JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Sid from Sidsonville
We have a great defense and an improved offense. What are the areas this team needs to make improvements? What are the current weaknesses?
We'll get a better idea about this topic when the Jaguars start working in pads in training camp, but on paper they improved this offseason in the areas they needed to improve: interior offensive line, receiving tight end, punter, etc. The Jaguars need to make sure their backup running back situation is what they want, and strong-side linebacker and right offensive guard will be training-camp issues. Look for there to be camp battles at both spots, with Leon Jacobs/Blair Brown strong possibilities at strong-side backer and A.J. Cann the likely starter at right guard. The biggest area they need to improve from last season? The thought here is the running game. While the Jaguars ranked No. 1 in the NFL in rushing last season, they weren't as good running in the second half of the season in the first. And when they absolutely needed to run in the second half of the AFC Championship Game, they couldn't. This team wants the running game to be its identity. It's not going away from that identity. If that's the case, it needs to be better in key situations than it was last season.
Ann from Mount Pleasant, SC
Do you know the dates of practices open to the public?
The open practices for 2018 Jaguars Training Camp are expected to be announced soon.
Daniel from Jersey City, NJ
O-man, I was just thinking. In Week Two when we destroy the Patriots in way that is reminiscent of our Dan Marino Retirement Party, the day shall be forever known as the Tom Brady Retirement Party – the day that everyone realized a new era has arrived! #DTWD?
Sure.
Bill from Hawthorn Woods, IL
Decode something for me. When Doug Marrone says that Myles Jack did not have the kind of conditioning he wanted to be on the field, and keeping him out wasn't a medical decision, what is he saying? Is it that Jack did not come into minicamp in the kind of shape expected ... or something else?
Jack missed or was limited much of the offseason with an unidentified medical issue. He had returned to health enough entering this week's minicamp that the team considered having him practice during that time. Marrone said this week he didn't think Jack had gotten his conditioning quite to the level that Marrone wanted, so the decision was made to keep him out of minicamp. He is expected to be 100 percent entering training camp. Marrone wasn't saying Jack was out of shape; he just wanted to be smart about bringing Jack back from injury.
Mike from Atlanta, GA
A question got me thinking on the Jaguars' offense of the late 1990s. How underrated were they as a unit? I was thinking why Jimmy Smith didn't have greater statistics than what he ended up with. I believe that was because the unit as a whole was very good. They had Tony Boselli and Leon Searcy on the line, Kennan McCardell and Jimmy Smith on the outside, and also Fred Taylor and Mark Brunell. Along with random contributors like James Stewart and Tavian Banks. Maybe the lack of a Super Bowl win is why they don't get more recognition amongst the larger NFL fan base.
The lack of a Super Bowl victory or appearance certainly hurts the unit in terms of reputation among the casual observers. Here's who does appreciate that team: players who played against it. Smith, Boselli and Taylor in particular were among the NFL's best two or three players at their respective positions for an extended period of time – and players who played against them absolutely will tell you that.
Brian from Jacksonville
As the Jaguars continue to build towards being one of the few elite teams in the NFL, who on the coaching staff is in place to take over as a coordinator when the guys in place get opportunities elsewhere? It feels like some of the best systems/teams around the league promote from within in order to keep their schemes and verbiage consistent from year to year. It's a huge theme through the offseason how Blake Bortles is benefitting from consecutive years with the same offense/coordinator.
I wouldn't say there are any official coordinators-in-waiting on the Jaguars' staff, though there are certainly a lot of quality coaches I can envision moving into coordinator and perhaps eventual head-coaching roles. Secondary coach Perry Fewell has coordinator experience and would seem a logical candidate were defensive coordinator Todd Wash to get a chance at a head coaching position. Quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich has coordinator experience in the World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League, and he also has served as a head coach with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. He could be an option if offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett moves on.
Sean from Manassas, VA
Not sure what I find more disgusting: learning that Shadrick has his own podcast now or your use of the phrase "the first delicious lick of success."
Don't kid yourself, Sean: You may not want to admit it yourself, but you know deep down you liked them both.
Scott from New York City
Aside from the mandatory nature of this week, what's different than the last few?
You're asking the difference between mandatory minicamps and organized team activities – and the answer is, "Not much." The rules for what players can do are the same – i.e., no pads or contact but seven-on-seven, nine-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills allowed. Coaches often do try to get different things done in terms of installation in a minicamp practice as opposed to an OTA practice, but the mandatory element of minicamp is the only major difference.
Don from Lake Mary, FL
As I expected, over the last two weeks I've become use to the new website format and the extra ads … it is what it is. It occurred to me that that the NFL is first and foremost a money-making business and is notorious for finding new ways to earn a buck from its fans. I may be wrong. I'm just spit-balling here, but perhaps the plethora of ads has something to do with the fact that this a FREE Website! I'd rather skip over the ads than pay a monthly fee to enjoy this media space. Am I crazy, Oehser?
Yes, but this theory isn't why.
JP from Mesa
I am a lifelong Jags fan currently living in the Southwest. Do you have any advice or recommendations for a fan making a trip out for the home opener? I went to the Cardinals-Jaguars game last year, but this would be the first game I have seen in Jacksonville since the 12/21/03 game versus the Saints that ended with the missed field goal.
I'm bad at giving people advice about what to do at a Jaguars home game because I work during games and don't experience them as a fan. A couple of thoughts, though. One: leave your accommodations early and plan to arrive early; traffic was a lot more of an issue late in the season last season than it had been for a long, long time. And if you get there early enough, swing by the Bold City Brigade/Teal Street Hooligans tailgate. You may not respect yourself when it's over, but you'll probably regret it if you miss it.
Scott from Jacksonville
What's the over/under for player arrests during the dead zone?
This is a smart-alecky question that deserves a smart-alecky answer, so I suppose the answer is yeah, there's a chance that a young person in their early-to-mid 20s might do something silly or ill-advised in a six-week period. It's not ideal, but it is life.
David from Oviedo, FL
O-man - The Jags have a lot of talent on the defensive line. If I were another team, I would be ready to pounce on a few after the final cuts. How many defensive linemen do the Jags keep? Which defensive lineman are locks and which will be on the bubble?
The Jaguars do have a lot of talent on the defensive line, though I don't know that it's accurate to say they're going to have to release a bunch of Pro Bowl defensive ends come early September. I think the Jaguars will keep nine-to-10 defensive linemen: end Calais Campbell, end Dante Fowler Jr., end Dawuane Smoot, end Taven Bryan, end Yannick Ngakoue, tackle Abry Jones, tackle Marcell Dareus, tackle Malik Jackson, tackle Eli Ankou and perhaps one other –depending on needs at other spots. I would consider the first eight I mentioned locks. We'll see.
Freeze from Jacksonville
A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
I'll google this.
Charity from Florida
When do y'all start playing
Show starts at 8:30. I sing bass. (For the free drinks).
