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Jawaan Taylor is poised and focused on getting better each week | O-Zone Podcast · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ozone Podcast presented by by Star Credit
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Union with Jaguars senior writer John Osan. All right, welcome
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: to this week's Ozone Podcast presented by by Star and Uh.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Today's guest is a repeat guest. I can't remember exactly
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: when he was on, but I was looking forward to
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: this because every time I talked to Jaguars offensive tackle
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: a right tackle, Joan Taylor, it is a good interview,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: very insightful. Uh. And again Joan, looking forward to this,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: and I appreciate you joining the Ozone podcast. Than and Uh.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: We've talked over the years, UM in different situations. Tell
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: me about this year's situation with the Jaguars. Doug Peterson.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: It feels to outsiders like this thing's different. As somebody
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: who's seen a lot around here, how different is it
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: right now? It was much different. Man. Ever since he's
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: taken the job has just been you know, tremendous. Everybody's
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: been buying in and Uh, I feel like the new
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: system we're running on both sides of the ball, even
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: on special teams that have been great, and everybody's been
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: jeling together well. The guys we brought in through the
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: free agency, through the draft. It's just been amazing the
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: guys they brought in here, even the coaches, a lot
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: of it's a great coaching staff as well, a lot
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: of guys who have won in this league and uh,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: who have a lot of wins under their belt. So
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: and you know, coached a lot of great players. So
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: just having all those guys in here a lot of experience,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: a lot of great players also just helps a lot.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Tell me about the first conversation you had with him,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: because it was you know, and I can ask you
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: for details on last year, but it was tough around
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: here last year and he made such a point of
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: changing the culture. Was it just a calm conversation or
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: how did he sort of start changing that? If you will?
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: It was pretty calm, But you know, he always brings
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: that energy every day, and we've seen the fire in
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: his eye, and you know, we've seen a passion and
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: the vision he had for this place. And uh, you know,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: I feel like just by seeing the guys he brought
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: in here, the guys we worked with every day, Um,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: you know, I feel like it it has been a good change.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: And you know, everybody's been buying in every day, and
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: I feel like it's just been working for us, and
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: we're just trying to get better every day every week.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: You have been a storyline this season with everybody making
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: a big deal at how well you're playing. So I
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: have a couple of topics. Um, is it that big
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: of the difference where you unfairly criticized before you know
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: what I'm getting at? Sometimes offensive line people, uh they
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: see it, they think they know, Uh, how much better
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: are you playing? Do you feel like it's that big
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: of a difference. I mean, you know, playing this profession,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: you know you're under a microscope. So you know, I
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: have criticism some days, I don't, you know. I feel
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: like I'm playing better though, for sure. Um, And I
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: feel like I'm not where I want to be at yet,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: but I'm just trying to get better every week. Um,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: I feel like I took a step back last week.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I just had a bad game, but um, definitely just
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: trying to keep improving and getting better. I've actually this before,
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: but that's another way. Do you ever think as an
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: offensive lineman, boy, if I played another position and had
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: this game game, Because you guys are the one job
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: where you can play well for seventy five plays, give
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: up to and people think you had a horrible game.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: You do that on defense, miss two tackles, Maybe somebody
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: doesn't notice. Do you ever fantasize about boy, be great
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: to play another spot, just maybe not another spot. But
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: you know, it's just that's just part of the game, man.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: You know, playing this position, you got to know that.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: You know, like you said, one bad play can change
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: from having a great game, so having a bad game. So, um,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: you know the position we play, you gotta block guys
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: while going backwards, Guys who are faster, guys who can
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: be more athletic than you. So you know, you just
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: gotta be able to be in the right position at
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: the right time. And you know some days you may
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: have one bad play, but you know you just gotta
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: brush it off and keep moving. Um, it's a game.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: You just you gotta play one step, but one play
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: at the time. And uh, you know you gotta have
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: short memory in this game. So um, you know, just
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: trying to just get better every week. Man. It's not
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: that I want to play another position or I think
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: about other positions, but I mean, you know it would
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: be nice to have that that show how the defense
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: has it. You know, they can get and sack the
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: game and lose every other rip and still be great
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: and still be a Hall of Famer, still be All Pro.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: But that's just how that's just how the game is. Yeah,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: I talk to defensive lineman before, we've told me I
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: had a terrible game, and they get one sack and
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: a sack funnel people and not call him the hero.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: But it's just it's just the nature of the deal. UM,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: tell me about playing next to Sheriff, It's amazing. He's
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: a he's a great guy, great veteran UM. You know,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: he's he's been All Pro multiple times, pro bowler multiple times.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: And having him in the in the room, just in
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: the old line room in general has been amazing. You know,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: he's just a great leader as well, and he's just
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: a great guy overall. We love having there and playing
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: next to him is amazing. Um, you know, we we've
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: definitely got a lot of jailed a lot since he's
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: been here and just taking those rips next to him
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: and you know, O T. S and camp. I've just
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: been learning stuff from him and he's been teaching a
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: lot of stuff and I feel like we've been jeling together. Well.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: I think a lot of people don't know much about
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Ralpsher yet it's hard for people to it to know
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: an offensive line coach. You guys get to know him.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Um what is it about him? It seems like you
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: guys have responded to him. It seems to be something
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: different about the old line. Is that Phil the chemistry
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: or how does that all play into each other? Oh,
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: he plays a major role close fields and doing a
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: phenomenal job. He's a great guy overall and a great coach.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: He has a lot of experience in his league as well,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: and um, you know he's he's just been a great
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: guy overall, just for the whole group and as a unit,
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: and he keeps us together. Um, you know, just overall
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: great coach. We've learned a lot from him and we
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: love having an old line room as well. A great
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: a great guy personality wise. From talking to you over
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: the years, you seem to not get too high or
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: low pretty low key guy. Does that fit with offensive line?
