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Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter continues to back Liam Coen’s call on CB rotation as they near Patriots Week 3 game.
Travis Hunter is not handing out any bulletin board material this week. Liam Coen had media on a hot topic when explaining his CB rotation last week.
“It’s by drives with those guys rotating in,” Coen said when asked to explain the cornerback rotation earlier this week. “With Buster, Travis and Jarrion, and then obviously Jay Lew specifically and some of the nickel stuff.”
“We did it for the most part last season as well before Travis got hurt. It’s something we have to continue to do. We have corners we have confidence in. Those guys can all make plays for us. They can all communicate for us. They’ve been in the system now. It’s a rotation based on pregame. We have it all laid out. The players know it. They all know the rotation. It has been clearly laid out to them what the expectations and standards are.”
It was straight to the point. However, it went completely against the two-way hype surrounding Hunter, most of which comes from Coen vigorously selling the vision for him all offseason.
Travis Hunter Shuts Down Questions About CB Rotation Again
GettyJacksonville Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter shuts down questions on CB rotation.
The reporters tried to squeeze something out of him, even a shred of disagreement over a rotation that kept him glued to the sideline for a good chunk of Week 2.
“Imma leave that up to the coaches to answer. That ain’t for me to answer,” was all Hunter gave to Action Sports Jax when asked if he had any communication with the staff on potential changes in CB rotation.
Hunter’s answer was a mere repetition of the same answer he gave the media last week when asked about the same topic.
“That’s the plan. The coaches tell me where I go. I just gotta follow their plan, follow their lead,” Hunter said post-Broncos game. “My job is to go out there and play, no matter when they put me out there. So that’s what I do.”
While Hunter didn’t give them what they wanted, Coen did.
The Jaguars head coach opened up on potentially giving Hunter more reps, defensive and offensive, starting Week 3.
Will Travis Hunter Actually Get More Reps This Week?
GettyWill Travis Hunter get more reps vs. Patriots?
“We’re gonna look at giving him some more this week,” Coen said in his press conference, per ESPN’s Mia O’Brien.
And as for more offensive snaps, Coen hinted that Hunter might need more practice because of all the reps he missed last season.
“You can walk through a million things in the meeting room setting, but just missed a lot of pitching and catching… when you struggle to move the ball specifically in the fourth quarter like we did and you lose, we gotta go look at everything we’re doing. Touches, targets.”
In their Week 2 game vs. the Broncos, Hunter played roughly 60% of the Jaguars’ total plays on defense, just 37 snaps.
Hunter has played 62 defensive snaps in the Jaguars’ two games. Brown has played the most defensive snaps (85, 78.7%) of the trio, per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. Jones has played 72 (66.7%).
Both Brown (49 snaps) and Jones (39 snaps) played more than Hunter in Week 2 vs. Broncos, yet both finished with the exact same number of solo tackles: 4.
The rotation has been a constant through both weeks, and it wasn’t the sole factor in their stumble out in Denver. But as the Patriots loom, Coen may not ditch the rotation entirely, though he might finally start leaning heavier on his star playmaker.
Pankti Parmar Pankti Parmar is a Heavy Contributor. Specializing in college football and the NFL, her reporting work includes extensive coverage for The Sporting News, FanSided’s Ole Hotty Toddy, Fly War Eagle, and Glory Colorado, Notre Dame On SI, Roundtable Sports, Pro Football and Sports Network, and more. More about Pankti Parmar