Plenty hot for the 5th Jaguars practice of training camp, the first one in full pads. Working out on the far field, fans in attendance didn’t have much of a view of what was going on with the offense and defense.

The team did do some one-on-one offensive line vs. defensive line drills. A straight-ahead, bull rush from the defensive line was effectively held off by most of the offensive linemen, especially rookie AJ Cann. He’s in a position battle with Zane Beadles at left guard as the Jaguars coaches try to assess whether Beadles was below expectations last year because of the guys around him (Joeckel/Bowanko) l or if he took a step back from his days in Denver.

Aurelious Benn was working with the first team offense at wide receiver. At 6’2″ and 220 lbs, he’s the kind of physical receiver the Jaguars would like to have compliment the rest of the pass catchers.

Marqise Lee took a mis-step running the long crossing routes about midway through practice and stepped out of the drill. He walked over to the sideline and eventually wandered into the cool zone. He didn’t grab anything but it appeared he tweaked either his knee, ankle or hamstring. He’s just working his was back from knee problems in the off-season so Gus Bradley will update his status at the end of practice.

Jonathan Cyprien, Davon House, Aaron Colvin, Sergio Brown and Demetrius McCray were working with the first team defensive backfield in the nickel package. Brown and McCray are easy to spot because of their size. Colvin is quick to react to the break coming off his injury last year. House will start at one corner.

Bryan Walters, a free-agent receiver brought in from Seattle this year made a couple of nice catches during the 2 minute drill. Walters is listed at 6′ and 190 lbs but looks a little smaller than that. Good hands and quick feet though, Welker-esque.

While the team was working the second team 11-on-11 drill, Blake Bortles went to a separate field to throw routes to Julius Thomas and Marcedes Lewis, exclusively. Haven’t seen that before.

We’ll update the practice report this afternoon after hearing from Bradley, Bortles and the rest of the players in the locker room.

For a team that’s 7-25 in the last two years under a new head coach and general manager, the Jaguars are full of optimism as they begin camp for the 2015 season.

Is there reason for that?

“We’ve put a lot of pressure on the player in the offseason,” Head Coach Gus Bradley said right before the start of training camp. “We increased it during OTA’s and mini-camp and they responded well. We’re pleased.”

Bradley might be pleased with how the players have responded to his “empowerment” philosophy, but realizes that seven wins over two years can’t continue.

“I know, how can you say, ‘we’re pleased’ with just seven wins?” he admitted. “But it’s part of the process of building a sustainable winner and we’re building that.”

Bradley hopes the off-season additions, upgrading the roster as well as a culture shift in the locker room is the difference.

“I’ve seen the players take ownership of all of it. We’ve talked about creating a brotherhood, a culture of empowerment and we’re doing that.”

After all, Bradley’s whole coaching philosophy of giving the power to the players to answer to themselves and one another is still an experiment. Bradley has ceded the power to the players but not the responsibility. He can’t slough that off. Wins and losses remain with, and the responsibility of the coach no matter what he does. And seven wins in two years won’t cut it.

So is Gus on the hot seat?

“I never think about that,” he deflected as an answer. “I’m going to just do the best job I can and not worry about that.”

If he’s not on the hot seat, at least it’s a bit warm. If Shad Khan believes in GM Dave Caldwell and how he’s building the team, then it’ll be another year before he starts to question if the Jaguars have the right head coach. Bradley was Caldwell’s choice, so right now they’re a tandem. Upgrading the roster to be competitive in the division has taken time, but three drafts and three shots at free agency should be long enough to make the Jaguars competitive.

That means no more double-digit losses, no more 30-0 halftime scores leaning the wrong way. Khan knew it would take time and he has had patience. But I’m sure that is running thin as a competitive person. The team has to show signs of improvement, and that doesn’t necessarily mean a bunch of wins, but they have to be a team that looks like they can compete with anybody when they take the field.

There will be battles for just about every position in training camp, except quarterback. And still, Blake Bortles is the lynchpin for any success the Jaguars hope to have. If he makes the expected improvement from year one to year two, they’ll be OK. If not, trouble is brewing. On day one of training camp, he picked right up where he finished at the mini-camp.

Luke Joeckel has to show he was worthy of a first round pick in 2013. Last year was basically his rookie year and he played like it. “I’ll have a whole offseason to work on my strength, my weight and my technique,” he said in the losing locker-room following the Jaguars final game in 2014. He’ll have to fulfill all of that to merit keeping his job. He’s working with the first team.

