Category: Calais Campbell

Campbell, Allen discuss not being in favor of a 17-game season alongside other players

With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire after 2020, there has been a lot of talk about the regular season expanding to 17 games under a new deal, which would be one game more than the current setup. However, many players from …

With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire after 2020, there has been a lot of talk about the regular season expanding to 17 games under a new deal, which would be one game more than the current setup. However, many players from Sunday’s Pro Bowl game didn’t seem too thrilled about the possibility, including Jags team captain Calais Campbell.

With him being the Jags’ union representative, ESPN discussed the matter with Campbell this weekend and he told them a 17-game season would be extremely tough on the players as they are already struggling to make it through 16 games.

“When I talk to the guys, I don’t think many people want to do it. Really, you talk to guys and I don’t think anybody wants to do it. It’s going to be very, very tough. I know the ownership’s really hard on it. We’re definitely talking, trying to figure out what we need to do, how we can make this thing work. It’s going to be a process, but 17 [games], that’s very tough.”

The pending decision to add another regular season game (or not), of course, is something the owners are in favor of because it would garner more money. Discussions about ways to make up for playing an extra game like a spike in pay, more guaranteed money, a better revenue split, expanded game-day rosters, an additional bye week, and expanded playoffs are all options that have been weighed per ESPN.

Another big suggestion that has been discussed on the web is eliminating parts of the offseason process. Taking away a preseason game is an idea that has been floated out there but that doesn’t help the regular season starters much because they don’t participate in the process much. That said, shortening organized team activities is a route some have been open to with perhaps an additional bye.

Jags rookie Josh Allen also spoke out on the matter this weekend, too. He stated that adding another regular season game would especially be hard on rookies as they don’t take much time off to transition from playing the college game. With some even attending all-star games like the Senior Bowl or Shrine Game in addition to rookie minicamp and the other offseason events, it would be a ridiculous load for first-year players.

“We’re the ones that are the future, and I feel like if they don’t consider us, if they don’t consider the rookies’ bodies and minds, that’s how guys get lost,” Allen told ESPN. “I guess they say they’re going to pay us more, but my body, my mind comes before money. I think about my family. I think about myself. That means a lot. Mental health is really a serious thing and I feel like that can play a part into that. […] You’ve got all those different things. It’s not just the season. You’ve got OTAs. You’ve got minicamp, training camp. You’ve got preseason. You’ve got all the things, and then rookies don’t have time [to adjust].”

Calais Campbell wins defensive MVP award at Pro Bowl

The Jacksonville Jaguars were represented well in the Pro Bowl as DJ Chark Jr., Josh Allen, and Calais Campbell made impact plays. Of the three, Campbell had the best day, accumulating a tackle, a sack, and a crucial forced fumble late in the game. …

The Jacksonville Jaguars were represented well in the Pro Bowl as DJ Chark Jr., Josh Allen, and Calais Campbell made impact plays. Of the three, Campbell had the best day, accumulating a tackle, a sack, and a crucial forced fumble late in the game. That helped him to ultimately win the Defensive MVP award alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the Offensive MVP award.

Campbell’s key strip-sack came around the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter. He was able to get to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to jar the ball loose and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman T.J. Watt scooped it up for an 82 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. That play put the AFC up by a score of 38-27.

Campbell played in his fifth Pro Bowl Sunday, with two other appearances occurring with the Jags. He was voted into the annual game after racking up 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 6.5 sacks in the regular season.

As for Chark, he was able to score a 60-yard touchdown while Allen blocked a field goal. Sunday’s game marked the first Pro Bowl for both players as Chark registered just over 1,000 yards in 2019 and Allen led all rookies in sacks with 10.5.

How to watch and stream 2020 Pro Bowl

The Jags will have three players participating in Sunday’s Pro Bowl in DJ Chark, Josh Allen, and Calais Campbell.

One of the NFL’s last two games for the 2019 season will be taking place just south of Jacksonville in Orlando Sunday as the American Football Conference will duke it out with the National Football Conference in the 2020 Pro Bowl. The game will also feature three members from the Jacksonville Jaguars in receiver DJ Chark Jr., defensive lineman Calais Campbell, and rookie pass rusher Josh Allen.

