Welcome to jag Zam. I'm kind of honest.
Stephens, Brian Sexton, and John Oser are with me today is we're gonna recap rookie Mini caamps that kicked off last week. We gotta look at all the newest Jags players and it did not disappoint as much as Mini Camp really can. So let's start out with our first big thing of the day, which is star of the show, Travis Hunter.
Of course, all eyes were on.
Him as we got to see him in the Jaguars uniform for the first time and brought the energy for sure.
Yes, it's definitely.
It's definitely a blessing to you know, be able to do that. You know, I gotta be authentic, you know, gotta bring the end v up out here.
You know, make sure everybody everyone is having fun, you know, with a smile on their face and doing below.
Why is that important, Bryan?
We saw him out there dancing, but he takes it seriously too, so he's not just out there having fun. But nice to finally see him out there and fans got to stay on Saturday as well.
Yeah, you know, listen for hey, mini camp, you're running around running routes. I thought he was the star of the show more for that social media post from his seat mate on the flight home from Denver to Colorado, the lady who had no idea who he was. He helped her with the bag, yes, ma'am, no, ma'am, and before you knew it, she's talking about becoming the season
ticket holder. I mean, he's the star of the show for so many reasons right now, but not the least among them is that when you hear of an interaction with this superstar athlete, it's always my, gosh, what a really nice guy. I'm really excited about him.
Yeah, it's from the too good to be true department. I saw that post and the old Sinnecon was like, I wonder if somebody's set this up. I mean, because it was so cool that you thought it couldn't be real. But this is who he is beyond that. On the field, he's fast, he's quick, he's all the things he is advertised with Rocky Maincamp. You just wanted to see him look, uber quick, uber athletics.
It's good that he's also a super good kid too.
Well to your pois Kai, the fans had an opportunity to just be around him and that was what it was all about, was to give them an opportunity to see this next generation of Jaguars superstar, to feel the buzz and connect and from that perspective, what an outrageously successful hour that was.
Can feel the excitement on the field and off the field of the fans as well. Our second big thing today, go many changes last week. This is happening, but Gave Davis dropped from the team. Obviously not a great free agent signing from the last administration there as he's only here one season and a lot of money left on
the line. John, I don't think there's anything we would be surprised with at this point, because we've seen that the front office now is not scared to do moves that they think need to be made and make moves that need to be made, and this was just a move they felt they had to make.
Yeah, And sometimes when you have regime chant moves and you have made moves the previous offseason, you have contracts that you sort of get rid of. Usually those guys stay through because of cap reasons. Brian, the Jaguars decided this was not the right fit, and I think culturally they wanted to move on.
You know, I don't know is this the catch or the drop in the end zone in that's a catch, remember the drop. It was the opening drive. The Jaguars had been bouncing around and had no success, and they desperately needed something from their thirteen million dollar receiver last year. And you get to the Bears game and he drops it and have to settle for a field goal, and it seemed like they were on their heels. Just I
don't ever think he fits. He seemed like one of those knee jerk free agent signings last year that the Jaguars have too often engaged in. It's nice to see this year that they didn't go that direction, give.
Some opportunity for the rookies and maybe some of the undrafted players a chance to kind of make their way in the wide receiver room as well. So our final big thing today is when the schedule a release. It's officially coming out tomorrow, but we do know now that the Daguars are going to play one game in London and they're going to take on the in week seventh. Brian,
the last couple of years we've played two there. This year only one game, and one needs to expect we'll talk a little bit more about the schedule coming out, but when do you think about the Lendon game.
Well, the why behind that is that the Jaguars have always said it had to match up, there had to be an opponent that was giving up their home game in order for it to fit. And it didn't fit this year. Obviously, in twenty six and twenty seven, when the stadium is under serious construction, you can expect multiple
games back in London. Then, John, the league never misses the opportunity to have some sort of drama on the side, and obviously the storyline will be Liam Cohen and James Gladstone and their first year taking on the Rams.