Zane Beadles will have a battle with rookie AJ Cann for the left guard spot. Beadles didn’t produce as expected as the Jaguars free-agent prize last year but that could have been because of the lack of experience around him. If he doesn’t hold the job, the Jaguars will move on and let him find work elsewhere.

At center, Luke Bowanko showed flashes last year but the Jaguars brought in veteran Stephan Wisniewski to shore up that position. Either Bowanko shows consistency, because they like his size and athleticism, or he’ll be on the bench. The right side of the line has Brandon Linder, a second year player at guard who will continue to be solid, and brought in Eddie Parnell to start at right tackle. Parnell is a veteran player in terms of years in the league but doesn’t have many miles behind him as a starter.

The biggest acquisition in 2015 was Julius Thomas. Listed as a Tight End, Thomas can do a lot of different things on the field. Off it, he’s equally impressive. He’ll make the Jaguars better instantly. If not, it won’t be his fault.

TJ Yeldon will start at running back. He’s smooth, finds holes and can gain yards. But he’s not a home run threat with his speed so Denard Robinson needs to emerge as just that: a running back who can take it to the house. Yeldon did fumble in his first day in camp, and that’ll be a question asked early in his career, much like it was asked when he had the same problem at Alabama.

At wide receiver there are a lot of questions. Can Marqise Lee stay healthy and in the game? Will Alan Robinson become that physical threat teams fear? Who else might emerge? Tandon Doss? Alan Hurns again? Anybody?

On defense there are injury concerns and with Sen’Derrick Marks and James Sample on the PUP, we’ might not know until half the season is gone how good the team might be defensively. But they have competition at cornerback and with Paul Poszlusny back at middle linebacker and Telvin Smith gaining a lot of experience last year as a rookie, they just need a “Leo” to emerge like veteran Chris Clemons, who reported to camp on Friday, Andre Branch or even Ryan Davis. At safety, Jonathan Cyprien needs to play like a third year player, or he’ll be watching from the sidelines soon.

The sleeper on defense is Jared Odrick. He’s impressive physically and like Thomas, brings a lot of locker room presence the Jaguars can use. He should make them better right away in the middle of the defensive line.

Without the idea that of all of the new additions or players will meet their highest expectations, the Jaguars roster should be out of the bottom third of the league.

They’re hoping that translates into an equal improvement in the win/loss column.

Last week’s unsubstantiated, wacky report out of one of the London newspapers about Shad Khan buying Tottenham and moving the Jaguars to London literally made me laugh. Partially because I know just enough about the London papers to know they’re willing to print just about anything, true or not, and partially because the sum total of discussions I’ve had with Shad in the last four years point in the exact opposite direction.

Remember Shad’s comment about a homeless guy in Detroit having more “mojo” than business people in Jacksonville? In getting to know Shad’s personality, his way of speaking if you will, that was more of a nudge than a complaint. Shad’s humor is pretty dry, and quick and if you’re not paying attention, sometimes you can think he’s not joking.

Standing on the end line of Craven Cottage two years ago, Khan wistfully looked over the pitch and asked me, “Can you imagine an NFL team on THIS field?” Our discussion wound through locker rooms, seating, field condition, attendance and other particulars but it was pretty clear to me, Shad will have the Jaguars on that surface at some point. Either an open scrimmage or a practice or something.

In that report, the most laughable thing was that Shad would sell Fulham and buy Tottenham. Shad LOVES Fulham. He’s said numerous times, “It’s not just buying a soccer club in London, it’s buying the right club.” He’s proud of Fulham’s reputation, the fact that they have a neutral stand. He loves the neighborhood and how Craven Cottage fits into its surroundings. And recently he’s been given approval by the city of London to rebuild the Riverside stand at the Cottage, a cantilevered style that the city is allowing him buy or use footage out over the Thames to build. Jaguars president Mark Lamping is a director of Fulham FC and is helping oversee the building project. And if you know anything about Shad, he’d never sell the team after the lack of success on the field. Fulham was relegated last season. He won’t stand for that. Plus his original investment has been cut about in half because of the TV rights in the EPL versus every other league. He’s not selling Fulham.

There are now rumblings that Khan doesn’t want to play in Tottenham’s new stadium in 2018. No surprise there. The NFL has committed to two games in the new stadium starting that year, but recently they’ve played three games a year in London. And their plan is to have eight games in the city by 2021. The NFL can’t figure out how to put a team in London and make it competitive. With travel time and scheduling, right now it’s not possible. That’s why Khan has promoted the Jaguars as “London’s team.” Last year he told me they were studying extending the contract to play there (2015 is the 3rd of four years in the current deal) and no doubt they’ll announce a new deal while they’re in London this October. (Ryan O’Halloran of the TU reported it will be against Green Bay)

Plus, Shad is not a “downsize” kind of guy. Tottenham’s stadium will hold 61,000; Wembley’s capacity is 90,000 and is the national stadium. That’s Shad’s style. Let’s not play down the street, let’s play in the national stadium.

