Let's get to it . . . Jack from Jacksonville:
Last season, the Jaguars gambled and lost on an unproven commodity in Laurent Robinson. Should we pursue a proven wide receiver in Anquan Boldin if he becomes available? He could draw the double teams, freeing up Shorts and Blackmon to reach their fullest potential.
John: Boldin certainly could do just that. We should probably take time here to reiterate something David Caldwell has said often since taking the job – that the team is going to build by the draft with free agency supplementing that process. That's a very real concept and he should be taken at his word, so the idea that the team will pursue every player on the level of Boldin that becomes available needs to be tempered a bit, maybe even a lot. Boldin might help, but considering the Jaguars have two young, ascending players at the position and a lot of needs elsewhere it may not be the best use of resources.
Joy from 103:
The cat ears do not look like a rabbit. They look just like my cat's ears when he flattens them back and attacks.
John: I have a cat. The only thing he attacks is his food bowl. Email if interested.
Scott from Chelsea, NY:
If Carson Palmer is released, do the Jaguars take a serious look at him?
John: I doubt it. Palmer is nearing the "aging veteran" stage of his career, and David Caldwell has indicated this franchise will build through the draft with free agency as a supplement. We don't know yet precisely what that means in terms of the game plan for the coming free-agency period, but the early guess is a quarterback of Palmer's experience probably wouldn't be the route.
Dave from St. Augustine, FL:
People are crazy. Rabbit ears on the logo. Move conspiracy theories. Just crazy.
John: The internet has indeed provided a forum for all to have a voice. There are times this is a very good thing. There are also other times.
David from Kingsland, GA:
The fact that San Francisco may hold on to Alex Smith and pay him well to be a backup instead of trading him for draft picks should convince folks that teams do not believe a running quarterback can stay on the field 16 games a year. The same may go for Matt Flynn in Seattle. Could this be a new trend?
John: Absolutely. It's the most important position on the field, and if you have a starting player there with a high risk of injury, it makes sense to keep a quality backup. That said, I still wouldn't be surprised if Smith is with another team next season.
Kurt from Jacksonville:
"Ryan, let me open the window. Now, come in off the ledge. Good, good . . . yes, there." That cracked me up, John. I needed that.
John: My role as snide counselor to the irrational has kept me busy this past week.
Tony from St. Louis, MO:
Do you think the run and shoot will ever come back into the NFL?
John: Again, I doubt it. While elements of the run-and-shoot can certainly be seen in many of today's spread systems, the run-and-shoot in its truest form struggled in a couple of areas. One, it didn't show enough of a threat of an effective running game to open up all of the routes in the passing offense. It also struggled at times at the end of games to run the clock in situations where that was necessary. Finally, it did at times expose the quarterback to injury the same way the spread offenses do. The run-and-shoot was a productive offense, but for those reasons, it's hard to imagine it returning in its purest forms.
Scott from Chelsea, NY:
Rumor has it that you are a member of a secret society called Sigma Nu. Care to comment and provide details.
John: I indeed was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity while at the University of Florida. As for details, those I remember I opt to not share.
Jason from Jacksonville:
Cartoon cat, fierce cat, calico cat -- I don't care. Video boards – I don't care. New locker rooms – I don't care. New uniforms – I don't care. Just win! That is when we will begin a new era. All of this other stuff is great if winning is a part of it, but without winning it is useless.
John: No doubt. You touched on something that was asked to Jaguars President Mark Lamping at the State of the Jaguars 2013 press conference Tuesday, and he said it far better than I. To paraphrase what he said, winning obviously is the priority and it's without a doubt the No. 1 objective of the Jaguars and any other NFL team. At the same time, every team can't win the Super Bowl every year, so it's the responsibility of the Jaguars' front office/business side to be as first-class and productive in every other way other than football and the responsibility of the front-office/football side and coaching staff to produce a winning team. Along these lines, something should be clarified – the two sides are very much separate in terms of responsibilities. Lamping is focused on the business side and the improvements people have seen on that side don't take time away from football-based decisions and vice versa. They're separate entities and you can be good on the business side without taking resources or energy away from what's going on on the field.
Chris from Jacksonville:
So, Oakland is covering seats with tarps to make that stadium the smallest in the NFL. Are the Raiders moving to Los Angeles now, too?
John: You never know.
John from Lake Asbury, FL:
In your Fabulous Four segment, you stated that Caldwell is deeper into the process of evaluating the roster, while Bradley has been finishing up the coaching staff. But, doesn't Bradley report to Caldwell? And wouldn't Caldwell ultimately be responsible for hiring the coaching staff? Does Bradley pick his guy, fill out a contract and say, "Here, sign this?"
John: No, Bradley has the say on hiring the staff. Theoretically, if Bradley tried to hire a crazy person off the street with stickers on his face, a Jaguars hat propped on his head, a sketchy look in his eye and odd, nerdy glasses, Caldwell could negate that. But I already have a job. For now.
Ken from Ontario, CA:
Which do you believe is better? A solid defense that can rush the passer and stop the run? Or a high-powered offense racing to stay ahead of the other team?
John: You have to have both to win the Super Bowl – or, at the very least, you need one with the other playing well enough to supplement. If I had to have one or the other in this era, I'd take the high-powered offense. You probably wouldn't win the Super Bowl if that's all you had, but you'd probably have an elite quarterback. That can get you in or close to the playoffs every season.
Tucker from New York, NY:
Well, it's official. The Jaguars boast the most-experienced college coaching roster to date.
John: Tucker, Tucker, Tucker . . . not you, too?
William from Savannah, GA:
The change in logo is just an evolution – not a complete makeover like we saw with the Seahawks, Redskins and Eagles. This is small potatoes. Personally, the bigger change we need is more cowbell. I've just got to have more cowbell.
John: I see your transparent attempt to get your email included in this Sunday edition of the O-Zone by including the cowbell reference. I'd love to say we're above such over-the-top, bawdy humor here in the Ozone, but who would I be trying to fool?
Jack from Jacksonville:
The more Caldwell talks, the more he sounds like a Gabbert apologist. New owner plus new general manager plus new coach plus new logo plus old quarterback equals same results.
John: I get your point, but why in the world would Caldwell have a need to apologize for Gabbert? He didn't draft Gabbert and has no professional ties to him. He is in the early stages of exploring the roster, and he is evaluating the talent on the team. It's his job to accurately assess that talent, and as of early February, he has no motivation do be anything but positive in that area. Gabbert hasn't played as well as many wanted from a No. 10 overall selection, but he has ability and he was a premium draft selection. Caldwell has made the point that if he had stayed at Missouri he likely would be the first quarterback taken in the 2013 NFL Draft. That's not Caldwell saying, "I'm blindly turning the franchise over to Gabbert." It's him taking a measured approach to the roster evaluation and building process, which is, after all, his job.
Chris from Section 432:
Didn't the Broncos and Ravens both win Super Bowls the year of significant logo changes? Maybe we can follow in their footsteps.
John: I love your boyish enthusiasm. Bring it, Chris. Bring it.