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O-Zone Podcast: TE Evan Engram · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

0:08
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ozone podcast presented by by Star Credit
0:13
Speaker 1: Junior with Jaguars senior writer John Osan. All Right, welcome
0:17
Speaker 1: to this week's Ozone podcast was in a by by
0:20
Speaker 1: Star and this week's guests a new Jaguars player, at
0:24
Speaker 1: least new this offseason. I think fans are excited to
0:27
Speaker 1: get to know it's the off season, so that's what
0:30
Speaker 1: we try to do today. Jaguars tight end Evan Ingram,
0:33
Speaker 1: thank you for joining the Ozone Bodica, I appreciate it.
0:35
Speaker 1: Thank you for having me. Um, tell me your impressions.
0:40
Speaker 1: I actually got a few emails right after you signed
0:43
Speaker 1: from people saying we want to know more about this guy. Um,
0:46
Speaker 1: what are your impressions of the Jaguars so far? However,
0:50
Speaker 1: you're two and a half months gone. It's been awesome. UM,
0:53
Speaker 1: it's been awesome. It's been It was a it was
0:55
Speaker 1: a wild adjustment coming from New York down here. But UM,
1:00
Speaker 1: just just the building, the people here, UM, the coaching staff,
1:03
Speaker 1: the players, a locker room is amazing. UM. It's been
1:06
Speaker 1: a very um, smooth and fun and very motivating adjustment
1:10
Speaker 1: as well. So UM, I'm enjoining my time here. We're
1:13
Speaker 1: getting in a lot of work, um, and a lot
1:15
Speaker 1: of guys are motivated, and um that's that's really refreshing
1:18
Speaker 1: to be around. And UM it's it's helping me continue
1:20
Speaker 1: to better my craft each and every day as well.
1:23
Speaker 1: We talked a little bit before the podcast started. Uh,
1:26
Speaker 1: New York media can be a strange thing, um, and
1:31
Speaker 1: the New York market can be a different place. You
1:34
Speaker 1: talked to players who have played it. Um, some guys
1:37
Speaker 1: embrace and some guys don't love it that much. Uh.
1:40
Speaker 1: Was it a good thing for you to get a
1:42
Speaker 1: fresh start? Was that appealing about free agency to you? Um? Definitely. Uh.
1:47
Speaker 1: You know, I I the last five years in New
1:49
Speaker 1: York was or a blessing. Oh yeah. I grew up
1:52
Speaker 1: a lot, um, and uh learned a lot, Like you said,
1:56
Speaker 1: grew up a lot, And I met a lot of
1:58
Speaker 1: amazing people and and and and a lot of amazing relationships.
2:01
Speaker 1: So UM, I wouldn't I wouldn't change anything. But you know,
2:05
Speaker 1: coming down here, um, the Florida sun um, and then
2:08
Speaker 1: just the just the people in this building. I can't
2:11
Speaker 1: say enough how great they've been, from from the coaching
2:14
Speaker 1: staff all the way down to the custodians. Um, it's
2:16
Speaker 1: been amazing so um and I'm really looking forward to,
2:19
Speaker 1: you know, building the relationships here as well, um, and
2:23
Speaker 1: putting a good product on the field and keeping everybody excited,
2:26
Speaker 1: I uh fascinated by. As a free agent, you have
2:31
Speaker 1: to sign a one year deal, which is basically saying
2:35
Speaker 1: I'm gonna gamble on myself. I believe in my ability
2:38
Speaker 1: and I believe I can do more than I've done
2:40
Speaker 1: so far. Was that your approach and tell me about
2:43
Speaker 1: the details that went into that of saying, Hey, I
2:45
Speaker 1: want to do this for a year and then see
2:47
Speaker 1: what my market value is next. Yeah, definitely. Um, you
2:50
Speaker 1: know the fridge, See, it was it was my first
2:52
Speaker 1: time and it was it was a wild experience. Um yeah,
2:56
Speaker 1: it's it was. It was a lot of adjusting and
2:59
Speaker 1: a lot of uh trying not to think that much.
