mentioned, didn't get too riled up. But it's nice to see, as he mentioned, in a different style of football, even like obviously the Chiefs come in the way they run things to and against a team that Jagged struggled against mightily, probably just because they weren't mentally ready going into that game on Christmas Eve, but to kind of see a different lineup.
Did you hear what Jared Mayo, the new New England coach, told his team about fighting against the Eagles last week. I thought this was the greatest line of all time. You said, if your a starter and you fight, you're playing the whole game. And if you're a backup and you fight, you're not playing at all.
The linebacker talking, you understand, Yeah, exactly, and it they scheduled these practices and to fight simply waste their time and Riff's injuries.
You know, it's just I walked around the field, I saw a little bit of everything yesterday.
There was an intensity level to it.
I mean when when Todd talks about Doug running a good program, they didn't waste a lot of time. They moved from place to place. Camp practice is scripted. That's not a surprise to anybody. And Doug hat talked about how the coordinators had worked together a few days before the Bucks arrived to make sure that everyone got what they wanted.
Out of it. Two things. First of all is these.
Now joint practices are just part of summer, so everyone knows how to pull them off effectively. But I thought they got the most out of their time on the field with them yesterday.
And I think Doug's approach is interesting and I think more coaches are doing this. The guys who really get a lot of work this week won't play Saturday, they've by necessity, even though fans I think like only having three preseason games, the coaches are turning this one dual practice into essentially a fourth preseason game, which they have to do.
And we've talked about before. It's almost like two practices at once. So it feels like you get that added time as well because the coaches kind of divide up. You know, their offense, our defense, our defense, their offense, and because of that going on same time, you get twice the work in. It feels like at.
Times, well think about it from a coach's perspective, you might not get a third Nate in rettle game. Because you just might not get third Nate. They can make sure they get the situation they won in this for all the guys.
Well, how many times you need to see Denzel Mims line up against mont K Brown?
Right?
I mean, at some point you've made a decision, a decision as to.
Who can play and where they fit in your scheme. Now you get to see one of those players line up against someone from Tampa that you haven't seen. Okay, that gives you a much better evaluation.
You can't necessarily predict what they're going to do either. We talked to Josh Allen and Eric Armstead after practice yesterday. Josh obviously had a career year last year. Get that long term extension. He's going to be in town for quite some time. He earned it for sure, and he talked a little bit about how he feels he's playing at his best, he feels physically at his best, and how that helps him help the team.
Yeah, this is right now.
I feel the best I've ever felt being six years into the league, you know, and we just got better all around me as well. But now it's more team, you know, more championship, Phil, more bring everybody in and once everybody in hold this standard to a high standard. If I can be willing to.
Do that.
And bring everybody along, man, we're gonna be hunting for days.
John, is that the next step of this He's set the standard now bringing everybody in on it.
Well, I think with Josh and Brian, you've been around him as long as I have. I know every player prepares, but maybe because Josh is so open and candid about it, you feel like you know more about his preparation process. He missed the team because he comes back in the off season he talks about it, but I do believe that he spends each off season trying to figure out how to prepare better, trying to get rid of what
didn't work before. So I think when he says he feels as good coming into this camp as he ever has, I think that has some weight. And I do think he's a guy who is gets better every year and feels more prepared, feels more gassed up, if you will. So I guess what I'm getting that is. I don't know if seventeen and a half sacks again, but I don't worry about him being as prepared as possible and
playing at a high level after a contract years. I feel like again he just keeps Peyton Manning to this, and all the great players I've been around to it. You know, they just keep wanting to get better because they kind of know that if they don't physically, they're going to fall off. So I feel like Josh again him a big.
Year because of that truly important to him. I mean that's what you don't know until you spend time around the player.
He wants his name in the pride of the Jaguars.
I mean, he wants to be the all time sack leader. I think he needs something.
He's willing to work to do it.
We're talking eleven sacks, and so because we know what's important to him, you can see him going out and having a big year.
Two things.
One, he had a bunch of sacks in December, which is important. I'd like to see him have a bunch of sacks in September this year as well. I'm not saying he got them in garbage time. I'm saying you want to see more consistency of those seventeen and a half sacks.
I would at least like to see that.
And the other thing is he proves how important the offseason program is because he goes to Arizona and works out and he looks incredible and is.
Ready to go.
