Tag: trevor lawrence

Podcast: Jags Wire discusses Fournette trade, training camp standouts, Dabo Lawrence package deal

Check out the latest “Bleav in the Jags” episode where the Jags Wire crew tackles Leonard Fournette’s trade, the stars of Jags camp and more.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have wrapped up training camp and once final cuts are made it’s on to the regular season. Jags Wire Phil Smith and I reflected on the whole process and more in our latest episode of the “Bleav in the Jags Podcast.”

Joined by college coach and occasional Jags Wire contributor, Nick Trist, of the “Bleav in the Gameplan Podcast” we first visited the latest rumors which speculated the reasoning behind the Jags abruptly moving on from running back Leonard Fournette.

Afterward, we evaluated the players who’ve stood out in camp for the Jags on both the defensive and offensive ends. Nick added his perspective as a coach and discussed what he’s seen on film from each standout.

Lastly, we discussed the rumors of the Jags’ chances of acquiring Trevor Lawrence and Dabo Swinney of Clemson University as a package deal. With Nick being very familiar with Clemson’s staff, he brought some solid takes that fans don’t want to miss.

Feel free to listen to the archived episodes of “Bleav in the Jags,”too, and subscribe via Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

Sporting News ACC Preview has us thinking crazy ‘what if’ for Notre Dame

So if Notre Dame and North Carolina are both unbeaten the day after Thanksgiving….

Notre Dame will make it’s debut as an official football member of the ACC on September 12 when the Irish welcome the Duke Blue Devils to South Bend.

In what has been an insane year, perhaps an even crazier college football season awaits us in under two weeks.

Today The Sporting News broke down the ACC and as a surprise to absolutely nobody, Notre Dame will be not just a major story-line all fall for the league, but a player for the conference championship.

Bill Bender is a favorite of ours for The Sporting News and wrote the ACC preview.  Here is what he said about Notre Dame, who he predicts will finish second in the league.

Here are other Notre Dame mentions from Bender in his ACC preview:

  • Calls Notre Dame joining the conference for 2020 the biggest story-line entering 2020.  That might seem obvious but remember that the consensus top team in the nation this pre-season also calls the ACC home.
  • By no means does he call him a favorite for the award but Bender lists one Notre Dame player as a Heisman Trophy contender:  Ian Book.
  • In his conference games of the year, Bender has Notre Dame hosting Clemson and their trip to North Carolina as the two biggest games of 2020 in the ACC.

If you’d like a quick glance at the entire league to become familiar we strongly recommend reading Bender’s entire piece, something you can do by clicking here.

I never thought about this until right now but walk with me for a second here.  What if Notre Dame beats Clemson on November 7 and enters the North Carolina game unbeaten and then say North Carolina is also unbeaten at that point.

You know where I’m going.

Do you perhaps, not run a full playbook and perhaps walk out of Chapel Hill with a loss that doesn’t make you that upset because it’d mean a rematch with the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship instead of a second game with Clemson?

Then again Boston College remains a week after for the Irish and we’re all aware of what they’ve done to Irish teams with championship dreams before.

Doug Marrone addresses speculations of Jags tanking, insists that his job is on the line

Most believe the Jags are plotting their way to a top-3 draft pick, however, Doug Marrone says he’s approaching 2020 with the mindset to win.

The rate at which talent has left the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster throughout the last 12 months has been alarming and somewhat comical in the eyes of the fanbase. The Jags found surprise success in 2017 reaching the AFC Championship game, even sending six players to the Pro Bowl that season, good for a franchise high.

Unfortunately, things have gone nowhere but downhill since then. Of those six Pro-Bowlers, none remain on the Jaguars’ roster. In fact, only two starting defensive players from the 2017 AFC Championship title game in Foxborough  are still with the team.

The team’s purge of talent began when Jalen Ramsey forced his way to the Los Angeles Rams last October. Since, the amount of starting players that have left is almost unprecedented. Calais Campbell, A.J Bouye, and recently Yannick Ngakoue have all been traded this offseason/preseason. Additionally, Marcell Dareus, and now Leonard Fournette, have both been allowed to hit the open market and waived, respectively.