3:01
Speaker 1: But um, like I said, it's it's been a blessing
3:04
Speaker 1: and everything happens for a reason, and I think I'm
3:06
Speaker 1: here for a reason. And um, the one year deal
3:09
Speaker 1: is definitely it's a it's a bet bet on myself,
3:11
Speaker 1: um man. I just I saw the situation. I saw
3:15
Speaker 1: Doug and the staff he put together and the history
3:17
Speaker 1: he's had with tight ends, and UM type of tight
3:20
Speaker 1: ends like myself, have been really successful in his systems.
3:23
Speaker 1: And I'm getting to know him more and getting to
3:25
Speaker 1: know his philosophies and even getting in the offense. UM.
3:28
Speaker 1: I couldn't be any more happier with my decision. And
3:32
Speaker 1: like I said, just the people that are here, UM,
3:34
Speaker 1: in the in the locker room. UM, it's a great
3:36
Speaker 1: um attitude and a great environment for me to come
3:39
Speaker 1: in and continue to work every single day, improve myself
3:42
Speaker 1: each and every day I'm in. All the work we're
3:44
Speaker 1: putting in, All the work on putting in, UM is
3:46
Speaker 1: gonna show up on Sundays. It's interesting you brought up
3:49
Speaker 1: Doug and that was a thing you hit on when
3:52
Speaker 1: you first signed at your into a press conference, and
3:55
Speaker 1: I'm curious you brought it up again today. Uh, that's
3:59
Speaker 1: a big deal to you. Him being here. Did you
4:03
Speaker 1: watch his offenses in Philadelphia from across the field and say, hey,
4:06
Speaker 1: I like that? Uh how much is that a factor
4:10
Speaker 1: for you? It was huge. I mean the Eagles were
4:12
Speaker 1: in the division for four of the years. UM. I
4:15
Speaker 1: was there. Man, I definitely see a lot of myself
4:19
Speaker 1: and the guy like zach Ertz. UM. You know he's UM,
4:22
Speaker 1: he's a physical and strong guy, but UM, he's definitely
4:24
Speaker 1: a more receiving tight end. And UM just the way
4:27
Speaker 1: he was used, the way he was moving moved around
4:29
Speaker 1: on the field. UM, the relationships I can see across
4:33
Speaker 1: the further relationships he had with quarterback. UM, and just
4:36
Speaker 1: Trevor being here as well, and UM seeing Doug over
4:39
Speaker 1: the years, and obviously Zack's numbers UM through his duck
4:44
Speaker 1: stint there was record breaking. So UM, I definitely saw
4:48
Speaker 1: that as a huge opportunity and UM and UH that
4:52
Speaker 1: that went, that was a big factor in my decision.
4:54
Speaker 1: And UM, so far it's it's looking looking really well now,
4:58
Speaker 1: it seems and gave me trying to give away too much.
5:01
Speaker 1: We're in Mace or we're in June's you wanna tell
5:04
Speaker 1: what the game plan is, but just the eye test.
5:08
Speaker 1: You've got to be pretty aware out there, pretty deep
5:12
Speaker 1: in the offense because you're lining up all over the place,
5:15
Speaker 1: I mean, and that has to be an advantage. Is
5:19
Speaker 1: that fun? Is that something you've done to that extent before? UM, Yeah,
5:23
Speaker 1: I've I've always been a chess piece. UM in the offenses.
5:26
Speaker 1: I've been in and UM, but I wouldn't. I would
5:29
Speaker 1: say to this extent is probably um the most important
5:33
Speaker 1: offense I've been into where I should I have to
5:35
Speaker 1: know all the positions because one, me knowing all the
5:38
Speaker 1: position is going to help the team and help the
5:39
Speaker 1: offense succeed. And um, and I probably myself on and
5:43
Speaker 1: being uh really well and doing a really well job
5:46
Speaker 1: at the things they asked me to do, and and
5:48
Speaker 1: learning and getting better to things that you know, I'm
5:50
Speaker 1: not as good at. So that's that's probably rule number one,
5:53
Speaker 1: is learning all the positions. Um. It's it's been a
5:56
Speaker 1: challenge looking at these plays they're installing, and it's it's
5:59
Speaker 1: my to know every single position because we have so
6:02
Speaker 1: many pieces on this offense. Everybody can't play musical chairs
6:06
Speaker 1: and uh, and it's it's definitely a huge, um, huge
6:10
Speaker 1: point for myself to you know, to dive in the
6:12
Speaker 1: playbook and know all the schemes and know while we're
6:15
Speaker 1: running them, and know the type of defenses we're trying
6:17
Speaker 1: to influence. UM, So that that's just gonna be advantage
6:21
Speaker 1: for myself when we come in the game time and
6:23
Speaker 1: start game playing against other teams. Now I'm sure you've
6:26
Speaker 1: got a new Marcus Pollard a little bit. I covered
6:28
Speaker 1: him in Indianapolis and always used to joke with him
6:31
Speaker 1: that he blocked when he was absolutely told the block,
6:34
Speaker 1: and I didn't do it that willingly. And I'm I'm joking.
