Quote:Donovin Darius is on with Dempsey and Garrard on the Jags show on 1010XL, and he's talking about the fact that he's been mentoring for the Jaguars for the past couple of seasons, and specifically working with Cyprien and now Josh Evans.

 

He was asked about what he thought was the reason for the struggles this defense is having right now, particularly in pass coverage.  He talked about the fact that it's not the coaching or the play calling that's really hurting these players.  He said it's the fact that you've got so much youth on the team, particularly in the secondary, that these players need to develop a routine where they're working overtime on technique, and understanding the fundamentals of their positions.  Right now, he said that the younger players are struggling to understand things like the difference between cover 2 and cover 3, contain, etc.  He said that it's a matter of the young guys buckling down and putting the time in, and he's doing his part to mentor these guys to help them to develop a work ethic that will allow them to succeed.

 

Anyone who knows where Darius is coming from knows that this guy was the king of routine, and nobody was going to outwork him when it came to developing his skills as a player.  To hear that he is in there working with the youngsters to help them develop is a great move by Gus.  Darius was saying that Cyprien has developed, and it's showing on the field in how he's recognizing things more quickly.

 

Darius was talking about Bortles, and how he had an opportunity to spend some time with him talking football, and he said that the guy has the mentality and leadership skills to be a great player for the Jaguars for a lot of years. 

 

BTW, Daris is an Emmy Award winning producer now.  He's been doing training videos in partnership with the league and ESPN, and evidently these videos landed him an Emmy Award. 

 

DD was and still is the man. I wouldn't mind hearing more of him during some of these shows or pre-games. It's really cool to see Freddy, Toni and Mark here in Jacksonville still too. Spicer on the staff is cool. Hoping someday Freddy gets a shot at being a RB coach here. Just proud of how this has all folded out for some of the all-time greats we've grown up on here.

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