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OPPOSITION TERRITORY: Jacksonville Jaguars · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

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Hey there everybody, it's Jeff here. I wanted to let you know that
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we recorded this Opposition Territory podcast on Tuesday, July sixteenth, twenty twenty four.
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By the time you hear this, some things may have changed here or
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there, but we hope you enjoy the show. Welcome to Opposition Territory here
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at the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast
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show in the world. That's right over eleven years strong. A great discussion
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as always here on Opposition Territory on a weekly basis. This week we've got
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the Jacksonville Jaguars and what this team has been doing during this offseason, expectations
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for this coming NFL season. They have their quarterback of the future, they
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have extended, Trevor Lawrence. We're certainly going to be getting into that as
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well as some aspects of this offen and defense and what we can expect from
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this team that is looking to rebound from twenty twenty four. So let's get
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to the discussion right now. Joining us for the first time here at the
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Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, he comes to us from Black and Teal Great
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Fans Sided site. He and his colleagues do a lot of great work.
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When it comes to covering the Jacksonville Jaguars, we have the one and only
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Carlos Sanchez. Carlos Buddy, thanks so much for jumping on our Opposition Territory
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Pod this week and how you doing, my man, Well, I'm doing
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great. Thanks for having me and looking forward to the opportunity to talk about
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JA Wars and everything that has absolutely dude this team to me, Carlos is
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going to be a fascinating team to watch during this twenty twenty four twenty twenty
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five season. And I guess because of where the offense is going to go
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and specifically where a certain gentleman who just got a contract extension, one of
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the one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league in Trevor Lawrence, what
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he is going to do this upcoming season. So let's get into that right
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off the back is the biggest story of this Jaguars offseason is that Trevor Lawrence
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signed his extension. He's going to be under center in the years to come
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for this team. He's one of the again one of the top eight quarterbacks
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in the league. Yet there are a lot of folks who are doubting him
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as we look to this coming season. We've seen ups and downs from Trevor
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Lawrence over these past couple of seasons here, so I'm wondering, how are
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you looking at Trevor Lawrence coming into this season expectations. What are your thoughts
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here, Carlos Well, I agree with you that he's a top eight quarterback,
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I mean totally. Like, I guess he's fine on the radar.
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He got the generational label the he was called a generational talent before right are
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going to the NFL, So I guess because of that, he's been under
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lots of scrutiny, like he needs to leaveolve to the act right, So
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I guess because of that, people are criticizing the Jaguars decision to give him
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a top market contract. Right Personally, I like the decision. Personally,
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I like the decision because if you take it as an extension, it added
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years to his current deal. So though the even though the station is a
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fifty five million per year, if you add it to the current deal,
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it becomes a forty million year, he's going to get paid forty million per
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year. Or another way to look at it is that the extension is going
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to truly kick in until twenty six, so by then, curve back salaries
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are going to go up. So basically what they're doing is that by getting
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ahead of the curve, they're paying him a current rate or he's going to
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get the rate of twenty four in twenty six. So the jar Wars are
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saving themselves money. Even if you don't agree with the decision, I mean
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there are there's data to back up the decision. Like, he's not Daniel
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Jones, Like I have seen those comparing jobs with uh, Daniel Jones had
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a good season because of the supporting cast, like he tried because of his
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supporting cast. Lawrence isn't like that he's going to make the players around him
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better. Yes, like he's going to make the team better. And even
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last year I can agree that he took a step back, but that was
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mostly because of his supporting cast. The defensive line couldn't block injuries, rubbish
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the team, Like there are different reasons, like they couldn't get the running
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game going, which in turn made the offense one dimension. Now, so
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of course they're going to be at a pressure to him to there's there was
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going to be added pressure to him to deliver and he had to pay.
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He had to play perfectly to to win games, and of course not many
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quarterbacks are going to drive under those situations. Having said that, he does
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have to work on the on the on the phone balls, absolutely he yeah,
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yeah, he had twenty one, twenty two turnovers. Crazy, Yeah,
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it's got they gotta go down. Yes, I believe fourteen or twelve
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were phone balls. He lost seven. I guess. On the bright side,
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it is like when they were talking to Doc Peterson, he said that
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he wasn't really worried about interceptions because those can flock to it. I mean,
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if anything, he took more chances because he had to, and many
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of those times when you take chances, they're going to lead to interceptions.
