During the 2016 and ‘17 seasons, when Myles Jack navigated through his NFL transition period, he could always count on veteran Jaguars’ linebacker Paul Posluszny to provide clarity when he had questions about the playbook, his on-field responsibilities or anything personal unrelated to football.
Now the 26-year-old Jack is in position to impart the same knowledge on second-year linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, and the Oakleaf High product — a fourth-round draft pick from Miami in 2020 — is soaking it all in.
“Myles has been a very big help in my process in becoming a Jaguar,” said Quarterman. “He’s the first person I go to for any type of advice since I got the call that I was coming back home. He is really showing me how things are done as a pro, and I really appreciate that.
“I’ve gotten a chance to hang out with Myles, get to know him outside of just the building, and I really do appreciate him as a savvy vet taking me underneath his wing.”
If the Jaguars are truly going to ascend in the Urban Meyer era, this is the kind of professionalism and camaraderie they need in the locker room to take that step. Players have to pay it forward — even if it means helping someone who eventually takes their job — because that is the very essence of being a team player.
“It’s cool because I feel like it’s a disservice [not to be a mentor],” said Jack. “Even as human beings, when you get a piece of information, your job is to pass it down to the next generation, just so they can kind of speed through what you messed up on. That’s really what I try to help Shaq with.”
Taking cues from Poz
When Posluszny took Jack under his wing in his first two seasons, he was in his early 30s and knew the second-round pick from UCLA would soon be taking somebody’s linebacker spot. Sure enough, when Posluszny retired after the ‘17 season, Jack moved over from strongside linebacker and took over at middle linebacker, playing all 1,020 snaps the following year.
Now in the Jaguars’ new 3-4 scheme, Jack is more of a weakside linebacker who will stay on the field at all times. His experience playing three linebacker positions is invaluable for someone like Quarterman, who has taken full advantage of Jack’s mentorship, just as No. 44 did when Posluszny was the teacher.
“A guy that’s established as Poz is, when he decides to give you some game, you should take it,” Jack said. “That’s kind of credit to me for listening and not being a young guy and just ignoring him. That’s on Shaq, too. [There’s] just some young guys that don’t want to hear anything.
“Shaq likes to sit down, come down, ask me a question. Now we’re locker mates, so now we’re just chatting it up all the time.”
From the time the Jaguars drafted him, it was only natural for Quarterman to seek out Jack as a guidance counselor. Jack had already been in the NFL for four years, establishing himself as a durable, elite player who had earned a second contract.
“When you get a four-year vet and someone that produces the way Myles does, I don’t blame Shaq [for leaning on Jack],” said Jaguars’ pass-rusher Josh Allen. “Shaq is going to be a dog in this league.”
The Jack-Quarterman dynamic is not all that different than in 2019 when veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell took special interest in mentoring Allen, who went on to have 10.5 sacks as a rookie.
Damien Wilson, a free agent acquisition from Kansas City who starts at middle linebacker, thinks Quarterman investing time in learning from Jack will reap big dividends. Wilson sees similarities to his own NFL journey when he was mentored by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens, only a year older than him. That relationship dates back to when both were members of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Shaq is a very coachable player, extremely talented and athletic,” said Wilson. “Normally, he would soak up knowledge that anybody gives him. If it helps his game, he will take it in.
“You can depend on coaches to provide that knowledge, but having somebody that’s actually in your shoes and been there not so long ago, that’s huge. You’ll be going through a lot of things they already went through.”
Waiting his turn
Though Quarterman is currently a backup at Mike linebacker to Wilson, there’s a distinct possibility that with Meyer’s emphasis on players cross-training for different spots, he could see action at Jack’s spot if injury circumstances dictated it.
Like Jack in his early years, paying attention to how a veteran linebacker goes about his business is critical for Quarterman to be ready when his name is called.
“Coming into the league, especially in the COVID year where we didn’t have the same opportunities, we had to really roll with a lot of the punches,” said Quarterman. “[Jack] told me to prepare for every game as if it were your last game, even with having to deal with outside distractions and things going different than you planned them.”
Passing on that knowledge has been an NFL generational thing for a long time. Posluszny credits the tutelage of former Buffalo Bills’ linebacker Kawika Mitchell in 2008-09 for being a “huge influence early in my career.” So in the sunset of his NFL journey, it was a fitting rite of passage for Posluszny to do the same for Jack, and now Jack for Quarterman.
“He’s definitely mentioned how Poz used to run things and things that he’s been able to learn from him,” said Quarterman. “The big brother program, he’s really seeing how it’s affected him and his transition into the league and him just becoming who he’s been and being a great linebacker.
“So, him seeing that in me and trying to teach me the same thing, it means a lot.”
On a team where 22 new players are trying to blend in with outside free agents and other established veterans, it’s paramount for the Jaguars to forge genuine mentoring relationships if they want to build a team that has sustained success.
Myles Jack is simply following Posluszny’s teaching example. Football knowledge isn’t meant to be kept to yourself as a personal trade secret. The whole team benefits when players pass it on.
