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The O-Zone Podcast | Cole Van Lanen on His Experience Moving Around the O-Line · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ozone Podcast with Jaguars senior writer John Oser.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: All Right, welcome into this week's Ozone podcast with the
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: player who's been a huge story this year for the
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Jaguars in an incredibly positive way, Jaguars offensive lineman. And
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I have to say offensive lineman because I can't say
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: a specific position. Uh, Cole Van Landon and Cole, thanks
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: for joining us this week. Yeah, absolutely, and Uh we'll
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: get into your story this season, which is fascinating, But
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: tell me first about the team as you guys are
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: getting ready for Denver. The mindset of this team this week.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely. I think mindset wise, it hasn't really changed
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: kind of what's been going on all year, and it's
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: really a week by week basis. It's won and a
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: mentality continuing trying to grow as a team. You know,
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: every game now in December is a big game, right
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: and you know at the end of the day, we're
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: trying to come up with a W. And that's that's
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: kind of where our mindset is, is just going in
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: there and playing our best football all three phases.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: The story of your season obviously is playing a bunch
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: of different positions. We'll get into specifics to that in
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: a bit, But that's sort of been the story of
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: the entire team, right, guys being able to step up
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: in situations, regardless of what people thought of them in
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: the off season. What is it about this team it's
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: been able to do that because obviously with so many
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: guys doing it, it's sort of in the water right right.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: I definitely have to do with I think the talent
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: that they brought in here. I think this team is very,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: very talented, and that goes from starters down. I think
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: that's been been a huge no drop off for whatever
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: position that is that guy's filling in. And I also
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: think it's just the confidence in the way this team plays,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: right and we're very attacking, and we're all just trying
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: to play our best foot forward and through everything we
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: can for this team to win. And I think that
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: just is offense defense, no matter what the position is.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: That's kind of been the mentality.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Is it a fair question to ask you what your
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: best position is?
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: You know, I really I can't say, you know, I've
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: honestly just played you know here there at all different positions,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: but I've been primarily playing tackle now for a couple
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: of years. Later, and I would say that's probably where
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: I'm most comfortable. But at the end of the day,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: playing football's football, and I've been just kind of attacking
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: any position that I'm put into as the same. And yeah,
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: technique and stuff's a little different, but at the end
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: of the day, we're playing football. Been doing offensive line
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: for a long time, right squadut there and do do
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: the best I can.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Now if I write it down, I can remember. Can
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: you tell me which positions, which games you started this year?
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Or is this a case where you've got to know
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: and I go out there and do what you did.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: So I've been just kind of, you know, kind of
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: finding out I was that like six man role. Knowing
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: now is going to kind of back up everything, you know,
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: kind of as it started the I mean, as guys
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: started getting hurt and stuff, I kind of had an
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: idea and just you know, show up Wednesday, get told
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: her I'm playing, and let's roll. Now. Who would have know?
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: You've played right tackle, left tackle, right guard, and left
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: guard this season and the big tackle. But a big
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: reason that you were six man coming in hurt during
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: training camp maybe set you back a little bit coming
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: into the season. Uh, talk about overcoming that. It had
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: to be disappointing at first, but you've sort of gone
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: through a lot in your career, but just talk about
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: overcoming that.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: During the preseason, you know, it's hard, you know, training
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: camps the time when we always get the kind of
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: show what we have. And I felt like I was
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: playing pretty good football, and you know, they moved me
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: to gard on the first time my career in a
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: few years. I got hurt day two of that transition,
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: so I didn't really get to show much. I was,
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: you know, just kind of tacking my rehab, seeing what happens,
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: and then you know, hoping I'm able to give that
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: opportunity to go and to show what I really have.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: So when I came back, I just you know, I
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: took the practices seriously, You're on skeleton whatever it is,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: and just kind of playing my brand of football and
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: it's opening iron opportunities and that's kind of what evolved.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: So do you have a feel for like everybody makes
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: a big deal out of what you're doing because it's impressive,
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: do you have a feel for how unique it is
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: or is that even a fair question?
