JACKSONVILLE -- Let's get to it . . . Doug from Jacksonville:
All good things must come to an end. Ripken, Brad and Jennifer, .49-cent fish sandwiches on Good Friday and now the O-Zone streak. I feel empty. I feel abandoned. Now I know how Oliver Twist must have felt. It's all over.
John: Fear not, Doug. All is not what it seems. Somewhat to my surprise, I got several emails Wednesday evening concerned that the streak had ended. I assure you it did not. The O-Zone posted as usual on Wednesday morning, but due to a technical glitch – read: I posted it incorrectly – while it appeared in our "Headlines" sections all day, it did not initially appear under the usual O-Zone section. I fixed this Wednesday evening, so the streak goes on. Look out, Cal. And Doug, we haven't abandoned you around here. At least not yet.
Corey from Orange Park, FL:
Need aside, who do you consider the two players with the most upside in this draft?
John: Ezekial Ansah and Tyler Wilson.
Tim from Southside:
O, just wondering what you call all of the Ozone readers? Here are my guesses: Ozone-ians, O-diots, O-Fans, O-Stalkers, GM Wannabees or just Jag Fans? What say you?
John: If you're reading this, I don't think you want me to answer this question.
Johnny from Palatka, FL:
I'm with you on not picking a cornerback at No. 2, but I kinda ain't, too. If Milliner is really a shutdown corner (I hate myself a little for using that phrase) and takes away half the field, do we really want to play AGAINST him? It seems like having him is a double-whammy: we get him, and our opponents don't. I'm open to reasonable debate about this.
John: The Milliner question comes down to the same dilemma as many draft questions, and that's, "What's the true ability of a player?" Draft-isms are based on generalities, and as is the case with any generality, there are exceptions. Is corner usually a position you take at No. 2? No. But if a corner is truly a shutdown, elite corner, then is he worth the No. 2 selection? Sure. Would Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Champ Bailey or Darrelle Revis been a good selection at No. 2? Again, certainly. Many NFL observers don't put Milliner in quite that category. That's a point against, but this is a weird year for the draft in that there are no superstars. If Milliner is a lock to be very, very good for a long time, then who knows? That's why the draft is so fascinating. If there were hard, fast "isms" that everyone could follow and win Super Bowls, it would be easy. It's not easy.
James from Socorro, NM:
Mike Mularkey, after his first minicamp practice, "was extremely pleased with the focus and really liked the tempo," and we know how that turned out. Consider my current enthusiasm tempered.
John: Point taken. Minicamp stories only go so far. The real stuff comes in the fall. We get it.
Steve from Jacksonville:
Major respect for your lack of socks in the last video. Bet you'd wear them in Indy.
John: Not as often as you'd think.
Darrick from Jacksonville:
The Jaguars have more cap room than the other three AFC South teams combined. Beyond the obvious and looking at the available talent, how do you see the team leveraging this advantage?
John: By being smart and not using it to make bad decisions. The Jaguars can roll over that cap space into future seasons. They're going to continue being smart and signing reasonably priced free agents this offseason. That's the best way to use that money – by not using it stupidly.
Don from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL:
Were all the helmets in a row?
John: Now, that's funny.
Tommy from Jacksonville:
Music is a nice touch to practice. It certainly helps keep tempo alive. What artists and genres were represented?
John: It has been a pretty wide variety across many genres. A lot of hip-hop, of course. My highlights Wednesday were Steve Miller and Bob Dylan.
Keith from Jacksonville and Section 150:
I would counter Chris from Crestview that they can't change things based on what happened "here" in the past, but they can certainly change things based upon what happened "there" in the past, as in Indy & Atlanta.
John: Yes. There is certainly that.
Alfie from Jacksonville:
John, when will Gus let you pick the practice playlist? We need some good music in there.
John: I think we're a long way from that, although I may be able to talk someone into some Dropkick Murphys.
Kenny from Jacksonville:
Do you ever want to come through a computer screen when you see "Tebow and Jags" in the same sentence? On the other hand, being that you see every side of well . . . everything working with the team and coaches, what are your best guesses as to this year's win/loss record?
John: I'm not trying to avoid the question, but it's so early in the process that it's really difficult to project record. Right now, you don't look at the roster and think, "Wow, this is the most talented team I've ever seen." At the same time, I believe things have to go really, really wrong to have a disastrous season, so I believe the Jaguars will be better than many think next season. My early thoughts are they win at least five games, but I'm sort of thinking along Gus Bradley's lines for now. Let's see how this team looks after some months together. You never know how good young teams that believe in themselves can be.
Tudor from St. Augustine, FL:
*Sigh...Phillip from Bunnell FL. It never ends John. How do we reach these kids?
John: You don't. You have to just let them learn for themselves. Maybe they will and maybe they won't, but if this argument hasn't been decided to one side or the other, it's not going to get decided here.
James from Orange Park, FL:
Do you ever wonder if you are really not all that lazy and it's just that the rest of the world works too hard?
John: I used to wonder about that. It was way too tiring.
Jojn from Jacksonville:
A reader asked for the NFL to "reinvent the running game." They just did that when they outlawed running backs leading with their head. How many yards will MJD get when he can't run in the style that made him great?
John: Jones-Drew and other backs will adapt. That's what players do when new rules are implemented. I'm not saying I'm crazy about the change, but I don't believe it will dramatically hurt running games.
Robert from Bartram Park, FL:
John, has anyone asked Monroe's thoughts on the Jaguars possibly drafting Joeckel or Fisher with the second pick?
John: No. Then again, no one's asked Jeremy Mincey or Jason Babin about the Jaguars using the No. 2 selection on a pass rusher or Leo-type player. Blaine Gabbert was asked Wednesday about the possibility of the Jaguars drafting a quarterback, but those questions are typically reserved for the quarterback position. Monroe, I imagine, wouldn't be thrilled with the prospect. At the same time, he's a professional football player, and professional athletes welcome competition. I wouldn't expect Monroe to answer anything to the contrary.
Josh from Lynchburg, VA:
That dang clown is my only Arch enemy.
John: You see him, too?
Marcus from Jacksonville:
The Falcons are rumored to be looking to trade up in the draft. They spent big a few years ago to trade up for Julio Jones. Do you think there's any chance they would trade all the way up to No. 2, or is that too much of a jump from No. 30?
John: Never say "never," but it's almost certainly too big of a jump. I suppose the Falcons could theoretically offer something close to their entire draft class, but I can't imagine there is a player at No. 2 the Falcons would covet enough to do something so brazen.
Andrew from Mazaar Sharif, Afghanistan:
David from Monterrey, Mexico certainly had a thought-provoking question. I'd want to be the safety that calls out a screen, blows past the linemen before they get in position, and drills the back just as the ball touches his hands.
John: The question about what player I'd want to be on what type of play has fostered some interesting thoughts from readers. I have rethought my answer. I first said I'd probably be the punter stepping out of bounds on the intentional safety. I now realize I'd probably be a kick returner – fielding the kick, taking an abbreviated step toward the opposing end zone before flipping the ball carelessly to the ground and running screaming and crying through the tunnel in the back of the end zone.
Barry from Jacksonville:
Caldwell saying he has two players in mind makes perfect sense to me. He has the second pick. He probably has what he considers the best pick and also the second best pick in mind. If either is taken ahead of him, he chooses the other. This isn't rocket science . . . it's football, baby! Oops, no question yet . . . ummm . . . What's your favorite color beer, John!
John: Is "free" a color?