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So so so when they were asking Doc Peerson about the turnovers, he was
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in sound. He he he wasn't concerned about the interceptions. Both. He
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he made an emphasis or that Trebor Lawrence had to cut down on the on
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the phone balls. So yeah, so he's working. He's been working on
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that and if he improves him that regard, he should be finding season.
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Well it's a good segue into whether or not as well, because I wanted
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to get your you know, quick thoughts on this as well, Carlos.
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I mean, it seems like he's going to be carrying the weight of the
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team on his shoulders this year, and specifically the offense, and I wonder
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can he actually handle that? In your opinion, y, he can?
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Okay, totally, yes, Yes, I guess twenty two was a sample
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of what he can do when he's got a good supporting castro on team.
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Might been the compact against the Chargers, for example, Jess, he was
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responsible for giving up twenty seven points. I mean, Jesz, he played
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a role, but he was responsible for helping the Jawers come back right right,
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And I guess you can see that when it Mothers and Moss. He's
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going to deliver the same against the Baltimore Ravens, the same against the Cowboys
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that year. I mean, so his clutch. I mean, if you
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need him, he's going to deliver. So it was a small sample,
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but he showed that he's capable of leading the team. And again even last
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year, I mean, Jess, he took a step back, but even
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before before injuries, the Jaws were I believe six and two. Yeah,
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nobody was a question in to re Lawren's ability to lead so so so,
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yeah, definitely he can't do it. I mean even last year again before
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he I mean he was dealing with a lot. So he was dealing with
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injuries last year, and I guess that's something that isn't brought up nearly enough.
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I mean, it wasn't just one. It was it was more.
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It was yeah, it was it was the need, the shoulder, the
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concussion. I mean, it wasn't just one thing. So of course his
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performance was going to so for a decrease. Absolutely, Yeah, he was
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pretty banged up last year. But as we're moving along with the conversation here,
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Carlos, you did mention the offensive line as well, and it really
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wanted to get into what this Jaguars offensive line is going to look like because
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PFF graded They just recently dropped a bunch of different grades at different units and
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things like that across the board in the NFL, but they graded the Jaguars
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offensive line in the bottom third of the NFL for this coming season. I
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think they're ranked twenty third by Pro Football Focus, and I'm not sure I
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completely agree with that ranking. They seem to have a better offensive line coming
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into this season than say the Texans and the Bengals who are in front of
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them. And yes, it's certainly debatable, and there are folks out there
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that may, you know, shoot us off an email or tweet Addison say
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no, you're wrong. But I'm wondering, do you agree with this ranking?
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And can this offensive line, I don't know, can they be a
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top fifteen line in your opinion? I think, you know, Mitch Morse
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really is the key to a solid offensive line this coming season to help put
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it all together for them. I don't know, what are your thoughts about
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this offensive line the Pro Football Focus ranking and you know, if Mitch is
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really going to be the guy to bring it together. I kind of agree.
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I mean, if you're basing the rankings on last year, Jess,
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I agree, because they were pretty bad, especially in the running gale.
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I mean, they basically gave up trying to establish the wrong because of the
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offensive line. Like there. I mean, so yes, I agree coming
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off last year, but but they don't have to be like top ten.
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I mean, they have to be top fifteen, middle of the pack.
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I mean, and I think they're not even not even top two, and
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they can't. That's the thing, as you pointed out much more. Addition,
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I guess the wickedest link was a Looke foreigner. The center. He
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rank a thirty first amount centers in Tablo win raid. I mean he was
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bad. He was bad in both the running you know how, you know
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how there are certain linemen that are good against there, they're good in past
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protection, but they're bad against the against the wrong He was bad at both.
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Yeah, I mean he couldn't do either, so so much more is
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an elite. He's a pro bowler, but he's solid enough to get to
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get a massive boost to the offensive line. And another thing is that the
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offensive line suffered lots of injuries. One thing that was trouble from last year
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is that they didn't and that's on Trent Balki, that they didn't address the
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left guard position. Ben Barge was coming of a knee injury and they thought
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that he was going to be healthy. He wasn't, so they pinched him
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after three games. The troll is that they didn't have a backup plan.
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They really thought that Ben Barge was going to put it together and he wasn't
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able to. So left guard was guard was an issue for most of the
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year. But the time they traded for Exra Cleveland by the deadline, it
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was too late. I guess the trouble too, was that Cleveland wasn't able
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to stay healthy last year. But they do see him as a part of
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the solution because they gave him an extension in the off season three year,
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twenty four million, I believe, so they expect him to get acclimated to
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the offensive scheme and being healthy and if he does, in addition with Mitch
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Mors just definitely. I mean again, they don't have to be top.
