4 key observations from OC Press Taylor presser on Day 2 of Jaguars training camp
• This is Trevor Lawrence's offense
• Calvin Ridley is driven
• The silver lining of Evan Engram's absence in the offseason
No. 3 Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley can backup up his words
You have to have confidence to succeed in the NFL but some players overestimate their abilities or boast even though they might not be nearly as good as they think. That said, you should definitely talk if you can back it up like wide receiver Calvin Ridley has done since joining the Jaguars.
Following his reinstatement from a suspension, Ridley had an exchange with the media and made it clear he wanted to prove his skeptics wrong and emphasized that he wanted to return to greatness. While that could come across as bravado, the Alabama product has put in the work to back up his assertions.
Press Taylor said in his media availability session that he had seen Ridley on tape but hadn't met him as a person and one thing that stood out to him was how serious he's about his craft.
"I was very familiar with his tape, we played Atlanta a couple times", Taylor said. "We'd seen him play and have my perception of what I thought he was and then you start to watch it and you really try to hone in on this is what he's done really well. Here are some things that maybe we do that you don't see on his tape but you think the skillset translates to that would be fun to try. And now's the time where you're getting to dig into these things".
"Now, what I didn't know was him as a person. He's very serious about his craft. He's in walkthrough, he's grabbing Chad Hall all the time. They're sitting over there going through the install. He's at a different point in his learning of our system than Zay or Christian are, so he's hungry. It's a lot fun. It adds a little spice to the room of this guy that wants to prove to everybody what he's gone through, where he is, and what type of player he is", Tayor said.
The Jaguars acquired Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons last year despite the fact that he was serving the aforementioned suspension. So far, it looks like he's been the game-changer they thought he was when they pulled off the trade.