JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Greg from Section 122 and Jacksonville
You said Shad is at the top and knows his choices in management/coaching so far haven't been good. Isn't it time he admits maybe he is out of his depth on this? Shad might be a GREAT business owner as evidenced with his huge monetary success but owning an NFL franchise ISN'T a simple business and the ones who are paying for this are the FANS. It is way past time Shad hires someone to take the reins and let them run the team. Keep owning the team, but hire someone with EXTENSIVE football knowledge to run it completely. I don't see another way this team becomes successful unless Shad gets out of the way. You would think 10 years of absolute sucking would finally get the message this isn't working.
I am getting a slew of emails these days about this concept. But while I understand the Jaguars have been mostly unsuccessful under Jaguars Owner Shad Khan, I don't quite get why people forget that this concept – experienced "football guy" to run the organization – was precisely what former Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin was for nearly three seasons. That was Coughlin's role. He was in charge. That was the formula. Extensive knowledge. Experience. That it turned out to be the wrong fit at the wrong time doesn't mean that wasn't the structure. Yes, it's a structure that can work – but most management structures can work if the right people run them. As far as Khan's "football knowledge" – no, the Jaguars have not been successful enough under Khan. Not even close. But very few NFL owners truly know about running a football team. Most owners hire football people and get out of their way. This is what Khan has done. He has tried various ways of approaching this. It's not yet clear what his approach will be this time. But he's not going to sell the team or stop acting as owner. He will depend on knowledgeable people to inform his decisions to some degree and hope the people he hires make good decisions and have good fortune. Either way, it's incorrect to say Khan has simply tried the same thing over and over for a decade. He just hasn't.
Mike from Mandarin, FL
John, Shad Khan has got to do better and I mean much better. Sunday was a good crowd for a horrific franchise. He has got to do better.
Sunday indeed was a good crowd considering how Jaguars have played recently – and considering the circumstances around the season. Khan is the first to tell you he must do better moving forward. No doubt. Yes. Yes.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
Next year we will have the quarterback, first pick and a massive amount of cap space. It's safe to say who our owner gets at coach is the most important hire in Jaguars history.
Yes. Once again.
Zac from Austin, Tejas
Part of my frustration is that I've heard the same handful of names as "building blocks" for years. Nothing actionable has changed except for an unproven quarterback's name added to the list.
Your frustration is understandable. It's fair to be frustrated. The season was a mess. It wasn't as it was supposed to happen. Progress was promised. Progress was not delivered. The Jaguars will dust off and try again. I don't know what else they're supposed to do.
Braddock from Jax
Who cares about pre-draft hype? Billy Beane was a can't-miss prospect too, see how that worked out? I just think those comparisons are stupid. Just because the entire league was wrong about Herbert and Mahomes doesn't make them less of prospects. The rest of us knew they would be good to great. Funny how there are so many people employed in this league that quite frankly are terrible at their jobs. Want an example? Mike Mayock. Far from perfect as a general manager but is better than a lot of guys and he was just a fan with a platform a few years ago. Including myself, I know a dozen people that could have done a better job with the draft since Tom Coughlin was picking in the late 90s. It's pathetic to me.
Your question was about prospects and the draft, so it by definition involved "pre-draft hype." The league being "wrong" about Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes and ranking them as "can't-miss" prospects is exactly what made them "lesser prospects" than Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It didn't mean they wouldn't be good players, but it absolutely made them lesser prospects. As for your scouting acumen, perhaps it would have been better than people currently employed in the NFL. Perhaps you missed your calling and would have been a Hall-of-Fame general manager. Perhaps fame, riches and the ability to shout from the mountaintops "I Am The Ultimate Football Guy and Wealthy Beyond My Wildest Dreams (and Really Cool, Too!)" would have been yours had you committed yourself to this profession and not whatever you chose. Alas, we shall never know.
Mark from Fletcher, NC
If one is completely objective, TL would be ranked at the bottom of all rookie QB's this year. Agree?
Not at all. Pretty much all rookie quarterbacks this season are struggling to some degree. The exception is New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, and the Patriots have done a remarkable job allowing him to play to his strengths. Most of the other quarterbacks – including Lawrence – have not been so fortunate. Lawrence in a very real sense has been asked to "carry" a lot of the offense and to do so without the benefit of playmaking receivers. Few rookie quarterbacks can do this.
Mike from Atlanta, GA
The drama around former Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer was exaggerated? I'm kind of a tip of the iceberg guy. What we see in public is just that, what *we* see. It far more often than not indicates much more going on than the public sees. Who among the fans actually knows what was going on day to day, hour to hour? We only have a handful of stories some going back to preseason. Those stories painted a picture of what type of person we had. I assume much more was going on that we all don't know about. Was the drama perhaps under-exaggerated (if that's a thing)? On a side note, most of the players, at least the older ones, are pros and can work and do their jobs with people they don't care for. I think it takes a lot of motivating to get players to start talking to reporters on background about their coach.
Fair.
David from The Island
Does James Robinson get a new contract this offseason?
Running back James Robinson signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted collegiate free agent shortly after the 2020 NFL Draft. As such, he is eligible for a contract extension in the 2022 offseason. I expect the Jaguars will try to reach an agreement for such an extension. Any definitive answer on this will be impossible until we know the identity of the Jaguars' decision-makers and how those decision-makers feel about Robinson.
Frank from St. Augustine, FL
Looking ahead, this Sunday is our Super Bowl. If we beat the New York Jets and then both they and the Detroit Lions lose the rest of their games, we're suddenly drafting No. 3. We should be able to trade out of No. 3 with greater ease than with the No. 1 pick and a poor selection of quarterbacks entering the draft. The season's looking up, Johnny!
If you say so.
Scott from Aurora, IL
I mean, the offense is (by professional standards) very bad. But the defense has single-digit takeaways. So, there's that.
Yes. While the Jaguars' defense has been very good at times this season, it has allowed too many early scoring drives and it hasn't generated enough takeaways. A big reason for the takeaway total is the Jaguars have played with very few leads and takeaways often come when teams are forced into difficult situations offensively. If a team is playing with the lead, it often is going to play more conservatively to avoid a game-turning mistakes. But even considering that, the Jaguars' seven takeaways this season shows they must get more disruptive players defensively. That's a priority.
CAPT Bob from Jax via Westchester County, NY
Well, Big John, I'm a survivor. I survived leukemia (38 years out, given six months) and HEP C. Now I survived last Sunday's painful loss and a fall down the north end zone wet stairs. Nothing will deter me from seeing this season through and in the stands. We are so blessed to have this team and already looking forward to next season. All must remember at the end of the season there is the inevitable cry of 31 teams, " next year". God bless and Merry Christmas. GO JAGS!
Keep survivin', Big Bob. And bless you, too.
