After reaching the AFC Championship Game in 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars took a major step back -- and they know it.
According to Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, who, along with the team, struggled in 2018 to regain his form from Jacksonville's division-winning campaign, the 2019 Jags have a different mentality coming into this season.
"You see it in the way guys practice," Fournette said Saturday, per ESPN. "You know some guys who kind of lack in effort, they're not showing it this year. So I think last season kind of woke a lot of guys up.
"I think we appreciate last season overall. I feel like a lot of things, individually, we all could have done to get ourselves in better shape confidence-wise coming off a great season in 2017. I think last year kind of humbled a lot of us in some ways."
Jacksonville hopped out to a 3-1 record with impressive wins over the Giants, Patriots and Jets, but won just two of its final 12 games, collapsing into last place in the AFC South. Changes were made at the quarterback position -- out went Blake Bortles, in came Nick Foles and his former QB coach John DeFilippo -- but few were executed in the backfield, where Fournette still holds court.
The running back averaged just 3.3 yards per carry in his second season and missed eight games due to injury. 2018 wasn't easy off the field for Fournette either. His guarantees were voided by the team after he got into a sideline spat with now-former Jaguars back T.J. Yeldon, and Fournette had to meet with team brass to clear the air.
Now surrounded by Alfred Blue, Thomas Rawls and Benny Cunningham, Fournette has no expectations for himself this year other than to help the Jaguars live in the win column.
"I'm not going to say for myself, but for the team, just to win," Fournette said. "Anything is better than last year, most definitely."
