With the playoffs nearing, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a tough stretch of games coming up but running back Leonard Fournette believes they have the locker room to whether the storm. Upon meeting with the media this week, the third-year tailback stated that the Jags’ current locker room is the closest he’s ever been a part of, which is something he believes will help the Jags as they chase the playoffs.
"This team is a lot closer than any other team I've played with."@_Fournette | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/FGoCr5VQOl
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) November 15, 2019
Fournette’s statements come after the Jags have already been through a lot of adversity as Nick Foles missed eight games and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded. However, instead of folding and handling things like 2018’s locker room would have, the Jags rallied behind rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II and came away from the first half of the season 4-5. Sure, that’s not an impressive record to the eyes, but things could’ve been significantly worse.
Fournette, who came into the season with a lot of critics, has also stepped up on the field and in the locker room. He started the offseason by trimming down and training in Wyoming. Afterward, he came back to Jacksonville with a new mindset to be one of the locker room’s leaders, which has shown in his actions and his younger teammates have especially followed his lead.
Fournette will enter Week 11 as the AFC’s third-leading rusher with 831yards to his name. That’s a figure which indicates he’ll finish the season with a career-high, especially with the NFL season reaching the point where the run game is crucial.