Of course, such losses have made many fans question whether the Jags are tanking or not, however, coach Doug Marrone insisted that they weren’t in Monday’s press conference.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but if [tanking] is the case then the realization is that if that happens I’m not going to be here,” Marrone said. “At the end of the day, if I don’t win enough games, or I don’t do enough with this team I don’t foresee me still being employed. So I’m doing everything I can to make sure that we have the best team to win football games. That’s as simple as I can be on it.”

Marrone also expressed his excitement about the current roster, which has a lot of young talent, but also has some notable veterans.

“I’m super excited about this team,” Marrone said. “I’m excited about the young guys, I’m excited about the older guys, the way they’ve performed and the guys we have on this team.”

Whilst the roster looks markedly different from the only team to bring success to Jacksonville for a decade, perhaps fans shouldn’t give up hope before a ball has been snapped. The front office and staff seemingly believe they have enough talent to win, but time will tell what the results truly are.

2021 NFL mock draft: QB trio in the top 5?

See where the top quarterbacks land in the latest first-round mock for the 2021 NFL Draft from The Sporting News

Last year’s NFL draft looked a bit different than usual, and next year’s could have some unique characteristics of its own, again due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the 2020 event was fully virtual as a result of the virus, the 2021 installment could be impacted by the college football landscape this fall, with multiple Power 5 conferences opting to postpone their seasons with hopes of playing in the spring.

Early projections for next year’s draft are already taking that into the account, and the latest 2021 NFL mock draft from The Sporting News is no exception.

Vinnie Iyer has a trio of quarterbacks landing among the top five picks, including the first two selections. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence lands with the Washington Football Team at No. 1 overall, while Ohio State’s Justin Fields heads to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 2nd pick. The Carolina Panthers grab the next passer off the board, taking North Dakota State’s Trey Lance at No. 5 overall.

Lawrence is an interesting fit in Washington, considering the team spent a top-15 pick on Dwayne Haskins just two years ago. That said, if Washington still ends up with the top pick next year, it’s clear something isn’t going well, and the quarterback often takes the fall. Heck, the Arizona Cardinals traded Josh Rosen just one year after trading up to take him in the top 10, and that move looks to have paid off with Kyler Murray.

Fields would be an immediate upgrade for the Jags, while Carolina would be a strong landing spot for Lance, who would get to learn behind an experienced veteran in Teddy Bridgewater after limited action at the college level against FCS competition.

No other quarterback cracks this first-round projection, and that’s not the only surprise. Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell falls out of the top five picks (No. 6 overall, Detroit Lions), while Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons tumbles down outside the top 15 (No. 19 overall, Cleveland Browns).

To check out the complete first-round mock draft at The Sporting News, click here.

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Clemson releases stadium guidelines for 2020

Football powerhouse Clemson has released their plans for having fans in the stands in 2020. See how many will be allowed in Death Valley

Clemson, the preseason number one team in both major polls this college football season, announced Thursday that they’ll be allowing roughly 25% capacity at their home games in 2020.

Furthermore, to keep with social distancing policies, Clemson will have guests sit in pods of two or four socially-distanced pods.

Each fan will have a designated gate of entry and no stadium reentry will be permitted, starting with Clemson’s first home game of the year on September 19 when they host The Citadel.

Clemson has asked fans to not tailgate for the entire 2020 season and prohibited the use of tents, trailers and gatherings of large groups in their parking lots.

Face coverings will also be required by all fans during the game while Clemson has also called off game day traditions like their Tiger Band parade, Tiger Walk and Gathering at the Paw.

Notre Dame is yet to announce guidelines for fans at home games this season.

Panthers potential 2021 NFL draft targets: North Dakota State QB Trey Lance

Panthers potential 2021 NFL draft targets: QB Trey Lance.

This offseason has been an absolute whirlwind for the Panthers. Following the departure of Cam Newton, the team is searching for a long-term replacement who can get the franchise back on track. Time will tell if that will be Teddy Bridgewater or if they will take a chance on one of the highly touted quarterbacks of the 2021 NFL draft class.

North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance was recently mocked to the Panthers at No. 5 overall in the Pro Football Focus preseason 2021 mock draft. Let’s take a look at what makes Lance such an intriguing option for Carolina’s future.

