Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton discuss Deion Sanders recent comments about the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff misusing Travis Hunter.
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Video Transcript
Deion Sanders doesn’t think the Jags are using Travis Hunter enough.
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Quote, they’re not using him enough.
I’ve seen it with my own eyes every day for three straight years, so I know what he’s capable of.
From day one, if you talk to actual smart football people, like if you talk to people that aren’t just out making big hyperbolic statements, the conversation was always it could take a little bit of time.
They’re gonna have to figure out the right usage.
Deion says they’re not doing it the right way.
What do you think?
Well, if you just look at his numbers, Travis Hunter hasn’t been overly impactful really on either side of the ball.
He is the 123, 5th leading receiver for the Jags, with 10 catches for 76 yards over three games.
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Like, that’s not really anything that wows you.
And then defensively, Travis Hunter, I think has one pass breakup in nine total tackles, six of those solos.
I mean, like, that’s not nothing, and look, it’s not to take away from the fact that Travis Hunter is playing both sides in the National Football League; just that in and of itself is incredibly impressive, but playing both sides in the NFL is not the same as playing both sides in college football.
So yes, just based on the stats and the numbers alone, he hasn’t been overly impactful, and the Jags traded the farm to trade up and get him.
So you would expect a return on your investment when you invest as much as the Jags did to get Travis Hunter.
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And also the other side of that is I’ll trust Deion because Deion did it.
He said it right there.
I did it for three years, and he was able to do so expertly and so perfectly, it felt like.
Develop Travis Hunter on both sides of the ball.
Use him on both sides of the ball to the point that he was a high first-round draft pick and the Heisman Trophy winner.
So, yes, on this, I defer to Deion.
He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to using Travis Hunter.
For me, I think that the approach has been wrong from day one, and I’ll be honest about this, like I just think that when the Jags drafted him, what you needed to decide, not where he’s gonna play forever.
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You needed to decide, in my mind, in the beginning, where can he have the most success and grow in year one and just commit to that one thing.
Be great at one thing before you try to be great at two.
I know he wants to play at two positions and I know he’s deserving of the opportunity to play at two positions.
I’m not saying he shouldn’t get there, but when you think about the timing of it, you are drafted in April, and all of a sudden, in May, you’re figuring out, okay, what life looks like.
You’re learning a playbook, you’re buying a house, you’re doing all these things, and you’re you’re, uh, you’re adjusting to what life as a professional athlete is like.
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And the number of guys I’ve talked to that in their rookie year will tell you, man, it’s just all so different from the team atmosphere to the coaching to the way players approach it, it’s also different.
Why put all of that on him and then also put him in two positions at once.