Jack09072016

An influx of veteran and rookie talent has left a decidely faster, stronger
and more determined roster. One of those rookies, Myles Jack, took a
rough-and-tumble path to Jacksonville. Now, he’s glad to be here.
LB Myles Jack:
A rookie’s journey
BY KENNETH AMOS AND PHILLIP HEILMAN
jack
The path that Myles Jack took to the NFL over the course of the past
five months would make most grown men cry. It’s a sometimes
brutal story of injury and honesty, whispers and determination,
intrigue and fulfillment.
Many believe that Jack, drafted as a junior linebacker out of UCLA, is
the ideal cog to help fulfill Jags’ head coach Gus Bradley’s desire for uptempo
defensive schemes.
That’s a lot of pressure to put on a young man who turned 21 on Sept. 3.
This Jack, just like his namesake (hint, us), is new to the Cultural Core.
By way of suburban Seattle and Los Angeles, soon his sideline-to-sideline
defensive talents will be on display at EverBank Field for Jacksonville Jaguars
fans. Jacksonville opens the season at home on Sunday, Sept. 11 against the
Green Bay Packers.
Jack says he’s already grown quite fond of Jacksonville and EverBank Field.
After the Jags’ first preseason game, he said, “It felt electric, man. Just
coming in and with what they have done with the stadium and the vibe, it’s
great. There’s little kids swimming in the pools and then they’ve got the bar
area right in the end zone. It’s a very cool place. I can’t wait until the regular
season.”
1st &10
BLUE-CHIP PROSPECT
Jack was a star running back through his sophomore year at Bellevue
(Wash.) High School. He then switched to linebacker and led his team to
a 14-0 record as a senior. Just a few miles separated Myles from someone
who soon would become very important in his life; Gus Bradley, his future
head coach, who was toiling as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator.
It was Bruins coach Jim Mora Jr. who sold Jack on Los Angeles being
the right college for him. According to cbssports.com, before Jack had
played a single down in college, proud mom and astute businesswoman
La Sonjia (a senior executive with MicrosoftStore.com), would purchase a
Lloyds of London insurance policy to protect her then-17-year-old son that
from any serious injury or loss of value in a future NFL Draft.
Jack was the top Pac-12 freshman on defense and offense. He started
12 games at linebacker and one at running back. He ran for a UCLA
freshman-record four touchdowns in a 41–31 win over Washington.
He finished his first season with 75 tackles, the second-most ever by a
UCLA true freshman, two interceptions and a TD on defense. Named
an All-American by Athlon Sports, he received freshman All-America
accolades from the Sporting News; and he was a finalist for the Paul
Hornung Award. After his sophomore season in 2014, Jack was an All-
Pac-12 linebacker once more.
PHOTO: PHELAN M. EBENHACK/AP
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
SEPTEMBER 7-20, 2016 | jack 5