JACKSONVILLE – No bye? No problem.
The prevailing thought among Jaguars players all week – that not having a bye this week won't be a big deal – remained the thought Friday.
"I consider it the same as the rookie wall or the sophomore slump; it's the same as all that," Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith said as the Jaguars (2-1) prepared to play the New York Jets (1-2) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Sunday at 1 p.m.
"You've got to just keep going. It's a mental thing."
The Jaguars on Sunday beat the Baltimore Ravens 44-7 in their fifth game in the last five seasons at Wembley Stadium in London. The Jaguars have had a bye the week following their last four London appearances.
The prevailing thought once was that teams needed a bye following paying in London to recover physically from a long flight, international travel and the difficulties presented by a short week and sudden time change.
"It's really strange," Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny said, "because now that we're doing it, now that we're in it … no problem. In years past you said, 'Oh, you need the bye afterward.' But when we looked at the schedule and said, 'OK, we're playing next week. We have to get back and reload,' we said, 'OK, let's do it.'
"Now, it feels like normal Friday. We were able to get back into a normal week of preparation."
Also around the Jaguars Friday:
*Safety Tashaun Gipson was added to the injury report as questionable with a knee injury. He worked on a limited basis in practice Friday.
*Linebacker Lerentee McCray (knee) and wide receiver Jaelen Strong (hamstring) were ruled out for Sunday after not practicing all week. Linebacker Donald Payne (hamstring) was listed as questionable after not practicing Wednesday and Thursday and working limited Friday.
*Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone said adding a linebacker to the roster was possible because of the injuries to McCray and Payne. "We're just going to see where we are [Saturday] before we leave,'' Marrone said. …
*The following players are expected to play Sunday after being listed on the injury report this week: center Brandon Linder (knee), defensive tackle Abry Jones (groin), defensive tackle Malik Jackson (groin), quarterback Blake Bortles (right wrist), cornerback Jalen Ramsey (ankle), linebacker Myles Jack (ankle) and offensive tackle Cam Robinson (shoulder). …
*Marrone had high praise for rookie strong-side defensive end Dawuane Smoot Friday: "I don't want to say a pleasant surprise, because we really liked him coming out. I think he's done a lot of good things. For a young football player, he doesn't seem to play like a young player. He loves the game, gives great effort, is a student of the game and he's a very smart kid. I've seen him getting better and better each practice.''' …
