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Rehabbing from a knee injury this offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter hasn't yet been able to be on the field, but he's done everything in his power to make sure he hits the ground running upon his return.
Just as it looked like Hunter was about to break out during his rookie season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice following a 100-yard performance against the LA Rams.
This offseason, Hunter has bulked up, adding muscle to his upper body, and he's spent a lot of time in the Jaguars' virtual room, as Liam Coen discussed recently on the 'Schrager Hour,' getting mental reps.
"He couldn't do much with his legs," Coen said of Hunter's recovery. "He had a lower leg injury, so what did he do? He attacked his upper body. He attacked training his mind and learning the playbook to the point where the other guys on the field saw the work he was putting in."
Coen continued, "We're very fortunate to have a virtual meeting room downstairs where the players can go in and basically play a game on a screen, and it's not 3D stuff. It's just on a huge screen, and it is like Madden, or it's like he's himself from his vantage point. Similar like Madden where you can just see the offense. You can be playing a position, whether it's D-line, linebacker, DB and you can have a ton of different formations, motions, checks, adjustments. So he got a lot of reps this offseason that may be not on the grass full speed live, but he got a ton of extra reps."
Hunter's usage on defense this season is expected to increase with him being a projected starter at cornerback -- a position where the Jaguars believe he can play at a very high level and do so quickly.
But the plan is still for him to continue playing on both sides of the ball. What that looks like from an offensive perspective still remains to be seen, but the Jaguars have never wavered in that regard.
"Look, he's going to play both sides of the football just like we planned to do when we drafted him and that has not changed," added Coen. "Now, the percentage on one side versus the other, that's fluid. That's something that we have to continue to work through. But I just know the guy has worked his tail off this offseason to show his teammates that I'm going to be ready to go come training camp and I was just texting him this past week, and he's ready to go."
Having Hunter back in the mix won't only provide added juice on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but his presence on the field, and in general, around the team, provides a big boost as well.
"A huge reason why we took him was because of that competitive spirit, because of that confidence that he oozes every time you see him," said Coen. "Every time you see Travis, smile. He's excited to see you. You talk about the power of touch and guys that high-five and chest-bump and fist-bump, and he's just a connector that way. He's special."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Liam Coen details Travis Hunter's offseason before training camp
Continue reading...
Just as it looked like Hunter was about to break out during his rookie season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice following a 100-yard performance against the LA Rams.
This offseason, Hunter has bulked up, adding muscle to his upper body, and he's spent a lot of time in the Jaguars' virtual room, as Liam Coen discussed recently on the 'Schrager Hour,' getting mental reps.
"He couldn't do much with his legs," Coen said of Hunter's recovery. "He had a lower leg injury, so what did he do? He attacked his upper body. He attacked training his mind and learning the playbook to the point where the other guys on the field saw the work he was putting in."
Coen continued, "We're very fortunate to have a virtual meeting room downstairs where the players can go in and basically play a game on a screen, and it's not 3D stuff. It's just on a huge screen, and it is like Madden, or it's like he's himself from his vantage point. Similar like Madden where you can just see the offense. You can be playing a position, whether it's D-line, linebacker, DB and you can have a ton of different formations, motions, checks, adjustments. So he got a lot of reps this offseason that may be not on the grass full speed live, but he got a ton of extra reps."
Hunter's usage on defense this season is expected to increase with him being a projected starter at cornerback -- a position where the Jaguars believe he can play at a very high level and do so quickly.
But the plan is still for him to continue playing on both sides of the ball. What that looks like from an offensive perspective still remains to be seen, but the Jaguars have never wavered in that regard.
"Look, he's going to play both sides of the football just like we planned to do when we drafted him and that has not changed," added Coen. "Now, the percentage on one side versus the other, that's fluid. That's something that we have to continue to work through. But I just know the guy has worked his tail off this offseason to show his teammates that I'm going to be ready to go come training camp and I was just texting him this past week, and he's ready to go."
Having Hunter back in the mix won't only provide added juice on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but his presence on the field, and in general, around the team, provides a big boost as well.
"A huge reason why we took him was because of that competitive spirit, because of that confidence that he oozes every time you see him," said Coen. "Every time you see Travis, smile. He's excited to see you. You talk about the power of touch and guys that high-five and chest-bump and fist-bump, and he's just a connector that way. He's special."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' Liam Coen details Travis Hunter's offseason before training camp
Continue reading...
