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O-Zone Podcast: RB Travis Etienne Jr. · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ozone Podcast, presented by five Star Credit
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: with Jaguars senior writer John Osan. I gotta say I
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: say every week I'm excited about the guests, but this week,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be a lot of fun. And
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: somebody Jaguars fans want to get to know. I didn't
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: have a chance due to circumstances way beyond anybody's control
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: to get to know him. Last year it's Jaguars running back.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: And I'm just gonna say running back because I don't
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: know if it's wide receiver anymore or whatever. But at
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Jaguars running back, Travis C t N. Travis, I appreciate
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: you joining us today. This appreciate you having me tell
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: me about your outlook right now. You've had I can't
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: imagine what you've gone through for the last seven eight months.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: You seem like a very upbeat guy. Every time I've
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: heard you speak. What's your outlook right now? Um? I
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: would look right now. I can just say I'm just
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: taking a day by day still, Uh, definitely, just I
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: can say ticket day by day, I mean thankful for
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: the things I've been through and things are very looking
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: looking up for me. So I mean, I felt my
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: outlook right now is just as far as it has
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: ever been. Really, what's the uh vibe? New head coach?
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Off season programs started this week? Tell me about the
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: vibe around the building. I know you haven't been around
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: here forever, but you're around here last year a little bit.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Talk about the change. What are you feeling right now
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: about the Jacks? I mean, going into it, you have
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: to feel great. I mean, we all have hope, and
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: I feel like just what coach has been around here
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: and everybody's getting back together. Uh, we all have hope
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: and we all know the best yet to come. And
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: just seeing these guys show up each and every day,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: it just kind of builds that trust within each other.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: The accountability so um. I mean, the vibes are really
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: great right now. Okay, I need an exact number on this.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: How many times in the last six months if you
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: heard how's the foot? Uh? So many? I mean every
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: day since the injury. Sure I get a question about
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: how's the foot? So um and all kidding inside? Uh
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: list frank injury last uh August. That's a tough injury. Uh.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: We'll get this out of the way. How do you
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: feel now? What do you know about your outlook and prognosis.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: I mean, I feel really great now, just just just
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: going through the injury, just going through the recovery, just
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: been in rehab each and every day and talking to
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: guys who have had this similar injury, and just talking
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: to him and sitting a third timeline and my and
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: I putt my timeline next to theirs, and uh really
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: uh talked to uh Ingram yesterday. He actually had a
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: list rank injury. I found out. I'm just talking with him.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: So I feel like I feel really great. And I
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: mean my body, I feel like just being in rehab,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: just working each and every day, my foot feel great. Um,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: I'm I'm almost there. I'm not not there yet, but
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: I feel like, uh, once once account come around, we'll
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: be rolling. How do you get through something like that,
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: because you know it's tough. You're starting your career and
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: really even before it gets started, you're dealt with this
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: thing that is a very serious injury, and then you're
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: sort of here on your own for the first time
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: in a new environment. How did you get through that phase?
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: What did you what did you do to get through?
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: I really just leaned onto my teammates, my mom, my, dad,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: my family. Uh, the scripture, I said, Leon, Leon is
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: not your only understanding. So I feel like it was
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: much bigger than me, and I can't try to make
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: sense of I just got to make the best out
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: of the situation. And I feel like that's how I've
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: been able to just keep it before each and every day.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: I feel like God said, been down for a reason,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: and I'll be able to sort of world who I
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: am this year. And when did you first sort of
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: start feeling like, I guess the clouds were parting, if
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: you will, And I felt good about it and sort
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: of felt like, Okay, this is gonna be all right. Honestly, honestly,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: just recently, like maybe three four weeks ago, when I
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: got outside and I was started running and I was like,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: damgn man, I'm still fast. So uh, once I got
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: back out there running and I got back running, jumping
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: and just doing this, and I used to do I
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: feel like the clouds are parting. And you smiled when
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: you said that, is this the first assume it's no
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: serious injury you've had, But is this really the first
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: time that you haven't had that? At your disposal of you,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: I mean you I assume you've always been healthy, always
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: able to perform and be you know, yes, sir, this
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: is uh, this is my first injury since I've been
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: playing football as a little kid. So just having a
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: game taken away from you, uh, was kind of just
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: weird in the sense I know the game was going
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: to come to an end, but I didn't think it
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: would be this so early in my career. So um,
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: just having it taken away from me. I just can't
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: wait to get back out there and just really play
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: for my heart, played with passion, and just just don't
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: take the game for gunner anymore because I'm not gonna
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: be here forever. So that feeling of being fast again,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: that's almost like like getting yourself back, right, I mean, like, Okay,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: this is what I am, this is what I can do. Okay,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: it's not gone away, this is what it is. I'm not, yes, sir,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Because when you do have the when you do have
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: the injury, I had to have surgery, so I was
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: off on my foot for a very long time. So
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: you just kind of start the question yourself like, dang,
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: we'll ever get back whatever, be myself again. And I
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: can honestly say, within this past month. That's when I realized, like, man,
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: I canna be better than I was. And and I
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: I assume you're not quite cutting yet, not quite a
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: hundred percent, but they're telling you that that will be back. Yes, sir,
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: Now we're not quite a hundred percent. Uh, I was
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: sound about ninety right now. Um, but have been cutting
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: a little bit more, have been doing a lot of things.
