| ! |
If you're not a veteran player that is etched in stone to make the team, that is the common theme at this stage of the preseason. You have to be consistent, especially if you are sitting on the other side of the bubble as it stands today. You have to do something during these final two preseason games to really stand out above the rest. That can be the difference in making this team, another team's roster or being on the street.
It's very hard because as a competitor, you want to do everything in your power and you sometimes want it too much. Sometimes doing things 1,000 miles per hour and being overly aggressive on a certain play can work against you. You start thinking too much or about doing things too perfectly, and then it turns out to be a bad play. It's such a tough situation for these younger guys because it's really desperation time for them.
One thing about this team is the competition has been very high the entire training camp. Except for a couple of positions, you can really see some battles going on. You look at the secondary, the receivers, the running back situation — there are opportunities across the board. You look at guys who have been out hurt and they are getting passed over and are becoming afterthoughts when you've got guys making plays on the field. Superstars are superstars, but that's the mindset you need to have as a player, knowing there's a chance that you could lose your job. That's what veterans constantly have to be fighting for.
There are several players that stand to either gain or lose over these last two games. I think Calvin Lowry is a guy early on that was expected to unseat Lamont Thompson at free safety, but Lamont is a smart, veteran guy that has more experience at that position. He has risen to the occasion. Now Lowry needs to elevate and do some special things to convince the coaches that he should be the starter.
A lot has been made of the running back situation with LenDale White, who has a chance to elevate himself to being the starter. But if he doesn't go and perform, I don't know if you can make a great case for him to be starting at Jacksonville because you haven't really seen it in the preseason.
The more prepared young players are and the more they are comfortable in the system with their assignments, the better off they are going to be. If you're not in your book and you're confused about something, then you're going to be hesitant. So they need to be as prepared as they can, play as hard as they can and don't think about it too much. If you start thinking that one play is going to make or break you — even if it might be true — you can't have that mindset on the field or you will come up short.