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: I mean do you feel like, uh, some people would
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: have more trouble playing that and and dealing with the
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: ups and downs of it if they didn't have your approach? Yeah,
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: I mean you could. I mean, but you got a guy.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: I feel like this position you can be a little
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: little key off the fielding as well. On the field.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: I feel like the only time we really get noticed
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: as if you get beat or if you make a
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: really big play. So, like you said, you just got
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: to keep your poise, and that's why I typically try
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: to do seven. I'm just very poised, whether you know,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: I'm on the road, off the road, get beat, you know,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: or not a whole lot of Yeah, yeah you really are,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: or you're just putting for you that's that's yeah, that's
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: just usually Hi. You know, I'm just very laid back
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: and poise. But you know, at the end of the day,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: I just want to get my job done. High level. Now, Um,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: along those lines, you start for three years and you
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: go into training campus year, I'm saying you get a competition. Um,
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: there are some guys that would be bothered by that.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: Oh you're disrespecting me. It seemed like you just took
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: a completely different approach of it. Says what it is,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna go earn it. Um did you think about
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: that a lot? Was that motivating or how did you
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: approach that motivating? But I just embraced it, you know,
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: at the end of the day, we've been hearing with
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: the Jacks and we've got new coaches a couple of years,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: and uh, that's part of you know, the business. You know,
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: you got to compete for a job. Even if you're
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: not being told you're competing, you still at the end
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: of the day, you still compete. So even yeah, they're
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: still watching it still, you know, evaluating what you're doing.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: So I feel like that just helped, you know, gave
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: me extra pushing training camp, and like you said, I've
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: just been embracing it. You know, I didn't get to
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: how I get too low about it. I didn't get
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: you know, upset about it. At the end of the day,
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: you know, they're just trying to find the best guys
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: out there to go help the team win. So I
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: just felt like I was a guy to get the
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: job done. So I just had to go out improve it.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Now training camp starts and then all of a sudden,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: you're out for a week. That had to be Yeah,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: how do you deal with that? And how what was
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: that week like in terms of its competition here and
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: you're not getting a chance to compete, Um, you know,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: it just breaks the game. Yeah, it was a little
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: discouraging having an injury early on in the training camp,
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: but you know, I just did everything I could get
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: back and uh, you know, I was in treatment three
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: times a day, just trying to get back out there
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: because I know the preseason is, you know, the most
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: critical part of competition because that's how they get to
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: see God and do live reps against other body types
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: and stuff. So, um, you know, I just really just
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: took it as I need to just get back out
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: there and get back on the field to get healthy
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: as fast as possible so I keep competing. Now. You
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: mentioned it in when you were talking, uh after a game,
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: I think it was last week, and you said it
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: very low key, but obviously it's a huge deal. Said,
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: your father passed in January, and that's been something that's
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: motivated you. Um, how close were you, guys, And I
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: don't see how difficult it was, because it's incredibly difficult.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: How much of a factor is that in your life
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: right now? It's a big factor. Man and my dad
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: were extremely close. Uh. This guy talked to every single day. Um,
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: he sent me motivational texts for every game, and really
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: he's the reason why I played the game. So you know,
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: he played football as well when he was alive, and um,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: you know, it's it's just been hard for the whole family.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: He was just you know, the backbone and he was
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: the guy that kept everybody together. So him, my mother
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: was married for twenty seven years. So um, you know
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: it was a major as are lost for my whole family. Um.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: So it's just motivation just to keep going because that's
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: what he would want me to do. He wouldn't want
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: me to you know, go down and play bad or
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: you know, he just wanted me to stay motivated and
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: keep going and play even better. So that's just my
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: motivation just for this season, just to keep going and
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: play you know, in his honor. Did you consciously I
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: say dedicate the season but something like that in terms
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: of saying this ones for you? Is that too strong
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: or is that Oh no, that's not too strong. It's
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: really what I'm trying to do, just dedicated to my dad. Now,
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: the other issue everybody's talking about with you is it's
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: a quote contract year on your mind at all. How
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: do you approach that? It seems like you're a guy
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: who sort of puts that aside once the season gets going. UM, yeah,
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: it's put to the side. Just I'm taking it one
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: game at the time. That's my mindset, and just trying
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: to help the team win the end of the day. Um,
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: it's all about winning. It's not about me or a
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: contract coming up. And now I'm more of a team guy.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: And um, you know, I've been here long enough to know,
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: like you know, what's been going on beforehand. You know,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: I feel like now we've got the right people in place,
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: the new coaches and a lot of great players, it's
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: time to win. And you know, I feel like we
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: owe that to the city, We owe that to this
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: franchise is you know, get wins and it's been waited
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: people waiting for a long time for that. So that's
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: my whole mindset right now is just to win as
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: much as possible. Overall, it seems like you are in
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: the best place your career coming in And again I
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: haven't I haven't talked to you every year because of code.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: I didn't get you know about the last a couple
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: of years. But just from listening to you, am I
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: reading that right? Do you feel overall like it was
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: set up for you at your best year? I feel like, yeah,
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: for sure. Um, Like I said, we've got great coaches
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: in line, We've got a lot of great players in line.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: I got you know, great players playing next to me.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: And I feel like, you know, we just got every
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: every piece of the puzzle we need. And I feel
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: like this year is just different from what we have before.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: And I feel like we just have everything we need.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: It's like no excuse at this point, you know. And
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: I just feel like we can go out and you know,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: we can dominate when we want to. And I feel
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: like we just have to do that every week, sost
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: thing we do. And you've done this before with me
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: the ozone five five quick questions. Have as much fun
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: with you as we can right now. What's your last
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: binge watching? I've been watching the News Damer Show on Netflix.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: Really good show. You don't know everybody's been watching this now,
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: but that's a good show man. I don't know if
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: you watched The Year is a really good It's really good.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: What's your best binge watch of all time? Your TV guy?
