JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than a dozen Jaguars rookies will enter their first NFL training camp on Monday.
The string of practices and the four exhibition games associated with training camp will be the new players’ first glimpse of the NFL’s daily grind. The previous practices this summer were the NFL’s equivalent of pillow fights, allowing the coaching staff to install plays without the intensity of a scrimmage or actual game situation.
For some, the physical toll of training camp can reveal serious weaknesses. For others, the physicality of the practices can bring out their best. Either way, how players approach the melee determines their short-term survival.
From first round picks to undrafted free agents, the pressure is on to produce under the hot Jacksonville sun. Those who have dealt with the difficulty of training camp in the past have gained a level of comfort for the physical practices, something the rookies will aspire to attain.
However, in order for them to reach a sense of comfort, those rookies will have to prove their worth early on.
“Stay focused and stay humble,” second-year guard A.J. Cann said. “Don’t let a lot distract you because I know that can get overwhelming but you got to stay leveled and stay focused and everything will work out.”
Cann was a third round pick last offseason and started 13 games as a rookie. Despite his prime position in his first season, the anxiety of entering training camp did test him.
“Going into my rookie year, I didn’t know what to expect, I was kind of nervous going into my first year in the NFL,” Cann said. “Now that I’ve got a year under my belt, I feel comfortable now, I know what to expect.”
Unlike Cann, fellow offensive guard Tyler Shatley wasn’t given the protection of a high draft pick. The third-year player out of Clemson entered the league as an undrafted free agent and was forced to fight for his spot.
This offseason, eight undrafted rookies face the same odds as Shatley did in 2014. He has some advice for the young players heading into the first major test of their NFL careers.
“I’d just say keep your head down, don’t look at numbers,” Shatley said. “You can’t compare yourself to other people. Do what you do and just focus on your strengths.”
Tight end Neal Sterling is entering this year’s camp at a different position. Even with the change to his title and role, Sterling says having a year under his belt makes a world of difference.
“It’s a lot different because I know what to expect,” Sterling said. “Going into training camp last year, it was just a whole new experience and I didn’t know what to expect.”
Former first round pick Luke Joeckel is looking forward to his fourth training camp. He says the difference between now and his rookie year is significant.
“It’s night and day different from my rookie year,” Joeckel said. “Everything is going so fast and everything is going and you don’t know what to expect. There’s definitely more comfort going into this year but it’s going to be a great year. Going in competing for a spot, but that’s my mindset going into every year, but there is a certain kind of hunger going into this year.”
So while the immediate anguish of training camp can easily end a career, getting past that first step is really the biggest hurdle to overcome. Cann, Sterling, Shatley and Joeckel have been through the rigors of training camp and seem completely comfortable heading into another set of physical practices.
Joeckel says rookies need to be prepared for the physical and mental struggles of the league and training camp serves as suitable preview for the long regular season.
“The advice I got in was that it was a marathon, it’s 16 weeks of a grind and you’ve got to be mentally in it the entire time,” Joeckel said. “Physically, you’ve got to take care of your body. Week in and week out, it’s the best competition you’ll ever play and having that mindset will make a huge difference.”
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.