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They just have to be good enough to keep Tory Lawrence healthy and pub ways
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for Travis atn But yeah, I agree, And that's another thing that they
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were rubbished by injuries last year, but this year they actually broke dead.
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They have four offensive tackles, Cam Robinson and Tom Harrison, Camp Robinson,
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I'm sorry, and Tom Harrison, Walker Little, Javen Foster. All of
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them can play left tackle and Walker Little can play right tackle too, So
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I guess they adjusted. They realized that the defensive line was a weak link,
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a liability, so they took the steps to make sure that it doesn't
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happen again. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see. I think
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Mitch Morris is really going to provide some leader and I think that he could
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be that key again to some more solid offensive line depth, not depth,
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but having that solid offensive line. And hopefully they don't have to use their
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depth this year with regard to any injuries. But as we're moving along here,
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and you know, on the flip side of the coin, moving over
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to the defense, you know, like my Philadelphia Eagles, there's a new
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defensive coordinator in Jacksonville starting this year, Ryan Nielsen. He utilizes multiple fronts,
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but mainly a four to three base type defense here. And look,
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he had Grady Jarrett in Atlanta and he really built the concept of that defense
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around Jarrett. So I'm wondering what talent do you see Ryan Nielsen really building
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around as the new Jaguars defense really takes shape this coming season. What are
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your thoughts. Oh, I'm a big fan of the hiring, to be
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honest, it was, in my personal opinion, it was the best addition
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they made in the season. I guess Mike Cover was fine, but he
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lost control of the locker room like they were going through the Monshals last year.
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Like yeah, because back in twenty two, they were ten in point
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in points allowed. I mean, so he did a good job back in
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the day, back in twenty two, but last year he lost control.
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The defense was going through the motions. I mean there was a report that
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position groups were no longer talking to each other. Gosh, I mean,
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you know that was bad. He was no longer teaching assignments again, they
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were going through the motions. So rightly he was giving the boot. And
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Ryan Nilsen is the opposite. He emphasized fundamentals technique as you mentioned. You
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mentioned Garrett also Jesse Pates, he became a Pro Bowl safety, so I
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mean, the the talent is there, and he also brought Chris Richards,
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so there's going to be there's going to be lots of mentors, teachers,
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whatever you want to call them. I mean, you mentioned the you mentioned
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the Falcons, is I mean les you were there were fourth in the league
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and Reds on efficiency. They were third in the league in third down conversion.
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And he had less talent than he has right now in Jacksonville. So
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yes, definitely, I guess they're going to see a massive improvement, especially
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in the front foward. He said, pertise Turbone Walker and Josh Allen there
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were stand up linebackers on their cold will. Now they're going to go back
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to playing with their handing in the ground. Josh Allen used to be a
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defensive being in Kentucky, same with Turbon Walker, so both of them are
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going to go back to what they do best. When you add the addition
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of Harrik Harmstead, I mean they're going to have a pretty good defensive line.
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Yes, they really, they really are. It's going to be really
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interesting, Carlos to see how this defense really manifests itself, especially during training
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camp, because I mean, there are going to be some you know,
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quote training camp battles here, and there's a lot of comp There's gonna be
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a lot of competition in the secondary for sure. And I could be wrong,
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but I get the feeling that it's going to be kind of a boom
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or bus situation for the Jaguars in the secondary this year due to just that
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intense competition during training camp that we're going to see. Yet, there's not
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a whole lot of depth from my understanding, with regard to the secondary in
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particular, any of the defense in general here. So what's the concern about
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what happens with this Jaguars secondary as we're looking at training camp and what may
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what may come from it. Oh well, I guess you can break it
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down into parts because there's that that safety they actually happening. That safety they
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have Andrew Cisco, he's a consensus breakout candidate. Antonio Johnson, he played
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in this lot that the people he's going to stay back at takes and say
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a name he was. He was a safety, but he was deployed across
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the field. So I guess the Jaggers are going to more le as you
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see it the same way they signed darn Savage is going to be their slot,
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but he can't play safety. Two under wing guard, he's a reserve.
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It's actually funny because I have incurred many teams that they're going to name
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a team captain that is a reserve. That's the case with under wing guard,
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Like you know how much they value him when he mainly plays a special
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team. Right, he's a reserve safety, but he was named in captain.
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So so the depth is there a safety. On the other hand,
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cornerback, their cornerback unit has been labeled and need a weakness more or less.
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Even I wouldn't call it a weakness, more like a question mark.
