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Ian Eagle on Growing Expectations for the Jaguars | Countdown to Kickoff · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Countdown to kickoff continues. It's Week two, the Kansas City
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars coming up from EverBank Stadium,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and with the call of the game on CBS Sports.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: It's the reigning National Sportscaster of the Year from the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: National Sports Media Association with the NFL on CBS since
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: nineteen ninety eight, our friend Iron Eagle. What's up, Birdman?
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: There was no championship belt, nothing like that whatsoever, JP,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: So I appreciate it. I don't feel like I now
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: have to box those that want the title. We'll we'll
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: just do our thing and keep grinding away. Great to
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: talk to you.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: You've got a sweet trip to Winston Salem out of it, though.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: But I did have a canceled flight on the back end.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: So things happen.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: We've all been there, especially these days. All right, Are
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: the Jags ready for prime time?
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think you get certain games over the course
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: of a season that you know, feel a little different.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: And in this league, you're always chasing something. So in
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: the case of Jacksonville, you're chasing the Chiefs. You're chasing greatness,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: you're chasing stability, you're chasing credibility and even in the
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: case of Kansas City, they're chasing history, so it never stops.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Even if you win a championship, you still feel pressure
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: to perform and hit a certain standard. I think the
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: difference that you feel with this Jacksonville team this year
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: is that the standard is higher and the expectations are higher,
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: and rightfully so, They've proven to be a team that
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: are going to turn some heads over the course of
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: the season. And now it's certain games along the way
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: where people will make judgments and form opinions on you,
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: and this is one of those games. There's no getting
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: around it.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: I nagle with us. This is a rare season for
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: any NFL team where you have almost everybody back from
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: a team that went to the playoffs a year ago.
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  Speaker 1: There are no contract disputes yet, there are no free
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: agency things. Yet all those guys on defense are back,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: most of the corn offenses back, plus a couple of weapons.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: This is the year because after this season you might
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: lose some of these pieces. So this is the Jaguars
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: team to try to do it.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're talking about the reality of doing business in
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  Speaker 2: the NFL, because that part of it plays such an
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: important role. Fans get caught up in who's on their
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: team and rooting for their squad, and that's how it
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: should be. But the business side of this is a
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  Speaker 2: very important piece to the equation, keeping your guys together,
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: maintaining your roster and trying to playcate and keep everybody
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: happy because there are human emotions that come into play.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: What you're getting paid, what you're playing time, are you
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: getting a chance to show your skill level so that
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  Speaker 2: if it's not the team that you're going to re
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  Speaker 2: sign with, it's somebody else in the NFL that's watching
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: your tape. But if you're not actually getting the playing time,
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: then you can't showcase your skills. So think about that.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: Multiply it now by thirty two because every team deals
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  Speaker 2: with it and that's part of being a GM and
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: an owner in the NFL. So you make a great point.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: Jacksonville is set up this year to do some special things,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: and now it's got to translate to the field. The
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: first really good sign of the season was the defensive
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: pressure that they showed in Week one. Anyone that watched
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: the Jaguars last year recognized they had to get better
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: in that department. They had to get to the quarterback.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: They had to throw the timing off of the quarterback,
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  Speaker 2: and now you're dealing with one of the best to
