JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
David from Orlando, FL
KOAF - I can't wait for the Jaguars' offense to start taking what it wants instead of letting the opponent's defense dictate what we can have.
This seems to indicate that you want the Jaguars' offense to call plays without regard to defensive personnel or formation. This is not something teams typically do, and it certainly runs counter to how Head Coach Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor approach offensive game-planning. The Jaguars, for example, are not going to simply line up and run into the line against a defense that has eight players in the box stop the run. This may have been something teams did in past eras, but it's not the Jaguars' way. They're not going to automatically run to establish the run. They're typically going to run against the defensive looks that make running a wise play. They're also not going to stubbornly throw into coverages if there are other throws and reads available that figure to be more successful. This is not a matter of weakness. It's just a matter of increasing the offense's chances for success.
Rocco from Southside
O-Zone - there is much anxiety over the play-calling, especially the lack of running plays. Do you believe that Taylor knows the offensive line is not physical/strong/reliable enough to make running the ball successful in key situations? We did draft a great young player (running back Tank Bigsby) in the third round, so you'd think there was a plan to run more often.
Number of run plays is often a topic when discussing Pederson's offense – enough so that when asked about "run-pass balance" in his Monday press conference he smiled and said it felt as if he were back in Philadelphia as head coach of the Eagles. But while fans/observers often believe Pederson's offenses aren't running enough, he doesn't look at number of carries as a measure of a team's effectiveness in this area. He's looking for high average per carry. He also considers quick passes to wide receivers – which were used often Sunday – as extensions of the running game. This is because this scheme uses those plays to get out of run plays that will go ineffectively into stacked boxes and get the ball to receivers to run against better numbers outside the tackles. The number of run plays that happen in a game are therefore often not reflective of how much the Jaguars plan to run entering a game. Nor do they necessarily reflect how the coaches feel about the offensive line. There actually isn't a set number of times they want to run entering a game. The circumstances of the game and defensive looks usually dictate that number.
Scott from Gilbert, AZ
Zone, I know you've never expected rookies to be difference-makers and I'm guessing your response here will be something to the effect of, "The Jaguars have a lot of good players." But shouldn't your rookies be counted on to contribute something…? Right tackle Anton Harrison got abused on Sunday. Tight end Brenton Strange has zero receiving targets through two games. They totally went away from running back Tank Bigsby against the Chiefs after his Week 1 game to forget. Defensive lineman Tyler Lacy has one run stop assist and outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah has been credited with two pressures. I don't expect rookies to be impact difference makers either, but that is about as close to zero production from a rookie class through two games as there could possibly be.
It was Week 2 last week. It's Week 3 now.
Todd from Chicago, IL
What do we think the offensive line looks like when Cam comes back?
I expect Cam Robinson to play left tackle upon his return from a suspension in Week 5. I expect Walker Little to play left guard with Luke Fortner at center, Brandon Scherff at right guard and Anton Harrison at right tackle. This is a guess. This is only a guess.
Steve from Nashville, TN
This is a team and coaching staff that I would not expect to lose back-to-back home games?
Putting a question mark at the end of a declarative statement does not automatically make it a question?
Mike from Lakeland, FL
Looks like the offensive line may prove to be the proverbial "Achilles heel." Going to have to play a lot better against stout defensive fronts to win those games.
The Jaguars' offensive line hasn't played as well as I expected early. I wonder if that has something to do with injuries to Scherff and Fortner. Little also was dealing with a hip issue late in camp, with Bartch returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended his season last October and Harrison having a shoulder issue in camp. Injuries and aches sometimes linger and can affect performance. It's hard to tell, but that's what I wonder.
Robert from Charlotte, NC
What is an "Injury Bug" and how do i squash it?
Kill it with fire.
Don from Marshall, NC
Name one coach or player – or anybody, for that matter – who worked harder to win than Tom Coughlin. You're not going to find one. He is a football legend and Go Jaguars!
Former Jaguars Head Coach and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin worked hard. No doubt. Many NFL coaches work hard. The Pride of the Jaguars is incomplete without Coughlin. Don remains "all in" on this.
Ted from Duuuval
I really think they should stop calling the plays that don't work and only call the good ones. Come on, Press!
Good eye.
Bill from Hammock, FL
Zone, Cam Robinson's suspension ends while the team is in London for the week. Is he allowed to leave with the team prior to the suspension ending or will he need to fly over separately. Also, can he practice the week before the game or will he even be able to play against the Bills?
My understanding is Robinson will be able to fly with the team to London for the Week 4 game even though he is suspended and will therefore be with the team and ready to resume all football activities when his suspension ends for Week 5.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
The AFC seems to be in a weird spot so far this year. Nobody has established themselves as the team to beat and there are already a bunch of injuries to important players. Losing to KC sucked, but if we can stay healthy, then everything will be fine.
OK.
Drew from Buford, GA
While I'd have loved to have beaten the Chiefs last week, a Week 2 result doesn't mean much in the course of a season. It's easy to bounce back from that. But I really don't want to see the O-Zone inbox if we lose to the Texans...
The Jaguars' game against the Houston Texans Sunday is in a very real sense bigger than this past Sunday's game against the Chiefs. This is because it's a home AFC South game and it's against an 0-2 team with a rookie quarterback. It's the sort of game teams that control their own divisions win. This doesn't mean the season's over with a loss. But it's fair to expect a good performance and I would expect fans to be displeased with a loss.
Jason from Jacksonville
How do you think the Jags' offense is going to look this Sunday vs the Texans?
Better.
Bradley from Sparks, NV
I'm guessing the frustration of Jags fans is fractional compared to the actual team and the Texans appear weak in the trenches.
I never expect "blowouts" in the NFL. This is because the losing team usually has to make unforced mistakes and the winning team has to do a lot right for a blowout to happen. I expect the Jaguars to be the better team and to show this by controlling the game early and making plays to be in control of the game late. I expect them to win. That's more important than a "blowout."
Steve from Wallingford, CT
Ok John. I have a question about the salary cap. If a team finds themselves with a lot of cap space left in the current season, can they use it to pay up on sign-on bonuses that are due in the future and have it count against the current cap? Say quarterback Trevor Lawrence signs for a guaranteed $200 million, and the team finds that in the second season they are $70 million below cap. Can they throw that at TLaw's guaranteed and clear some off the future books?
Teams can roll unused salary cap space into future seasons, so you really don't have to rush to pay out bonuses in the current season for the reasons you cite.
Daniel from Geneva, Switzerland
O-man, when Taylor Swift breaks up with her new boyfriend and writes a hit song about it do you think that song is going to rank up there with your love of your favorite Clash song?
I don't see how it couldn't.
