JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Charles from Riverside
Hello, John. As you have pointed out, maybe the biggest story of 2026 is the ability of the Jags to repeat another great winning season. The team really surged in the second half of last season. I assume part of that was early on having to learn a new playbook for a totally new offensive scheme? And it seemed the Jags got way better eliminating all the pre-snap motion false starts and illegal formation penalties as the offense matured. What does this pre-snap motion accomplish, and why is it such an important part of Coen's system?
Pre-snap motion – and getting in and out of pre-snap formations and looks – indeed is critical to Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen's offense because it forces defenses to shift correspondingly to stop the play. The quarterback in Coen's offense goes to the line with options to change – or "kill" –the called play and shift to a better play based on what he sees from the defense. That "kill" when executed properly gets the offense into the proper play and increases the play's chance for success. It's not an easy offense to learn. Coen discussed this openly often last preseason and early last season. There may have been times he simplified part of the pre-snap stuff – particularly early when the penalties were costly – but he never abandoned it because he knew to abandon it was to abandon much of the offense's potential effectiveness. He knew the penalties were growing pains and knew, too, the reward for plowing through the pain. That reward was having one of the NFL's best offenses by season's end and there's no reason to think that will change in 2026.
JAY from THE BURG, FL
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 4,007 yards last season, 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and played in 17 games. He did that with a lot of great players, but not a 1,000-yard receiver. Why? Because other than running back Travis Etienne Jr., no one else played in 17 games. Media and fans demand a lot from these men – sometimes while they deal with life's most difficult mental and physical struggles. As Mr. O has said, it's a tough man's league. Players work mentally, physically and in recovery so they can perform. It's one of the most demanding forms of labor on the planet. That's where the urgency comes in. It's a 24/7 job to be great on the field and in life. It's tough and it comes at you fast, but it becomes easier when you win.
Injuries were a reason the Jaguars didn't have a 1,000-yard receiver last season. Circumstances such as depth at receiver and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers joining the team in Week 10 also played a role. Perhaps the biggest reason was one Coen mentioned prominently Monday following 2026 Organized Team Activities Day 4 practice: "The ball gets spread out in this offense to multiple different players. It doesn't really just feed through one person." That bears repeating, which maybe we'll do someday. Coen on Monday mentioned this when discussing wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., adding, "When you're not getting 15 targets a game, it's kind of hard to simulate 1,300 yards." That can be applied to most Jaguars skill players. When you're this balanced, it's harder to have individuals produce eye-catching statistics.
Mike from St. Augustine, FL
As a lifelong Jags fan, these are the players /coach I really don't like at all: Quarterback Steve McNair, running back Eddie George, defensive end Jevon Kearse, cornerback Samari Rolle, tight end Frank Wycheck and Head Coach Jeff Fisher. In fact, I don't want to drive by a sign in Yulee about some guy named "Derek" and really anything to do with that team these people all have in common. Go Jags.
I'm sensing a theme. And it's "Derrick."
Mark from Jacksonville
Ed from Danvers, MA is a wimp lame-o. We will be in Chicago in teal. Opposing fans come into our house all the time in their colors.
Ed from Danvers, MA, wrote recently discussing the wisdom of NOT wearing opposing team's colors in opposing stadiums. First thought is people within reason can wear what they want to wear to NFL games – with an important caveat being that they must wear something or risk some sort of fine or detainment. Second thought is it's important to be nice in the O-Zone and this was not nice. Third thought is to be careful with the name-calling. Danvers may be a prosperous community, but don't think Ed can't handle himself in a street fight. Be cool, Mark. Be cool.
Paul from Saint Augustine, FL
The only complaint I have about the question form is how hitting enter at the w
Good one, Paul.
Dean from Rochester, NY
Are there any jersey numbers that have never been used?
The Jaguars at some point in their history have issued all possible jersey numbers – from 0 all the way through 99.
Kerry from Millersville, Md
Hey, Zone. A note to John from Section 206 and Ed. Even Philly fans ain't the Philly fans of the 70s/80s. My family (wife, two adult daughters and two grandchildren) attended the Jaguars' 2024 game in Philly. We sat in the upper deck on the home side of the field, wearing Jags gear and enjoyed both the game (unfortunately a Jags loss) and the environment. While celebrating defensive end Travon Walker's fumble return for touchdown my eldest daughter was loudly expressing her support for the team. A group of young men several rows behind us made a very vulgar remark towards her. Even as I turned and moved to confront the young men, others in the section (all Eagles fans) both blocked me from engaging them and informed the young men that any further usage of similar language and they would ask security to remove them from the stadium. Several minutes later, after a heated discussion amongst the four or five of them, one of the young men leaned forward and apologized to my daughter for crossing the line. Fans are going to fan, and there are exceptions to every rule, but most "visiting" fan issues are not one-sided attacks against "innocent bystanders." P.S.: Last year in Nashville an entire section of Titans fans, one over from ours, cheered the expulsion of a group of drunks that had been harassing a group of Jaguars fans.
Different strokes for different folks, and so on and so on and Scooby dooby dooby, we got to live together.
James from Titusville, NJ
I know this isn't a Philly fan forum, but I want to advocate for them a little bit. I moved to a part of New Jersey just outside the Philly area and am surrounded by a lot of Philadelphia Eagles fans. Good for them! I have friends in my new community who have been Eagles fans since childhood and are now approaching their 50s. They have not chided me one bit and from my experience have been engaging and sociable people. I have even gotten most of them to check the Jaguars' stories throughout the year and some have made the Jags their second favorite team to support. I went to the game in Philly in 2022 and cheered loudly when the Jags went up by 14 and the boos in the stadium rang down harder than the rain. I was not once threatened or harassed. It was a season-ticket owner Eagles fan who even got me in the stadium that day. I had a different fan experience when I flew down with my kids to see the Jets play the Jaguars in EverBank that I won't go into because its vulgarity was beyond the pale. The "in group, out group" bias is real and I've seen fans exhibit both good and bad behavior across all teams, including the Jags. In my lived experience, Philly is raucous, but not very different than any other crazy person who cares deeply of their team. And off my soap stand I go. Thanks for letting me throw in my two cents.
Somewhere, Santa is breathing a little easier.
Jordan from Lincoln, NE
No. 35 doesn't have any standouts with Deke Cooper and Demetrius McCray probably being the top contenders. I'll go with McCray only because I don't remember Deke Cooper.
We indeed have arrived at No. 35 in this offseason discussion of best players to wear specific numbers for the Jaguars, with Jordan apparently fuzzy on just who is running this discussion. Possibilities indeed include defensive back Deke Cooper and cornerback Demetrius McCray, with running back Deji Karim (2010-2011) and fullback Le'Shai Maston (1995-1996) and … Lean to McCray? Perhaps. Sure. Why not?
Richard from Jacksonville
Who's the best Jaguars player whose last name started with "A?" 😂
Defensive tackle Tyson Alualu.
Jonathan from Jacksonville
The team need stephon Didds, we need to get him.
Well, if the Jaguars need Stephon Didds, then I say they should go sign Stephon Didds. You didd say Didds, diddn't you?