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  Speaker 2: ever do it in Patrick Mahone. So the challenge is
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: out there. Can you do it again against a parental
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: perennial MVP candidate.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that changes the whole dynamic. It's one thing
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  Speaker 1: against a rookie quarterback, but then you've got a guy who,
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: if he keeps on this space, he might already be
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: in Canton with two Super Bowls, but you never know
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  Speaker 1: that he's gonna be one of the all time greats.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: And the way he escapes and does things the defenses,
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: you know, that's a huge question obviously this week. How
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: different are the Chiefs if Kelsey can't go, How different
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  Speaker 1: of an offense are they? It doesn't feel like they're
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  Speaker 1: as explosive of it as they were a couple of
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  Speaker 1: years ago.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they definitely don't have the game breakers that they've
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  Speaker 2: had in the past. Of course, Tyreek Hill, even mcole Hardman,
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  Speaker 2: you had some guys that could wreck a game. And
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  Speaker 2: you just don't get that same mistique around the Chief's
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  Speaker 2: offense that they once had. Now, I would tell you
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  Speaker 2: their running game is probably a little more effective because
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Pacheco is a punishing runner and if you get a lead,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: which Patrick Mahomes is certainly capable of doing for the Chiefs,
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  Speaker 2: they can milk clock. They can wear you down with
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  Speaker 2: his physical running style, angry style. So it might be
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: a little bit more of that compared to what we
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: saw in previous years with the Chiefs. Here's the thing
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: with Andy Reid, He's a problem solver on offense. He's
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: going to figure some things out. We recognize that he's
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: very creative and if you give him enough time, he
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: will sort through the issues. So the idea that anyone's
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: figured out the Chiefs now after Week one against Detroit,
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  Speaker 2: I don't buy into it. They have been able to
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  Speaker 2: reinvent themselves a number of times. Even in their two
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: Super Bowl wins, it wasn't done in the same exact fashion.
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  Speaker 2: So this is a Kansas City team that usually figures
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  Speaker 2: it out when the smoke clears.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: A egle CBS Sports with US Jaguars wide receiver room
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  Speaker 1: and throwing the tight end on top of that Evan
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  Speaker 1: Ingram pound for pound, is there a deeper wide receiver
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  Speaker 1: room in the AFC, NFL? There might be better top
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  Speaker 1: end number one talent. I don't know. Ridley might not
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  Speaker 1: tell you that, But what do you think is overall
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  Speaker 1: of this group?
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  Speaker 2: You know, I had Cincinnati and Cleveland last week AP
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: and I would tell you Cincinnati would probably say the
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: same thing about their group. Although IRV Smith Junior at
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  Speaker 2: tight end is not the proven commodity that maybe they
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: have had in the past. The reality is this pick
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  Speaker 2: your poison if you're Jacksonville, because now with Ridley back,
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  Speaker 2: and he is back, anyone that watched that game, watched
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  Speaker 2: the highlights, recognizes that he can change things for Jacksonville offensively,
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  Speaker 2: and that's already an impressive you add Ridley to it.
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  Speaker 2: Considering what they did last year with Zay Jones, with
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: Christian Kirk and with Evan Ingram. This is a lethal
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: set of skill position players that Trevor Lawrence has to
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  Speaker 2: work with. It's legit. It's going to be up there
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  Speaker 2: and any ranking that you want to go over, and
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  Speaker 2: I do think it's going to be one of those.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: Each week, it might be somebody else emerging based on
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: the game plan. It might be Ridley one week, could
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: be Jones featured, the next week could be Ingram, the
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: following week, and then Christian Kirk goes back to his
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: seven catch, one hundred and twenty two yard one touchdown
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  Speaker 2: performance that we saw last year. So really good signs
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  Speaker 2: for Jacksonville and also signs of how to build a team.