And as one NFL Owner told the Sports Business Journal, “Shad owns Fulham.” Khan is very competitive, very loyal and no doubt would look askance at Tottenham with a dubious eye regarding putting his football team in a potential competitors stadium. Shad is also “brand proud.” Fulham is his team.

Those close to Khan are repeatedly amazed by his stamina and his determination to get things done. If you saw his proposal for the Shipyards project, you know he doesn’t do anything “small.” While some developers where thinking about a glorified strip mall on the property, Khan is envisioning something along the lines of the Sydney Opera House. Iconic. Landmark. Identifiable.

I asked him if during the planning process for the Shipyards he had to tell the designers, “bigger?” He gave a wry smile and said, “several times.”

Khan understands the lasting impact he can have on North Florida, perhaps for generations. He’s a firm believer that cities only flourish with a solid downtown core. He’d like to start at the Stadium and the Shipyards and move west, helping renovate and reinvigorate the city. He had a passing interest in buying the Suns to centralize what was going on at the sports complex. Perhaps with new owner Ken Babby and alliance will form.

And with new civic leadership, things might move quicker than expected.

I’ve said all along Shad Khan will try to drag Jacksonville into the 21st century. Hopefully, we’ll go along.

Over the next three weeks the Jaguars will have their On-field Team activities. Three for this week and next, and four the final week leading up to the summer mandatory mini-camp in mid-June. As of now, none are open to the public but the Jaguars have said they’re working up a schedule for the mini-camp and when fans can attend.

With 90 players on the roster, the Jaguars will give a look to a lot of players as the turnover in the league almost guarantees that there will be 20 new players on the opening day 53-man roster. With the team active in free agency, it appears they could have six new starters just from the players they signed. Add TJ Yeldon and perhaps another draft pick in the starting lineup and last year’s 3-win team will look totally different. This year the Jaguars will have no less than 20 rookies on the field for the OTA’s.

In these workouts we’ll see a lot of players in new positions as Gus Bradley and the coaching staff looks to upgrade wherever they can.

One spot they’re set at is quarterback with Blake Bortles entering his second year. He’s learning a new offense but fulltime work in the offseason at “quarterbacking” is something Bortles says he really enjoyed. “I didn’t have to worry about getting into a three-point stance and learn how to run a 40,” he told me recently. “I got to work on quarterback stuff, and that was cool.”

Bortles worked in the offseason in California with noted quarterback coaches and we’ll see some of the fruit of his investment in this OTA. Last year his ball fluttered and he was a little unsteady at this time but 2015 should show a whole new Bortles. He organized some informal passing camps in California while he was working there so he built some reps with Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marquis Lee.

Those three receivers have to make a big leap this year if the Jaguars passing game is to improve. Robinson has to stay healthy, Lee has to get off to a faster start and Hurns has to catch the ball more consistently. Receivers coach Jerry Sullivan said he thought they gave Lee “too much, too soon” last year, but that should fade away, despite a new offense. They do need another receiver and whether he comes from somebody on the roster or somebody who will eventually available is still up in the air.

While you can’t tell much without any pads on, I’m curious to see how AJ Cann looks among other professional linemen. Cann is big, fast, athletic and smart. But he might be a bit a project for the Jaguars. Nonetheless, his story could be intriguing.

We’ll look for how they get Julius Thomas and Marcedes Lewis on the field at the same time and who’s getting most of the reps in the backfield. Yeldon is penciled in as the starter and general manager Dave Caldwell said keeping five running backs is not out of the question since they won’t have a fullback on the roster this year. Toby Gerhart is hoping last year was an anomaly when it comes to injury and Denard Robinson will get some time as a kick returner. Both Bernard Pierce and Storm Johnson will have to impress in a lot of ways to make this roster.

And perhaps one intangible is going to be hard to figure out in these practices. Losing Dante Fowler for the year before he even got started certainly had a sobering effect on the rookie mini-camp and we’ll see if it’s a hangover in the next three weeks. While the Jaguars haven’t signed an edge rusher to replace Fowler’s spot, they could be looking at their roster or at the waiver wire in the next couple of months. That could be answered in the next three weeks.

And in the defensive backfield have they found the answers? Between free agency and the draft as well as players returning from injury, the Jaguars know who they expect to start back there. But that was the same situation last year and it played out differently.

