JAGUARS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BEN BARTCH
(On his smoothies during the draft and what he’s been drinking now) “Just a lot of water and eating a lot of good, healthy whole foods and stuff like that.”
(On why he closed the door on the smoothies) “I gained enough weight, so I didn’t really need the calories anymore.”
(On how he’s developed at the left guard position) “Definitely as an offensive lineman, I’m very critical of myself. I have a lot of stuff I need to work on. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and I just come to practice every day and work really hard, watch the film and go over what I need to work on. But I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
(On how training camp and the mindset is different now since his rookie year) “It’s completely different in many ways. Obviously, the coaching staff is different, different characters in the building. The COVID protocol is still there, but we’re able to interact with each other a little more. But I’ve just been—you know, that second year—kind of relaxing, taking a breath and kind of being more comfortable as a player and understanding what’s expected of you.”
(On being a newer face on the offensive line and getting comfortable with the veterans) “Yeah, chemistry happens pretty quick and you get to know a guy when you work with him every single day. Off the field, we’re all pretty tight and on the field, working with someone, figuring out what you need to work on and what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are as a player, that’s all important for coexisting as a unit.”
(On the personalities of the offensive linemen) “Everybody is unique and different. There [are] guys that are more quiet, guys that are more eccentric personalities and sporadic. So yeah, there’s a mixed bag I’d say. But everybody has a sense of humor, which makes things pretty fun.”
(On how much stronger he feels and what he’s done to prepare his body for the NFL) “A lot stronger. Basically, [I] just had a good offseason training and stuff. I trained in California for two months and then I came back here and started training with Coach Schlegel and everything. But just basics, meat and potatoes stuff, just going to work early, doing everything you need to do in the weight room for the amount of time you need to do and just getting feedback and accepting criticism and stuff.”
(On whether there was a moment last season where he felt he needed to get stronger) “Yes. Rookie year, you figure out pretty quick how strong you need to be. A lot of the game is mental as well. I don’t downplay that part of it either. Everything slowing down and you being more confident in your technique and your ability.”
(On whether he feels what strength is doing for him this year) “Yeah, I don’t think I’m done yet. I think I’ve got more and more goals and trajectory going forward.”
(On if the calling card of the offensive line is running the ball) “Absolutely, absolutely.”
(On what it’s going to take to get to that point) “I think in our room, there [are] a lot of hard workers and everybody has really big goals and everybody in our room wants to win really bad, and the way that we’re going to do that is to run the ball. So, for us going forward, it’s controlling what we can control every single day. Our film study, our communication, work ethic in the weight room and we just control that.”
(On whether it’s different blocking for RB Dare Ogunbowale compared to blocking for RB James Robinson) “Dare is a very special back, James is also a very special back, two different kinds of backs. I don’t notice a huge difference. Dare is a very good pass protector and an even better teammate, for sure. I love Dare.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s command in the huddle) “Very good command, a very confident voice, great huddle presence, very calm kid.”
(On whether he has felt QB Trevor Lawrence improve in his huddle command) “I think he has progressed. I thought he was pretty solid and set a high bar from the beginning, but I think he’s become more comfortable and confident.”
(On the offensive line’s reaction when QB Trevor Lawrence was named the starter) “We’re excited for the kid. I mean, he’s an excellent player and he has a bright future ahead of him. We just take orders and block for whoever we block for. But the offensive line has a great relationship with all the quarterbacks, I believe, and the running backs.”
(On the biggest takeaway from starting the two preseason games) “The biggest takeaway is—like you mentioned earlier—coexisting with the unit as a whole and communicating and establishing trust, I think, as an offensive line and being a pivotal part of that unit. All five of us have to work together. So, I think the chemistry part of it is a big part of communication.”
(On whether he still hopes to play tackle on the offensive line one day) “I take orders and if that’s what they want, then I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. I have no problem with anything.”
(On whether he holds onto the misplays from previous games) “I hold on to it. You have to have a play each play and you have to have a pretty quick memory and move onto the next play in order to perform. But I’m a competitor and that stuff I take personally.”
JAGUARS RB DARE OGUNBOWALE
(On being able to beat his sister, WBNA player Arike Ogunbowale, in basketball) “That’s not off the wall, I’m asked that all the time. I mean I still… I’m just joking, she beats me, bro. She beats me pretty good. I mean I used to beat her when I was still playing, but no, she’s too good.”
(On his sister’s signature move) “She has like 20 of them, have you ever watched her? She doesn’t have just one. She’s a special player for sure.”
(On RB Travis Etienne Jr.’s injury) “That’s definitely devastating for Travis [Etienne Jr.]. I mean, he’s like a little bro, so [I] wanted him to have a good first year. But you don’t doubt that he will bounce back and he’s going to work hard in rehab and stuff like that to get back out there. We just have to have his back. He had a nice role in the offense, so now all the rest of us just kind of have to, as a community, as a committee, kind of pick up the slack on what we’re going to miss him [for].”
