Jalen Ramsey got his hands dirty Tuesday for the first time since the birth of his daughter.
Ramsey reported to Jacksonville Jaguars training camp and jumped right into the mix with the first-team defense
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Sweat, grass, dirt. It might have been the messiest Ramsey’s hands have been since he skipped the start of camp to remain in Tennessee with his girlfriend,
Bre, and newborn daughter, Breelyn. That’s because the All-Pro cornerback, whose
hands might be as valuable as anyone’s on that side of the ball, made a deal
with Bre that he wouldn’t have to change diapers.
”We’ve been best friends since high school so we’ve always kind of talked about how the process would go a little bit,” Ramsey said. ”Of course,
everything’s different when it actually happens, but for the most part, we have
really good agreement that I won’t necessarily have to change diapers.”
So what is Ramsey’s part of the trade-off?
”She changes the diapers; I feed her,” he said.
Ramsey became a first-time father last Wednesday, the day the Jaguars reported for camp. He missed four practices to spend extra time with his family.
Coach Doug Marrone excused his absences.
”It is good when everybody is together, everyone is back in and everyone is in a good place mentally
Adidas Connor McDavid Jersey ,” Marrone said. ”Just having that balance in your life, making sure everyone is good at home, making sure everyone is OK,
making sure everything is set. Then you can get here and then you can focus and
put your mind on what you need to do. It is always good when you can get
everyone back in here, and I am glad everything worked out well.”
Marrone had planned to work Ramsey in slowly, but the ultra-competitive, lock-down cornerback refused to stay on the sideline during his first day back.
The Jaguars had to like what they saw, even though they’ve seen similar from him
for two years now.
Ramsey played in every game in two seasons and emerged as one of the league’s top defenders.
He expects to be even better in Year 3.
”We’re going to see when the season starts, right?” he said. ”We’re going to see. And y’all will see. Y’all will see. I never give myself like goals. I guess
you could say like, `Oh, I’m going to have this many interceptions; I’m going to
have this many” pass breakups.
”But what I can tell you, though, that I will do is I’ll make sure I prepare myself and I’m ready to go out there and give it my all so I’m not letting
anybody down, my teammates, coaches, my family
Authentic Mark Andrews Jersey , y’all, fans. I can tell you that much.”
He gets one of his toughest tests in the team’s season opener at the New York Giants and against three-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
”Let’s get this out the way right now: He’s a good receiver. We all know that,” said Ramsey, the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. ”But y’all
know me at the same time. Yeah, he’s good. But I’m good, too. If y’all want to
say he’s the best at his position; I’m the best at my position, so we’re going
to go at it. We’re going to give the people a show the first game of the
season.
”He’s going to have some wins; I’m going to have some wins. I just plan on having more wins.”
Ramsey is the outspoken face of Jacksonville’s vaunted defense, a unit that was among the best in the league in 2017. The Jaguars return 10 starters on that
side of the ball, including all four in the secondary, and expect to be even
more dynamic in their second season together.
”At the end of the day, win games,” he said. ”If we can win games on the defensive side of the ball. We can always ask for more: More turnovers, more
touchdowns, more opportunities giving the ball back to the offense. Just more of
everything.”
Except diapers.
”It feels good” to be back, Ramsey said. ”Miss my little girl already, but it feels good. It was cool. It was good. Long few days
Broncos Su'a Cravens Jersey , but everything that I could have dreamed of.”
—
Chris Thompson goes out for a pass route with his right leg on his mind.
Eight months since breaking his right fibula, Thompson still thinks about it when running and making sudden moves. Now two days into his first taste of team
drills at training camp, the Washington Redskins' 2017 offensive MVP is
attempting to get over the mental hurdle of rehabbing from surgery and getting
back to normal.
"I'm still nervous about just making cuts," he said. "I'm nervous about, 'What happens if this guy falls and hits my ankle?' I know it's healed. I know
the plate is there so I don't have to worry about it breaking. But it's a big
mental game."
Thompson became Washington's secret weapon on offense with 39 catches for 510 yards receiving and four touchdowns to go along with 64 carries for 294 yards
rushing and two touchdowns on the ground. It's no coincidence the Redskins'
playoff hopes effectively ended when Thompson went down in New Orleans in
November.
Doctors put a plate and five screws in Thompson's leg, and he considered the ensuing rehab more difficult than after previous surgeries to repair knee
injuries. They told him he wouldn't be 100 percent until a full year had passed,
so it's on Thompson to manage the pain, his own expectations and his progression
along with the team's training staff.
It's easier said than done.
"I talk to the trainers the whole time, especially before practice just to ask them, 'What am I doing today?'" Thompson said. "Because I know me: If I'm
feeling good, I'll continue to just go. They're just letting me know what I'm
doing every step of the way. I'm just kind of leaving it in their hands and just
... kind of being smart about it because I know this is still a journey."
The goal of the journey is being ready for the beginning of the regular season. Coach Jay Gruden on Wednesday said he was confident Thompson would be
ready for the opener Sept. 9 at Arizona.
"The way he runs, he looks faster right now," Gruden said. "His burst looks like it's 100 percent back. Only he knows how he feels as far as being 100
percent. ... But he looks great right now."
Gruden left open the possibility of limiting Thompson's workload early in the season because the 27-year-old running back knows he's not yet close to being
back to himself. The sustained speed isn't there, but teammates are glad to get
a glimpse of Thompson working his way back.
"Chris Thompson's a key asset to our offense," linebacker Preston Smith said. "He brings a lot of different tools to the offense. He can be used in multiple
ways. And seeing him out there practicing is a great thing for Chris because I
love him, his spirit. He's a great teammate
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There are several steps left in Thompson's progression, including no limitations in practice and then possibly some action in preseason games. The
next milestone is getting hit by an opponent and seeing how he reacts.
"I am not looking forward to it, but I know I've got to do it," Thompson said. "I know I'm going to be super nervous about it, but once I get that first
hit, whether it's in preseason or the first game or whatever they plan on doing
??once I get hit one time, I know I'm going to be good after that."
NOTES: WR Josh Doctson left practice after landing hard on his left shoulder while trying to make a diving catch. A spokesman said Doctson was being
evaluated for a shoulder injury and that the team would have an update Thursday.
In a since-deleted tweet on his verified account, Doctson said he's "just fine
silly rabbit." In another tweet, he said, "#imgood." ... WR Paul Richardson went
down in individual drills but returned minutes later and made several catches.
... S DeAngelo Hall announced his retirement at a formal news conference after
playing 14 NFL seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, Redskins and Oakland
Raiders.
.