Coaches will disagree with that because they want everyone here, but you have great players that go do their own thing and do it as well as he does. That's the most important part. He didn't miss anything by not being here. And I know people are like, hey, he got the big contract, why isn't he here. If that's what I get for my money, go anywhere you want.
The great ones don't need it because they know how to prepare on their op Yeah, any yeah, you guys need.
I think that's the thing it's important to point out. You guys have been around enough professional athletes as well. There's some people that are satisfied with certain things. Josh's not one of those people. I think when he gets to a point, he's like, no, I want more than that, and I want more than that. And that's kind of the mentality you need, especially at the professional level. If you want to get to a championship caliber level, you have to have that at different spots on your team.
And I think that's great we have Josh in that spot on defense. I think he'll bring it around him as well. Another guy that we know that has a similar mentality to that. As a new addition, Eric Armstead. We haven't seen him out on the field yet beat until he was activated earlier this week. He took part into individual drills and do the team drills Yesterday's working
his way back from a knee injury. But he talked a little bit about whether he you know, he thinks he'll be ready for the start of the season, but where his focus is really at for the season.
My goal is to feel good, to feel good and uh, you know, get off to a good start in the season and prepared to have a dominant season, but also at the same time realizing that it's a seventeen game season,
and you know why. My my goal is always to be my best when my best is needed, and I think I have a great track record of that, and looking at a season as a whole, I want to get off to a good start, obviously, but also I want to be, you know, there for my team when they need me the most in December, in January, in February. So that's always been my goal.
Ryan or once again talking about somebody that's done this a couple of years in a row, knows why he needs to do to get his body ready and mentioning I mean, he played on that torminiscus throughout the playoffs into the Super Bowl, so he's someone that will play hurt if necessary, when needed, and now he's at a point where he's like, I need to do what I need to do to get ready to play one hundred percent.
Just two years ago, maybe it was three, he had ten and a half sacks and you know, he's a hand in the dirt kind of pass rusher, that's a lot of sacks. In the last couple of years, he's battled some nagging injuries. Doug Peterson was asked this morning, you know, are we gonna see him on Saturday? Do want to se him Atlanta? Dougs like, I don't need to see him, don't need to see him. He knows how to get ready, and he's not He's not here for September, you know, he's here for Thanksgiving until the
super Bowl. He's that guy that when things get really difficult, you want him in your locker room and in your huddle keeping everybody focused because he's been in super Bowls before.
That's quote not a concern. Yeah, and it's not the guy like that ten year guy. Even playing for ten years at that kind of a level, you know how to prepare, because if you don't know how to prepare even be here, you're out of the league after ten year, after six years.
I just serve a quick story. He came through.
There was a time when the draft visits would come, you know, the guys come in and they would let us sit down with them. So in twenty fifteen, I spent some time with him over in the stadium. In one of the locker rooms doing an interview, and I remember seeing how big he wasn't thinking, man, I would love to have a guy like that right because he reminded me of the John Henderson Marcus stroudays where the
physical size was so imposing. And here we are now ten years later, and I say, let's not see him until you need him.
I'm kind of excited to see him.
Trent Bulky measurements. He loves the wingspan on those ends, and he certainly is well.
He's got one Mason Smith, same guy.
I know he's molded after him. He's he will he wanted night, So I'll talk about him after the break. But stay with us. We're gonna take another live look at joint practice with the Bucks and tell you what we're looking forward to in the preseason game on Saturday as well. Sudith is Florida's trusted and reliable moving company. Suddeth proud to be the official moving company of the Jacksonville Jaguars. To get a guaranteed quote, visit suddeth dot com.
Slash Jacks back Aaron Studio for Jagvam. As we get ready for day two of joint practice with the Bucks, and also it's gonna be a preseason game on Saturday. Ye we're gonna guess a little bit about who we think we're playing is playing in that game because we know they get a lot of work in during the week. So the starters probably won't play at all, maybe some of the rookies. So who are you gonna be looking at hopefully playing anything.
We'll never let it be said that if I have a hammer, I don't swing it right, and I have been swinging on Ventro Miller, so I'm gonna go with it.
He's not gonna crack.
Look, listen, he will impress you on Saturday night because that's all he's done in training camp so far.
He's where he needs to be.
