JACKSONVILLE – Some things never get routine.
Jaguars veteran defensive end Calais Campbell made a third consecutive Pro Bowl Tuesday, the fifth of his 12-year NFL career, and the meaning was evident a day later.
"It feels pretty good," Campbell said Wednesday afternoon as the Jaguars (5-9) prepared to play the Atlanta Falcons (5-9) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., Sunday at 1 p.m.
"You put a lot of work in to play this game at a high level, a lot of hours spent trying to be the best I can be out here. … It's always a blessing. It always feels good to be able to get the call. For people to say you're one of the best in the league, it's a great feeling.
"At the end of the day, I wish I had more guys going with me on my team. There are a lot of guys worthy in this building."
Campbell, who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in 2017, has made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons with the team. He has 53 tackles (36 solo) this season with 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week in a Week 3 victory over Tennessee.
Campbell this season is the Jaguars' Walter Payton NFL Player of the Year nominee and has been named a finalist for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award this season.
"He's always positive, and this is a tough profession to come out here and be positive all the time," Head Coach Doug Marrone said. "There are so many ups and downs and disappointments and achievements. Calais never has been about him – as a person. The effect he has not just on the people that touch him, but the whole community and just the whole organization …
"If you had it mapped out what you were looking for, and the qualities and the things you want in a person – forget about football player, just in a person – Calais checks every category. He's a unique individual and a great man. I couldn't be happier for him."
Five Jaguars players were named as alternates to the 2020 Pro Bowl: Kicker Josh Lambo (first alternate), running back Leonard Fournette (second), defensive end Josh Allen (second), punter Logan Cooke (third) and wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (third).
"There are some other players on our team who have put some good numbers, and maybe deserved it," Marrone said. "It's tough. I addressed those players today, who feel that way. Not individually, but just as a team. I told them, 'Hey, you can go out in the next two weeks and prove that you should be there. Don't make it a combative thing. Just make it one of those chips you put on your shoulder and go out there and do it.'''
Said Campbell: "There are a lot of guys in this locker room who are worthy, who didn't get the call. It's probably because we didn't win a lot of games. That's just the way it is."
Also around the Jaguars Wednesday:
*Campbell, the Jaguars' NFL Players Association representative, discussed an NFLPA memo sent to NFL players this week outlining a recent NFLPA victory over the Jaguars in an arbitration case in which $700,000 in fines levied against former Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler were rescinded. The memo also stated 25 percent of grievances in the last two years involved the Jaguars. "That's a big number," Campbell said. "I do know we're trying to create a winning culture. The guys in here seem happy. Nobody's unhappy. We go to work every day, and everybody has a smile on their face. We have a great camaraderie in this locker room and there are no real issues for the most part. Guys go through the [arbitration] process. I didn't know they were going through the process that often, but as long as guys get their money back and everything works out the way it's supposed to, it will be OK." …
*Chark, who missed Sunday's victory over the Oakland Raiders with an ankle injury, practiced limited. Marrone had said Monday the Jaguars received positive news regarding Chark when he ran and cut during a workout that day. …
*Center Brandon Linder (knee) and Campbell both missed practice – as typically is the case for the two veterans on regular-season Wednesdays. Neither has missed a game this season. …
*Wide receiver Dede Westbrook practiced full with neck/shoulder injury, with the following seven players practicing limited Wednesday: quarterback Gardner Minshew II (right shoulder), cornerback D.J. Hayden (knee), Allen (shoulder), linebacker Austin Calitro (shoulder), left tackle Cam Robinson (knee), tight end Nick O'Leary and defensive tackle Abry Jones (elbow). …