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  Speaker 1: So I feel like weird supposed by training camp your
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: back right and that yes, yes sir, by trying to
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: will be up and rolling, uh, be ready to go
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: and just just getting the week one then fantastic. I
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: don't mislead people because Doug did say that you're expected
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: to do some work out during the offseason as well,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: so I'm not on the table as well. No, definitely
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: I've been working out. I worked out yesterday, were out
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: again a day. So I plan on being here with
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: the team, working out and just grinding with the guy
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: who's just building that trust, letting them know I'm accountab
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: it can count on me whenever the season comes. I've
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: been working really hard, uh this whole year and U
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: now it's great to have guys around me and we
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: worked together. We'll be back with a little more from
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Travis c t N right after this continuing now with
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: Travis c. T N. Tell me about how you see
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: your role going forward? Now it was talk last year
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: running back and wide receiver, a hybrid. How do you
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: see yourself and what's your understanding how they're gonna use
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: you or are you there yet? With the coaches? We
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: we weren't really there yet. Uh, just just everybody has
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: been some new cultar stuff just getting here. Really haven't
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: had conversations about that, but I just feel that, Um,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: I just want to help the team win. I just
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: wanna be in a position to where if they need
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: me to catch the ball and run the ball, throw
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: the ball, I can do whatever. So I just want
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: to be in the position to help the team win games. Now,
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: do you have quarterback experience? Uh? Not not not not
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: not really, But I do a couple of classes, a
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: couple of passes that Clemson, so I got a little one.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: How much did you learn last year when you were
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: running some routes in training camp? Um, how comfortable did
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: you get with that? And if asked to sort of
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: play a little more wide receiver, is that still something
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: that you see yourself as not definitely. I feel like, uh,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: last year, me learning a reserious position was kind of
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: the best thing for my career. And I feel like
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: as if I always had that talent to be able
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: to go out there and do it, and now I
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: have the confidence to go with that. So I feel
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: like if I was a line up out there, and uh,
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure coach would take just football is a game,
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: but Mitch matches, So I'm pretty sure that will take
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: advantage of those Mitch matches and me having that confidence
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: in my running the billion things like that, everyone to
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: play in our favor. A couple final questions here. The
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: running back room has been a topic because j Rob
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: has a serious injury as well. Is that something you
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: guys talk about motivate each other. What's that relationship like
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: right now? And I man joy Rob, we are really close.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: I feel like just him having this injury after I
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: had mine, I'm kind of help him just get through
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: what I've been through. You know, I've been at that
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: point to where I couldn't walk, I couldn't do the
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: things I'm used to doing. So just being able to
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: help him let them know that the grass is going
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: to get green and like there's going to be better
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: passage ahead. So I mean it definitely has grown our relationship.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: And uh, I really can't wait to get back. I
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: really can't wait till you get back on the field,
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: and that way we'll be the time him again. How
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: for the first time. How much you guys looking forward
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: to sort of being it can be a pretty special
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: backfield if you guys are both healthy and both right, right,
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: I've seen me talk about that a little bit. No, definitely,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: I feel like, um our game is gonna company each
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: just like as much as it could, you know, And
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: I feel like that's when you're at your best, when
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: you're out there playing fast and free. So having a
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: guy like James will come in the game and you
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: don't have a drop off, or you put me in there,
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: you don't have a drop off. That's that's going to
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: help the team be the best that we can be.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: I want to clarify something. I get questions all the time,
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: h and describing you as a quote hybrid back. But
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: I assume you feel like if you're asked to carry
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: the ball, you can go carry the ball X number
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: of times a game, right, And like you consider yourself
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: a running back and you can start in this league. No, definitely,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: I feel like I'm a playmaker. Uh, put the ball
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: in my hand and make players. Whether you handed somebody,
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: you throw the ball to me, the ball in my hand.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: I got one thing one mind. That's the end zone.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: So I feel like, Uh, I just can't wait to
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: get back on the field, get scoring touchdowns again. I
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: feel like if coach need me to run the ball
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: thirty times a game, I can do that. I feel
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: like me just being me, I get better throughout the game.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: And when you wear to pla now that's when I
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: feel like my position starts to shine. I hate to
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: ask you a bit. You can't talk to Travis Tanna
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: with that asking about that Trevor Lawrence because the relationship
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: from college. Do you get tired of that at all?
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: And were talking about Trevor because everybody always has to
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: ask you about him now, Honestly, I love I love
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: that I've been pared Trevor in college and in the
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: NFL because I'm a guy I'd like to just sit back. Okay,
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna laid back guy like he's just yeah yeah,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: so so so. Having Trevor takes all the pressure for
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: me to be in the media and I love that
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: aspect of it, And uh, how do you expect him
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: to respond this year? Obviously a big year for you,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: a big year for him as well. Now I feel
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: like Trevor is going to be Trevor Lawrence. I feel
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: like he's going to show you why he was number
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: one drift pick and I feel like just him having
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: that first year on his belt, he he learned a
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: lot from that, and I feel like this year is
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: going to be just I feel like Trevor's gonna respond
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: with Trevor knows how you know, and for everyone who
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: don't know that, I feel like he's going to be
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: a quarter of It's gonna just take control and the
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: things he did last year. I feel like you're gonna say,
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: holy new Forerent quarterback out there. Honestly, you know, I
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: don't know you will have to say this, but you're smiling.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: You seem happy, up beat. Is that always you or
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: are you feeling that about your situation right now? I mean,
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: I feel like I feel like that's always me. I'm
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: a very positive guy, but I mean definitely happy about
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: the situation that I'm in right I feel like I'm
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: a twenty three years old, Iman, and I felt I
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: get to go out there and just beat me. I
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: feel like if I go out there and beat myself
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: that we're gonna be a great team. So just being
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: out there to help my teammates again, I just can't
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: think of a reason not to smile, you know, just
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: going out there and just can't wait to make plays. Carris,
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to watching it, and the Jaguars fans
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: looking forward to watching it. Hopefully they know you a
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: little better after this, and I appreciate you joining the
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: A Zone podcast. I mean the luck now, Yes, sir,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: thanks for having