6:37
Speaker 1: He was, fine, what's your approach to block? It's I
6:41
Speaker 1: take prod in that I take probably you know, I
6:44
Speaker 1: kind of got a chip on my shoulder coming in
6:45
Speaker 1: the league. Um. You know, everybody kind of had that
6:48
Speaker 1: knock against me, and in the offense I was in
6:50
Speaker 1: in college, I didn't do it that much. Was more
6:53
Speaker 1: of a kind of receiver blocking more than a true
6:57
Speaker 1: tight end. So um that that's always been a chip
6:59
Speaker 1: on my older And I know I'm not the biggest
7:01
Speaker 1: for the strongest, but I know my willingness to to
7:04
Speaker 1: get my nose in there and get the job done.
7:07
Speaker 1: Um and uh, I got some pancakes through my career
7:10
Speaker 1: that I take pride and so U maybe have to
7:12
Speaker 1: pull pull up some film on those one day. But um,
7:15
Speaker 1: you know, I'm just a guy that's gonna do whatever
7:17
Speaker 1: I'm asked at the highest level. Um, and uh, I'm
7:20
Speaker 1: gonna do everything I can to get better at the
7:22
Speaker 1: things they asked me to do that I might not
7:23
Speaker 1: be well at. And there's so many small little technique
7:26
Speaker 1: things and um, small nuances that that go into the
7:29
Speaker 1: ring game, especially at the Talian position. So um, even
7:33
Speaker 1: just going back to you know, talking about all the
7:35
Speaker 1: schemes and all the past stuff. Um, you know, a
7:37
Speaker 1: big part of the tight end is to know and
7:39
Speaker 1: be on the same page with the offensive on too,
7:41
Speaker 1: so a communication knowing all the nuances and the technique.
7:44
Speaker 1: And there also is a dog mentality that that I
7:47
Speaker 1: kind of have built over the years that I take
7:49
Speaker 1: in the Sundays and even the Prattice blocking all the
7:52
Speaker 1: big guys. It sounds like you follow you know, some
7:56
Speaker 1: players really follow the game. Some players don't. Uh, it's
7:59
Speaker 1: really sound like you study other players, try to see
8:02
Speaker 1: what you can get from guys. Um any tight ends
8:05
Speaker 1: you particularly admire, try to take things from anybody along
8:09
Speaker 1: those lines. Yeah. No, I mean I'm a huge fan
8:12
Speaker 1: of the game and even a bigger fan of the position. Um,
8:14
Speaker 1: and it's definitely evolving to um, you know the type
8:17
Speaker 1: of player I am at the position. So I know,
8:20
Speaker 1: Jordan Reid was probably my favorite guy coming when I
8:22
Speaker 1: came out I watched a lot of Jordan Reef firm
8:24
Speaker 1: him in Washington. It's funny a lot of tight ends
8:27
Speaker 1: mentioned him. He's not like, he's not necessarily a guy
8:29
Speaker 1: that fans talk about a lot. But his techniques, I
8:33
Speaker 1: mean he was, I mean he was. He was a
8:35
Speaker 1: lot bigger than people you know remember him as. But
8:38
Speaker 1: I mean just his his his fluidness and his routes,
8:40
Speaker 1: the way he set up defenders. Um. Um, his elusiveness
8:44
Speaker 1: even naturally catch was was something fascinating to see. Um.
