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鈥?Jacksonville’s locker room was abuzz late last season. Four guys played table tennis while others crowded around a small table for dominoes. Two 80-inch televisions were tuned to a sports highlight show Baker Mayfield Jersey , and music blared from one corner of the room.Doug Marrone, the team’s offensive line coach at the time, walked through and shook his head.“Can you believe this?” Marrone whispered.The Jaguars were in the middle of a nine-game losing streak that would ultimately cost coach Gus Bradley his job. Marrone had watched from afar for two years, witnessing an atmosphere he felt was too loose, too laid-back and too lenient amid losing.So when Marrone was hired to replace Bradley last January, high on his to-do list was to change the culture in Jacksonville. His success is one reason the Jaguars (12-6) are in the AFC championship game against New England (14-3).The ping pong table was the first to go. Dominoes followed. The locker room stalls were overhauled, too, with Marrone mixing and matching position groups and putting certain players next to veteran leaders and/or NFL role models.“We definitely threw a tantrum,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle Malik Jackson said. “Went in there and talked to him about it. Definitely wasn’t happy. I learned just to be quiet, you know, and go with the flow. He’s been at it longer than I have, and I’m just the football player. He says do this and I go do it. Just learn to follow him Mike McGlinchey Jersey , and I’m glad I did.”Marrone saved the most significant changes for the practice fields.Marrone, top executive Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell wanted a much tougher and more physical team. They drafted bruising running back Leonard Fournette and fiery left tackle Cam Robinson to complement a defense that was significantly beefed up in free agency with the addition of All-Pro pass-rusher Calais Campbell, Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye and veteran safety Barry Church.They also designed an offseason program that was more grueling than most players had experienced. Marrone’s message was clear: Go hard or go home.“You remember guys in camp talking about this took a few years off their lives,” Jackson said. “It’s pretty funny just to see us now. I guess he does know what he’s doing.”The Jaguars were in full pads nearly every day during training camp, a tortuous stretch in draining heat and humidity that left rookies and veterans questioning the process and wondering if it would pay off. It was the NFL’s version of boot camp. Break them down, then build them up.It ultimately brought players closer, making them accountable to each other and causing them to care more for each other. Winning was the final piece, and thumping Houston 29-7 in the season opener was all the proof players needed.“It was the toughest training camp I’ve ever been a part of,” said linebacker Paul Posluszny, in his 11th season. “Coach Marrone would talk to us and say, ‘Listen, I have a plan and you have to trust me.’ With that Wholesale Josh Allen Jersey Authentic Elite Limited - Nike Buffalo Bills Official NFL Football Shop , guys were able to say, ‘OK, we haven’t gotten what we wanted in years past doing things a certain way, so we have to buy in, trust the head man and know that that’ll bring us success when it’s time.’“It was difficult just because of so many changes from what we were used to. I think the most important thing is we always said, ‘Well, if it helps us win, then it’s all good.'”Jacksonville had lost 63 of 80 games over the previous five seasons 鈥?the worst record in the NFL during that span 鈥?and had been through two coaching changes.Coughlin’s return was a key part of the team’s revival, and although the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach with the New York Giants gets much of the outside credit for the team’s turnaround, the reality is Marrone was the one pushing all the right buttons.Marrone has been other places where players resisted, prompting personnel moves that would slow progress. That wasn’t the case in Jacksonville, and he credited his players for being open to change.“They gave our staff the opportunity to say Christian Kirk Youth Jersey , ‘This is what we want to do. This is what we believe in as coaches or as an organization. This is how we want to handle ourselves,'” Marrone said. “We are still working toward that. It is not perfect by any means.”It’s clearly working, though. The Jaguars are in the title game for the third time in franchise history, one victory away from their first Super Bowl appearance.“They say (stuff) rolls downhill,” Jackson said. “Well, the good stuff rolls downhill, too. … It’s all worth it when you win.” 鈥?The Latest on Super Bowl activities on Wednesday including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl week news conference. (all times local):2:30 p.m.Commissioner Roger Goodell says he was aware of the announcement of the return of the rival XFL, but hadn’t had time to think much about what it means for the NFL.Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday said league officials “want to make sure our game stays strong for the long term.” He said he would “have to see” if the NFL is asked to be involved, saying he didn’t know “enough specifics of that proposal.”WWE boss Vince McMahon last week announced the return of the XFL in 2020, during the NFL’s offseason. The gimmicky original version lasted just the 2001 season.2:10 p.m.Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL wants to build on its relationship with Mexico City after the league announced that Kansas City and the Los Angeles Rams will play there in 2018. The Rams will be the host team.Goodell was asked during his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday if other sites in Mexico, including Monterrey and Guadalajara, would be considered. He said it was something the league “may consider in the future” but for now was enjoying “such a good situation in Mexico City.”The Raiders are set to play in London for their fourth international game in five years as they finish their stay in Oakland before the move to Las Vegas in 2020.While Goodell acknowledged that the NFL has teams “in transition from temporary stadiums to long-term facilities Josh Rosen Youth Jersey ,” he said the Raiders are “an attractive team globally.”The Rams and Chargers have temporary homes in Los Angeles while a stadium that will house both is being built.1:50 p.m.Commissioner Roger Goodell has reiterated his stance that it’s not the NFL’s place to get involved in whether Colin Kaepernick gets a chance with another team.Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday that teams “have to make their own decisions as far as who’s on their roster.”Kaepernick, who sparked the protests involving the national anthem early in the 2016 season, wasn’t signed this past season following his release in San Francisco.The comments from Goodell came a day after Philadelphia Eagles receiver Torrey Smith said Kaepernick not getting a chance with another team “kind of falls in the category of an injustice in itself.”As it relates to roster decisions, Goodell said the NFL won’t “get involved in that in any way.”1:30 p.m.The NFL has hired an independent investigator to look into claims of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace against Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.Commissioner Roger Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday that former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White will lead the investigation. White has led similar investigations in other fields, including a recent one at the University of Rochester.Richardson stepped away from day-to-day operations after allegations surfaced and is seeking to sell the team. The NFL has said it didn’t pressure Richardson to sell based on the allegations.Goodell said he wants the team to remain in Carolina.1:20 p.m.Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will emphasize ways to cut down on longer replay reviews while focusing on the rule book as a way to improve officiating.Goodell said Wednesday in his annual Super Bowl address that the focus on rules will include ways to refine the catch rule, which has been widely criticized.The commissioner said the focus for reviews will be on “making sure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game.”1 p.m.Commissioner Roger Goodell is holding his annual Super Bowl week address the same day as the NFL’s announcement of a new Thursday night TV deal with Fox.There are other issues as backdrops for Goodell’s news conference Wednesday near the site of Sunday’s meeting between New England and Philadelphia.The league recently announced a player-owner committee to address causes of social justice in the wake of player protests involving the national anthem. The nickname issue involving the Washington Redskins is likely to come up again after baseball’s Cleveland Indians decided this week to remove the Chief Wahoo logo in 2019.Goodell signed a contract extension in December that runs into 2024. The deal was a source of conflict between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the six owners on the committee in charge of negotiating the extension.Jones threatened to scuttle the contract, but denied his opposition to the deal was related to Goodell’s decision to suspend star Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games..