Sunday’s game will mark Campbell’s fifth Pro Bowl appearance. He’s made the roster the last three years (all of which were with the Jags) and was also able to earn Pro Bowl honors in 2014-15. He finished this season with 37 solo tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Both Chark and Allen will be attending their first Pro Bowls. Chark was able to accumulate 73 catches on the season for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. His total in yardage made him the first Jaguar to hit the 1,000-yard mark since 2015 when Allen Robinson was able to do so, too.

Allen, on the other hand, is the first Jags rookie to attend the annual game. After falling in the Jags’ lap last April, he was able to lead all rookies in sacks  with 10.5 while also accumulating 31 solo tackles.

Here is how fans at home can check out all three Pro Bowlers and their comrades in Sunday’s Battle of the Conferences:

Game Information

American Football Conference vs. National Football Conference

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL

Streaming

 WatchESPN

Television

ABC, ESPN, Disney XD

Extras

Connect with us on Twitter (@TheJaguarsWire) and Facebook

View full Pro Bowl roster here

Look: Jags Pro Bowlers Calais Campbell, Josh Allen and DJ Chark take the practice field

The 2020 Pro Bowl is just around the corner and three Jacksonville Jaguars will be participating. Those three players are defensive lineman Calais Campbell, pass-rusher Josh Allen, and receiver DJ Chark Jr. With practice starting Wednesday, all …

The 2020 Pro Bowl is just around the corner and three Jacksonville Jaguars will be participating. Those three players are defensive lineman Calais Campbell, pass-rusher Josh Allen, and receiver DJ Chark Jr.

With practice starting Wednesday, all three took the field with their AFC comrades to have some fun and appear ready for Sunday’s Battle of the Conferences.

Allen and Chark will be participating in their first-ever Pro Bowls. Allen was able to get the nation’s attention by leading all rookies in sacks (10.5) while Chark was the Jags’ first 1,000 yard receiver since 2015.

Campbell, on the other hand, is a five-time Pro Bowler. He started in all of the Jags’ games this season while racking up 56 tackles and 6.5 sacks.

As many are aware, the Pro Bowl has been annually held in Orlando, Fla. these last couple years, so the three stars didn’t have far to travel. Kickoff for the game will be on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. EST.

Dave Caldwell on Calais Campbell: ‘We still feel like he has football left ahead of him’

Jags GM Dave Caldwell will have some tough decisions to make this offseason but it appears he does want to move forward with Calais Campbell.

There are a lot of big-time decisions to be made by Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell this offseason, including a decision on what to do about defensive lineman Calais Campbell. The veteran has just one year left on his deal, however, for a Jags team that’s currently over the salary cap, Caldwell will have to decide on whether or not the Jags want to bring him back on a price tag of about $15 million.

Caldwell was asked by Jaguars.com about Campbell’s future with the team, and his reply seems to indicate that the Jags want the veteran back.

“We still feel like he has football left ahead of him,” Caldwell said Tuesday.

Caldwell also added that the defensive staff is currently having discussions on Campbell’s role heading forward and how he’ll be used.

To lower his cap figure on the year, many fans have suggested an extension, something the team at least looked into last year. However, the Jags never went through with the process for whatever reason and it may be because both parties could come to an agreement each side felt was fair. If the Jags want to take a second swing at an extension, Campbell told Action Sports Jax that he’s open to it earlier this month, but again, the financial figures have to make sense.

“Obviously, there has to be communication, that’s just the way it is,” said Campbell. “There was communication in years past and we weren’t able to come to an agreement and that’s ok. Hopefully, if there is communication and we can come to an agreement and we can find something that makes sense for both sides. Do I think I’m worth $15 million still? You damn right. You see these guys getting paid 20 plus million (sic.) a year and they’re incredible players, but I feel like I’m as good as most of these guys getting paid this ridiculous money. I’m not going to go and ask for $20 million. I don’t mind being a $15 million a year guy.”

Heading forward it will be interesting to see what direction the Jags go with Campbell because they need to free up some cap space to retain defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. However, if Campbell is retained at his current price tag, the Jags are going to have to make some other big-time cuts to free up the space they need for Ngakoue, their rookie draft class, and free agents.