Yeah, it's gonna be a cool three or four days, a cool story. And as you said, the reason there's not two is there's no opponent. And kai guess what in the NFL, it's hard to play without an opponent.
Okay, and listen, it's worth pointing out remember when everybody was worried about the Jaguars playing multiple games in London, and now you see a situation where they're saying, look, it just didn't fit, so we're not But look at all the games that the NFL announced this morning. John, You've got games in Madrid and I forget whether it was Berlin or Frankfurt for the game in Germany, and multiple games in London and in Dublin. And we haven't even heard who the Chargers opponent is going to be
when they go back to Brazil this year. I mean, this is just man, this is where the league is headed to, this international platform, and it's exciting in one sense because you see all the places they're spreading the game.
An expansion for sure. Stay with us.
We're going to talk a little bit more about Mini Caamp through a recapital here from your head coach, Liam Cohen.
Coming back in to jag Za. I'm going to talk a little.
Bit more about Mini camp because that's what went down last week with the rookies getting in here trying to figure everything out. Obviously, the start of the show was Travis Hunter and Cohen talked a little bit about his new star player. No.
You know when he got here after the draft. You know, we got to hang out with him for for a little bit there, and you felt it right away, right you did. You felt that infectious smile that he has that he provides and brings into the building, very serious about football, very serious about his process in order to put himself in a position to ultimately just be in a physical shape to be able to do this and to run forever, and to have the stamina and strength to be able to do this at a high level.
But you see him out there dancing and having fun, and that's.
Really cool to see.
You know, we want to see some more of that. And when he goes out there and he's doing his thing, he is serious about this process.
Talked a little bit about what he's like off the field, obviously that viral posting about his plane ride back from Boulder, but just seeing him interact with the other players right, the energy, it's infectious, And we talked a little bit about his off the field. Just the star power that's going to come along with this is pretty cool.
I wonder whether his personality John is going to take over and become the persona of this team. You know, Trevor's his doesn't just exude like this guy does. They're just not the same personality. This one is much that once loud. It's probably not the right word, but man, you feel it when you're around it, and for all the good guys in the locker room and the strong leaders. This personality is different. And by the way he's used
to his personality being the personality of his team. It was in high school, at Jackson State and at Colorado.
Yeh, some guys just when they come into the league, they're ready to lead.
By being themselves.
When I was in Indie, Bob Sanders came in second round draft pick, and it would have been a Hall of Fame safety had he not gotten hurt.
But from day one he knew he belonged right.
And in terms of his personality, this is not fair to Travis Hunter. But I keep thinking about how Magic Johnson changed kream Ab bil Jabbar just by being himself.
And nobody thought.
Kream At Bilgebar could ever have fun on the court in the seventies. And Magic Johnson was such a dynamic personality that he's sort of changed the way the Lakers did business. Now you have to be great to do that. But Travis Hunter, you know all the stuff with Gladstone talking about intangibly rich and how you can come into an environment and raise it by being yourself. I don't think this kid knows any other way to be and because it comes from a place of integrity, it's who
he is. He can get away to danceing on the field. You also need to be pretty good to dance in the field. I've watched guys in this organization dance during warm ups who weren't very good, and all I wanted to do was telling him to stop dancing. But this guy, it's not for show. It's who he is. He's always like to use the term over his feet, He's always being himself and if he's good and great, then I absolutely think he'll be the personality of the team and.
He may make it easier for more quiet star players like Brian Thomas to just be himself and play ball and not.
Worry about it.
And I think that's one of the cool points about this is we talk a lot about the new regime coming in and I think in the last couple of years they've struggled with this as well. Is making an identity for themselves or when you have players who already know who they are and I'm using that term who he is as a person, but also as a player.
He feels like he understands his own skill set and what he can contribute to a team that can give you the identity that we feel like I've been lacking for a while.
Yeah, I mean we're talking about his personality so much. A because it's the time of year, but b because that's one of the things that Jaguars were planning on when they swung big to go up and get him. He's that kind of transformative personality on the field and off the field. They're expecting it. They're expecting him to buy being himself transform this place.
