“I don’t even know if he remembers telling me that, but one of the things I remember him saying to me during (2023 training) camp was, ‘It’s moving so much slower for me now,” Robinson said. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s going to have a hell of a season.’ He has the potential to have a great season.
One of the reasons for Etienne’s effectiveness: his 354 yards after contact, which ranks him second in the NFL behind San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. He also leads the NFL with 17 broken tackles.
“One thing that always stands out when watching film is his contact balance, how well he just takes contact and doesn’t throw it off balance,” Robinson said. “That’s a really underrated part of any great guard’s game, is being able to shoot without completely knocking yourself off balance.”
Kirk also discussed contact balance and Etienne’s elusiveness, adding: “Some backs just have a knack for not falling, and I think he has that. The first guy never drops him “It always takes more than one. He’s always fighting for extra yards. He’s one of those slippery guys. He’s just hard to bring down.”
And while Etienne, ranked second in the NFL through eight games, has been a topic among Jaguars observers in recent weeks, Etienne said it’s not a major concern as the Jaguars exit their bye week 9 and are preparing for the second half of the season.
