JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
John from Jacksonville
Hi, King of Zone. The only things missing from the euphoria on the field Sunday after the victory were the confetti and the trophy. I wonder if the Dolphins woke a sleeping giant. There's something about the sweet feeling of victory and the Jags have been steadily improving week by week. Could we see a strong November and December with a handful of wins? No, I'm not talking playoffs, but it could be a surprising season after a slow start. Who knows?
There was no reason for confetti or a trophy. The Jaguars won one game Sunday when they beat the Miami Dolphins, 23-20, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. Not two. Not three and damned sure nothing to merit a trophy, confetti – or even surgar-y cake and juice boxes. The euphoria that did occur following the victory was fine and the players/coaches should enjoy it during this bye week. They earned it. They also should listen to rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who immediately following Sunday's game was quick to say that winning one game doesn't mean winning more after that. This team won a game in as close a fashion as possible, doing so against a struggling team and needing a lot to go right to do it. Yes, they're steadily improving each week. Yes, that should give confidence moving forward. But they need to keep improving to have a chance to make the second half of the season surprising and successful. We'll see if they can do that.
Mike from Atlanta, GA
They tried running Cover 3 zone Sunday. A lot of what I saw go wrong with that was linebackers not getting enough depth so the tight ends or receivers would just scrape right across behind the linebackers playing the middle zones. But I also saw receivers just getting really open with some of that being in pure man coverage. Whatever the problem it isn't scheme. Where do they go from here? Does Tyson Campbell play on the outside or nickel when he returns? Will they start Tre Herndon opposite Shaq Griffin?
The Jaguars will keep trying to improve the coverage. Whether they have enough corners good enough to do this remains to be seen. I expect rookie Tyson Campbell will start opposite Griffin, and Campbell obviously needs to play better upon his return than before his toe injury. Griffin, who signed as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, for the most part has been fine. Beyond that there has been too much inconsistency. This remains an area to watch.
Bradley from Sparks, NV
Will the Jags have enough cap room to target Green bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams in free agency?
The Jaguars should have ample salary-cap space to pursue who they want to pursue in free agency next offseason.
Bruce from Saint Simons Island, GA
Taking it one game at a time … Seattle is without quarterback Russell Wilson and although the Jags have a terrible record traveling to Seattle, I believe if currently injured players can play in that game, we can have a win streak! What do you think?
I think Seattle, even ignoring the Jaguars' shabby history there, will be a tough road trip there next Sunday for the Jaguars. I also think the Seahawks a proud, scrappy team that just almost beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh without Wilson. I also think while the Jaguars have improved, they still haven't played well enough yet to make me think they can win in Seattle with a lot going right. I could be wrong. The Seahawks aren't dominant this season. We'll see.
_Robert from Middleburg, FL _
Not the most physically gifted, but incredible vision, miss-ability and a knack for getting the maximum yards available with every carry? You just described Emmitt Smith. I know that's a huge comparison for James Robinson, but if he's anywhere close to that, I'd say he was a nice find as an undrafted free agent.
It's a huge comparison. It's also not a bad one.
Bill from Jacksonville
If Jamal Agnew - a guy brought in to return kicks - is the 2nd best wide receiver on your roster regardless of health, what does that say about your receiving corps? What does that say about your ability to surround your young, franchise QB with talented players, John?
First, it remains to be seen if wide receiver/returner Jamal Agnew indeed is the Jaguars' second-best receiver regardless of health. He had his best career game as a receiver Sunday with five receptions for 78 yards, which may or may not be a sustainable level of production for him. What would it say about the receiving corps if Agnew indeed is the second-best player of the group? Something we already know, which is that the Jaguars must be better there than they have been so far this season. What would it say about the ability to surround the young, franchise quarterback with talented players? That that needs to be better, too – and that unquestionably will be the objective moving forward.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
Trevor speaks how our coach should speak man. The young man is ahead of his years.
Fair.
Phil from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Why isn't Cisco playing? Seems like we could use a ball hawk.
Coaches for now believe veteran safety Andrew Wingard is playing better than rookie Andre Cisco and therefore gives the Jaguars the best chance to win. Head Coach Urban Meyer this week said Cisco is close to being ready to play more. We'll see.
Marcus from Jacksonville
Just curious, do turnovers on downs count for or against a team in their overall turnover ratio?
They don't count in official NFL statistics, though defensive coordinator Joe Cullen this week said Jaguars coaches included them in how they track turnovers.
Steve from Yulee, FL
Alright. Let's get to it, almighty O. I'm one of the biggest Jags fans you will ever meet and I know you are not going to want to hear me complain about the offensive line again, but my goodness the backups are outplaying the starters. Time to consider shedding the dead weight. Do you believe they can find some free agent offensive linemen to replace at least one of the tackles? If the answer is no, please explain why not.
The Jaguars' offensive line has played well pretty much the entire season, so I don't know that the backups indeed are outplaying the starters. It's possible they could find free agent offensive linemen in the offseason, but there's a long way to go before free agency begins.
Jeff from Seattle (Formerly J-ville)
I saw "ugly win" in the OZone today. Seriously? This team is at the point where any wins are gravy. The most important question is: Does the guy behind center look like he's getting better? I'm not an expert, but I saw a guy that was comfortable in the pocket, making elite throws. I can't understand how a Jaguars fan comes away from that game with any feeling other than we are on the right track.
Good eye.
KC from Orlando, FL
KOAF - I know we have done some wheeling and dealing this season so far. We definitely have areas that we have to shore up to make this team a playoff contender. Do you see us being players come the trade deadline to improve some of those areas for this season and into the future, or do you see us riding with who we have until the end of the season? I could see us doing both to build for the future, but the idea of waiting would allow for likely earlier round draft picks.
I would be surprised if there are major moves on this front. There has been speculation the Jaguars could trade either guard Andrew Norwell or left tackle Cam Robinson. That would seem to go against providing the best possible protection for Lawrence. I would be surprised if the Jaguars gave up draft capital for veteran players right now. That on the surface would seem to be focusing on the short-term in a long-term situation.
Andy Boy from Halifax
As much as it would be nice to ride our momentum into a depleted Seahawks, I am happy to get a chance to see our team heal as well. Do you/we have updates on who is expected to be back by next game?
Linebacker Myles Jack is expected to be back for Seattle, as are Campbell and offensive guard Ben Bartch.
Bob from Sumter, SC
John, I submitted a snarky email to you a while ago. Just wanted to apologize. I don't normally do that. I was part of the crowd clamoring for a 3-4 defense thinking it would make a huge difference. You were right - it's primarily about players – not schemes. Have a good day. You actually are pretty astute in your analysis.
Thank you. Being right is very "awesome."