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: That was a smart play if Ridley could get his
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  Speaker 2: business in order. Obviously they had to deal with the suspension,
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  Speaker 2: but also just the personal stuff of him getting back,
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  Speaker 2: getting comfortable, and man, they may have hit a home
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: run on this one because he looked every bit of
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  Speaker 2: the number one receiver you were hoping to get in
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  Speaker 2: an acquisition with Atlanta.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Final thought with you the coaching matchup. Of course, Peterson's
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: been with Andy Reid since he was a player in
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  Speaker 1: Green Bay, going back that far, and has been an
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  Speaker 1: assistant with him obviously, but now reads a win away
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  Speaker 1: from tying Tom Landry on the all time wins list.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: That's pretty remarkable. But seeing their styles, that's obviously the
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  Speaker 1: bulk of where Doug Peterson's coaching ideas, style mindset of
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  Speaker 1: how to build an organization came from. At some point
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  Speaker 1: you got to go beat him, right he hasn't beat
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  Speaker 1: him yet.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's part of this evolution. Of being
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: a coach is odds are you're going to probably go
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  Speaker 2: against your mentor at some point if you've been in
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  Speaker 2: this league long enough. This particular relationship, I think is
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  Speaker 2: even more unique just based on the fact that their
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: relationship goes back to the coach player day, so they
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  Speaker 2: really know one another. They know every aspect, they know
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  Speaker 2: each other at different points of their respective lives personally professionally,
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  Speaker 2: Doug is fairly straightforward when you talk to him about
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  Speaker 2: this stuff. He doesn't mince words. He learned how to
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  Speaker 2: be a real NFL coach from Andy Reid, and that's
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  Speaker 2: not taking anything away from others that may have mentored
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  Speaker 2: him in his life. It's just the bulk of his
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: knowledge base is from Andy Reid, and not just how
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  Speaker 2: to call a game or how to install an offense,
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  Speaker 2: but how to run a program. And I think, to me,
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: you're around it every single day, so you get the
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: minutia I parachute in parachute out. What stands out to
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: meet now with Jacksonville is the professionalism in which this
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  Speaker 2: team is run. And that doesn't happen in every situation
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: where a new coach and new assistants and a whole
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  Speaker 2: new concept comes in culture is a big deal and
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  Speaker 2: from day one you just felt a very seismic shift
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  Speaker 2: from Doug Peterson taking over the program and changing the vibe.
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  Speaker 2: And it's not a simple fix, it usually takes a while.
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  Speaker 2: With Doug, it was immediate because he knew how to
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  Speaker 2: do it, he had done it before, and he had
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  Speaker 2: been around it for so long. And a lot of
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: that does have to do with Andy Reid and of
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  Speaker 2: course Doug and just his personal touch and his bedside
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: manner and the way in which he treats people, his
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: staff members, his players, people within the organization that have
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: nothing to do with football. You know, that's just Doug
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  Speaker 2: as a human being and it's gone a long way
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: and bringing credibility to this franchise again, kind of.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: Early season salvo. Would this be if the Jaguars pulled
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: it off? Around the NFL? Or is it weak? Two? Right?
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  Speaker 1: There's a lot of football.
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  Speaker 2: Left it is, but you saw the reaction that Detroit
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: got after getting a Week one win. I just think
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: there's validation that comes with knocking off whoever's at the mountaintop.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: And that's part of being the defending Super Bowl champion
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  Speaker 2: is you're going to get everybody's best effort every single
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: week because they know if you beat the defending champs
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  Speaker 2: that following week. In your facility, there's something else happening.
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  Speaker 2: You feel something, You feel like we belong quote unquote,
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  Speaker 2: and that's a big part of this game is does
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  Speaker 2: that permeate around your practice facility, through your offices. There's
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  Speaker 2: something about the NFL that's different than any other sport
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: based on the fact that you only play once a week,
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: and you win, you feel the reverberations of that. You lose,
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: you feel that too. It's hard to get that taste
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  Speaker 2: out of your mouth. You do it against quote unquote
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: the best team in the NFL. Potentially, it's layered, and
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: I think it would mean a lot for Jacksonville to
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: get a win like this and for their program just
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: to remind everybody that it's going in the right direction
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  Speaker 2: and good things are ahead.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Great crew on the call this week, Charles Davis, Evan
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  Speaker 1: Washburn is on the sideline. I am Eagle leads the
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  Speaker 1: way though as always always a pleasure. I jp looking
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: forward to it.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: I'm just hoping they have a chocolate fountain in the
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: press rooms. That's just a unique experience.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: I've got the frozen yogurt. Now, that's not good for me.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: I know, yeah, that could produce FLEM. I don't want Flem.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Who does nobody out there that says I want Flem.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: We need more more. Will talk to you on Sunday
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: All right, Bud, all the best