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: I mean, I definitely understand it is and it's kind
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: of hard because I'm doing it because from an out
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: tide perspective, I do. You're like, yeah, I definitely would
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: be like while guys playing all those positions, But like
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: I said, for me, my mentality is I'm just out
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: there any way I can to just be on the
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: field and help this team win and whatever position that is.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: And like I said, I'm just going to give everything
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: I have and ultimately that's really helped me play some
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: decent football and I'm just really trying to continue to
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: do that and week by week and just play my
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: best version of myself on the field.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: And you talked about it a little bit when you
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: met with the media a couple of weeks ago, but
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: it's sort of I think you give some credit to
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: being able to do what you're doing, to having started
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: at one position in Green Bay and then moved when
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: you got here. I guess take me through your positional
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: journey again, if you could, if that's even a phrase.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Yes, in college, I was strictly I left tackle. I
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: got drafted in Green Bay. They did move me around
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: quite a bit. I was only there that year, and
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: then I got traded here and I was guard for
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: a year and then I showed up for OTAs in
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty three. They had me at right tackle and
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: that was primarily that until this OTAs when I got
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: here or the new staff got here.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Now is that one when you say you showed up
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: in twenty three, At that point you just kind of
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: do what they tell you to do, right, Yeah, you're
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: still yeah.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: And I didn't play like a tackle when I was
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: here that year in twenty two, and this is they
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: kind of transitioned me out there, and I just embraced
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: the role. And I'm just a guy that's constantly trying
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: to get better. So I mean I just really took
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: advantage of that opportunity, got some tackle snats, got some
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: more last year, and then at that point I just
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: knew where my confidence was and getting some more playing
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: time and understanding the game, like I'm ready to wherever
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: you want to plug me in. When this staff got here,
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: I told them right away, I will go wherever you
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: need me to go.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Like that Is that something where you went and made
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: a point to go tell Liam Line coach, Hey, I
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: doesn't make it clear. Yeah, I don't have to play
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: right tackle.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: I can do whatever you guys need me to do
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: hundred percent. I think you know, this league really is
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: you got to earn everything, and you know, as a backup,
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: it's really hard. You know, you got to you got
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: to figure out your way, your edge and for me,
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: if that's what it is, that's what it is, and that,
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: like I said, that's kind of evolved into what it
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: is this year on expecting that, not expecting that, sure,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: but uh yeah it's been great.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: How do you get because clearly you've gotten better since
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: you were in Green Bay as a rookie six rounder,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: even from when you were here at first as aligneman.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: When you don't get reps in games, how do you
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: improve the way you have or I assume you feel
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: like you have improved a lot. How do you get
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: better as alignment when you're not in games? To get better?
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: I think just intentionality week the week. You know, if
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: I'm going to get into Trailon Walker and Josh Allen
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: every day and we're pointing each other out and we
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: know to one on one every single day, you know
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: that's gonna get you better. And I just think intentionality
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: and you really need to just have that focus to
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: improve because those are your reps throughout the week if
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: you're not out there on something to doing.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: It most weeks this season when you've moved positions, have
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: you known early in the week it was a good possibility, Like.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I said, I think after the Houston game, after playing
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: guard that game and understanding them in the sixth man,
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: I think after injury and stuff, I like I said,
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: I had a good idea, but I didn't get confirmed Wednesday.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: But then, yeah, you'd have the week of prep.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Is this going to be a new role in the NFL?
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: You think?