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: First of all, is that year. I'm not a huge
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: TV guy. I'm more over a YouTube guy. I like
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: to watch a lot of fishing videos like seven phone
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: if anything that's not football, mostly fishing. I got you
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: last song you heard in the way in this morning? Um,
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: I didn't listen to music this morning. I was on
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: the phone this morning. If it was a less uh
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: you're good music right now, go to uh. We could
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: say d talk about a little baby. This is new song. Now.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: One thing we didn't talk about a whole lot. I'll
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: breakaway from the dun five. Um, are you still drumming
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: quite a day? Is that still a big part of
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: what you Yes? Actually, it's crazy. After my father passed,
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: we started going to the House of Guard location here
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: in Jacksonville. So I started back playing again with them
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: because my mom will come up every every weekend and
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: we will go to the Jacksonville location here and they
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: didn't have a drummer at the time, so I would play. Yeah.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: So you're still doing that, I mean harder. Yeah. Not
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: during the season, but all season I was doing I
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: was back drumming a lot more than usual. Yeah. And
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: did you I forget that's just before. Did your dad
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: get you in the drumming or was that your mom?
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Or really it was just I feel like my grandmother
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: more than anything, because growing up my grandmother was a
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: pastor and then you know, later in like my dad,
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: he became a minister himself. He was an assistant pastor
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: of the church that I grew up in back home.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: So once he passed, we uh, you know, our organization
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: has branched out over the whole US. So we have
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: a location during Jacksonville. So when he passed, my mom
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: will come up every weekend to be with me and
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: my brother and we will go to church. Here for
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: listeners that don't know, you've been drumming since you were six. Yeah,
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: and it's not just a hobby. You're pretty good. Yeah. Yeah. Well,
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: I mean some guys come in here and say they
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: can do things and you go watching they're not. Yeah, ok,
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: yere pretty accomplished. Um your best football man, Um. I
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: probably say when my last college game, I was a
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: really good member of mine. Yeah. We played Michigan and
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: the Peach Bows and uh in Atlanta and it was good.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: We we won that game pretty big and just remember
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: the Confedi falling down and US and stuff. That was
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: a major accomplishment. Who's your go to drummer the guy
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: that you hear you're just blown away? Oh man, we
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: can start with sticks Taylor. He's, uh the drummer for
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: Justin Bieber. He really good drummer. You're on YouTube, we
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: can checking out. Tonio Worster Jr. Is another one. Eric
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: Moore is another one, Calvin Rodgers and another one. Has
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: a lot of good drummers out there. Many. The problem
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: is six is you gotta listen to Justin Bieber, right,
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: you know, but he but stix. He actually got a
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: lot of videos to like just out there without drumming
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: with because you know, when Bieber was on tour, he
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: was you know, playing a lot more people than YouTube
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: like that. But he has a lot of his own
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: videos to at this point, so he used to go drummers.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: It's hard to walk into the locker room and tell
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: you guys, you're listening to Justin Bieber, right, Yeah, it's
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: but I like more of the drummers. But we were,
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: you know, a really good artists too though. And the
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: biggest thing your father taught him, um just to stay
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: humble and uh, you know, keep pushing you mainly just
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: you know, um, you know, just take it one day
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: at a time, especially with my career, to argue, just
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: just keep getting better. He always wanted me to just
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: keep finishing, to keep fighting, and uh, that's always what
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: I try to do every day, Joan. Every time you've
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: done this, you've been very gracious with your time, and
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: I've been willing to open up and talk about things.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: I can't thank you enough for that. I can't thank
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: you for joining us this week. Thank you very much,
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: John Sir, Thank you h