Watch: Calais Campbell gets persuaded to take Titans for divisional round

Most Jags fans definitely won’t be taking the Titans in Sunday’s divisional playoffs, but team captain Calais Campbell has a different mindset.

Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars will be tuning in to watch the divisional rounds of the playoffs and it’s safe to say it will be hard to find a fan who is taking the Tennessee Titans in the evening game for Saturday. The same can’t be said for the players on the Jags’ roster, however, as Jags team captain Calais Campbell took Tennessee on NFL Network’s “GameDay” show.

Campbell initially was going for the Baltimore Ravens but said he was very close to taking the Titans. However, NFL Network host Rich Eisen persuaded  him to go with Tennessee for the sake of good television.

From the perspective of Jags fans, there probably isn’t enough good television in the world or AFC South bragging rights for most of them to take the Titans, who of course, are the Jags’ most despised rivals. The two have history that goes way back (before Campbell was in the league) including the 1999 season where the Titans stopped the Jags from going to the Super Bowl in the AFC Championship after beating them twice in the regular season, too.

At the moment, it appears Campbell could be the only one from the “GameDay” panel to get his prediction right as the Titans have gotten off to a 14-0 lead against Baltimore. However, it’s early in the second quarter and plenty of time is left in the game.

5 Jaguars to watch vs. Colts

The Jags and Colts will duke it out on last time in 2019, and as underdogs, the Jags will need DJ Chark and several other players to step up.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have almost arrived to the most important offseason in franchise history, but before they get there, they must take care of business in their 2019 season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. As the underdogs for Sunday’s game, they will need several players to step up and here are the five we think could play a big role in Week 17’s AFC South battle:

Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

RB Ryquell Armstead

Saturday afternoon, running back Leonard Fournette announced that he wouldn’t be playing against the Colts after he was downgraded to doubtful on the final injury report with the flu. With that being the case, rookie tailback Ryquell Armstead will get his first career start.

With or without Fournette, the key for the Jags will be to control the clock, which means offensive coordinator John DeFilippo should make him the biggest part of the game plan. In the limited time Armstead has seen on the field, he’s also been a solid receiver, so that may be an asset in which DeFilippo may want to consider using as the Colts’ passing defense (No. 22) is significantly worse than their rush defense (No. 8).

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Calais Campbell headed to third consecutive Pro Bowl

Calais Campbell will represent the Jags for the third straight time in the Pro Bowl.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell will be heading to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.

With the league announcing its 2019 Pro Bowl rosters for the AFC and NFC Tuesday, the Jags announced that Campbell was their lone nominee (for now) to make the initial team. The Jags also announced that five players made the cut as alternates, including placekicker Josh Lambo (first alternate), tailback Leonard Fournette (second alternate), pass rusher Josh Allen (second alternate), punter Logan Cooke (third alternate) and receiver DJ Chark Jr. (third alternate).

So far this season Campbell has been able to register 53 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He’s also found himself as one of Pro Football Focus top graded defensive lineman with a current grade of 90.3.

The veteran has had quite a career with both the Jags and Arizona Cardinals, accumulating a total of 688 tackles, 14 forced fumbles, and 88 sacks. His recent nomination puts him in company with Jags greats like Tony Boselli (five selections), receiver Jimmy Smith (five selections) and running back Maurice Jones-Drew (three selections) all of whom have been to three Pro Bowls or more with the franchise. He also had two nominations with the Cardinals in 2014-15.

Prospects for Jags fans to watch: Auburn DL Derrick Brown

What does Brown bring to the next level and is he a player the Jacksonville Jaguars could target in the top-10?

One of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ biggest strengths has become one of their most worrisome weaknesses during the 2019 season. The Jaguars started the season confident in a defensive line unit that was comprised of star defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell, rookie pass rusher Josh Allen, as well as Taven Bryan, Abry Jones, and Marcell Dareus up the middle at defensive tackle. A truly solid and deep unit of talented lineman.

While all but one of those players have been healthy enough to make it to this point of the regular season, the loss of the run-stuffing Dareus, to a core injury, has been evident in the team’s performances. Jacksonville hasn’t been able to stop the run and it has been a key reason as to why the Jags have been losing and losing big.