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Okay, and more like a question mark. Hopefully the distinction is clear.
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I think they're a question mark because we don't know what they have, but
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they have the potential to be good. Yes, right, So I guess
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Tyson Campbell is coming of injuries. They signed Ronald Darby, who has been
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fined. I mean, you know Ronald Derby. Oh yes, Oh,
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I know Ronald Darby, super Bowl winning eagle. Yes, there you go.
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So the thing is that they released there In Williams, their best corner
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last year, and they are replacing the sign Darby. I guess the issue
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with Darby is that he's been solid the past two years. He gave up
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just one touchdown reception, but at the same time he missed thirteen games.
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So yeah, so his biggest flag is into reconcerns. Then there's a and,
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and then there's a question about their decision to address or to make an
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aggressive effort in the off season to replace Williams. Back in the draft,
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they had the chance to select any corner they wanted right at number seventeen.
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Yep, no cornerback had been picked. They could have taken Taran Arnold quit
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in Mitchell, Right, I'm glad they didn't. Right, he went twenty
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two, I believe right, twenty four to day. Yeah, some point
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is that they had they had their choice and they decided not to. They
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waited until the round to select Jim Jones. But that's the thing that in
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the off season so he's been making place the coaching staff in praise. So
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maybe the decision to wait until their round wasn't that bad. And if he
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flourishes, he I personally, I think that he's going to compete for a
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for a future role. At some point of twenty twenty four, I think
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that he had even made Ronald Darby replay replaceable. Right now, I think
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he's going to replace Ronald Derby. So so the dead behind them. They
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don't have great corners, but they have death. So circling back to to
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what I think of the cornerback group, I think that their question mark,
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that the that is there, but we don't know how things are going to
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to play out. I guess that's my assessment. I wouldn't call it an
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elite group, but they have enough telling to make it happen. Definitely question
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marks for sure. And again, folks, we're talking to Carlos Sanchez from
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Black and Teal over at fan sided great, great coverage of the Jacksonville Jaguars
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And if folks wanted to find you on the Twitter slash x out there,
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Carlos, where can they find you at? I guess they can do you
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a black and a Black And anyways, we're moving along here. I have
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a two part question for you before we get to specific categories that I love
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talking to our opposition territory guests about and getting their feedback. But the two
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part question for you here deals with strengths and weaknesses of this Jaguars team heading
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into this season. So let's start first with the strengths of this team.
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What's the biggest strength of this Jaguars team heading into this season? And why
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Tubert Law is definitely okay? And I guess because he's more mature. Like
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twenty one, he was a rookie. Twenty two he was trying to get
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a grasp like he got off to a slow start, but by the end
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of the season he had figured things out. Now is the year that he's
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going to break out. So I guess, I guess, yes, I
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guess. The Jawers are putting in the work to make sure that it's his
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team. They're they're building the offense around it, suggests Lawrence. Okay,
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this is strength, very good. When it comes to the weaknesses of this
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team, what is the biggest weakness that you are seeing thus far? And
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I know training camp hasn't started yet, but what is the biggest weakness of
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the Jaguars heading into this season? And why? I guess if we talk
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about position groups, I guess it's going to be either defensive line or the
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quarterback group. But again, I would call those question marks more than weaknesses.
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Okay, if we want to talk another weakness that doesn't have to do
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with personnel, like this, they need to show that they need to that
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they can keep up with playoff teams with powerhouses, because for example, last
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year, they beat the Bills, but they were pummelled by the by the
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San Francisco forty nine ers, yes, and the Chiefs. So they need
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to show that they can keep up with the big dugs. Yep, I
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guess, I guess. I don't think that's necessarily a weakness, but I
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guess that's like something well, it's an upcoming challenge. Yeah, I mean,
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it's an upcoming challenge. I mean even for a team like the Philadelphia
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Eagles, who yes, they beat the Bills as well, but then the
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week later, I mean a lot was taken out of the Eagles after that
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Bills win in overtime, and then the very next week that forty nine Ers
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just absolutely annihilated them, and that that was the downfall then of the Eagles
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season. So definitely challenges for the Jaguars for sure. So, Buddy,
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as we're closing out some things here, I love to do this with our
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guests on Opposition Territory just about every week, I'm gonna give you a category
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and I'd love for you to give me the Jaguars player that comes to mind
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and a brief reason why that player matches the category as it pertains to this
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upcoming season. So let's start off with as I usually do every week,
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Let's start off with the comeback kid. Who is the comeback kid going to
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be on the Jaguars this coming season? Sor Lawrence? All right, I
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know he hasn't gone anywhere, but he doesn't get the recognition in the servers,
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at least at the national level. Like right, they talk about him
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needing to prove that he's not a boss. He's like you. If you
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watch him plage, you're going to see that he's the reason the Jaguars a
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chance to win. We came with cup like the fundamentals, his decision making,
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everything is a leaved He just needs a little bit of help. But
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again, he needs to clean up the first fumbles, the lost fumbles.
