JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Armand from Jacksonville

Will Trevor work with the receivers during the dead zone?

This already happened. As he has done in previous offseasons, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence worked out with multiple receivers following the official 2025 offseason program and '25 training camp. He did so this past weekend in the Bahamas with wide receivers Dyami Brown, Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter – and kicker Cam Little – as evidenced by video Brown posted on social media. Loyal O-Zone readers – and he knows he is – likely know I'm not a huge believer that such offseason work is all that necessary for successful seasons. I'm also not certain if this work does all that much to improve performance on the field. I am a believer that such a trip does a lot for camaraderie and team-building, and it's certainly a good offseason look considering Lawrence never has played with Hunter or Brown – and considering he played with Thomas only in 10 games last season. However much work the foursome can get can't be a negative. And it was cool to see.

Ryan from Apopka, FL

Was that you I saw snapping the ball to Trevor in the Bahamas or did your invite get lost in the mail?

They asked. Not to embarrass the foursome, but it was closer to begging. I had to decline. Wood filler needed to be applied to the garage apartment steps and I needed to look over the crawl space. The guys were disappointed, naturally. I'm a great "hang."

Ryan from Apopka. FL

Was watching the video of Trevor, the wide receivers and Cam Little in the Bahamas. I noticed that the second day Trevor put on pads. Is there a big difference for quarterbacks throwing with or without pads on?

Yes, it's the difference between throwing essentially unencumbered and throwing … well … encumbered.

Woody from Dunlap

KOAF: Have been prowling football-related sites to try to understand the importance of the new regime's focus on Trevor's footwork. Found some analytics, which drove the point home to me. In 2024, at Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield had 335 pass attempts in which he released the ball in less than 2.5 seconds. Over these 335 attempts, his adjusted completion rate was 85.6 percent with 27 touchdowns. Both of these stats led all NFL quarterbacks. This information reveals: (1) the reason for the emphasis on footwork (with most throws under 2.5 seconds, there is no time to "adjust" your feet before releasing the ball); and (2) the effectiveness of new Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen's approach when you have a quarterback with solid footwork and quick release. Of course, such a quick release system also requires receivers who can create separation rapidly. It appears we now have this ingredient as well. Go Jags!

And there you have it.

Roy from Orange Park, FL

TRADE MACHINE!!!! I know how much you hate trades being done . Ramsey and Such... lol

The Miami Dolphins apparently traded former Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers in some sort of deal Monday. It may or may not have been a good trade. I stop concerning myself much with deals involving former Jaguars players once they've played for three teams. Trades feel sort of redundant, inevitable and not all that interesting at that point.

Sonny from Melbourne, FL

I tried to send this the day Bradford asked the question but kept getting error messages. Don't know if it made it and you did not think it was worthy or it never got to you. But it's the dead zone so why not try again. To further answer Bradford from Orange Park, FL question, what part of Travis Hunter's deal was historic and/or made it unique to the rookie ones that had come before it? The reason it is reported to be historic is his $30.57 million signing bonus, paid entirely upfront, sets a new record-making him the first non-quarterback not drafted first overall to receive his entire signing bonus upfront. That is what I read.

And that is correct.

Chevin from Riverside, Jacksonville, FL

I enjoy literature. I want to like Ernest Hemingway and went so far as to nab a four-piece box set a while back. I began with "The Sun Also Rises" and couldn't bring myself to finish it. I have "A Farewell to Arms," "The Old Man and the Sea" and "For Whom The Bell Tolls." Should I bother?

I rarely reread novels. The task, while not as taxing as yardwork in the heat of the summer, is arduous enough that I usually don't bother to repeat. Novels therefore need to be great for me to reread. I consider Sun Also Rises, Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls perfect and important enough that I have reread all three. I'm not as big on "Old Man and the Sea" as the other three, but would I recommend reading all four at least once? Unquestionably.

Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA

Note to self: Never underestimate the breadth of the Mighty O's cultural learnings, be it cinema, music that came with a hairstyle, or good ole' book perusal!! Still quietly fuming over George Orwell not getting any mention here though, one 'fer the proletariat!

Eric Blair could play. He certainly had a "type."

Myron from Livermore

Dear, John. If memory serves, and it does not always, the offensive line that blocked in the best Fred Taylor/Maurice Jones-Drew season averaged about 330 pounds. They were big men and one of the heaviest lines in the NFL. Saying we are nastier sounds good, I guess. But, in the trenches especially, it's less about attitude (and coaching) and more about physics, ain't it? I trust in Gladwell, but shouldn't we prioritize sheer weight more if we want to be a run first-team? I understand we want athletes, but we want huge athletes, as we had in our heyday. There's a limited supply, but can this happen over a few years if we are serious about the run? Or has the NFL moved on from such simple physics? Thanks for this forum and your insight.

I confess I haven't discussed this subject in detail with General Manager James Gladstone – a.k.a., James Gladwell – but my guess from hearing him his discuss general team-building approach is that he is less about measurables than about performance. Remember: Big linemen are fine, but they must be good big linemen. There have been plenty of bad big offensive lines. Better to have a group of linemen who can really play than that are really big. And there's nothing wrong with some athleticism mixed in, too.

Scott from Aruba

We all know your typical workday involves naps and avoiding certain people. Is this easier to achieve during the dead zone?

Infinitely.

Darkseid from Apokalips

Enough about fiction; let's talk non-fiction. My fave author in that genre is Winston Churchill; his memoirs on WWII and The History of the English Speaking Peoples are great. What say you?!

I say I've never read Churchill's World War II memoirs. I have read at least several volumes of the History of the English Speaking Peoples. When you consider the scope of the effort – trying to summarize in readable fashion a historical era on that scale – it's an unbelievable accomplishment. And remarkably well done.

Deane from Hill AFB via Daytona Beach, FL

Yo, O-Zone!!! Thanks for taking my questions and reminding me of Don't Go by Yaz! Erasure was a great group, so I can see why you veered from Depeche Mode. Loved DM's Speak & Spell and Music For the Masses, especially Strangelove. Quick question about offense. Do we have a predominant formation in this new offense; say pistol, shotgun, pro-set, flying "V"...???

We shall see.

Tom from The Mean Streets of Nocatee

Being a Jags fan is a little like being El Goodo …."But they'll get theirs and we'll get ours if you can Just-a hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on."

Ain't no one going to turn you around.

Marty from Jacksonville

Hey, John, speaking of literature, I'm not sure James Clavell would rank up there with Hemingway or F. Scot Fitzgerald, but Shogun is my favorite novel of all time. Have you ever read it?

I have not read Shogun, though it was on the bookshelves of pretty much every house of every friend of mine growing up. So … one bookshelf, in retrospect.

P Funk from Murray Hill

Big Star was also a huge influence on The Replacements. Are you a fan? For those who want a question relating to football, where does The Replacements (the movie) rank in films about football for you?

I like the Replacements, though they weren't among my core interests enough for me to have much insight into them. My top football movies: Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights, North Dallas Forty, Semi-Tough and Everybody's All-American. I liked the Replacements movie OK, though I doubt I'm alone in thinking Jimmy McGinty should have signed Johnny Utah and played him over Shane Falco.