All right, let's talk a little bit more about Mini camp. I know it's John's favorite time of year, but coach did talk a little bit about what he actually has in terms of expectations and what they were working on this week.
Called that an alignment assignment period where you know, we can we've installed plays right on both sides of the ball, concepts, uh, formations, motions, shifts defensively you know, calls right adjustments to these formations and motions and shifts, and so it was just a good op to kind of get out there, get the huddle or I mean, it's wild when you pull these guys on. How many of the ben in the huddle recently and how many have heard of verbal cadence recently,
it's very minimal. So we are actually teaching this is the huddle, this is where you line up in the huddle, this is how we break the huddle, and this is a verbal cadence. And so that is like starting at you know, ground zero in a lot of ways. So didn't really feel like it was fully necessary to come and do true competitive eleven on eleven. But at the end of the day, I think we got something out of it sewn.
Perhaps the state of college football at this point, but.
Showing them what a huddle is, you know, showing them they are a proper alignments are where they're going to be placed, dot on the.
Line, just the little things.
Got to get those in order because if you want to join regular practice this week, they need to know what's going on.
Yeah, and I think it's a very I think more coaches are talking about it now, but I absolutely think it's a huge factor when guys coming to the league. Quarterbacks Trevor had not been in professional huddle and scrimmage
situations very much. So yeah, there's a learning curve. It's what makes this time of year so critical for in a new regime, but for rookies always, even if they never take a hit, which they don't, this time of year, it's vital because they're having to learn new, instinctive, natural things to do. They're having to get their muscle memory back from something they never had before.
It's not the most important time of the year, but it's really valuable for the reasons that you just said. The consistent programs, I mean, the teams that win consistently are the teams find ways to maximize their hour on the field of a Saturday in May. And it's pretty clear listening to Liam kind of go through the litany of reasons and rationale there of what they were trying to do that this is a hyper organized coaching staff that is making sure they maximize their time on the field, and it.
Is that time of year where you learn the little things. This is how we're going to run this, so then it's not a question when it gets to training camp or the season. They know how things are going to operate.
So let's hear a.
Little bit also from coach talking about some of the players that stood out to him.
Jack Kaiser first and foremost on the defensive side of the ball, just from a diligent standpoint. You could tell he's already had some of those leadership qualities that you look for. He's in really good physical shape coming into camp here this weekend. I think Caleb Randsaw as well stood out on the defensive secondary. Wyatt Milam did a nice job in the drills over the course of the last two days. And you know, really all these guys did a great job. You know, we'll be able to
go watch the tape from today. A lot of mistakes and things that did happen to occur yesterday, but that's part of it. But overall, really appreciate their energy and enthusiasm.
Ran those are some names we're familiar with, obviously being complimentary, but it does give me a little bit of a sense that some of those guys can compete for starting jobs. We've been talking about it, but it really does feel that way, and it doesn't always feel that way with.
The rookie listen. I I just because I knew we'd spend so much time talking about Travis Hunter, I went a different direction and I wrote it for the website. I spent most of my time just watching why Att Milam and listen the eye test you see him immediately you realize, okay, he's built different than most of the rookie offensive linemen they come in.
He's big, he's tall.
He's broad, and he moves really well. That's all you can see, right is the movement's skills. So I looked at that and I thought, well, there's no reason just pencil him in. I mean, make him starter. Let's go.
This line's going to look a lot different.
I think, well, I mean, I think so. But when you see the way that he would hit the bag or explose off the line and then go right to the coach with the is that what you're looking for? Sort of am I doing that right? Or my hands in the right position? It's just clear he's a guy that belongs. I mean, I don't know whether intangibly rich john is the right adjective to use in this case, but in reality that's the type of player that they're looking for. They got their guy.
Yeah, And as you look more and more at him, it's hard to figure out sort of why you drop guys drop.
He was moving from tackle to guard.
