Fournette: Disappointing 2018 season 'humbled' Jaguars

Fresh off a shocking AFC Championship Game appearance in 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered last season as one of the favorites to make the Super Bowl.

Instead, the Jaguars lost seven straight games after a 3-1 start to the campaign, ultimately finishing last in the AFC South at 5-11 amid a host of injuries and lackluster performances from top players.

Among the most notable disappointments was running back Leonard Fournette, who missed nearly half the season due to a hamstring injury and was ineffective when healthy following a stellar rookie year.

Fournette said on Saturday that last season was a dose of reality for all Jaguars players.

"I think we appreciate last season overall," Fournette said, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco. "I feel like a lot of things, individually, we all could have done to get ourselves in better shape confidence-wise coming off a great season in 2017. I think last year kind of humbled a lot of us in some ways."

Fournette's off-field issues somewhat overshadowed his on-field regression.

The tailback was suspended for one game after an altercation with Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Shaq Lawson, and Jaguars VP of football operations Tom Coughlin publically criticized Fournette's demeanor on the sideline while sitting out the team's regular-season finale with a foot injury.

Moreover, some attributed Fournette's persistent hamstring issues to poor conditioning, and the 2017 first-round pick said in December that he "could be in better shape."

But with the humbling experience of last season behind Fournette and the Jaguars, the running back has witnessed a noticeable change in the club's approach to training camp.

"You see in the way guys practice," Fournette said. "Some guys who kind of (had a) lack of effort, they're not showing it this year. So I think last season kind of woke a lot of guys up."

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