JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG MARRONE: TRAINING CAMP PRACTICE #3

Saturday, July 27, 2019

(Opening Statement) “So, today’s our third day, and I’ve been very
happy with the first two days. We have the ability today to go out in
full pads, but one of the things that we’ve been trying to say is we’ve
been trying to build this—build up and keep ourselves working to
get ourselves ready for the season. So, today what you’ll see is we’ll
be in helmets and shoulder pads, we won’t be in full pads, and then
tomorrow will be our first day in full pads. I think that yesterday you
probably were able to observe our team getting into some situational
football, and I think it’s important, because I think when I look back
in the last two years I haven’t been—I don’t think we as a team, our
players, our coaches, have been happy with where we’ve been
situation-ally. Meaning that we want to be a smart football team,
we want to do better, and I think that’s an emphasis that when you
look in the past, we have made mistakes that we shouldn’t make.
Whether it’s what we’re calling situations or whether we’re executing
those situations, so those are the things that when we do bring those
up in practice, we really feel that we can make tremendous
improvement in that area. Outside of that, I think you’ll see we are
doing a lot of rotations of players, whether it’s the second quarterback
position, the offensive line, the DB’s, there’s a lot of things that are
kind of going on right now that you might point and say, ‘What’s
going on,’ and it’s nothing strategic, or schematically, or depth
chart-wise that’s really going on right now. We’re just trying to give
ourselves a pretty good look to give everyone an opportunity. I think
as we get into probably right after that second preseason game is
when you kind of just start getting them ready to go in those positions,
but I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions in regards to
that. We’re just trying to put the work in. I’ll open it up for any
questions.” 

(On if LB/DE Josh Allen being limited in individual drills is part of
the progression of bringing him back) “Yeah, we haven’t
worked with him.  Yesterday he got a couple of reps, today he’ll
get more, so you’ll see that building up for him.” 

(On if Allen’s knee is healthy) “Yeah, he’s full. I should say this,
we’ve limited him because we’re building up his rest because we
haven’t seen him on the football field as coaches, so it’s more us
than it is his physical ability. And like I said before, he’ll run with
us after practice, he’ll do full individual. He took a couple of reps
yesterday and then now we’ll engage it and then get a feel for—now
it’s helmets and shoulder pads, get a feel for tomorrow and then
obviously we feel he’ll be full.” 

(On how he thinks the players have embraced this year’s
training camp structure) “Well I don’t know, I didn’t really ask
them. It’s more of an education that I received I think. I didn’t have
a lot of the information of the injuries within 10 days.  I didn’t have
a lot of information on what we talk about as far as exposure, like
helmet exposure. And then, being part of some NFL discussions,
really wanted to take a good look at we we’re doing and then
obviously after the season was over, and we sit down with
ownership, and you’re asked a question as a coach, well going
into last year we had a crazy amount of injuries, what are we
going to do differently. And I think it’s—I don’t think, I know, it’s
my responsibility to make sure that we do the right things for the
players, so with the information that I have, that’s why we’re
doing what we’re doing. Now, in the same sentence, how do we
get everything in that we need to get in to be a good football team,
and at the same point, make sure of everything player safety-wise.
We’re still getting the same amount of work in. I just like to say that
we’re working smarter.” 

(On if he’s considered changing his approach to preseason games
given injuries in past seasons) “It’s a good question. We’ve had
long discussions on that. I think there’s so many things that go into
that as far as—first question you’re going to ask yourself is, ‘What
does this player need? What does he have? What is he going to
need to be ready for the season?’  That’s the number one priority.
I think a great example, Curtis Martin, who obviously I have a ton
of respect for, well early in his career Curtis would play. Later in
his career when I was with him I was in staff meetings where
we’d say, ’Well he just needs about six carries and he’ll be ready
for the season.’ Of all the preseason. Every one of us has the same
anxiety of the preseason. When I say that I’m talking about us as
coaches, right here in this building, when we put a player out
there. Such a fine line to have to get someone ready for the season,
but all of us are sitting there and in the back of our mind we’re
thinking the same thing. You do not want to lose anyone to injury,
but in the same sense, I feel like that in practice, too. Where you’re
always—it’s part of the game, it’s out there, and you’re trying to do
everything you can for safety and it’s something that will be discussed.
But I would never sacrifice a player maybe not being ready for the
season because we’re saving him in the preseason, does that make
sense? So I think that’s the first way I look at it. Then after that, you
could become more cautious depending upon maybe it’s a little
banged up, a little bit of depth here, maybe there’s depth in the
position that you don’t feel like—God forbid if something does
happen. So I think there’s a lot of factors that go into it and that’s
what we’ll look at when we start, and I think that’s why I’ve always
liked the practicing against another opponent for a couple [days].
Normally I would like to get two the first two weeks, because you
can get a lot of work done and it’s a controlled environment. Then
maybe you don’t have to put them out there as much in those
preseason games which has been my philosophy. So the first one,
our guys will get a lot of work, and if we want to play the cautious
side we could. We have that ability because they’ve gotten a lot of
work in during the week, and then we just have to make decisions
as we go. I think it’s case by case, though.” 