Profile:
Lance is listed at 6-foot-4, 226 pounds. He has a unique blend of size, arm strength, mobility, and accuracy. In 2019, he put up one of the most ridiculous stat lines you will ever see for a college quarterback. In his first year as a starter, Lance passed for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

However, the most impressive thing about his 2019 campaign is that he did not throw a single interception all year. Now, surely you have to take in account that North Dakota State does not play top notch competition, but no interceptions in 16 games (including the FCS playoffs) is an incredible feat no matter the competition. If anything, it shows how much Lance matured in his film study and decision making over the course of his sophomore year. Lance has all the tools in the world to become the best quarterback in the country, but not having a chance to prove he can do it again in 2020 could hurt his draft stock.

How he compares:
The consensus top two quarterbacks in the 2021 class are currently Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Lawrence and Fields are usually at the top of most big boards and barring any injuries they will still be there by next year’s draft. Lance on the other hand will need another strong season to pass either of them. That is why not playing in 2020 could hurt Lance more than Fields or Lawrence. However, the one thing that shines a glimmer of hope for Lance is that he is an electrifying playmaker with his arm and legs.

In today’s NFL, teams are looking for game-changing playmakers like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes to draw mismatches. Don’t get me wrong, Lawrence and Fields are tremendous quarterbacks who should have a tremendous amount of success in the league, but they simply don’t scream “electrifying playmaker“ like Lance is. Let’s watch his college highlights.

Highlights:

Lance vs. WIU

Lance vs. Butler

Lance vs. South Dakota State

Lance vs. James Madison

Lance vs. Delaware

Lance’s film speaks for itself and anyone who watches him knows he is something special. A quarterback-hungry team will absolutely take a chance on him inside the top-15 based on his 2019 season alone, but NFL teams are becoming more willing to take chances on high upside players because they simply want playmakers. Don’t be shocked if Lance is the first quarterback off the board come 2021.

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Notre Dame Football: Irish all over PFF’s Preseason All-ACC Team

What is particularly interesting to me here is that by simply counting, Notre Dame has three more members on the First Team than Clemson, with only Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne receiving that honor for the Tigers. 

This is weird to write.

Looking at Pro Football Focus’s Preseason All-ACC Team and seeing Notre Dame players listed is strange.  I’m used to seeing Notre Dame listed as an independent and not really looking much at it.

But it’s 2020 and Notre Dame is playing in the ACC as a full-time member this season.  The Irish are all over the list with five players earning First Team status, a pair more making the Second Team, three more being named to the Third Team and one player earning an Honorable Mention.

Notre Dame’s First Team Selections:

OT – Liam Eichenberg
Eichenberg already earned the 18th-best pass-blocking grade among FBS tackles over the entire season, but his grade from Week 7 on actually cracked the top-10 (7th).

C – Jarrett Patterson
Patterson finished as the 19th most valuable player in the FBS at the position and produced an above-average pass-blocking grade on his true pass sets.

OG – Aaron Banks
He allowed zero pressures in seven of his 13 games and dominated against Power 5 competition. He actually produced an 85.6 pass-blocking grade in those matchups, third in the country among those with at least 175 such snaps.

LB – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
From Week 10 on, Micah Parsons and Isaiah Simmons were the only Power 5 linebackers who earned a higher PFF grade.

S – Kyle Hamilton
The 6-foot-4 safety allowed only seven catches on 23 targets in coverage while making four interceptions and breaking up another five passes en route to a 1.3 passer rating allowed.

Notre Dame’s Second Team Selections:
OG – Tommy Kraemer
K – Jonathan Doerer

Notre Dame’s Third Team Selections:
OT – Robert Hainsey
Edge – Ade Ogundeji
LB – Drew White

Notre Dame’s lone Honorable Mention:
QB – Ian Book

What is particularly interesting to me here is that by simply counting, Notre Dame has three more members on the First Team than Clemson, with only Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne receiving that honor for the Tigers.

Clemson had four players on the Second Team, six on the Third Team and one player receive honorable mention.

Notre Dame actually has more players combined on the first and second teams than Clemson does but the Tigers have 13 players mentioned in total to Notre Dame’s 11.

Ohio State star quarterback Justin Fields starts ‘We want to play’ petition

Ohio State star quarterback Justin Fields is using his platform to try and apply pressure to get Big Ten football back for this fall.