8:47
Speaker 1: So I love Jordan Reef film. Zach Ertz is another
8:49
Speaker 1: guy that's that's very intriguing to watch. And you learn
8:52
Speaker 1: from a lot of things. And you got the Travis Kelsey,
8:54
Speaker 1: You've got the George Kittles and um even even uh
8:57
Speaker 1: I got I got Shannon Sharp on my YouTube search
8:59
Speaker 1: for from some things back in the day. He was
9:02
Speaker 1: probably the real pioneer of the receiving tight end. But
9:04
Speaker 1: he was also very physical as well too. So, um,
9:07
Speaker 1: you have a big fan of the position, and um,
9:09
Speaker 1: there's there's things I can learn from everybody. Um and
9:12
Speaker 1: uh during the season, you know, now we've got social
9:14
Speaker 1: media and all this stuff, so you're seeing all the
9:16
Speaker 1: highlights and all the big plays, and um, so big
9:19
Speaker 1: fan of big fan of the game, but even the
9:21
Speaker 1: bigger fan of the position, I try to try to
9:23
Speaker 1: emulate and add some things to my bag from from
9:25
Speaker 1: all the grades. How important is it for the tight
9:28
Speaker 1: end for you, for the entire tight end room to
9:32
Speaker 1: be sort of working together and have versatility. It seems like,
9:36
Speaker 1: you know, there are teams with a Kelsey where it
9:38
Speaker 1: just seems like it's just him, but it's really not.
9:41
Speaker 1: You have to have some versatility at the position with
9:43
Speaker 1: the entire room correct, Well, yeah, definitely, and even you
9:47
Speaker 1: know when the harp on Matt Doug's offense is a
9:50
Speaker 1: big two set tight end even get some thirteen personnel,
9:53
Speaker 1: so um, every everybody is is uh, it has to
9:57
Speaker 1: be kind of tighten it because we're gonna be asked
9:59
Speaker 1: to do a lot of things doing it together. So um,
10:02
Speaker 1: just even our room now, um is awesome. And those guys,
10:06
Speaker 1: most three of the guys were here last year and
10:08
Speaker 1: they've welcomed me in and we're already building a great
10:10
Speaker 1: relationship and just showing up on the field. Tell me, um,
10:15
Speaker 1: your thoughts on Trevor Lawrence in February. And now what
10:21
Speaker 1: did you know about him and what have you learned
10:23
Speaker 1: about him? Um? Yeah, I've all Washington College. That's that's
10:27
Speaker 1: the most I've known about him. And UM, I know
10:30
Speaker 1: he know he went through a lot last year and
10:32
Speaker 1: um if as from afar, UM he looked like a
10:35
Speaker 1: true professional in year one. UM and and every every
10:38
Speaker 1: time there was a jazz games on TV or you
10:41
Speaker 1: see the highlights, UM, every week he's fighting his butt off,
10:44
Speaker 1: he's putting his putting his body on the line, and
10:46
Speaker 1: he's making elite level throws. UM even the midst of
10:50
Speaker 1: all the things that you know he experienced so UM
10:53
Speaker 1: outside looking in, he was like he was looked like
10:56
Speaker 1: a true competitor UM in in the in the leader
10:59
Speaker 1: and the captain. UM. And now getting to know him, UM,
11:02
Speaker 1: just how young he is and how talented he is
11:04
Speaker 1: and how um on Q he is with all the
11:06
Speaker 1: small details and you know, building that relationship and have
11:09
Speaker 1: those conversations, doing things that you know, make sure that
11:12
Speaker 1: we're on the same page and UM and trying to
11:15
Speaker 1: make him look as best as possible. UM. It's it's
11:18
Speaker 1: been awesome to get to know him and UM and
11:20
Speaker 1: to see his leadership qualities that that's that's a big thing,
11:23
Speaker 1: you know, coming into a locker room at that position. Um,
11:26
Speaker 1: if you're you know, you can be a quiet guy
11:29
Speaker 1: or or allowed leader or a vocal guy no matter what.
