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Players-only meetings for Jaguars defensive backs paying dividends
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- Players-only meetings for Jaguars defensive backs paying dividends
New team selected and contract signed, veteran NFL players often parachute in and out of town during the offseason program and usually stay in a hotel while searching for permanent housing. The routine is mundane. Hotel to facility. Facility to hotel.
That was the case last spring for cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Eric Murray after they joined the Jacksonville Jaguars from the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans , respectively.
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"We always went out to dinner with each other so we decided, 'Hey, why don't we watch some football together?'" Murray recalled.
In a nutshell, that was how Lewis and Murray hatched the idea of holding players-only meetings for the Jaguars ' defensive backs.
Twice a week, Lewis and Murray gather their position group. Watch the opponents. Watch Jaguars tape. And talk through it … and through it again … and through it once more.
Entering the Jan. 11 wild card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills , the Jaguars are full of youth in the secondary. At cornerback, Greg Newsome is 25 (fifth year), Jarrian Jones 22 (second year), Buster Brown 26 (fourth year) and Christian Braswell 26 (second year). At safety, Antonio Johnson is 24 (third year) and rookie reserve Rayuan Lane 22. Starting safety Andrew Wingard is 29 and in his seventh season.
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Murray, who turns 32 on Jan. 7, and Lewis, 30, who is out for the season with a foot injury sustained in the Week 16 win at Denver , are the figurative gray-beards, full of knowledge and willing to dispense it. Combined with the wisdom of the coaching staff, the Jaguars' secondary had 15 regular-season interceptions compared to four in 2024.
"I just saw a lot of young guys trying to understand how to play and I wanted to give them the knowledge I had to learn by myself and from different coaches like ways to watch film and make good habits and learn how offenses attack us," Lewis said.
Paying it forward
Servant leadership only works when said servant leader has quality information to provide, doesn't overstep and is respected by his peers. Otherwise, it's noise, in the left ear and out the right ear (or vice versa). Every player in every sport wants to improve. It doesn't matter who is doing the teaching, if it helps them, they will listen. Coach. Teammate. Sports psychologist.
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Lewis and Murray had their resumes working in their favor.
Lewis has 127 regular-season games of experience and Murray 136 games. Name a receiver, they've faced them. Same with a quarterback and an offensive system. They won't get beat on a play because of poor preparation.
And when the Jaguars' defensive backs felt the words of Lewis and Murray were making a difference, they bought in and the coaches noticed.
"(Lewis and Murray are) total pros and I think they have really driven the culture in the defensive back room especially," defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said. "They value what I value on the defensive side of the ball as an organization — toughness and accountability."
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Lewis and Murray are paying things forward. Lewis credited former Cowboys assistant coaches Al Harris, Kris Richard, Joe Whitt and Cannon Matthews and retired linebacker Sean Lee for their guidance.
"They helped me piece things together," Lewis said. "(Lee) definitely showed me to stay at the facility and watch as much film as possible with the guys, find the keys and take advantage."
I asked Jones who he leaned on as a rookie with the Jaguars in 2024.
"I was pretty much on my own," he said of developing study habits. "(Lewis and Murray) have been super-beneficial."
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Now, Jones said of learning from Lewis and Murray: "They know I play fast and I'm instinctive so they put things on my radar so I can play that much faster."
Best teams are player-led
Newsome's process reviewing video starts with first and second downs and drop-back and play-action passes, followed by formations. Next up is third down and red zone.
"You try to get the formation tells and I go into games with probably three formations on each down and distance that I know, 'Alright, if this comes, I'll ready for it,'" he said. "It's definitely a lengthy process."
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The players-only meetings follow the same map.
First and second downs. Third downs. Top targets. The communication checks that may be required.
"Bullet-point things, must-knows, must-sees so we can go into a game clicking on all cylinders and feeling good," Jones said.
Campanile said the players-only meetings are "huge" for the Jaguars.
"The best groups do that," he said. "It's great to be a coach-led unit and you can drive guys to a certain extent, but the best teams are player-led and when your peers are holding your accountable and you have that culture of being able to tell the truth to each other and push each other, then you're heading in a great direction."
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The goal for Lewis and Murray is to make sure the Jaguars remain headed in a great direction long-term.
"They had talent here," Lewis said. "They just needed the right guidance from us and the coaches. It are things they can use not just this year but in the future. We just wanted them to have things in their tool box to make them better players."
Contact O'Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Players-only meetings have helped Jaguars' secondary this season