(On how much caution he applies with Cam Robinson when trying
to get him ready for the season) “I think each player it’s a little bit
tougher. My background, my experience—I think when you have
a veteran player, from a technique standpoint, when he first comes
back from being off for a long period of time, you’re going to see
it’s going to take him a while to really hone in on the technique.
It’ll be, for lack of a better term, he’ll be very loose in his technique,
and you kind of have to tighten it up and that takes some time.
And obviously, the more experience you have in that technique,
the easier it is to come back. But there is going to be a period no
matter who you are. I always go back to what my college coach
Dick MacPherson, god bless him, would always say. He said, ‘You
miss once, I know. You miss twice, your teacher knows. You miss
three times, the world knows.’ He was talking about a famous
composer, pianist, and that’s kind of like the same thing. I think
the player knows that he has a lot of work to do, and the coach,
when you miss a lot of time it’s going to take more time. And
the younger you are, I believe, it’s going to take you a longer period
of time. So, I don’t think you know until that player goes out there,
of where you are with them, but that’s—I guess that’s the anxiety.
You don’t really know where they’re at until they come back there
from a standpoint of technique and playing condition. If you feel
good with where they are obviously they wouldn’t be on the field
if they weren’t healthy. But there’s more to it in this game then
obviously just being health. You’ve got to be ready to play and you’ve
got to be able to perform, and sometimes if you’re not technique-sound
it’s going to put you in a position where you can re-injure yourself.
That’s the other thing that people I don’t think talk about enough,
when you come back. If you’re not real tight and all of a sudden
your body’s not in a position it’s normally for in your mind you
think you should be in, I think that creates injury also.” 

(On if the cautious approach is why the team isn’t having a
scrimmage) “We are [having a scrimmage]. Everything is the same.
When I talk about cautious approach – I don’t like using words like
cautious. I really just think it’s smart with exposure and drills and
things of that nature.” 

(On if he has a plan with Leonard Fournette for the preseason)
“We wait [until the preseason]. My experience is all that stuff has
always changed meaning that you are watching and evaluating
practice and they can change as they go.” 

(On if Leonard Fournette is one of the guys he may worry about
more than others because of his injury history) “No. The only people
in my past that I have had are the 12 or 13-year veteran guys that
you know are done. I’m very confident in that ability and it’s proven.
I just want to make sure that we can get him through a full season,
which is difficult. Everyone else though, I pretty much … I don’t
try and look at that way because of the same thing … [I think], what
is best for us to get them ready to play during the season? It always
goes back to that – what is best for the team?” 

(On if he feels like his message got through to Leonard Fournette)
“I think we are going to see. I think we are going to look at as a
whole. As far as what is going on right now, I’m pleased with
everyone. I’m pleased with everyone at that position. I think they
have been working hard. I think they are good on their plays.
Again, as I said before, I don’t want to jump ahead of myself, but
I don’t want to disregard the work. Everyone has come back in
shape. Everyone has come back at the right weights. As of right
now, we are on the right path, but in order to have great high-level
performance and be an outstanding football team, you need
that consistency to work like that every day.” 

(On if he’s hesitant to say there has been a maturity jump in
Leonard Fournette) “No. I just think it’s always … It’s tough when
you are standing up here and you are the coach and you get a
lot of questions. Someone wants your answer to their question
based on a small point of evidence. You jump in and you get
that answer and then something comes up in a couple weeks and
then you stand up here and … I’m not saying any one of you guys,
but sometimes people can go ahead and make you look like a fool.
I’m just very cautious with any question like that about anyone.
I think it’s very difficult. That’s why I want to say – where we
are at right now, I’m extremely excited. As far as answering
that question in full – with everyone, let’s get through this
season, let’s see how we are and let’s see how it goes. Then we
will feel more confident to answer the question in a sense of
whole instead of just a part. I’m going to answer it just in this
part, but then when something happens, I’m going to have to
answer it as a whole.” 

(On how different Nick Foles is in how he conducts practice than
other players he’s seen in his time in the league) “I’ve been
fortunate … When you talk about my time in the league, you
can talk about the time as a player, but let’s talk about coaching.
From Vinny Testaverde to Chad Pennington to Drew Brees and
those guys and obviously here with Blake [Bortles], I think Nick
is a guy that is more on the highly communicative side. I’m not
saying that makes it any better, Vinny was great with the players.
They loved him, they played for him. He communicated with
them, but Chad was maybe a little bit more [communicative].
That didn’t make it better or worse. We had production with
both quarterbacks. I look at as more how it is probably more
natural with what you see around the league at that position.
The quarterbacks I have been involved with, they are conscious
with tempo of the practice. They are conscious with what the
players are doing around them. They are not only worrying
about themselves. They are coaching everyone else. You see
constant communication with the people in the huddle. You
see constant communication with the coordinator. I think that
is more natural and more what goes on when you look around
the league. To answer that question, yeah, I think you would be
the other way. If you weren’t seeing those things, I think you
would be concerned because what it shows is that he’s not really
sure of himself. That’s in any position. All of a sudden when you
are coming in there, you are working with people around you
and what to do and what you are looking for, you pretty much
know what the hell you are doing and you’re trying to make sure
and trying to get everything worked the right way.”