This is a kid who's very decorated in college, and as you say, sometimes with a lignement when they get out there, even in mini camp you're like, oh, yeah, it's not really the body type that you like. He certainly looks the part I'm excited about Kaiser. I think that, as you said, I think Milam will start and the third round safety's names escaping me and it shouldn't.
Be Ransom, so I think he starts.
Well.
The running back is somebody that's going to be really interesting too, because it's clear, even though it was just rookie minicamp, he's got an explosive first two steps.
Yeah.
Ye, speed is there and the strength as well, I think is what we're gonna see. So if they can pass pro well, then they'll see the field.
I'm sure. Stay with us here.
We're gonna talk about the schedule release coming up, and we'll give you some of our predictions.
Move the freight, Move the freight.
Magellan Transport voted the coolest office space in Jacksonville. Can head over to Magellanlogistics dot com. Welcome back into jags Am. We're gonna talk a little bit about the schedule. It's gonna be coming out officially on Wednesday night, but we do have one that we already know, which is they've announced the international games.
So the Jaguars are gonna.
Play one game in London this season. That'll be Week seven against the Rams. A little bit different from the last couple of years. We talked about just one game this season because of the way things worked out with opponents. But we're gonna try to do our best and make a couple of guestimates as to what we think the schedule is gonna look like. So for the season opener, we all picked a game that we think maybe the season opener.
Brian, did you go in the cheese?
Well, you don't have the Chiefs a couple of times the home opener in twenty three, we had him for the season opener in twenty nineteen and in twenty thirteen. It just seemed to me like that is a marquee opponent of the Jaguars, you know, at the beginning of the season, and have a little sex appeal with the quarterback and his you know, his tandem of receivers of
Thomas and Hunter. It just seems to me like that's a good game for opening day with one of the league's marquee teams against one that they're hoping we'll take a step forward.
Qus Minsheumani will be coming back. That's right.
I forgot he was there. He was the starter, if you recall, because Nick Foles got hurt on opening Day twenty nineteen, which wrecked that season and that's the start of Midschewmania. That even that that makes it even more. I'd forgotten he was there.
Completed a bunch of passes in a row.
Yeah, John Wade.
I went with the Texans because why not?
Yeah, there were like fourteen opponents. I went to Texans because and because they opened against Miami last year it was out of division. Why not put the Texans kind of hoping, Uh, it's a road game at Houston. Once when they opened on the road of Houston, they had a great season off of seventeen.
So it's really hard.
I mean, it's the schedule always cracks me up because once it comes out, everybody says, oh, well, that's why the league did that, And there's five or six things with the Jaguars.
You can say, well, that's why the league did that.
They were planning on that, But really it's it's mostly arbitrary. And you can tell I had no clue last year they were going to open against the Dolphins. In Miami, and it really didn't have a whole lot of context freet of team sometimes just the way it falls.
I wanted the Titans mostly because I feel like the last couple of seasons have.
Been ending up going to Nashville, so I'm gonna will this into existence. I want to go there when it's not freezing, So let's let's try to do that in September. That would be nice.
Let's do what we think there's going to be for primetime games. I didn't think there would be multiple this year. I think we all picked one. Maybe a Thursday night is kind of what we're looking at. But Brian, what were you looking at?
I went with the Broncos for the obvious storyline of Travis Hunter's return to Colorado. I think it's a Thursday night game for sure. I think that there is one Jaguars primetime game because when you're coming off a four and thirteen season, you know, and then the year before
the Jaguars didn't perform all that well in primetime. So I think the Jaguars have a formula with the quarterback and the receivers and the young coach and Bacelli's return and all that to be a consistent primetime team into the future, but this year I think it's just one.
Yeah, I agree. I went with the Bengals because why not. It's a road game.
You know. My guess is this year the head coach flies back with the team if it's a road game up there, so probably on the storyline I've watched, so it'd be fun.
I think we all went with road games here, but I'm thinking of Thursdays.
