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Jacksonville Jaguars, QB Blake Bortles hold up in practice against New England Patriots

By The Sports Xchange
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles runs with the football in their game against the Indianapolis Colts at Wembley Stadium, London on October 2, 2016. File photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles runs with the football in their game against the Indianapolis Colts at Wembley Stadium, London on October 2, 2016. File photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- They were at opposite ends of the spectrum during the last half dozen NFL seasons, but in their first of three workouts here together Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars did not appear to be over their heads against the New England Patriots.

Granted, defensive linemen weren't allowed to go 100 percent against quarterbacks, but the pass-action downfield and the running game were fair game for both sides. The two teams will meet Thursday at Gillette Stadium in the preseason opener for both teams and there will be no holding back defensive players in their pursuit of reaching the quarterback.

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Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone was pleased with what his team got out of the practice with the defending Super Bowl champions.

"Like I said before, there are so many positives coming to work with another team. I felt like we got a great deal done today," Marrone said. "We have to go ahead and look at the tape and be able to improve. I think when you practice like this, obviously against a great football team, then it is going to make our team better. That really was the goal coming up here.

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"I think it gives us a good feel for where we are. Obviously they are a great team and we have a lot of respect for both the coaches and the players."

For Jaguars fans, it was the first test for quarterback Blake Bortles in throwing against a team other than his own defense. Bortles wasn't spectacular but he also wasn't bad, his performance bordered more on being good. He completed 11-of-17 passes with just one interception. He drew praise from Marrone.

"We talked about it real quickly," Marrone said about Bortles. "I thought (Bortles was) calm, cool, different defense and things of that nature. I think we have to see where we are from that standpoint of being able to get open in a press-man and things of that nature. Then, just ball location. I thought for the most part, he seemed to have control. He got stepped on at the goal line, that can't happen; that is not his fault. We have to be able to come off the ball better."

One concern the Jaguars had in the practice was in four chances from the 3-yard line, the Jaguars failed to score on any of the four plays.

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The Jaguars put their first player on injured reserve for the 2017 season when long snapper Carson Tinker suffered an ACL injury last week while working with two teammates on a special teams drill. It was a strange twist of fate for Tinker who had not missed a game since entering the NFL in 2013.

"I think we all had a conversation somewhere along the time when we talked about specialists and said, 'Nobody talks about the snapper until something happens to him,'" Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said. "It's a shame because Carson probably had his best offseason. He really put in a lot of work and I feel really bad for him. Even though he's a specialist, he's provided leadership for us ever since I've been here."

A day after Tinker's injury the Jaguars signed veteran long snapper Matt Overton to take over those duties for 2017. Tinker was the special teams captain, a position earned for his dedication and reliability.

In a twitter message that he sent out over the weekend, Tinker wrote: "Well, I found out that I'm not invincible. I am heartbroken about this and not being out there this season with some of my best friends, but I have no doubt in my mind that I will get through this. I have every intention of coming back stronger and being back out there next year. This didn't happen to me, it happened for me."

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Wide receiver Marqise Lee was the offensive standout for the Jaguars Monday against New England. Lee consistently beat his defender and made several good catches against a strong Patriots secondary.

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Defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Dante Fowler were impressive for the Jaguars Monday, putting pressure on the quarterback and playing solid against the run.

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Wide receiver Allen Hurns was injured Monday and team officials did not release information on what the injury was and the severity of it. Hurns fell to the ground in trying to catch a pass during an 11-on-11 drill. He got up and slowly walked off the field and went inside to the locker room. Team officials said he was being "evaluated."

Notes: Running back Tyler Gaffney was signed for depth on special teams. Gaffney was originally drafted by Carolina in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. He spent two seasons on New England's reserve/injured list (2014-15) before he was waived/injured by the Patriots last September ... Defensive end Calais Campbell missed his seventh straight day of practice Monday ... Strong safety James Sample was released after three frustrating injury-plagued seasons ... Strong safety Jeron Johnson was signed to replace Sample on the roster. Johnson, 29, appeared in 64 NFL games for Seattle, Washington and Kansas City ... Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with an abdominal injury. Team officials have not given an indication of his recuperation or how soon he might return to action.

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