JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Eugene Monroe never really thought much about his first NFL start.
He figured it would come this season. He knew it would probably come against a big-name defensive end, especially since the Jacksonville Jaguars play in a division filled with them. Other than that, he never envisioned how it would play out.
Then he started watching tape this week.
Monroe, the eighth overall pick in April’s NFL draft, will make his first start at Indianapolis and against Colts star Dwight Freeney. It could be a daunting matchup for any left tackle, especially a rookie one.
But Monroe swears he won’t be fazed by the crowd noise, the Freeney-friendly field turf or the 6-foot-1, 268-pound defender with 70 1/2 sacks in seven seasons.
“It’s real exciting,” Monroe said. “You can’t ask for it any other way, coming straight in, first game, best end in the league. Who else can say that?”
His long arms, quick feet and athleticism made him the third offensive tackle taken in the draft.
Although he made strides during minicamp and organized team activities, the Jaguars weren’t sure Monroe would be their opening-day starter after he missed the first two weeks of training camp because of contract negotiations. Monroe eventually signed a five-year, $25 million deal that included $19 million guaranteed.
Three weeks later, he had beaten out 12-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler Tra Thomas.
But is Monroe ready for Freeney?
“Dwight Freeney against a lot of people is a mismatch,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “He’s a great player.”
Even Freeney suggested Monroe could have his hands full Sunday.
“There’s always an intimidation factor,” Freeney said. “I think for me, I’ve built a certain reputation across the league. So I know I do have a reputation out there of being one of the best defensive ends. I’m sure there will be some sort of, I don’t know if fear factor is what you want to call it, but more or less a respect factor – understanding that you know I’m going to go out there and they better have their A-game up or it’s going to be a long night.”
Things certainly won’t get easier for Monroe, either.
In the next three weeks, he could face defensive ends Mario Williams, Antonio Smith, Jevon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch.
“There’s no room to be intimidated,” Monroe said. “I’m strapping up to play just like they are.”
Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes his teammate is ready for the challenge, even for the one he’ll face against the Colts.
“Very confident,” Jones-Drew said. “Why wouldn’t I be? Everybody’s like, ‘It’s Dwight Freeney, this and that.’ Why wouldn’t you want to start against the best? Why wouldn’t you want to play against the best? You don’t play the game just to play the average guys and be average. You play it to be the best. Being the best means you have to go through trials and tribulations against great players.”
The rookie might have one advantage. Freeney concedes that it’s more difficult to prepare for a linemen he’s never played against and one who doesn’t show up on a lot of Jacksonville’s game tape. Monroe, meanwhile, has teammates who have played against Freeney, a coaching staff that has prepared for him and more tape of the former Syracuse star than anyone could watch in a week.
Nonetheless, Freeney expects to have the upper hand based on experience.
“From a veteran’s standpoint, just saying, ‘OK, there’s a rookie there,’ you kind of get excited,” Freeney said. “It’s just that they haven’t learned how to play NFL ball yet. And the preseason is not really a good indication of real NFL ball. That starts in Week 1, when you really get this true taste of what it is to be in the NFL.”
Add A Comment