Well. I went for Sin City because a little night time get the strip all light up in the background.
Think it'd be nice, very scenic for all.
Of the bump shots for all of the broadcasts. So I went with Las Vegas. We'll have to see what that ends up being. And we also did a must watch game. I did something similar to you, Brian when we were talking about Travis Hunner going back to Colorado. Also, you know the Broncos having such a good run at the end of last season into the playoffs. That's a game I definitely want to watch and I think will
be good. Also, just in Mile High is always a nice setting, so I think that'll be a good one to check out.
I'll go with the Texans because well, because they've won the division the last two years, but I mean since the first time they showed up here in two thousand and two as an expansion team, they have just be deviled the Jaguars. I mean, the Jews record against them is abysmal. You'd think that this was the Patriots they were playing, and yet they just can't seem to get over on them. They did in twenty twenty two when that team was in real trouble, but the last two
years not so much. So I think the titan a pardon me, the Texans game is super important because listen, if you want to win the division, you have to beat them.
Yes, point, I'm gonna see this team stand up to that team of Quoth had last year, So I think that'll I think it'll be a major storyline. But I do kind of think. I had no real issue with how the Jaguar was handled it last year, but I think in this it might be handled a little bit different. I went with the Rams in London for for reasons
we talked about earlier. It's in London, but from a philosophical standpoint, a knowing how Gladstone unless Snee, the Rams general manager feel about each other, the Mentor and the Jaguars have said this is the North start. This is the organization that they sort of would like to gear toward being and then eventually surpassing, because you want to be better. But this is sort of their standard right now, so it's it will be interesting on that front.
You don't get you don't.
Get that many clear storylines like that in the NFL. You get ones people talk into existence. But this one's pretty real, you know what with Liam had having been there in the McVeigh connection, there are some real ties with this one.
It'd be interesting.
Definitely stay with us.
We'll tell you what's going on the rest of the week and warning schedule leases. Welcome back to jag Zam, brought to you by Fresh from Florida. It is always in season right now. It's mini camp season, Ota season. We're getting to see the players working out a little bit. No real football just yet, but gotta lay the groundwork of course. And Travis Hunter was a day late coming
into camp. He didn't miss any practice time, but just kind of getting signed up because he was graduating from the University of Colorado on Thursday last week, so that's pretty exciting for him. The first guy and his family to graduate from college walk across that stage a big moment for him, and of course a team more than happy to let him go do that wearing JAG's pajama.
Pants no less. So that was his first purchase when he found out where he's going. He said he had to get some pajama pants, which I think we can all relate with. We all like some good peace, you know.
Just the thing I like about him is how well he explained the little things right. He gives you the detail that you weren't necessarily asking for.
That.
It was the first thing that he bought from Amazon, that he was the first person in his family to graduate from college. And to know his backstory, especially with his father, to see him hit this height, it's a great storyline. He's just he's a sensational person. Hopefully he's a sensational player too.
Yeah, And it's going to sound strange from somebody who's so such a star on social media, but I kind of like that.
I don't think he.
Really cares that much what people think about, you know, and meaning he's going to be his own guy. He's going to sort of march his own way. That's pretty cool. At that age and to seem with the I don't know that he's the biggest star in all of sports since NIL started, but he's in the conversation and or at that level, and he seems to have handled it remarkably well with a lot of perspective.
And I wouldn't have done that age twenty to twenty three. So it's pretty cool.
Absolutely, schedule release coming out tomorrow night. The NFL is gonna have a reveal John, I believe that's right, and then we're gonna do our own analysis as well. And I think there's a video on social coming out.
For our reveal. It's very top secret. It's the top secret.
It's usually a thing say your favorite oh I.
They always do a nice job with them looking.
For Yeah, they do.
It's gonna be pretty cool. So keep your eyes out for that tomorrow night.
That'll be a released and then we'll have a rapid analysis once we get the dates for you so we can talk out the whole schedule, and then we'll talk about it next week too. So have a good week and enjoy the schedule. Release six