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I mean, but but the talent is there. And I guess because the
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jawers on the spotlight, the national spotlight people havn't really paid attention to how
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he played. More more than anything, the pay attention to the statistics,
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comparing him to Daniel Jones, to Gardner Minshew. So yes, of course
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you go to If you go by traditional statistics, he's not going to look
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that great. But when you actually watch him play, you're going to see
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that he's one of the top quarterbacks in the league. All Right, ste
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Lawrence, all right, Trevor Lawrence. In terms of the comeback kid,
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who's the player that needs to bounce back this coming season? Who's that for
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you? I have a couple. Tyson Campbell, the cornerback. He was
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a top ten cornerback back in twenty two, but then he did with injuries
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last year. So the Jowers need to bounce back. And I guess the
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big question mark is in his health because he's healthy now. He's been impressing
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the cold staff. But you mentioned Ryan Nielsen. His kime is more like
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press man heavy yep and Tyson Campbell. Tyson Campbell plays, so he plays
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so so he'll need to make that jokes man. Of course, Ryan Nilsen.
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This is Martin now that he doesn't want players to He doesn't want to
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force the scheme in two players, but the other way around. He's going
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to look for ways to maximize his strengths. But I think that's his biggest
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question marketing into the season and the other bounced back candy, they would be
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extra cleveland. They left guard. Okay, he dealt with injuries. He
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needs to prove that he can stay healthy and he can be an asset.
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I guess those would my candid for bounced back seasons. Okay, sounds good.
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Got two more for you. The rising star Who is the rising star
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of the Jacksonville Jaguars this coming season. Anthonio Johnson definitely the sophomore. Yeah,
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he played limited as a rookie. He leaned up in this lot,
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but he got two interceptions and one for his phonebo in limited playing time.
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That's why the coaching staff moved him back to Daith to maxim his kills.
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It so, yes, I guess Anthonio Johnson he's expected to start next Country
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Cisco. I expect him to double his his turnovers in twenty four. Okay,
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very good and last, but not least the dark horse MVP candidate.
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Now, I think a lot of folks out there would say, Okay,
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yeah, Trevor Lawrence would probably be the MVP if this team does really well.
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But who's the dark horse m VP? Somebody we may not necessarily be
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honing in on right now. I do wonder if it's Travis Etn perhaps,
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But who do you think that dark horse m VP may be? I will
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agree Travisitn. Okay, I believe I beliving one boat last season. I
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don't really I don't recall if he was MVP or of the Player of the
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Year, but he got one vote and that is and yes, I believe.
26:02
I believe he's got the talent. Like last year, he crossed the
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one jar a one thousand yard mark even though the offensive line couldn't block He
26:11
led the leading broken tackles, so you know that the effort was there.
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He grinded the top yards, so yes, he's a planemaker. He doesn't
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get the attention because of terror Lawrence, but I guess the talent is there
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if the offensive line can do it. So I can see him crossing the
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the fifteen hundred yard mark in twenty four and just definitely I don't think he's
26:36
going to win it, but I wouldn't be surprising if he gets consideration for
26:40
Offensive Player of the Year and maybe even one or two posts because you always
26:44
have that bolter that that that makes a boat out like that nobody expected,
26:49
right what Absolutely again, folks, Carlos Sanchez from Black and Teal over at
26:57
fan Sided. You know we love our fan sites and my man, it
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was great talking to you. Thank you so much for taking the time to
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jump on the pod with us here this week and hope to talk to you
27:08
down the road, my friend. Yeah, nice talking to you, Jeff.
27:12
That's gonna do it for us here on Opposition Territory this week. Please
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share our podcast with your friends and family members who are Philly sports fans or
27:21
sports fans in general. We thank you our listeners for being part of this
27:25
online community with us and within this space. Make sure to check out our
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website, Philadelphia Sportstable dot com for all of our podcasts, and follow us
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on threads at Philadelphia Sports Table, and over on Instagram as well at
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Philadelphia Sports Table. Take care, we will catch you next time.