Telvin Smith is ‘heated’ and will hold Jacksonville Jaguars accountable

Telvin Smith has taken the new Jacksonville Jaguars culture change to heart and did not mince worse when directing comments toward his peers on defense.

“We should be further along than we are,” says Telvin Smith immediately following day four of OTA’s. Apologizing for being “heated” at the start of his presser, Smith did not mince words about the state of the Jacksonville Jaguars defense.

With the kind of talent that the defense has and with the amount of growth that the team should have had to this point, Smith believes the team needs to have wins. Entering his fourth season, Smith is a key player in that future development for the team.

Smith emphasized the need for a change in mindset and a need for greater hard work. He used new middle linebacker Myles Jack as an example that a player can be extremely talented but needs to put in the time in the classroom and on the practice field because without hard work talent is not worth much.

This entire expression by Smith is a further reflection of how different the Jaguars are under executive vice president Tom Coughlin and head coach Doug Marrone. The Jaguars have been brutally honest through OTA’s, which is a refreshing change for the Jaguars and any team in the NFL. The Jags are earning trust from that change and it has been noticed across the NFL.

In a world littered with empty platitudes and plenty of misdirection, smokescreens, and blatant lies known as coach-speak, it’s great to hear the Jaguars break the mold. It’s exciting to see that it isn’t just the organization’s leadership on the sidelines, too. Players like Smith embody that change and reflect its taking root in the team through the conversation held with the media.

After a lack of accountability and just three wins in 2016, that’s exactly what everyone needs to hear.