Jaguars and Patriots Will Practice Together On Monday and Tuesday
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars will practice Monday and Tuesday with New England. Together, both teams hope to fine tune things leading up to Thursday’s game.
The Jacksonville Jaguars play New England on Thursday. Leading up to their preseason match up, both teams agreed to practice together. On Monday and Tuesday, the young Jaguars will to see how Super Bowl winners practice.
Josh Alper of Profootballtalk.com reported that both teams agreed in May for joint practices. Alper quotes Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone:
"“Having the opportunity to practice with the defending world champions to begin our preseason schedule will be beneficial for our football team,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. “"
Due to the competitive nature of football players, joint practice fights are common between the players. Since fights are becoming more common, some may question the benefit of holding those types of scrimmages. Jacksonville can not afford to lose players because of fighting.
How Jacksonville Could Benefit From New England And Practicing Together
First, it has been a long time since Jacksonville has been competitive. The young Jaguars will get a glimpse into the making of the Super Bowl champions. Joint practice and preparation will pay dividends as the season progresses.
Jacksonville could have decided against the joint practices. They could have opted to remain in Florida until Wednesday. The correct decision was made to travel to Foxborough. Jacksonville wants to change the team culture and experience what a winning culture looks like.
Judy Battista of NFL.com reports Tom Coughlin’s concerns about the Jaguars:
"…”Right now, we’ll take anything. We’re trying to create a winning culture, we’ll take anything.”"
Next, Blake Bortles will gain real insight from watching Tom Brady. As a result, Bortles must observe the way Brady conducts himself during practice. Since 2017 is the make or break year for Bortles, he has no other option except to improve his game.
The Jaguars will get a look at Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo will be a highly sought after free agent in 2018. Whether he is a future star or not, that will be determined in the future.
Hopefully Jacksonville uses this opportunity to improve themselves.