The Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings Set For Two Joint Practices
By David Levin
At some point in almost every press conference with the media, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has preached he and the coaching staff are working to make this franchise better.
He said the same thing last week after the first rookie minicamp, that if a rookie or first-year player pushes a veteran out of their spot, it only makes the team stronger. Now, the Jaguars will once again look to make themselves’ better by holding two joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the teams’ preseason game on August 18 in Minneapolis.
"“We look forward to traveling to Minnesota to work with Coach Zimmer and his team at their new state-of-the-art facility, the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center,” said Marrone, via a press release by the team’s public relations department. “Having the opportunity to practice with another conference finalist during training camp will allow us to compete with great players and coaches and continue to push ourselves. We believe that these joint sessions will provide us with an opportunity to improve as a football team, which is always the goal for training camp.”"
Joint practices are nothing new for the Jaguars or other NFL teams. The Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins and the Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons have all shared the field during the offseason, looking and learning in an attempt to get better.
Last season’s joint practices with between the Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved to be chippy as players scuffled on the practice field adjacent to TIAA Bank Field. The practices with the New England Patriots afforded the team a chance to work with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and reunited Tom Coughlin with his former colleague.
The best way to describe it is every little bit counts. The Jaguars have a chance to practice against one of the best defensive units in the league and will face Kirk Cousins, who was arguably the biggest free agent signing in the NFL this offseason.
The Jaguars may have won the AFC South last season and exceeded expectations reaching the AFC Title game, but this is a new season and new goals have been established. It’s a new starting point for Marrone and his staff, the veterans and new faces that now comprise the 90-man roster. The other three teams in the division have all added new puzzle pieces. There is a blank canvas for each organization to draw on.
The Jaguars’ will face three preseason opponents in Minnesota, New Orleans and Atlanta that are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should better than their 5-11 record from last season. Teams will want to scout the Jaguars given their success at running the football and their defensive dominance last year.
The excitement of the 2018 season just got a bit hotter now that rookie minicamp has concluded and OTAs and training camp on the horizon. Fans are already excited about what this season may bring. Knowing the Jaguars will have a chance to get better by practicing with yet another playoff team from 2017 should make things a bit more interesting. These joint practices should help.