Jaguars Jalen Ramsey fuels more controversy with article comments

It’s becoming more and more obvious that Jalen Ramsey is a growing headache for the Jaguars.

The real question becomes, will his play in 2018 live up to the aggravation and frustration, he’s regularly causing? This comes three days after the team suspended him for “conduct unbecoming a Jaguar” for his behavior after teammates Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue had an altercation at the end of practice.

Now, an extensive and rhetoric heavy interview that Ramsey did with GQ Magazine and GQ.com, posted online Wednesday morning. And you have to believe that when Jaguars VP of football Tom Coughlin, and coach Doug Marrone were made aware of the article/Ramsey’s comments, they were fuming.

Jalen Ramsey keeps it real: "I'm just me, unapologetically. I don't really care… God didn't make me to be on this Earth by myself. Somebody gonna like me. So if a couple people don't like me, I'm not tripping. I am good." https://t.co/YD62P7v5an

— Clay Skipper (@SkipperClay) August 15, 2018

Ramsey began to rant in the Q and A on quarterbacks, including ones that Jacksonville will be playing this season

On Ben Roethlisberger (Week 8)

“Big Ben [Roethlisberger], I think he’s decent at best… It’s not Big Ben, it’s [Antonio Brown]. Big Ben slings the ball a lot of the time. He just slings it, and his receivers go get it. He has a strong arm, but he ain’t all that. I played him twice last year, and he really disappointed me. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame and all that.”

On Bills rookie Josh Allen (Week 9)

“I think [Buffalo Bills draft pick Josh] Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback. He played at Wyoming. Every time they played a big school—like, they played Iowa State, which is not a big school in my opinion because I went to Florida State, and he threw five interceptions, and they lost by a couple touchdowns or something like that.✞ He never beat a big school. If you look at his games against big schools, it was always hella interceptions, hella turnovers. It’s like: Yo, if you’re this good, why couldn’t you do better? He fits that mold, he’s a big, tall quarterback. Big arm, supposedly. I don’t see it, personally.”

Ramsey did have respect in the article for upcoming opponents Deshaun Watson of Houston (twice) and Carson Wentz of the Eagles,

“Deshaun Watson, he’ll be the league MVP in a couple years. One hundred percent. There’s not even a debate about that. Him and Carson Wentz, for every year starting now until five to ten years, it’s gonna be them two. They’re that good.”

He went on to rip Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, but praise others, including his own QB Blake Bortles in the article.

He also praised new Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, as “a winner. He’s a hell of a competitor.”

However, in the dynamic of this week, the team is in Minnesota without Ramsey, and Fowler, too, holding practices Wednesday and Thursday. His teammates will play Cousins and the Vikings Saturday afternoon.

However, even though he’s not present, you have to believe that Ramsey’s comments will have him front and center on Wednesday and beyond.

The challenge for the Jaguars is can they minimize what Ramsey is doing negatively off the field and have it not be an issue as the “real football” gets going in September.