JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – By NFL rule, organized team activities are voluntary. That being said, its always notable when top players decide not to attend.
Both of the Jaguars' pro bowl cornerbacks, A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey, were not in attendance as the Jaguars opened OTAs Tuesday.
"I have spoken to both of them," said head coach Doug Marrone. "One thing that I'm big on is not try to create messages through the media. But I've spoken to both of them. When the time is right, I'm sure they'll explain their reasons."
As the Jaguars begin their first week of off-season practices, Marrone was focused on three Cs as his goals: conditioning, communication and chemistry.
The conditioning aspect includes both the physical and mental side of the game. While OTAs are not padded practices and there is no tackling, Marrone still wants the team to develop good habits in the sessions.
While football communication, being on the same page on a play, for instance, is important, Marrone said that he would be looking for good coach-to-player and player-to-player communication that he believes fosters accountability within the team.
All of those factors go to create chemistry. Last year, the team developed excellent chemistry, largely fueled by a rigorous training camp and good veteran leadership.
Marrone is also cautious about looking backwards. The Jaguars won the AFC South in 2017 and advance to within minutes of the Super Bowl, before losing to the Patriots in the AFC championship game.
"I told the team that it's always good to learn from your past, but please do not dwell on the past," Marrone said. "When people come from the outside, they're going to try to get our team to talk about last year. I don't want to fall into that trap. That's really the poison that's out there for us. We look at the past lessons we've learned, let's look at this lesson of the hard work we put in at this time. Let's focus on that."
Several Jaguars did not practice on the first day of OTAs. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. and safety Tashaun Gipson both worked on the side. Guard A.J. Cann, running back T.J. Yeldon and linebacker Myles Jack were not in the field at practice.