For a guy who is coming off an achilles guy, and Achilles normally is the kind of injury that if you do come back, it's a two or three year point before you start to see the guy. But I mean, he just run from place to plays, so he will impress you. He won't crack the starting lineup. That means taking foy Lucon right because he's a weak side linebacker, or even Devin Lloyd, and he's not going to take
that this year. But he is a long term solution and a guy who will be on the field, and he might be a guy that because linebackers get beat up, steps in in November and December and makes enough plays that you're like, man, how do we find a way to keep him on the field. He's just been a really impressive part of the twenty twenty three draft class that has really had a good camp, so it plays with great energy.
I talked to him yesterday, John.
I know you have friends in the scouting world too, but a scout years ago said to me, if you get a chance to look a player in the eye, you can tell a lot about what he is, what it means to him. And as I talked to him yesterday about football and how much he missed it last year and how excited he is to try to stay healthy this year, it's just it's that eye, the tiger thing. I mean, he has got it and it would be fun to watch him play.
Yeah, you just hope for his say he can stay healthy. There's some guys early in their career where you look at him and say, I know this guy can play eight or nine years in this league. No doubt he can do that. It's if he can stay healthy. He was injured to Florida, been injured so.
Far, but thing on Fred Taylor and he ended up playing a long time.
Yeah, So I.
Went with Cooper Hodges and he will play on Saturday's gonna be one of those guys in that group, because why wouldn't he. It's sort of a similar thing. He won't crack the starting lineup to start this year, but to get very quickly to that he might. I think he's in a similar situation as Intreel, as with Cleveland's been dealing with the heel. I'm sure as of Cleveland's gonna play the whole season. Brandon Sheriff Older has dealt with injuries over the course of his time with the Jags.
You can see Hodges being a guy just like Miller, who can come in play well enough during training camp, be forced into the line up at some point this season, and playing well enough to hold on to it. They would have liked that scenario last year, not the injury, but they would have liked to have seen him in camp long well if he had earned it. I mean, you know, he still has not been on the field or in practice long enough for them to say, yes,
we know what this is for him. He needs to have that be this year because if if it's two years in a row where you're going to the off season not sure, then they start drafting over you. But he clearly has that ability, that skill set, and he might wind up doing this year. He might wind up proving that he's the guy in the future.
There.
Yeah, he's like Ventrel, a guy that they had high hopes for playing last.
Year, didn't because of injury.
But when you see him and yesterday he played pretty well, you know against a big, physical Bucks defense at front. I think he is a guy who by the end of the year because of injuries. I mean, give Shriff a ton of credit. He played with a foot ankle last year. Oh yeah, yeah, I couldn't practice at all, practice some, but couldn't practice both days last year year. So I think he's a guy who by the end of the season you'd be like, that's our starting guard.
Tons of talent from both of those guys. Just injuries are concerned, so got to get them as much playing time keep them healthy. I'm going with Mason Smith. That's someone we were talking about. We've seen tons of slashes from him. I think he will continue to improve as things go along. We heard Josh heinz Allen singing his praises, just talking about his you know, God give an abilities, all his natural range, what he looks like out there. I think he won't get beaten the same way twice.
He's very smart. He's one of those people that you don't have to tell this similar to Brian Thomas as well, Like when he makes a mistake, he doesn't make a repeated mistake, and I think that's huge, especially coming in his rookies. There's tons of stuff being thrown at you. But if you can take that in and be like, all right, that's something I can cross off the list. I won't do that again. That's how you improve as a rookie. And he might end up being one of
the steals of the draft. Obviously, this was a high risk, high reward pick. He came in the second round. A lot of people thought that was an overreach. Trent Balke feels very strongly about this. Obviously, he was dealing with some injuries, then came back and played at LSU. Didn't look at the same player. He looks better now, doesn't seem to be hampered by anything. So if this pans out well, Trent Balkey's gonna look really smart for picking him, even though people are ragging on him to start.
You know, on draft day, the first thing that stuck out to me was Chris Jones. He's got Chris Jones size, right. I mean, he's that big in that athletic. Chris Jones, who's probably the best defensive lineman in football today, and Jeffrey Simmons, who's probably the best interior defensive lineman in the division, were both guys who slid down the draft board because of injuries when they were a Mississippi State.
And I asked him about that.
