NFL Notes: Jaguars, Lions & Patriots

Jaguars

Jaguars OC Greg Olson and QBs coach Nathaniel Hackett had QB Blake Bortles reach out to some of the best quarterbacks around the NFL for advice.

“We wanted him to seek the quarterbacks out who have a similar style of play and guys who were at the top of their games,” Olson explained, via the Florida Times-Union.

Bortles specifically contacted Cardinals QB Carson Palmer and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

“I bounced ideas off of them and asked them, ‘What would you do differently?’” Bortles said. “Aaron was awesome. One of the things he said was, ‘Don’t try and score 21 points every time you have the ball.’ That’s what I’ve had to learn.

“Carson was good. He’s laid back, and he’s an unbelievable quarterback and leader in the NFL. He said similar things. He said, ‘Just continue to build chemistry and rapport with the guys you’re with.’”

Lions

• Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com takes a look at the Lions’ running back position heading into training camp.
• Twentyman has Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick along with FB Michael Burton making the cut this summer.
• However, that leaves Stevan Ridley, Zach Zenner, George Winn and Dwayne Washington all on the roster bubble. Twentyman mentions that this group is essentially competing for two roster spots.

Patriots

• Even after the news that Tom Brady plans to serve his four-game suspension handed down by the NFL for his role in DeflateGate, Mike Reiss of ESPN expects things to be “status quo” in training camp.
• With this in mind, Reiss could see the Patriots still giving Brady plenty of No. 1 repetitions before later adjusting things to ensure Jimmy Garoppolo is ready to open the year.
• As of now, the Patriots have an open roster spot, which Reiss believes could be used to sign a veteran quarterback such as Ricky Stanzi to bolster their depth to open the year.
• Reiss gets the sense that the Patriots aren’t close to signing LB Jamie Collins, LB Dont’a Hightower or CB Malcolm Butler to new contracts.
• Reiss points out that with Butler being a restricted free agent next year, it’s possible he could be more motivated to strike an extension with the team than the other two.
• As for Hightower and Collins, Reiss mentions that it doesn’t appear as though contract talks have progressed very far, which means New England could find themselves in a position where they franchise one of them, and then try to get an extension done with the other.