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: I mean yeah, I mean forevery It's.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: Funny because it is incredibly necessary and you would think
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: it would have developed before. But this is a cool thing.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: No, it definitely is. And you know, I definitely don't
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: think everyone can do it. You know, a lot of
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: teams do a swing guard or a swing tackle, and
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: you know, I think every team's different in that way
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: as well. And I just like I said, I've been
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: fortunate enough to you know, perform with the way I
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: have on the field, and it's just going to continue
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: doing my thing. Now.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: The obvious elephant in the room is snapping. I know
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: you've snapped. You can't snap? How ready are you at
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: center if they ever had to be the case.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: It's been a minute now. The Seattle game, I was
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: the backup center. You really prepared for that. I definitely
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: think I can do it, and I do take a
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: few snaps, so we just make sure I'm getting some snaps.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: I had a lot of fun doing it, embrace the challenge.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: I definitely think I could do it if I's necessary.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Is that a dramatically different thing than guard? I mean,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: obviously it is because you're snapping, But for you, is it.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: That's kind of like them all of what I've been doing. Yeah,
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: your sets and everything are a little different, right, But
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: at the end of the day, you're playing football, and
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: for me, you know, yeah, you're snapping the ball once
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: I ball snap, you're playing football catch. So I think
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: the big piece is the knowledge of the game on
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: playing center, and that's something I embraced earlier this year,
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: of learning your playbook in that way, and I think
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: at the end of the day, that's helped me, you know,
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: be a better guard and tackle as well.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: Now, as much as this is a great story, do
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: you feel like you would like to get a position
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: and say, okay, this is where I'm at.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean ultimately, at the end of the day,
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: I think that's where we all work for sure, And
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: I think it's just I don't know, it doesn't make
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: life easier, but when you have week to week and
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: you can just hone in on the one position and
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: continue to grow and work on your craft, I definitely
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: think that helps you in the long run.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: I think I have to make life easier a little bit.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: So overall the perseverance that you've shown to do what
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: you're doing. Do you feel like you've shown that And
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: where does that come from? Yeah, meaning starting off with
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: a six round pick and then having to work to
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: get here.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Like I said, I just think from early on,
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: I just I really learned how to grow fast that
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: this league really is everything is earned, okay, And that's
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: really my edge of just every day you never know
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: when it's your last player. Just I mean, this business
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: is tough, and I've just seen a lot, been through
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: a lot, and just know you never know. So I
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: just try and do everything percent and just at the
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: end of the day, when this is all done, I'm
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: want to look myself in the mirror and I've done
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: everything I can possible.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Right, So you got to feel like your ceiling when
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: you get to a spot where it's yours, your ceiling
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: is still hot.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, I just think that what that is yet.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I want to be able to put
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: the work in and you know, continue to grow and
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: who knows where that.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Takes the offensive line this year, you guys have been
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: a big part of it. Your ability to fill in
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: and be the depth. Why has this offensive line being
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: able to play at the level that it has all season?
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: What is it about your group? Your room?
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's one aggressiveness. I think we're playing
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: at a level where you know, we're harping every week
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: how physical we need to be on the line. I
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: think the camaraderie is really there. I think we're a
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: really close group and when we're we're clicking on all
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: the cylinders. I think we can be in a very
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: elite group and we just every week we really pick
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: up the things that we need to work on. I'm gonna,
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: like I said, all starts of physicality. We get the
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: run game going and we need to protect Trevor and
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: we know what we need to do. It's been it's
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: been fun and like I said, every week we know
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: what we need to improve and there's always a higher
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: ceiling and we continue to strive to be great.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: From the time the regime Biselli, Gladstone Cohen took over.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: That's something they really talked about from the start. Physicality.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: It's gonna be an offensive line centric, you know team
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: if you will. Uh did you feel that and did
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: that help? Is that something that you know, I guess
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: permeates the organization for you?
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: We know that we know that as a group many
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: footballs that have been a part of you know, the
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: whole line sets the example a little bit, and it's
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: very prevalent here that you know, what we need to
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: do on the field, sets a tone and we embrace that.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: Got youah, I I think the dude's called the ozone.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: Five five fun questions we'll get you out or quick cole,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: what was your last binge watch?
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: Binge watch?
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: Many?
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: Very good?
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: We're gonna debscribe to that. Just to get that your
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: pregame ritual or song, anything that defines your pre.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: Game, uh, pregame.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Or if you're just a guy going out and playing ball,
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: really just a.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Guy going out there and playing ball. I really try
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: and stay low key and not think about it and
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: just get ready to flip a specimen. Game time.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Collins got you, uh sport other than football that you
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: were best at?
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: Track and field? I was big in the shop. Put
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: in discuss growing up.
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: In high school awards, state state champion, figured out, figured
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: your athlete that you've most enjoyed seeing or want to
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: see athlete.
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: Honestly for me, I would honestly say, growing up, I
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: was in Green Bay Aaron Rodgers. It was really broad
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: far Varan Rodgers. It was really cool to see a
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: rod in his prime and then ultimately, you know, as
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: a player, to be a teammate with him. It was
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: pretty cool for all that to come in fluition. But
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: as a kid watching Aaron in his prime, football was
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: pretty cool.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: Bacelli hopes all offensive lineman say him.
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the rioting answer. Your go to show as
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: a kid, go to show as a kid when I
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: was really young, Scooby doo. Okay, it's big in the
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: Scooby doo. Goode wa go up.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: That's solid Cole on a busy week, I appreciate you
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: doing this. Thank you for joining the ozone podcast