Jaguars camp notebook: Getting leg up on last season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars had a lot of players play a key role in their success last year, but one of the most important contributors didn't join the team until Week 6. That's when Jacksonville made a change in its kicking game, signing Josh Lambo prior to the game against Indianapolis. It proved to be one of the best moves by the organization. In his first outing, he made both of his field-goal attempts and all three PATs. And that's the way it went for Lambo for much of the rest of the season. Lambo made all 12 field goals on his home field last year. His 95.0 percentage (19-of-20) ranks as the best in franchise history among kickers with at least 10 attempts. Jaguars special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis had special praise for Lambo. "He works his tail off. He really does. He's open to suggestions, which some of these guys are not," DeCamillis said. Lambo was waived last season at the end of training camp by the Los Angeles Chargers. He had a chance for revenge against his former team when the Jaguars hosted the Chargers in Week 10. He came through by kicking a 34-yard field goal to send the game into overtime and then added a 30-yard kick in overtime to win the game 20-17. In the AFC Championship Game against New England, he kicked field goals of 54 and 43 yards; the former was the longest post-season field goal in Jaguars history. In the wild-card playoff game against Buffalo he kicked a 44-yard field goal and a week later, he converted on a 45-yard attempt with 1:45 left in the game that sealed a 45-42 win over Pittsburgh in a divisional playoff game. --Count former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS broadcaster Tony Romo among the Jaguars biggest believers for the coming season. During an interview with NFL Total Access, Romo picked Jacksonville as his AFC favorite for Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta heading into training camp. "If I had to pick right now? It's pretty early," Romo said during an interview with NFL.com. "The thing about the NFL is that things change pretty fast. Injuries happen, a lot of stuff happens, but, if I was picking right now, I'd probably go with Green Bay versus Jacksonville. That would be a tentative rough guess here in the summer months." --Jaguars defensive tackle Marcell Dareus made national news headlines twice this offseason, once for a good deed, the other not so good. In June, Dareus made a humanitarian trip to his late father's homeland of Haiti where through his foundation, he donated $25,000 to help with the groundbreaking and dedication of a three-classroom wing for young children. And he's expected to make another large donation later on to help with school construction, teacher training and teacher salary subsidies. Haiti has gone through perilous times in trying to recover from a devastating earthquake in 2010 and damages caused by the 145 mph winds from Hurricane Matthew two years ago. "It means the world to me to have an opportunity where I can help out, give a little back," Dareus said before leaving on his trip. "I can't change the world but I can change a life." The news wasn't so good for Dareus a month later. That's when he was sued by a woman who alleged that he sexually assaulted her and exposed her to a sexually transmitted disease in April of this year. It's the second time in the last 18 months that Dareus has been sued for an allegation of sexual assault. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Dareus was also sued by a woman who says she met the Jaguars defensive tackle when he was in Tampa for the college football championship game in January of 2017. The lawsuit claims that the woman, who had been drinking and "blacked out," later woke up in bed with a naked Dareus and "began to immediately realize that there had been sexual physical acts upon her person." There is no report of criminal charges being filed in this matter. A hearing on Dareus' request to have the suit dismissed is set to be heard on Aug. 9. And now comes word that a second lawsuit has been filed against him. WJXT News4Jax reports that a suit was filed July 6 in Duval County by an unidentified Texas woman who accused Dareus of having sex with her while she was unconscious and giving her a sexually transmitted disease three months ago. The woman is seeking damages in excess of $15,000.