11:32
Speaker 1: Everybody's looking to him. And UH have nothing but great
11:36
Speaker 1: things to say so far. And UM he's he's a
11:38
Speaker 1: great dude, a great friend. We're becoming really close. And
11:41
Speaker 1: UM we really excited, you know, to make a lot
11:43
Speaker 1: of players with him this season. Why h good question. Uh,
11:49
Speaker 1: So I was I was giving that number in college,
11:52
Speaker 1: um and Uh. I did not like it at first.
11:55
Speaker 1: I was not happy. I showed up on campus and
11:57
Speaker 1: I wanted number one. But we actually signed a guy
11:59
Speaker 1: in the in the Quantret Will, who was a number one.
12:02
Speaker 1: Obviously we're in the nation, so he won the number one.
12:05
Speaker 1: So so yeah, he got that one set. So they
12:08
Speaker 1: handed me seventeen. And I did not like it one bit,
12:11
Speaker 1: but you know, I embraced it, um and I and
12:14
Speaker 1: I had a great college career. I had the most
12:16
Speaker 1: fun on football field I've ever had. And um and
12:19
Speaker 1: I had number eighty eight. UM in in uh in
12:21
Speaker 1: New York. And they came out with the rule before
12:24
Speaker 1: last year or a new change where players can wear
12:27
Speaker 1: a single digit or skill players can wear single digit
12:29
Speaker 1: or whatever double digit they wanted. And um, on my
12:33
Speaker 1: little initiation here, my first day in I talked to
12:35
Speaker 1: the equipment guys and I'm like, if you can, if
12:38
Speaker 1: you can put seventeen in my locker, that that'd be
12:40
Speaker 1: a blessing and uh and they actually Jacks actually posted
12:44
Speaker 1: a graphic of all the new guys as Jersey And
12:48
Speaker 1: when the seventeen popped up, I didn't, I didn't even know.
12:52
Speaker 1: I found out Instagram. I'm I'm just opened up Instagram
12:55
Speaker 1: and the first post was seventeen with my last name
12:58
Speaker 1: on the back. Social media and haven't liked what you saw?
13:02
Speaker 1: That was a good one. That this was a good one.
13:04
Speaker 1: This is a good one. So um it was. It
13:07
Speaker 1: was a special number for me in college and even
13:08
Speaker 1: the old miss I went, I've been back through the
13:11
Speaker 1: years and still see seventeen seas in the grove and
13:14
Speaker 1: um and uh, I had a lot of fun that number.
13:17
Speaker 1: So trying to continue that tradition with seventeen have a
13:20
Speaker 1: lot of fun in Duvall. That's very cool. The last
13:23
Speaker 1: thing we do here is we call it the Zone five.
13:30
Speaker 1: It's just five quick fun questions, try to get you
13:32
Speaker 1: to know you a little bit. Evan Ingram, what was
13:35
Speaker 1: your last binge watch? Last beinge watch? Ozark? What was
13:39
Speaker 1: the best binge watch You've ever seen? Best binge watch
13:42
Speaker 1: I've ever seen? I have to say it was Arc
13:47
Speaker 1: Came Bad is not bad, but that's not the best.
13:49
Speaker 1: I have to say breaking bad. I'm been breaking bad
13:53
Speaker 1: right now. I've never been a fan. I always resisted
13:55
Speaker 1: it for some reason. You gotta get through. You gotta
13:57
Speaker 1: get through the first like five or four or five. Yeah,
14:00
Speaker 1: That's what I felt it. Then it gets gone. I'm
14:03
Speaker 1: into five now and season four is pretty solid. Now
14:06
Speaker 1: Season four is pretty solid. Yeah, I was the last
14:09
Speaker 1: song you listened to on your way in this morning?
14:12
Speaker 1: I actually, uh actually uh listen to some Beethoven this morning. Yeah,
14:18
Speaker 1: I mean diving into the meditation and um, the mental
14:22
Speaker 1: space and um. I started I started this offseason and
14:27
Speaker 1: it's it's helping out my creativity. There's a lot of
14:30
Speaker 1: creativity and route running. So I'm taking pride, you know,
14:32
Speaker 1: being one of the best route runners. So I had
14:35
Speaker 1: some Beethoven bumping this morning. The way are you? Are
14:39
Speaker 1: you symphony focused h Snoian, Where's yours? So they actually
14:43
Speaker 1: had this heroic album on the Apple Music to where
14:47
Speaker 1: um it's all his best pizza pieces, but they have
14:50
Speaker 1: that that Batman, that Superman, that Spider Man like heroic.
