The Jaguars returned to two-a-days on Monday, in their last full week of training camp.
"The two-a-days are flying by. We have a lot of things we have to get done," said Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin. "This is the critical week for us. We have two (practices) today. We have two (practices) on Wednesday. In football, there's 11 guys on every snap, and if somebody makes an error, it stands out like a sore thumb, and what we're trying to do is eliminate those mental errors without slowing people down."
The Jaguars will practice at 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday, then take the afternoon off before returning for meetings in the evening.
The Jaguars will host the New York Giants at 8:00 p.m. Friday at ALLTEL Stadium in their preseason home opener. Tickets are still available for $40, $50, $65 and $90 per ticket. Fans can call 1-888-397-0100 or buy tickets on the Internet at www.jaguars.com If the game is not sold out by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, it will be blacked out in the Jacksonville area.
Coughlin also commented on the following:
Middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson - "Hardy's done an outstanding job. He's a leader. He's exceptional in the huddle. He tells people to look him in the eye. He does exactly what he's told to do. That's the thing that all the young players could learn from him. He's not overly vocal, but when he says something, you'll find that people are listening to him. I can't tell you how badly we need that here."
Running back Fred Taylor - "He's having a good, solid camp. He's working hard in all areas. He chipped really well in the last game; his pass protection was really good. He's into it. He's a self-motivated guy, but I certainly hope he's out there to have a great year. He knows exactly what the objective is."
Wide receiver Alvis Whitted - "Confidence is an issue, and as he gets more confident catching the ball, the other things will fall in line. We think he has a chance to be an exceptional special teams contributor. He almost blocked a punt the other night, and it wasn't even a rush. We're trying to develop him to where there is much more out there than just a deep threat. He's worked hard at that. He's caught the ball in traffic and done a pretty good job."
Rookie wide receiver R. Jay Soward - "He drops balls because he's careless - he wants to run before the ball arrives. He's anxious to get out of there and make a play. One day he'll be outstanding, the next day he'll be careless and then he'll have to work at it. Then he'll come back the next practice and does well. That's kind of the way it's been. But it's usually when he's taking his eye off the ball and he's in a hurry to go someplace; that's his problem. He has to secure the ball before he can run."
