Jaguars training camp: Doug Pederson taking loss in stride, 4 Day 9 takeaways

3. Jaguars RB Travis Etienne has the right mindset coming off an injury

You have probably heard that football is a contact sport but that’s not entirely true. Basketball is a contact sport, and so is volleyball. Players often make contact in either sport, whether it’s intentional or not. but neither one features the kind of collisions that football players are exposed to and no other position gets dinged up as much as running backs.

Jaguars running back Travis Etienne was reminded of this when safety Andre Cisco hammered him Sunday. Regarding the collision, Etienne told the media that “he needed that” The former Clemson Tiger went on to say that he “needs to get tackled” to get his body acclimated once again.

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The Louisiana native embraces the physicality of the sport and understands that he needs to be exposed to hits to fully come back from the Lisfranc injury he suffered last season. And that’s a good thing. It sounds like something basic, silly even, but you can’t play scared in the NFL, where the mental side of the game is as important as the physical one.

Etienne sat out the Jaguars game against Las Vegas but says he can’t wait to face off against the Cleveland Browns. Coincidentally, the running back got hurt against the Browns last year but it doesn’t look like it will be an issue.

Of course, the Jaguars aren’t going to overwork Etienne but he should definitely be thrilled to be back on the football field after a one-year absence.