Jaguars Start Full Team Practices Tomorrow
JT: I’m in a Musical Mood
“Why do I smell wet dog?” asked Daddy Warbucks. Because Sandy just got a bath. Annie looked worried, folks, but deep down she was smiling because she knew what we all seem to forget, tomorrow is always a day away. “Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow. [The first Jacksonville Jaguars full team practice at the brand new Miller Electric Center] is only a day away.” I may have misremembered the exact lyrics of that award winning musical ditty but you get the point. And if you didn’t, Trevor and the boys are back in action, practicing as a full team, at their brand spanking new facility. Ahhh, football is back and I no longer have any excuse to partake in anything and everything other than your Jacksonville Jaguars…and the occasional Florida Gator column. Maybe I’ll write a word or two about the rest of the AFC South, as well. The remainder of the NFL may pop up every now and then, too. Without a doubt though, you can bet Punjab and the Asp your bottom dollar that there will be a lot of Calvin Ridley talk. You can take that to the bank, for what it’s worth. Hint: not much, but like every great artist, my work will blossom in value upon my retirement from this game of life. Man, this column went dark fast, and way off track. Let’s talk some Jaguars football.
Thank god my Evan Engram autographed football will continue to be worth something here on the First Coast. I’m aware that I’ve written an article or two about how I felt Evan Engram might not be coming back to Jacksonville after this upcoming season. Contract talks had halted and Eazy was set to become the franchise tag player in 2023. Jacksonville had drafted another tight end, Brenton Strange out of Penn State, with the 61st pick in round numero two. None of the above boded well for our boy Engram. In fact, it all pointed to 2023 being Evan’s last year at The Bank, especially when you think that the Jags SHOULD be sitting pretty toward the bottom of next years (1st round) draft board which would set Pug Dederson up nicely to snag himself a phenom of a Georgia Bulldog tight end. A replacement for our boy Evan that I thought was bound to occur. Push come to shove, I would have put more money on that scenario than I would have put on signing Evan Engram to a three year $41.25 million long term deal. I guess this is why I’m just writing about the Jags instead of GM’ing (it’s a verb now) for Jacksonville. Either way my Engram signed ball is safe to keep here in Duuuval and I warmly welcome Evan back to a Jags offense that appears, on paper, to be one of the best in the league.
I said there would be a little UF Gators info thrown into the mix and here is where it rears it’s ugly head. Former Gators QB Anthony Richardson “got his” in Indianapolis. If you can believe this, people screamed from the mountain tops that AR should have stayed in Gainesville for another season. Not because he needed to work on his game but because he was leaving all of his NIL money on the table. Well, NIL be damned because Anthony Richardson just signed a four year $33.99 million fully guaranteed contract including a $21.722 million signing bonus paid up front. Maybe it’s just me, but I ain’t seen any NIL deals that size. Good for AR, he’s a great kid and I want to see him succeed (with the exception of two particular games each season). I just wish he wasn’t in the AFC South. And that concludes your Gator (and AFC South) break for today.
The big to-do when talking about tomorrows open Jaguars practice is not the weather. It’s not Evan Engram’s triumphant contract. It’s not watching ETN run through massive holes in the offensive line, avoiding would be defensive tacklers who aren’t even allowed to breath in his direction, let alone tackle, or god forbid, two hand touch him as he leisurely saunters to the end zone. Hell, it’s not even seeing Trevor Lawrence throw perfect spirals as he basks in the morning glow with his “don’t you dare come near me” colored QB jersey. No the big to-do about this first practice will be focused on the man of the hour, Mr. Calvin Ridley. I’d call him the new guy but that isn’t exactly true. We’ve been waiting to see what the Talented Mr. Ridley can do since autumn of last year when I was sitting high in a tree waiting for an unsuspecting buck to walk by while reading the news on my phone that Trent Baalke had traded a sixth rounder for the suspended wide receiver in what might very well go down in NFL history as one of the greatest trades ever made. Too much? We will see. As an aside, that buck never walked by so Calvin better pay off ‘cause that’s the only good memory I have from last yeas rut.
I guess some attention will be paid to Trevor Lawrence too as his chemistry with the new route runner will be a point of focus. Ridley is supposed to be a master at breaking ankles. He is supposed to leave defenders wondering why they were even drafted. CR is supposed to be one of the top route runners in the entire NFL. Getting open is only half of the game however. The other half is catching the ball and that’s where T-Law comes into play. It will be good to finally see these two kids play together cohesively. Much like all of you reading today’s column, Lawrence and Ridley need to be on the same page. What we hope to see on display tomorrow is pure Walter White chemistry. I think we can all agree that Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman put it best… “Yeah Science, Bitch!”
Post Script: Also, we here at Jaguars talk will be taking a long hard look at rookie offensive lineman and first round draft pick, Anton Harrison. This offensive tackle out of Oklahoma will be making an immediate impact replacing who many consider to have been the Jaguars best offensive lineman last year. He needs to make sure that impact is of a positive nature. Plus with the suspension of Cam Robinson looming like a dark cloud over the JAX big boys up front, Harrison needs a dominant showing, cause Robinson comes with a $22.75 million cap hit in 2024 which translates to, he ain’t gonna be around after this season. Others of note to watch will be Tank Bigsby, RB out of Auburn and the handful of newly acquired LBs and DEs. You can watch Brenton Strange as well, if you want, but his stock went way down with the signing of my boy, Evan Engram.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.