Kirk is the only returning starter as a receiver for Jacksonville, a title he takes seriously
Jaguars WR Christian Kirk wants the offense to find the right middle ground
Christian Kirk spoke to the media after Day 5 of Jacksonville Jaguars training camp.
Christian Kirk finds himself in an interesting position as the Jacksonville Jaguars head toward the start of the regular season.
Not only because he is the oldest receiver on the roster for the first time in his career, but because Kirk found out last season how valuable he is to the team.
After suffering a season-ending injury during an 8-3 record, the Jaguars began to slide without Kirk on the field. The team lost five of its final six games and missed the playoffs while Kirk watched from the sidelines.
Now, after a full rest, Kirk is the only returning starter among Jacksonville’s receiver corps. And as the acting leader of the group, he is responsible for taking care of all his boys.
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That’s why Kirk was the first player to rush to Davis’ aid when cornerback Buster Brown made an aggressive hit on Gabe Davis during the second week of training camp.
“Especially in our room, no matter what happens, we’re driving for each other. And I want that to be the culture in our room,” Kirk told the Times-Union earlier this week. “I just want that mentality that we’re going to be the aggressors and we’re not going to back down from nobody.”
The brawl was just a brawl. No punches were thrown and there were no further incidents during the entire training camp. Kirk was responsible for that too, said offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
“I stayed after practice and watched the guys finish practice. I saw Christian grab Buster, talk to him, man-to-man, have a conversation,” Taylor said. “‘Those are not the expectations.’ Nothing got into the locker room. I think from that perspective, it’s that part of the leadership that makes it even better…I think that was just a great leadership move by Christian.”
Kirk missed the final two weeks of training camp because of what he described as a minor calf injury, but sitting on the sidelines allowed him to do mental exercises he normally can’t do during the season.
He also had the opportunity to watch and learn from second-year receiver Parker Washington and other receivers, which is usually the other way around.
“My ego isn’t that big. I put my ego aside and want to learn from everybody,” Kirk said. “I just want to learn from the guys, see how they do it and really challenge my mind when I’m in the film room. I really stay engaged and focused like I’m on the field taking notes.”
The season opener against the Dolphins will be Kirk’s first time playing in a regular season game since last December.
And since Kirk missed joint training sessions with the Buccaneers and the final preseason game against the Falcons, he finished the preseason with only one quarter of play against his opponents.
Nevertheless, the closer the season gets, the more sympathy there is for the experienced pass receiver.
Excitement.
“The work is going to pay off. I’m really confident about where we are,” Kirk said, a smile spreading across his face. “We’ve got a long way to go. I just think with the core people we have here, with the group we have. I just know that if we just stay consistent week in and week out, we can accomplish anything we want.”
Juston Lewis is a reporter covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter: @JustonLewis_.
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