Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen represented the defense on April 20 during a news conference at the Miller Electric Center on the opening day of the team’s Phase One of offseason workouts.
Hines-Allen talked of the value of working under the same defensive coordinator [Anthony Campanile] for a second year in a row for only the second time in his eight-year career, teammate Travon Walker getting a contract extension and his goal for the defense this season:
On Travon Walker’s extension
“Our selfless guys, our team first guys … he puts on that, he puts on that his helmet and comes to work every single day. I’ve got a lot of love, a lot of respect for him, and I know everybody on this team as well, coaches included, obviously, our front office as well, because they wanted to pay him. I don’t think this isn’t gonna change [him] the money. He’s still gonna come in and attack [as if he were] getting drafted again. That’s my Road Dog. He pushes me every single day, and I try to do the same thing as well.”
On the energy among the defensive players
“It feels good to be back, man. The energy is super high. I’m excited for what tomorrow holds for us. We’re getting really good work, so I’m excited to do that. I think we have a really good locker room, a really good presence, a lot of the young guys, man. It’s just [good] to see how far they’ve [come]. Being around Danny [Striggow], being around BJ [Green II], just kind of act like we never left.”
On what motivates Josh Hines-Allen
“I’ve been one of the best guys in my position for the last couple years. And you know, don’t get talked about as much. And, you know, again, it’s a lot of media. You turn the film on. You know, I’ve been one of the best guys, but the validation of being named with those guys that are, you know, Will Anderson’s got $50 million, you know, being Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, Nick Bosa … I want Josh on that one to be one of those guys that come to the top of list. And for me, that’s just keep producing. Me turning on the tape, and me knowing and I’m whooping the guy in front of me, and that guy knowing that as well, and coaches knowing that … that’s what kind of drives me.”
On the next step for a defense that led the NFL in stopping the run
“Leading the league in sacks.”
On the value of Phase One under the same staff
“Once we get back on the field and we start, what meetings look like … maybe we could skip over a few things. Maybe we can talk a little bit more broadly about what do we expect from each other. Maybe we don’t have to do about the book right now, because we did it by the book. Maybe we can do it by experience. You know, how do we feel, secondary? How do y’all feel upfront? So there’s a lot of different nuances.”
Is the playoff loss to the Bills motivation?
“You end with a loss. Only one team is going to end with a win. I think it was a learning experience for us. There’s never any moral victories. I think we’re all old enough to know that. How can we get better? We played against a good team, a well-experienced team. Did they make exciting plays? No, but they just didn’t mess up, from my understanding of how the game went. And that was a that was a that was a good lesson to have.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen enthused about Phase One of offseason
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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