JACKSONVILLE – He's close to full go, and he's certainly close enough to really work.
And without question, Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson said being able to work during Jaguars 2016 organized team activities is a good thing.
"It's always more fun being out there," Robinson said Tuesday after Day Four of Jaguars 2016 OTAs at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields.
Robinson, who was limited early in the first week of 2016 OTAs last week, returned to close to full speed on Tuesday's first day of Week 2 of OTAs. He spoke to the media afterward, and said yes, these workouts are important.
They're important to the offense as a whole, but they're also important personally – even after a Pro Bowl season in which he set a franchise record for touchdown receptions.
"You tweak things and see as an offense what works best and what doesn't – and just kind of fine-tune some things," Robinson said.
Robinson, who made his first Pro Bowl appearance follow his 80-reception, 1,400-yard, 14-touchdown season last season, said he remains focused on improving. That means working on strength, speed and route running. He said as a team, the focus remains on improving in the red zone.
The Jaguars improved offensively last season, ranking 18th in the NFL total yardage and 14th in points scored after ranking 31st and 32nd, respectively in 2014. More improvement is needed, and Robinson said Tuesday that improvement is possible.
"I think that's something we were close to last year," Robinson said. "And with the additions of [free-agent running back] Chris Ivory and now having [wide receiver] Marqise [Lee] and [tight end] Julius [Thomas] back healthy, I think we can be a pretty dynamic offense.
"It kind of starts now, just being more consistent in practice and things like that. It's so hard in professional sports to turn it on and off, so it starts now in terms of making those plays on third-down days and red-zone days and things like that."
Also Monday:
*Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said he expects both second-year linebacker Thurston Armbrister and cornerback Prince Amukamara to practice before the end of the offseason program in mid-June. Both players have missed the first four days, working on the side in practice during that span. Bradley said he believes Amukamara's experience will help him acclimate despite the missed practice time. "He's real sharp in meetings and he understands it," Bradley said of Amukamara, who spent the past five seasons with the New York Giants before signing with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in March. "Our big thing with him was, 'Let's make sure you learn your body and learn how we're going to take you through something like this, then get back on the field as fast as possible.'' Bradley said the hope is that Amukamara can practice this week.
*Bradley called Tuesday's practice the best for the defense so far during OTAS. "It was the most productive. You hope going into it that you see it go back and forth – offense has a good day, defense has a good day … where it goes back and forth. It's coming along. The guys had some energy today, too. When you have those bursts like that it gives you a good taste as well."
*Bradley discussed second-year cornerback Nick Marshall: "He's just steady. This is a challenging OTAs for him, because we're looking for him to make big strides." Marshall signed with the Jaguars as a rookie free agent shortly after the 2015 NFL Draft and played 13 games as a rookie. "He has that mindset that we loved about him when he came in as a corner," Bradley said. "He had a good day today."
*Robinson said of fellow third-year receiver Marqise Lee, who missed most of 2014 and 2015 OTAs with injuries but who is full go this year: "Just being able to see him make progress is fun. He's one of our brothers, so when you see him playing and healthy he brings a different pace to our offense. He can take the top off, make plays and score from anywhere on the field." …
*Robinson on free-agent safety Tashaun Gipson: "He's a ball hawk." Gipson led the AFC in interceptions in 2013 and 2014 while with Cleveland. Bradley said while Gipson is vocal, it's his work ethic that has stood out thus far. "He shows up every day and what you get from him really spreads throughout the defense," Bradley said. "They know what style of player he is and it's a welcome addition."
*Robinson's NBA Finals pick: "I like Golden State. I'm going to say Golden State will win in six again." …
