Jaguars' Anthony Campanile's Leadership Draws Grand Praise

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, there might not be a more important coach not named Liam Coen than first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.

After a year in which the Jaguars' defense was amongst the worst in the NFL in most major categories and most players saw their production shrink compared to the previous year, Campanile will now be tasked with turning the unit around.

But it will take more than a keen eye for defensive schemes and techniques for Campanile to do so. He will also have to win over a Jaguars locker room that frequently was not on the same page as the last defensive staff.

Players can often spot when a coach and leader is not their genuine self. Establishing who you are as a leader is pivotal for any new coordinator, and all signs are Campanile has -- and then some.

"They can, and I think the guys here have. That's my take," Jaguars senior defensive assistant Bill Sheridan said at the end of OTAs.

"I think -- I don't want to speak for the players. I think our players have totally fallen for Anthony Campanile. And honestly, they should. That's my take on the time I've been here."

Sheridan was not on the staff last year, so he has no context for just how bad things were for the defense on and off the field a year ago. But what he has seen since being hired is a defensive roster that appears all-in on Campanile.

"No pushback, nobody raising their eyebrows. None of that, you know. And we haven't played a game yet. But you know what I mean. No, I think the players have been great with him. And you would too if you're around him. Would be very hard not to fall for him. You know, he's just a very genuine guy," Sheridan said.

It isn't just Sheridan saying it, either. In fact, this has been the word player-by-player this offseason as they have described Campanile.

"Coach Camp [Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile] has been awesome this whole time. He’s never changed. I know everybody says the mentality, the personality, the person that he is, he’s a lot. But it’s nice," Josh Hines-Allen said earlier this offseason.

"Because you step into that meeting room, you’re going to expect one thing. It’s not just screaming. It’s the passion, it’s the love. It’s the love of the game that he has. Calais [former Jaguars DE Calais Campbell] always told me, man, if you want to be great at something, you’ve got to love it, you’ve got to respect it. For me, he gives off that. He respects the game. He loves it. He loves the team. He loves the players who are playing for him. That can only give us trust and faith that if we go out there and give them everything we’ve got, I would love to keep seeing that upbeat… When he’s calm, that’s when it’s like, alright, somebody’s about to get cursed out. In a good way.”