This offseason the Jaguars will be tasked with a difficult decision regarding Dareus: whether or not to release the talented but expensive big man. In 2020, Dareus carries a huge cap hit of 22.5 million. When considering that figure, the Jags will have to release Dareus (or rework a deal somehow). Regardless, he isn’t getting any younger, which means a plan for a replacement needs to be in place.

A potential heir is Auburn defensive tackle, Derrick Brown. Brown is regarded among the best players in the upcoming draft and it is easy to see why. On the season, Brown collected 11.5 tackles and four sacks, dominating the Southeastern Conference in remarkable fashion. Brown (6-foot-5, 318 pounds) is currently my second-best player in the class and would be an instant impact player on the Jaguars roster, shoring up the hole left by Dareus.

What does Brown bring to the next level and is he a player the Jaguars could target in the top-10?

Last season, I was enamored with top defensive line prospect Quinnen Williams, who ended up being drafted by the New York Jets. Williams was a game-changing defensive tackle, both a force in the pass and run game. Brown brings a similar level of disruption and nasty to his game.

Brown is one of the strongest players in the draft and it shows in his game. He is a force to be reckoned with. Against one of the best offensive lines in college football on a national stage, Derrick Brown wrecked shop on opening weekend against Oregon, a statement game for the young prospect.

In a goal-line situation, Brown made his presence known, blowing the right guard off the line into the backfield, disrupting the entire play.

Brown is a player teams must account for on every play due to his ability to easily terrorize the backfield.

Against Louisiana State, the nation’s top team, Brown again made sure Quarterback Joe Burrow was familiar with him. Brown long-armed the right guard back, walking him back into Burrow for the sack.

Simply put, Brown has become one of the draft’s most physical players and that’s exactly what you want to see out of your defensive tackle.

If all that doesn’t convince you of Brown being amongst the best in this year’s upcoming draft class, there is also the fact that the 318 pound DT is also pretty crafty as a pass-rusher. Below, in a game that just occurred a few weekends ago, Brown pulled off one of the most beautiful interior spin moves I’ve seen. A sight to behold.

 

Of the players that are likely to be on the board when the Jaguars are on the clock, Brown is the most dominant. Jacksonville has implemented a best available player approach the last few seasons and if they are to do it again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Auburn’s big, sexy No. 5 be the selection. He would become an immediate starter and an immediate difference-maker.

For a team looking for its identity, Brown could be the player to return Jacksonville’s defense to being one of the most feared in the league. To me, he could have a John Henderson/ Marcus Stoud type impact, which is what’s been missing in Duval.

Calais Campbell named Jags’ nominee for 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award

The Jacksonville Jaguars have named their nominee for the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award and it will be defensive captain Calais Campbell. “Calais means so much more to the NFL than being a great player on the field each and every …

The Jacksonville Jaguars have named their nominee for the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award and it will be defensive captain Calais Campbell.

The award, which has been given out since 1970, is given annually to a player who demonstrates outstanding community service and excellence on the field. It’s named after late NFL legend and Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, who received the award himself in 1977.

Campbell, who signed with the Jags in 2017, has been nothing short of great on the field and to the Jacksonville community as he’s closing in on his third full season with the team. He’s been a part of various events for the Jacksonville community, including hosting two Christmas with Calais events during the holidays where he takes several local Jacksonville kids on a shopping spree. He’s also done routine visits for military programs like the league’s Salute to Service program and the Jaguars For a Day program amongst notables.

Jags coach Doug Marrone released the following statement on Campbell upon his nomination:

“Calais means so much more to the NFL than being a great player on the field each and every Sunday,” said Marrone. “He embodies all the traits that make someone a consummate professional, and his passion and love for the game and everything it represents is why he’s a perfect candidate for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. As a tenured veteran, Calais has made an impact everywhere he’s been during his football career, both inside the organizations he’s played for with his teammates, coaches and the staff, as well as in the community with his neighbors. With every second of free time, it seems like he’s always out in the city looking for a way to give back and make a difference. I’m honored to have had the privilege to coach a player and a man like Calais Campbell.”

The Walter Payton award won’t be the only one Campbell is considered for when the season ends as he was also nominated for the Art Rooney award last month. The winner of both awards will be named in February during the league’s NFL Honors event.