What they’re hoping is this OTA period produces some answers, not more questions.

Day One of the NFL Draft is all about the hype and the hoopla, the guessing and the second-guessing. Fans are engaged, bright lights capture every prospect and the now-traditional hug between a draftee and Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken on a life of it’s own.

Now the real work starts.

From the 2nd through the 7th round you could call it the “scouts draft” as teams mine for players who have what Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell calls “tremendous upside.” Alternating between the 3rd and the 4th pick for the rest of the draft, the Jaguars need more hits than misses and with only 7 picks this year, consistently building the team through the draft means most of the 2015 class needs to make, and stay on the Jaguars roster.

“Offensive Line, Defensive Line and Quarterback,” Caldwell said after taking Dante Fowler in the first round. He followed his own philosophy, following Luke Joeckel and Blake Bortles with the edge pass rusher the Jaguars so desperately need.

Now there are a lot of different directions the Jaguars could go and several talented players that will be available at the top of the second round when the Jaguars are on the seven-minute clock in Chicago. The problem is, the most talented players have some baggage that tends to have the Jaguars shy away from those issues.

They’re missing a traditional free safety and although Landon Collins from Alabama has played some of that position in college, he’s a more traditional strong safety, a spot Jonathan Cyprien currently holds. At some point they’ll have to figure this position out, and perhaps they think Collins can develop pass coverage skills.

At wide receiver, they’re still waiting word on Justin Blackmon but as Caldwell says “he’d be a luxury” if he’s reinstated and who knows how long he’d stay eligible. Jalen Strong from Arizona State is a popular WR pick here but Dorial Green-Beckham from Oklahoma is perhaps a better player. Green-Beckham has some serious red flags regarding his character so he might not even be on the Jaguars draft board. “If there were nine last year,” Caldwell said when asked about players who were a no-go, “there’s more this year.

They’d probably like to take an offensive lineman here, but La’el Collins from LSU is part of a murder investigation. He’s first round talent. TJ Clemmins from Pitt could be a possibility.

Beefing up the linebacking corps is a priority and with first round talent Randy Gregory on the board, they’d have to make a decision regarding consistent drug use that he’s admitted to. Perhaps Eric Kendricks from UCLA is on their radar.

And following Caldwell’s statement that you “can’t have enough big bodies,” defensive line is clearly on their board. Owa Odighizuwa from UCLA and Eddie Goldman from FSU will both go somewhere in the top of the second round.

While they have holes and depth issues all over the field, the most glaring hole is at running back. With both Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon gone in the first round, Tevin Coleman from Indiana is rated around this spot by most teams. They might think that Denard Robinson and Storm Johnson can carry the load with Bernard Pierce pushing for a roster spot, but they need more than the RB’s on the squad.

It’s a big of a puzzle with moving parts as the Jaguars look at players like WR Greg Jennings in free-agency to see of he brings something to the field and the locker room that a rookie can’t. Same at running back.

Plenty of choices for the Jaguars to trust their scouts and their instincts.

It didn’t take long for Dave Caldwell to establish himself as the General Manager of the Jaguars. With his now famous “Not even if he’s released” comment regarding Tim Tebow’s availability, he let everybody know he’s going to do things his own way. During that same press conference Caldwell was asked about his philosophy in building the franchise. “Building through the draft is the best way,” Caldwell said. “Offensive line, defensive line and quarterback are the key positions to build,” he finished, outlining his plan.

So going by that template, Caldwell has acquired his offensive lineman (Luke Joeckel), his quarterback (Blake Bortles), and now apparently is looking at the defensive line for the 2015 draft. While there’s a lot of disinformation and smoke screens out there at this point (“They’re all smoke screens” I told a friend yesterday) its pretty easy to come up with a plan that the Jaguars are looking at for 2015.

“You have to be prepared for any scenario,” Caldwell said at the pre-draft luncheon last Friday. “I like to challenge people with their convictions,” Head Coach Gus Bradley added.

I asked Caldwell last Friday if he has identified the best player in the draft. “I think so,” he said with a smile. (Gus Bradley by the way said he thought they were still looking at “Five or 6 guys.”) “Will you take him if he’s available at number 3?” I continued. “Yes,” Caldwell said emphatically and with a bigger smile. It’s the same question I asked last year and Caldwell was honest with his answer. “If the player we want is there, we’ll take him. And I know who that player is.”

One other thing might have given some insight into the process tonight. Caldwell said, “You can never have enough big bodies,” when asked about a defensive lineman.

