JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Recapping the first day of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp:
Rain cuts practice short: The Jaguars lost the last 20 minutes of their first practice because of a storm with lightning that blew through the area. Head coach Doug Marrone opted not to finish the practice at the indoor facility (IPF) on the other end of the stadium, and it doesn’t sound like the Jaguars will use the IPF much. Marrone said he wants the players to learn to deal with the high heat, humidity and rain so they’ll be used to it if it happens on game days. The IPF will mainly be used for walk-throughs and if there is really bad weather that threatens an entire practice or lighting in the area.
Heat issues: Even though there was sporadic cloud cover throughout practice and temperatures were in the high 80s/low 90s, it was a humid day outside EverBank Field. Numerous players were treated in the team’s cool zone for dehydration or heat issues, including quarterback Blake Bortles, linebacker Telvin Smith and nose tackle Abry Jones. Several other players, including defensive end Dante Fowler, were treated on the field for cramps.
Good day for Bortles: Though he missed about 20 minutes of practice while getting IV fluids for dehydration, Bortles looked sharp throughout the practice. He threw one pass behind receiver Allen Robinson on a crossing pattern than cornerback A.J. Bouye broke up, but he also threw three passes that would have been touchdowns. Robinson made a leaping catch over second-year cornerback Doran Grant on a back-shoulder pass, Marqise Lee caught a perfectly thrown fade pass down the sideline for another TD (Grant also was in coverage here) and Leonard Fournette got behind linebacker Telvin Smith and caught a pass down the sideline after Bortles scrambled away from pressure.
OL shuffle: Brandon Linder, who signed a five-year contract extension on Tuesday that includes $24 million guaranteed, opened training camp as the center. He had played both guard and center during OTAs and minicamp. Branden Albert lined up at left tackle with Tyler Shatley at left guard, A.J. Cann at right guard and Jermey Parnell at right tackle. Marrone said they told Cann to be prepared to play both guard spots during camp. Cam Robinson, the Jaguars’ second-round draft pick, was the second-team left tackle.
Fowler flashes: Fowler had a sack of quarterback Chad Henne during team drills after beating Robinson off the edge. Fowler also took reps on special teams, and Marrone said he told special-teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis that nobody (other than QBs, of course) is off limits in terms of playing special teams.
Play of the day: Bortles’ TD pass to Fournette happened because Smith got caught between the two players. Bortles scrambled to his right and had no one in front of him inside the numbers. Smith was forced to choose between sticking with Fournette and Bortles and hesitated a second before taking a step toward Bortles. That allowed Bortles to easily loft a pass to a wide-open Fournette who raced down the sideline.
Friday’s schedule: The Jaguars will practice from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET.
