Jaguars receivers coach Jerry Sullivan isn't fond of the idea of Cecil Shorts resting his injured hamstring until Week 1.
Shorts suffered a strain in his hamstring during the first practice of training camp on July 26. The initial prognosis was that Shorts would miss at least two weeks. He missed most of the offseason program with a calf strain.
Shorts has already been ruled out for tonight's preseason opener against Tampa Bay at EverBank Field.
There's still roughly a month left until the Jaguars open the season at Philadelphia on Sept. 7. Sullivan, in his 42nd year of coaching, is hopeful Shorts will be able to return to practice well before that date.
"I don't care if you play 10 years, you still need work," Sullivan said. "I don't care who you are or how long you've played. Because you've been there, it helps you, but it's not the same. It's kind of like Gus says, 'You can't learn how to swim by reading a book. You have to get in the water.'"
The 26-year-old Shorts is entering the final season of his rookie contract. After barely playing as a fourth-round rookie in 2011, Shorts caught 55 passes for 979 yards and seven touchdowns in his second season but his production tailed off last year. He comes back in 2014 as one of the team's most experienced WRs thanks to influx of rookies from the draft.
Jaguars news