Putting that all together, the Jaguars have several possible scenarios for the draft. 1. Take Leonard Williams. If the two quarterbacks are taken at one and two, the Jaguars have their pick of every position player on the board. Williams is the consensus best player in the draft and I don’t think they’ll pass on him. Yes, Dante Fowler looks like a good “Leo” fit for Gus but this team needs solid players to build around and Williams is that guy. Considered a “hippie” by some scouts, Williams is from Daytona and the Jaguars liked him when they saw his pro day and interviewed him.

2. Trade down. If one of the quarterbacks is there, this is a real possibility. Moving out of the top 10 might keep this from happening but if getting the Browns 12th and 19th picks is part of the deal, it could happen. If the Jaguars can stay in the top 10 and move down picking up more picks, that’s also a possibility because behind Williams they have about 5 players rated horizontally on the board, all with the same grade.

3. Draft Dante Fowler. This only happens if Gus and the Coaching staff sway the scouts and the personnel department, including Caldwell, that Fowler could be the missing “piece.” I doubt it, but it’s possible.

4. Draft Amari Cooper. While this has been a popular notion the past couple of days, I actually think the Jaguars like Kevin White a little better because of his size and how he might fit into the current offense. Mostly a smokescreen to see who wants to jump up.

It all starts at 8 tonight. The Jaguars have the third pick around 8:35.

Full coverage on News4Jax and News4Jax.com

As the new assistant coaches filed into the “Media Lobby” each one exuded the high energy, “Lets get this done” attitude that Gus Bradley is famous for. Bradley often talks about things being a “good fit” and reiterated that today when talking about hiring different offensive assistants in the last couple of weeks.

“Can you all work in the right direction? That’s what I was looking for in the interview process.”

Bradley said there are things about the football business that aren’t pretty when it comes to putting your staff together year in and year out. Bringing in Kelly Skipper as the running backs coach means he had to tell Terry Richardson he wasn’t working with the Jaguars any longer.

“Its just part of the business. Greg (Olson the new offensive coordinator) felt strongly about Skipper so we made that change. Terry did a great job for us but that’s just part of the business.”

Bradley noted that Richardson almost immediately had a new job at the University of Maryland as their running backs coach.

Hiring Greg Olson put some changes on the offensive staff in motion. Doug Marrone came in as the new Offensive Line coach and added assistant head coach to his title as well. Olson wanted Nathaniel Hackett as his quarterbacks coach so Frank Scelfo was pushed to a job called Senior Offensive assistant.

Marrone was the puzzling hire, not because he’s not the right guy but opting out of the head coaching job in Buffalo after an ownership change and landing as a position coach in Jacksonville didn’t seem to make any sense. Bradley said he didn’t ask Marrone why he left Buffalo. “I sensed a lot of humility in him.” Marrone was asked why he left Buffalo and said he didn’t have anything else lined up.

“It was a three or four day window and we made a family decision to leave and ended up here.” When I asked Marrone if he had settle in yet he said “absolutely.” Apparently his wife has some family in town.

As each assistant paraded through, I asked them about Gus’ commitment to the culture he’s trying to create here.

“You feel it as soon as you walk in the building,” Skipper said.

“It runs through everybody,” an excited Hackett blurted out. “I’ve only been here three days but I can hear it from everybody.”

Marrone admitted that the kind of environment Bradley has created doesn’t exist on every staff. “It’s great,” he said when asked about his input. “You owe it to the team to give your input and Gus welcomes that. You have to hear from everybody: sometimes you’re the guys who has to make the decision but taking input is important.” Interesting perspective from a guy who’s been a head coach and sees how he thinks this thing can work.

Bradley’s adjustments on his staff have brought a lot of experience and new ideas to the table. It’ll be the third playbook in four years for the Jaguars offensive players and although Gus has been looking for developmental coaches, he knows that making the players on the roster better now is a priority because winning games is going to be the barometer soon.

“We’re not going to run the Raiders offense or the Bills offense, ” Olson said echoing Bradley’s thought about where they’re headed on offense. We’re going to find out what Blake’s good at, what we can do and build around that.”

Bradley admitted that he thinks, “We need to run the ball. We missed some opportunities. We need repetition.” But he also acknowledged it has to happen fast. “A lot of work in a short time. Look at our current players, free agents, the draft. We’re working on all that.”

Bortles is working out in California, something Olson thinks is important. “He’s working with Drew Breese, Aaron Rodgers, he’s learning how to be a pro.” Bortles has plenty of company in California among his Jaguars teammates. And although the coaches can’t talk football with the players until April, it’s not keeping the players away from the stadium or working out. Thirty players showed up on Wednesday morning for lifting and a complete workout.