Countdown to Kickoff: Fred Taylor - Jaguars vs. Packers

first time. I went for the first time in twelve. I'm not playing, of course, but just to see the names on the wall and everything you're you're walking through the building and hearing the NFL films and your ears when you're walking in there, it feels like is there anything to that as a player as well? And and what place where you really fired up to see when

you first got in the league. You know, JP um, the home mystique behind Lambo, you know the tradition, you know and uh just everything you know you hear about about the game, Well, the game of football is so you know Sta Mecca, you see the Lambo leap, you know when you haven't played there, And I think I mentioned on the production last week on television those guys leaping on the you know, leaping on the fence there.

You know, you think to yourself, oh, that thing is six or seven ft high, you know, especially the guys that leap up there and kind of fall off of it. But it's only hedge high. It's just uh, you know for maybe four ft highs or it's kind of a lambo baby leap, uh you know. But still, you know, it's just one of those things that you're waiting to do. You know, you're praying that you score a touchdown so you can participate and you know, upset their fans by

doing their thing. Now I had an opportunity, I believe it was two thousand three, first time in my career to go up there. It was so cold. It was a cold, cold game and the tundra was frozen. And man, when I tell you, just that feeling in that moment, just being in Green Bay, looking around, absorbing the fan. You know here in the stories about the season tickets, how they passed down from generation to generation. Now this is the opportunity to play under these lights, in front

of all these people. Uh, it was amazing just to the intensity that um, the added motivation for me. So these guys, it's a lot that they have to look forward to in a sense of that tradition, you know, being able to soak that in even though the fan experience won't be there because of what we're dealing with in the pandemic, the ghosts of Lambo. Just to have those thoughts in your mind, I think it's an amazing, you know, special feeling. Fred Taylor, Well, it's pride of

the Jaguars running back. They better shake it off quick though, because Aaron Rodgers is on the other side. He has weapons around him. This is an offense and a football team that is fully loaded and ready for the stretch run. He does everything right. There's nothing he really does wrong. And how do you defend Aaron Rodgers. Well, you know he is a hard defense. You know at thirty seven years of age. Uh, you know, he's playing some of the best football in his entire career. You know, he

has twenty four touchdowns. The two interceptions. The crazy thing is those two interceptions came in one game against the Tampa Bay defense that had been okay until they were carved up a week ago was still Aaron Rodgers, you know, one of my favorite quarterbacks. Yeah, the guy that I love talking about, you know, a guy who's embraced one of my former teammates. And Mercedes Lewis just the things that he's done. You know, a year ago, they were they were trying to count him out. They were trying

to count him out. You know, they drafted a quarterback and uh, you know, they thought it was gonna be it for him. But he's ascended this year and he's playing lights out. I almost wanted to say the package don't deserve him. I wish he was down in Jacksonville. But we got a young guy, a couple of young guys with some upside. But Aaron Rodgers is a guy that the defense has to look out or or else they're they're gonna get carved up if they don't get

pressure on him. How motivated is Mercedes Lewis in this game today? Come on? You know, Uh, Mercedes, you know he he never wanted to leave Jacksonville, you know, but he understands the business of football and uh, looking at things, you go sometimes, man, you know, they could have used you know, eighty nine to block and you know, uh, get get Leonard when Nanna was there, you know, on the outside and around the corner and all those different things.

Just looking back, I'm sure he's motivated a week ago, you know he called a touchdown on Thursday Night Football. I'm pretty sure he's you know, licking his chop, hoping that he can get one on the team that on his former team today. As I was motivated when I was in New England, just wanted to get out there and see the guys you know, in that experiences. So this is sweet feeler. Fred Taylor with us. You mentioned that, we mentioned Aaron Rodgers, you mentioned the young quarterbacks with

the Jacks. Jake got his first NFL start last week. A little little difference in experience than a lot of difference. There is about to go to eleventh of the all time passing yardage list this week and Jake Luton played sixty NFL snaps in his career. So how did he look last week to you? And he said he got his stiff arm and his spin moved from you. Yeah he did say that, man, And uh, you know, I don't know what game he saw then, but you know it made me feel good for him to acknowledge that

he was a fan. Uh and it makes me feel, you know, just a day older. So that's all good. But uh, you know, for me, I thought he looked well, a big, tall guy who was able to just stand over there and see over the lyne and scrimmin so, you know, his awareness and being able to scan to feel the trajectory in which he delivers the ball, all of that stuff comes natural because of his height. His arm stream that looked good. You know, I saw velss

of a lot of zip on his passes. I thought he made some you know, for the most part, he made some good decision His poise was there. Uh, he had a few um errant throws, but you know that happens. That happens too with the greats. But he has a long, long, long way to go. You know, I think the more repetition game repetitions, he he gets his you know, his confidence to increase. Hell, you know, you're saying out there attempting throws with that bullet arm that maybe he shouldn't attempt.

But it's confidence, you know. I'm I'm hoping that the head coach and the coach is going forward. When you have two guys. The question was actually coach Marone. Who's gonna be a guy. But when you have two guys, you know, young guys, you let him compete and it will sort itself out. For looting. I just hope he's able to get out there show that same poise that he's displayed last week, you know, connected with his receivers, you know, lead the offense and keep this game competitive. Fred.

We will talk to you in the post game and have a good day you too, j P. See soon back in a moment. The final word before kickoff with head coach Doug Morone ahead of the Jaguars and the Packers at one o'clock kickoff time at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. And this is countdown to kickoff on Jaguars Radio. All right, buddy, let me stop the recording.