JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars reported to 2017 Training Camp Wednesday.
Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone spoke to the media around noon, and four veterans – tight end Marcedes Lewis, defensive end Calais Campbell, linebacker Paul Posluszny and defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. – followed Marrone at the podium at EverBank Field.
Fowler apologized for his recent off-field incident in Tampa, the story on which can be found here. The other veterans focused on their expectations for the first training camp under Marrone.
We wrote about Marrone’s presser here. What follows are other notes and observations from reporting day at EverBank Field:
*If one thing became clear Wednesday it's this: veterans expect Camp Marrone Year 1 to be grueling, and they're fine with that.
Here's how Marrone described how he envisions the coming weeks: "I want to make it tough. I want to create adversity. I want to create a competitive environment, but I also want to create a foundation of how we are going to win."
Marrone also talked about being physical, winning the turnover battle and having to "fight, scratch and claw to get into this fourth quarter and try to find a way to win."
Lewis, a 2006 first-round selection by the Jaguars and by five seasons the franchise's longest-tenured player, recalled training camp under former Head Coach Jack Del Rio being "long days, short nights, here 'til 9:30."
"It's the same kind of thing, but we're up even earlier this time around," Lewis said. "It's going to be super challenging for everybody, but I also think this is going to be our war scars. It's important we lean on each other. That's the way it's set up with the coaches. [They] are going to put a lot of pressure on us to do well. It's one of those things you have to go through it and come out of this thing, and we should be stronger and better for it."
Posluszny said he also expects a difficult few weeks.
"We're going to be very disciplined," Posluszny said. "We're going to be very physical. Now, we'll be honed in during training camp. I think training camp will be a great challenge for us this year to really grow and mature and transform this team into what we want it to become." …
*NFL observers increasingly in the last year have called the Jaguars one of the NFL's more talented young teams. Count Lewis among Jaguars players who agree with the assessment. "We might have the most talent that I've ever been around, top to bottom," Lewis said. "It's hard for me to stand up here and make predictions. I really don't like doing that, but I think coming that first game, we're going to have our best product within the last decade on that field." …
*Lewis on the five-year contract signed by fourth-year center Brandon Linder Tuesday that reportedly will make him the NFL's highest-paid center: "Working alongside of him, I know how hard he works. I know his best football is still to come. He's extremely talented, super smart, and he works hard. He's not a lazy guy, he's not one of those guys who's going to sign a check and just not show up. I'm proud of him, happy for him, and it's good to see him get the deal." …
*Lewis on helping third-year end Dante Fowler Jr. through recent off-field issues: "He knows that we have his back. So whatever we can do as a team or as teammates or whatever, we're going to do." …
*Posluszny on Fowler: "He's a tremendous athlete and he can be an unbelievable football player in this league for many years to come. It's our job as teammates to make sure that we help him succeed in the way we all know that he can." …
*Posluszny, who will go through his first training camp at strong-side linebacker after starting at middle linebacker for the Jaguars since 2011, said he expects to line up both on and off the ball at his new position. He lined up mostly off the ball as a middle linebacker. …
*Campbell, who signed with the Jaguars in March as an unrestricted free agent, discussed his transition from playing end in a 3-4 defense in Arizona to playing the position in the Jaguars' 4-3 scheme. "I feel very comfortable," Campbell said. "We had some adjustments, but it's something that I could have been good at my whole career. It's always been something that I've wanted to play. I'm happy that I got the opportunity. … It's getting the guy in front of me and making sure that I'm knocking him back, setting the edge and get rid of him and chase the ball down. The d-line is the d-line." …
*Campbell on his thoughts entering his first training camp with the Jaguars: "I can tell right now this team is special, has a real opportunity. … From what I see, all the pieces are in place." …
*Campbell also Wednesday said he likes what he saw from second-year veteran Myles Jack late in the offseason program. Jack is moving from the strong-side middle linebacker position to the middle, where he will be responsible for calling the defense. "He's matured a lot," Campbell said of Jack. "From Day 1 of minicamp and OTAs until the last day, you can tell he's a lot more comfortable. He spoke a lot more confidently. Our defense relies a lot on what he's able to do for us. That's an important position. At the end of the day, he has to be a leader out there and put us in a position to win." …
