What Jaguars' Anthony Campanile Thinks Eric Murray, Jourdan Lewis Bring

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is taking on one of the tougher jobs in the NFL this season, tasked with quickly turning around a Jaguars' defense that was arguably the worst in the NFL last year.

After a year of blown coverages and assignments and relatively soft play compared to past Jaguars defenses, Campanile will be completely hitting the reset button on the Jaguars' defensive identity. But he won't be doing it alone.

Joining Campanile will be several additions the Jaguars made to the roster this offseason. Arguably, the two most important are veteran defensive backs Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray, each of whom will be asked to play central roles in changing the Jaguars' defensive fortune.

“I think those guys are communicators. You really gain a ton when guys are good communicators on the back end, because to us, when you’re talking about the pillars of defense, that’s number one.," Campanile said about the duo after OTAs earlier this week.

"Communication leads to anticipation. Big plays are made with anticipation."

Communication and big plays are two things the Jaguars lacked all over the defense last season, but especially in the secondary. It seemed like a weekly trend for the Jaguars to give up big plays over the top as a result of some kind of error in the secondary, whether a physical or mental one.

And that is exactly why the Jaguars went hard after both Murray and Lewis this offseason, and exactly why Campanile sees them making a big impact.

If I know it’s one of two things, I’m going to be super aggressive and have the opportunity to seize the moment and make a play. That often happens with guys who are good communicators and guys who are focused. A veteran guy usually brings that to the table. But they’re elite in that regard, and not just that. They’re both really good players," Campanile said.

"I have a ton of confidence in those guys, and I think the guys around them have really enjoyed having them around because they’re a great sounding board for them. They’ve been a big help to some of the younger guys. Like I said, great communicators, that kind of brings a calm to everybody out on the field.”