14:55
Speaker 1: UM kind of toned to it, so it's not it's
14:57
Speaker 1: not as soothing as I mean, it's still very soothing,
15:01
Speaker 1: but um, it kind of gets my blood pump a
15:03
Speaker 1: little more. I kind of imagine, you know, there's more
15:05
Speaker 1: blood pumping there in data and there is soothing. What's
15:10
Speaker 1: your best football man? My best football memory? Um, probably
15:16
Speaker 1: my first touchdown ever score I was. I was always
15:20
Speaker 1: a kind of big, chubby kid in my first couple
15:23
Speaker 1: of years playing, so I was always on the offensive line.
15:26
Speaker 1: I had to block and I hit a little gross
15:28
Speaker 1: spurt one summer I think I was maybe third third grade,
15:32
Speaker 1: and uh, we had a QB QB sneak around the
15:36
Speaker 1: left side and just ran down the sideline for the
15:38
Speaker 1: first time in my life across that end zone. It
15:41
Speaker 1: was it was when you were the QB. I was
15:43
Speaker 1: a quite bad I was quarterback and it it set
15:45
Speaker 1: the hook. From that moment on, I knew I had
15:48
Speaker 1: to be a football player. Growing up, got you sport
15:52
Speaker 1: other than football that you would have played. I had
15:56
Speaker 1: to be hooped. I had to hoop's. My sister was
15:59
Speaker 1: a she's Yeah, she went to Georgia. She was the
16:02
Speaker 1: main actee of the family. So um, always always be here.
16:07
Speaker 1: But and whooped her up in the driveway. And I
16:09
Speaker 1: kind of take credit for her success. So um, she
16:12
Speaker 1: used to go like she used to play me and
16:14
Speaker 1: lose and then go to the basketball games to dominate.
16:16
Speaker 1: So but big, big fan of the game. I love
16:20
Speaker 1: the NBA playoffs and March Madness. And I'm not I'm
16:23
Speaker 1: not that good. I'm not that good. I can I
16:26
Speaker 1: can shoot a little bit, I can get rebounds to
16:28
Speaker 1: play defense, but that's a boy it. But you might
16:31
Speaker 1: be the first NFL player he's ever told me that
16:34
Speaker 1: they weren't great. Yeah, I'm a realist. Okay, I'm a realist.
16:39
Speaker 1: So I can get out there that I could be
16:40
Speaker 1: probably one of the best of your team. They think
16:42
Speaker 1: they should be playing in the league. Yeah, no that now,
16:47
Speaker 1: we'll let them have that. We'll let him think that.
16:48
Speaker 1: But no, no, shot, who's the person most responsible for
16:53
Speaker 1: you being MH in your life? I'll probably say my my,
16:58
Speaker 1: my mom, my dad, my Sirsty, the support and uh,
17:03
Speaker 1: just the honesty they've always been with this, the sacrifice
17:07
Speaker 1: that they made. My mom used to drive literally around
17:10
Speaker 1: the country and make my sister and dad my sister
17:12
Speaker 1: and myself my games. My dad always coached us. He
17:17
Speaker 1: was my football coach and he was my sister's basketball coach.
17:19
Speaker 1: And um, it was it wasn't always. It was always
17:23
Speaker 1: a real tough love relationship. And UM, I think that
17:26
Speaker 1: really molding my mentality and my attitude and um and
17:30
Speaker 1: they raised me to be a humble, humble man that
17:33
Speaker 1: a guy fearing man as well. So UM, I definitely
17:36
Speaker 1: no shot I would be even be in this chair
17:37
Speaker 1: talking to me without those two if Amram, I appreciate
17:40
Speaker 1: you opening up and letting fans get to know you
17:43
Speaker 1: a little bit. Ain't they're gonna enjoy this. I can't
17:45
Speaker 1: thank you enough for being again some the other down
17:47
Speaker 1: podcast that it was it was a hunger. I appreciate it.