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Doug Pederson opened his first training camp in Jacksonville under police escort.
The first-year Jaguars coach and 91 players boarded a caravan of five buses for the 5-mile trip from TIAA Bank Field to a nearby high school for their first practice Monday. Despite the added security, the fast ride provided an old-school feel for a new-school coach whose main goal is to bring one of the NFL’s bumbling franchises back to respectability.
“Ten minutes on a bus full of 50 guys, yeah, there’s quite a bond,” Pederson said.
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Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars throws a pass during training camp on July 25, 2022 at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
(James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Jacksonville landed at Episcopal School for the camp due to a $120 million renovation of the team’s practice fields. The 18-month project includes three new fields (one indoor) and a 125,000-square-foot sports performance center that will house meeting rooms, offices, a weight room, locker room and more. It is scheduled to open next June.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars will be a bit off for practice. They primarily worked from their field of play for organized team activities, but that option was not feasible given the daily workload associated with training camp.
So team officials scouted five local locations, including the campuses of Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida, before settling on Episcopal due to its proximity and the fact that it was open in June, July and August.
“When you comply with the (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and you have an 11-hour day, you have to factor in travel and all of that,” Pederson said. “It takes practice time, meeting time, whatever you can do. You have to work out some of those issues… It’s been fun this summer to see the progression of everything.”
The Jaguars renovated two lacrosse/football fields to mimic NFL-quality playing surfaces, installed a bank of electrical outlets and delivered two portable goal posts that were actually built and welded from the six removed in the old practice fields. They rented equipment, buses, and security, racking up a total bill that exceeded $1 million for 14 days of practice.
“We can do everything here,” Pederson said. “The only thing we have to be careful about is the weather, but that’s why we’re in the mornings and hopefully the storms will stay away in the morning. We just don’t have a lot of shelter (and) the safety of the players is No. 1, and we just have to make it work. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Not as much as usual.
Head Coach Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars speaks with Trevor Lawrence #16 during training camp at Episcopal High School on July 25, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida.
(James Gilbert/Getty Images)
JAGUARS SIGN USFL QUARTERBACK AS TRAINING CAMP BEGINS
The Jaguars opened camp nearly a week after Las Vegas. The teams play Aug. 4 at the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
Pederson expressed no concern about having a preseason game in 10 days. He’s unlikely to play many starters and felt the players did enough in the OTAs, so much so that he banned one practice and released most of the veterans from a mandatory three-day minicamp.
“We’re not starting over. We’re picking up where we left off,” second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Everything we’re talking about, we’re getting over it because we’ve already installed it a couple of times. Having that knowledge and everyone can pick up quickly when we install, that’s good. We can add new wrinkles faster because I’ve already done it.”
Pederson’s first camp practice lasted a little over an hour, the latest player-friendly approach taken by the longtime NFL backup quarterback.
Jacksonville did not place anyone on the physically unable to perform list and has several rehabbing veterans close to full performance. Running back James Robinson (Achilles tendon) could be the last to return. Robinson, who has 1,837 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in two seasons, tore his Achilles tendon in late December. He worked out on the side on Monday and expects a full return in mid-August.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence sits on the sideline in the final minutes of a loss to the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Inglewood. , Calif.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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“It’s a good sign. I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get back on his feet this spring and this summer,” Pederson said. “He did a great job of putting himself in a position where we don’t have to (rush him back), but still be cautious with him and make sure he’s ready when he’s ready.”
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