(On former Saints QB Drew Brees’ message to the team before practice) “It was cool, man. It was cool. It was definitely eye opening to see, obviously like you said, playing against him, but to see why those teams were so good with his leadership and obviously just the way he kind of is able to command a group of people. So, it was cool to have him talk to us and give us a nice message before practice. It was interesting to see him in that setting instead of throwing touchdowns against us.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s leadership traits) “He came in with a good leadership mindset. He definitely wants to be a leader. He wants to see us win and that’s important obviously for a leader, so I definitely see a lot of leadership in him. I mean he’s a great leader already.”
(On the new coaching staff) “It’s been different obviously when you just have a first-year coach. It’s always going to be different, the obstacles you deal with, but it’s been great, man. It’s been great learning from a winner like [Head] Coach [Urban] Meyer and a lot of the guys are all onboard. We’re all onboard. We want to win and like I said, he’s won before, so that’s just obviously a very attractive thing just to have a coach that’s won before. We are following his lead for sure.”
(On the competitiveness of this year’s training camp) “Camp is always competitive just guys’ jobs are at stake. But it’s definitely [Head] Coach [Urban] Meyer, he’s put an emphasis on winner or loser, big emphasis on competition. So that’s been important for all of us to make sure we trying to take advantage of those reps and be a winner.”
(On what he showed on tape last year) “I’ve always been tagged kind of as a special teamer, so it was nice to be able to kind of start at running back and get a chance to put some good runs together, put some good plays on film in the offense. I think that’s definitely what I showed, kind of just adding to my
versatility, showing what I’ve worked at throughout my career just becoming a better runner. I feel like I was able to show that those last couple of games.”
(On the offense this year) “It’s fun, man. It’s a fun offense. [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Darrell] Bevell, he has some real, real interesting ways to get running backs the ball for sure. Me, as a good route runner, I’m excited to be able to show that. Then all of the running backs, we kind of have different skill sets so Coach Bevell wants to get the ball in our hands in a lot of different ways. It’s exciting.”
(On opening up the playbook) “In practice, but we haven’t showed y’all too much yet though.”
(On advice to players trying to make the 53-man roster) “Like you said, it is a stressful time. A lot of guys’ futures, careers are at stake. But at the end of the day, we’ve been playing this game for a long time, so I just remind guys just to have fun. You play your best when you play free. You make the most plays when you’re having fun, so I think that’s usually the message that I give guys, especially going into the last
preseason game just because it’s easy for your mind to just wander into some negative places. But at the end of the day, it’s football. We’re all just trying to make plays and have fun the same we were when we were younger playing football, so that’s one thing I like to remind a lot of guys.”
(On the running back room learning from each other) “Absolutely, especially having a guy like Los [RB Carlos Hyde] who’s been in the league for a while and then a young guy like James [Robinson] who just obviously came on the scene as a special player. Everybody’s trying to learn from each other. Everybody has a different skill. Obviously, there’re some skill sets that overlap, but for the most part, everybody’s kind of a different back in the room. Everybody is trying to learn, like I’m definitely getting nuances from Los on what he sees. James obviously, boy knows how to run, so I’m always trying to pick up something from him in that role. It’s definitely great and having a coach like [Running Backs Coach] Bernie [Parmalee], everybody is asking Bernie a lot of questions because he played in the league for nine years too. It’s a special situation where you can just kind of ask questions for your teammates and your coach and get real good answers.”
(On RB James Robinson’s growth from last year) “A lot of people that knew him in college, they’ll ask me, ‘Does James [Robinson] not talk to you?’ and I was one of the few people he talked to right away. Me and him, we always kind of joked around and just had little stuff because my mom’s from Rockford [Illinois] and he’s from Rockford. We kind of bonded on that right away, so we had a bunch to talk about from the jump. But no, he’s definitely more vocal, a lot more vocal now. Obviously, he’s had a lot more success, so he has even more confidence than he had last year. It’s fun to see just how he’s so young and just growing up and becoming a great running back so quickly. But me and James, we bonded right away. He’s been my boy since I got here.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence in the huddle) “He’s great, man. He’s great. He knows the offense in and out already. He doesn’t really have to get corrected too much by coaches and he commands the huddle. He’s tall, so everybody already has to look to him, but he commands the huddle. He makes his reads, he makes the right checks, so I mean guys all have the confidence in him that he’s going to put us in a situation to win.”
(On preparing for the last preseason game of the season) “Like I said, it’s a big game, it’s a big time in a lot of people’s careers, a lot of people’s situations. But at the same time, like you said, it is a preseason game and guys are still looking forward to playing the Texans [in Week 1]. We’re looking forward to
making plays against the Cowboys, but at the same time, we know that once this game’s over, we really have to get cracking on the Texans.”
(On Head Coach Urban Meyer’s mantras) “It’s an interesting way that he coaches with the soundbites because it just sticks in your head and that’s what he wants, just kind of to be second nature so you can just play fast because you don’t really have to think about the different things he’s coaching. So yeah, for sure, you find yourself just thinking about it like I have to play fast, finish hard, plus two, and stuff like that. It helps when you’re on the field and it’s definitely an interesting way to coach with the soundbites.”
(On Head Coach Urban Meyer’s mantras simplifying the game) “I think that was one of the points of emphasis. They wanted to make it easier so that we could just play free and play fast.”
