JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Bradley from Kansas City, MO

I think Hunter has that rare gift that can make him an instant sensation in the NFL. I just doubt his body will hold up going heavy both ways. My guess is he will either have a spectacular, short career or will have to pick one side or the other. It's the NFL, man.

Conventional wisdom agrees with you, and this topic is a big reason Jaguars rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter will be an intriguing story in addition to being an exciting one. I expect that will be true for some time both locally and nationally. There are two legitimate discussion points here. One is that because Hunter is playing wide receiver and cornerback, he may not take the physical pounding that, say, a linebacker or tight end might take. The other is that – as you note – there is a significant level of pounding in the NFL no matter the position. Stay tuned.

Pedal Bin from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK

Oh Mighty 'O'/King Of All Funk, when you say, "What I do know is the hope around this franchise feels real. The direction feels positive," as a founding member of the UK Jacksonville Jaguars Pessimists Club, I have heard this all before. Numerous times. More so since Shad Khan bought the team. So how many seasons do we give this new triumvirate of GM, Head Coach and EVP before fans start demanding sackings and change and we rip it all down and start re-building yet again? Presumably they get at least one year?

Your premise couldn't be more correct. It's easy for hope to flourish and for team directions to feel positive in the NFL offseason. All teams are undefeated in June, and most teams can look good and feel good about themselves following non-padded offseason work. And Jaguars fans unquestionably have been burned repeatedly by these feelings for a decade and a half. I believe this regime/reset will be different because I believe strongly in the communication ability and vision of General Manager James Gladstone, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli and Head Coach Liam Coen. They're doing things right around here now – and if you do things right over the long-term in the NFL, you give yourself a chance for success for the long-term. I don't know what that means for the 2025 season. And If the Jaguars don't win in 2025 … yes, fans will demand firings. Fans fan. It's what they do. But this regime will get multiple seasons to show it's going in the right direction. How many seasons? I don't know. But it will get multiple seasons.

The Real JT from Plano, TX

Getting excited for more and more of this new team to come together. Going 3-10 in one-score games and 1-4 in three-point games can't possibly repeat, can it?! Question: Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's "Vision-keyed" defense would seem to get drawn away by seasoned quarterback who could misdirect and look off backs. Any news on how they prevent the defense from following all of the eye-ball bait? I'm sure they got a plan, wonder if they can share any of it without spoiling it? Also, one vote fer Hem's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" … maybe one of the most beautifully written, poignant works in the English language.

Eye discipline, Real JT. Eye discipline.

JK from NY & Fernandina Beach, FL

John. I know things are a bit slow during the dead zone, so I thought I would drop a note to say that I watched the tape of the Jags captain's practice in the Bahamas. I was shocked and appalled to see that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence overthrew his target on a couple of throws resulting in what clearly would have been interceptions by the imaginary defenders. This proves again that he is not yet elite and may never be. Moreover, the general jocularity and familiarity exhibited by the players does not comport with expectations for the seriousness of a voluntary unofficial workout and is a sign that the Jags will have another bad season. Happy Independence Day!

Welcome to the O-Zone. You will find yourself surrounded by like-minded people here. And Happy Independence Day to you as well.

Steve from Nashville, TN

Can you revisit the players drafted from the picks we acquired in the Jalen Ramsey trade and these players' impact to the team (two first-round draft picks, 2020 and 2021) and a fourth-round pick in 2021?

The Jaguars traded cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 for a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft and a fourth-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Round 1 '20 selection became linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, the Round 1 '21 selection became running back Travis Etienne Jr. and the Jaguars used the fourth-round selection to trade up in the '21 draft – with the Rams -- to select defensive end Jordan Smith. Etienne has contributed. It's hard to argue that the other two were good selections. It's hard to argue the trade brought much. That's the revisitation. That's it.

Deane from Hill AFB via Daytona Beach, FL

Yo O-Zone!!! Happy 250 years of American Independence!!! I hope you and your family enjoyed the holiday! On a football note ... what would it take for Travis Hunter to win Offensive and Defensive Player in the same week? Who do you think that would be against? Even if he wins one of each in different weeks, I quote Spicoli, "Awesome! Totally Awesome!"

I haven't the foggiest idea how Hunter will fare against any specific teams. As for what it would take for Hunter to win these awards in the same week … a hell of a game on both sides of the ball, I suppose. It would also help if no one else had as good a game as Hunter on either side of the ball that week. Hunter may be capable of such a game. We'll see.

Josh from Atlanta, GA

With Gene's recent ride into the Jacksonville sunset, it reminded me of the sudden shock on the day we learned your predecessor was moving on from Jax. I remember being stunned and saddened that Ask Vic was no longer going to be a staple of my week. Little did I know what would follow, with the next 10-plus years of my daily life beginning with the O-Zone. I don't like change, and would appreciate it if there was none on the horizon in these parts. Do I have anything to be concerned about on that front, with a senior writer whom you are very close to following in Gene's recent career move? Or does the 401K still have plenty of years left to grow?

I turn 59 later this month. I don't anticipate retiring soon, though I can't speak to how long the Jaguars will want me. Never assume the code will work and always be happy when it does.

John from Jax

Hi KOAGF - I used to care about team captains as well as bringing in veteran experience/leadership to the locker room. Now, I think it's mostly meaningless. Just look at any season such as last season and tell me how it mattered. Also, it's always interesting to hear players point fingers at prior coaches after they have left instead of taking ownership. Sorry for being a downer today.

I wouldn't call team captains "meaningless," though I agree with you that team captains are often overrated – and there's only so much leadership can do when seasons get messy to the degree of the Jaguars' 2025 season. As far as players discussing former coaches once those coaches have left the organizations … that's how these things work. It's easier to talk about problems after the fact than when they're happening. It's sort of human nature.

Charles from Riverside

Hello, John. Making my contribution to the "Not so Dead Zone," non-football focus. Best book, Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon.

OK.

Travis from Chattanooga, TN via Ormond Beach, FL

Hey, O. The discussions about Ernest Hemingway reminded me of a passage that may be more appropriate for Memorial Day but that works for Independence Day as well: "There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. Certain numbers were the same way and certain dates and these with the names of the places were all you could say and have them mean anything. Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates." - A Farewell to Arms. Happy Independence Day, everyone. May we never forget the price of freedom.

I'm posting this July 5, a day after Independence Day. In one sense, it's perhaps a day late. In another sense, it's never too late to post this passage. Good stuff.