Aside from Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has already been very vocal about his wishes to have college football played this fall, there probably isn’t as recognized name in the game as Justin Fields.

For those who may not know though, Fields quarterbacks Ohio State and after a standout 2019, was a big reason for the Buckeyes being among the favorites to win it all in 2020.

‘Was’ might be a short word but carries massive importance in this case as Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten saw their football seasons canceled last week in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now Fields is using his platform to try and pressure Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and all 14 Big Ten presidents to reinstate football to the conferences 2020 fall schedule. Fields began a petition seeking nationwide support to this cause on Sunday and has already received more than 65,000 as of early Sunday afternoon.

Fields says of the ‘We want to play’ cause:

We want to play. We believe that safety protocols have been established and can be maintained to mitigate concerns of exposure to Covid 19. We believe that we should have the right to make decisions about what is best for our health and our future. Don’t let our hard work and sacrifice be in vain. #LetUsPlay!

I credit the young man for putting his support behind his belief. It’s not just about staying healthy this fall in order to be a first round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft. He clearly wants to play, potentially raise his draft stock and help lead a team with legit national championship aspirations.

Hats off to Fields for stating and acting on his wishes. Unfortunately for his cause I’d be shocked if this petition changes any minds of those in charge, even if it ultimately lands one million signatures that would fill all 14 Big Ten football stadiums.

If you’d like to sign the petition you can do so by clicking here.

2021 NFL mock draft: Todd McShay starts the surprises early

See which surprise picks ESPN’s Todd McShay projects in his latest mock for the 2021 NFL Draft

While it’s always draft season around here, it looks like mock draft season will be starting earlier than usual throughout the national football media world, as Power 5 conferences postpone their 2020 seasons and top prospect continue to opt out anyway.

The latest 2021 NFL mock draft comes from ESPN’s Todd McShay, who has the usual suspect at No. 1 overall, but things get fun after that.

After sending Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the top pick, McShay goes off the beaten path with the No. 2 selection, having the Washington Football Team opt for Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II over Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.

There’s no denying Surtain’s talent, but considering Washington’s need for a franchise left tackle, and the gap between Sewell and the rest of next year’s offensive tackle class compared to that between Surtain and the other top corners in this draft, this pick doesn’t make too much sense.

That’s not the only surprise in the early going of McShay’s latest mock. His top 10 picks feature a pair of wide receivers typically found in the back half of most early mocks, with Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman landing with the Detroit Lions at No. 7 overall, and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith going to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 10 overall.

Bateman could easily be the No. 2 receiver off the board following LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, thanks to his complete skill set and his ideal combination of size, length and athleticism. No. 7 still seems a little early, but it wouldn’t be out of the question. Smith’s slight frame is sure to be a concern among NFL teams at just 175 pounds, and it’s surprising to see him come off the board before his Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, especially after watching Henry Ruggs III get drafted before Jerry Jeudy this year.

Only three quarterbacks make the cut for McShay, with Ohio State’s Justin Fields (No. 4 overall, Carolina Panthers) and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance (No. 14 overall, Chicago Bears) joining Lawrence as first-round picks in this mock.

To check out McShay’s full first-round projection at ESPN.com, click here.

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Gators News: August 13, 2020

The hits keep coming this week, with college football still trying to figure out if, when and how it will play amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The hits keep coming this week, with college football still trying to figure out if, when and how it will play a 2020 fall season amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic.

At the top of the news, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg asks if the College Football Playoff can go on despite the Big Ten and Pac-12 bowing out of the year. With the madness and uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought into the sports world, is a championship among the remaining teams really worth it?

Meanwhile, in Columbus, Ohio State will not pursue a fall season despite rumors to the contrary, according to Athletic Director Gene Smith. The OSU AD offered the following statement.

“Ohio State has continued its communications with the Big Ten Conference regarding a scenario to still play fall football game but has now determined that this would not be an allowable opportunity for us to move forward. We are 100 percent focused on supporting the health and safety and academic success of our student-athletes and on working with the Big Ten to develop a spring plan for our sports as expeditiously as possible.”

And last, but not least, Dan Wolken gives his opinion on Nebraska bailing out on Big Ten, claiming that it may be more than bluster. The Cornhuskers have themselves in a bit of a pickle, but it has yet to be determined if it was the right move or not.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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