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Louis Rees-Zammit Leaves Jaguars · Duval Daily: A Jacksonville Jaguars Podcast

• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome in to do wall daily, presented by gymjag.com.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Jordan Aluga.
• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for tuning in here.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Friday, August.
• 0:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: First, yes.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're in the month of August, which means we get Jaguars preseason football this month.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, next week, very, very exciting stuff, right?
• 0:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Next Saturday, I believe, is Jaguars first preseason game.
• 0:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we're getting there.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Had the Hall of Fame game last night.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's also interesting stuff, obviously.
• 0:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Isaac to slaw the player, the line straighted up with the Jaguars to acquire.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Pretty good game, did some good things on special teams, did some good things as a receiver, showed off his athleticism, but obviously that'll just be something interesting to watch, but the point of what we're doing and talking about right now is Lewis Reese Zamitt.
• 0:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jack Wars International Pathways player, Lewis Reese Zamitt, is leaving the jacks to return to rugby.
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna talk about that here today.
• 1:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Really appreciate y'all tuning in.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you enjoyed the content, please like and subscribe.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let me know what you think about L-R-Z leaving the team to return to rugby in the comment section below.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: So,
• 1:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: He announced this on Instagram last night and then shared it on Twitter.
• 1:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll just read to y'all what he had to say.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: He says, I've gotten exciting announcement to make.
• 1:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: I've decided to leave the NFL and return to Rugby.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's been a great experience, but it's time to come home.
• 1:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: I've decided that this is the best time to make this decision to give myself time to get everything in place for next season.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's only one thing that's on my mind.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's coming back to Rugby and doing what I do best.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I cannot explain how excited I am.
• 1:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: There will be more news to come soon, but for now,
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: see you soon, rugby fans.
• 1:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Good for him.
• 1:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, this was always a long shot for him to not be on an NFL team because the international pathways program gives teams a free roster spot for an international pathway player.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he probably would have stuck around on the Jaguar's team as a free roster or bull player throughout twenty twenty five and who knows, maybe beyond.
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's not that he wouldn't have a place in the NFL so to speak.
• 2:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he would.
• 2:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's certainly one of the thirty two most intriguing international players for for teams to
• 2:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: add to their roster for free and I don't mean free monetarily they do get paid but uh... from a roster spot perspective he's not taking up an actual roster spot it's a free roster spot so why leave now um... he's given it a good effort in my opinion it was always an extreme long shot for a player never really played football the rugby star to um...
• 3:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: make it as an NFL wide receiver and be anything more than like a bottom of the roster type of guy right there is so much nuance understanding skill experience that he just doesn't have like we talk about players that start playing football in high school like their sophomore year
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: As guys who are behind the eight ball when they get to college and then behind the eight ball when they get to the pros just in terms of experience and understanding and knowing the game much less someone who started trying to do this around like twenty two years old I believe so
• 3:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was always a long shot.
• 3:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, I think that there was a possibility for him to potentially make a team eventually and actually be like the fifth or sixth wide receiver.
• 3:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think that was going to happen here in Jacksonville this year.
• 4:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that, wallowing away on the bottom of a roster, even if you are going to make a roster as the international pathway player, like,
• 4:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is that more enticing than being a rugby star playing the sport that you love?
• 4:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think so.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I completely get it.
• 4:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the guy's twenty four years old.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Turn twenty four in February, food about twenty four and a half.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: He should have the prime of his rugby career ahead of him, right?
• 4:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm excited for him to be able to go pursue his actual passion.
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that he saw this as a potential challenge, definitely saw it as a challenge.
• 4:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: He heard him say as much, just having the opportunity to really pursue something that was an insane challenge.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Literally, it is crazy to try to make it in the NFL after not having played football your whole life.
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: But that's exactly what he tried to do.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think he gave it a good effort.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think he is a very very impressive athlete.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: He has made some impressive plays and practices at times for the chiefs and then jag wars.
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he's had some opportunities in the preseason.
• 5:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And certainly the thought, you know, a very valuable, potentially special teams player.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: He dealt with a little bit of a back injury early on this year and then, you know, decide, decide it, I think.
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: probably what was best for him overall, which is returning to rugby and being the star that he is, right?
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's a big time rugby player, and I don't follow rugby, but as far as everything I've seen and know, he is a big time rugby player.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's why he kind of felt like he needed to challenge himself up the ante, try something new, and he did, and I credit him for that about a year and a half of trying it in the NFL.
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I will say like,
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Probably need to give it more time if you were really going to seriously try because you just didn't have the experience that you needed on your side.
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I don't blame him one bit for trying to challenge himself, realizing maybe wallowing again on the bottom of a roster is not what I would rather do than actually star as a rugby player.
• 6:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't blame him one bit.
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was not going to be like a top-sick wide receiver for the Jaguar this year.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even being on the roster on the International Pathways player program, he was not going to be a top-sick receiver for the Jaguar.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know if he would be anywhere, honestly, I don't know, maybe, but he wasn't going to make an impact as a player for the Jaguar this year.
• 6:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: and I just think thinking about it okay so you get to your twenty five years old and then you're trying to you know be a top five guy again top six guy again and who knows if you'll be able to all the guys that are coming in as undrafted for agents as rookies and
• 7:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's just tough.
• 7:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was a tough challenge he took upon himself and he'd stuck it out for a year and a half and now he's returning to rugby.
• 7:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: For the Jack Wars, this means there will be another or an open spot for an international pathway player.
• 7:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: I assume that they have a scouting program that kind of has tabs on some international players.
• 7:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they'll bring one in here soon.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't know how important that is to this current staff.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: We haven't really talked much about that.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So definitely we'll be a question.
• 7:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe Liam Cohen will be able to answer tonight after the Jaguars and Stadium Scrimmage or kind of practice game that they're going to have in the stadium tonight.
• 7:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, you just look at the Jaguars receiver group.
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know the top five guys right now in my mind are Brian Thomas Jr.
• 8:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Travis Hunter.
• 8:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Army Brown Parker Washington, Josh Cephas, and then who is six?
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think there's a number of guys that have been competitive, Trent and Irwin, Austin,
• 8:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Eli Pankall, Dorian Singer, JJ Jones, Cam Kampard, not the best athlete, but definitely really a big body strong hands type of guy.
• 8:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, I just don't think that you were going to see him on the field this year, certainly during the regular season.
• 8:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: I get it completely and I wish him the very best returning to Rugby.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's huge for him.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And again, stay tuned.
• 8:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: We'll definitely be keeping our eyes out to see if the Jag wars bring in a different international pathways player to fill that free roster spot.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let me know what y'all think in the comment section below.
• 9:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, please like and subscribe helps us out tremendously if you enjoy the content.
• 9:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Y'all have a good one.