I said, you've got all these measurables, you were highly acclaimed, and yet your injury cost you. I said, do you recognize And he's not. In his head he gets he said, Brian, I want to be great. I love that he's got that eye that look to him. Now, he's got a lot to learn. I mean, you start stepping up. He's twenty one years old, he's playing against twenty eight, twenty nine year old offensive lineman. He realizes the challenge in
front of him. But it's really important to him as well, and Man's that is just one more thing when you get the size and the length and all that on the draft and then you get a guy to whom it's really important. Yeah, he was worth the second round pick for sure.
He's really important because you figure Armstead is not going to be here three years, right, I mean, I hope he is for his sake, but realistically history tells us he's not. So you need Smith to come along and be that guy in a year, two years where it's Smith Trayvon Devon Howe. You keep all these guys together, but you need him to be that dominant force on the inside that you sign Armstead to be this year.
And at some point, like we've talked about all off season, when you've got Trevor, Josh Heinz Allen, all these guys locked up taking up a lot of cap room, you need that guy. You need some dominant linemen. I think Hod just sort of feels that thing too. You need these guys to start developing that you drafted and being stars that you didn't necessarily picking positions where you would be sure of it non first round picks. Smith could be sort of that transition to being that sort of team.
And also important in this process when you do the development part, you need Josh Eric those guys to help pull things along, similar to how Josh talked about when Klays was here, helped pull him along and learn the ways and then as it progresses things.
And Josh's words yesterday about Smith mattered. Josh doesn't always like he doesn't do that to everybody. If you ask him about somebody, he'll praise him, but not to the point where he's saying, hey, he's got a chance to be that guy.
That's interesting, absolutely noted for sure. Stay with us here on JAG XAM our final look at live practice, and we'll tell you what we think is gonna happened later on today. Dag fans, Jag fans, If you want customized Jaguars furniture for your home, check out gift Chair at dot com rouse all customizable options. Zip Chair is furniture for fans.
A lot of these guys, man, they I'm old enough to be some of these guys, dads man.
So some of these.
Guys, man, I remember, God was just like I used to watch you in seventh grade and I was just like, men, I'm telling me that no more. Man, It's like I was in the sixth grade when you came in the league. So uh, man, obviously it's just it's it's humbling that, uh, you know, the respect that the guys have given me since I stepped foot in this locker room, and uh, you know, obviously just being being any sort of assistant
to these guys. Man got a lot of great young players, man, So I'm excited to just be able to give those guys what I got physically and uh mentally, for sure.
Your face back in Jacksonville, John were he heard from Gibson yesterday. He was here on some good teams and now he's coming back around.
Give Gibson credit because it is hard to play thirteen years in this league as an undrafted rookie, as undrafted rookie and a guy who you know has played on a lot of teams. Usually the path for a lot of guys is you play four years somewhere, you go play for a couple, then you're one, and then you really you're sort of in that NFL wilderness where teams don't want to pay anymore for guys they did in draft.
So seven eight years of about thirteen and I'm not shocked because when he was here, he was a guy. He got it. He knew how to assimilate into a building, he knew how to keep preparing, and he's a smart player. He an underrated thing for fans who really really watched close. Not underrated, but wasn't the guy off the Saxonville team. He had Kalaya, he had Jalen. You had a million guys he talked about more than him, but he mattered a lot and I think it's a good signing for him.
Well, here's why it was a great move by Trent Balkey. You've got a guy, a veteran guy that you're locking up now who's got a six week suspension, And how is that good? You don't need him right away, but the chances are you're gonna need him down the stretch at some point. Right Andre Cisco was banged up a bit last year. Dewey is already banged up. So now you've got a guy that you can count on later in the season, who's playing at a number that fits
your salary cap very very well. It's a jar on the shelf, something that they can go to as opposed to you get to mid October and you're looking for somebody on the street who can help you, right, and there's nobody there. You've now got a guy that you can have for the stretch run and at a position that is super important in this game.
And you're not paying him for the first six weeks. And it really is GMS think this way. It really is a fifty fourth guy in the ross yep. Because you're gonna need that death at some point, so let's make sure they're in a position where you're at.
Yeah, smart move, a good.
Front office move, and yes, if they're doing what we hope, which is win now, it will be very important on the back half of the season. So you have joined practice here again today. Second preseason game on Saturday. Jag XAM will be back on Monday to recap all of it for you. Make sure you check out all that and have a good weekend.