JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Kenneth from Jacksonville

KOAF. Serious question here and my apologies if you've already answered it. Are we at the end of the dead zone yet? If so, has training camp started yet? No one seems to know. Asking for a friend.

My Scooby Sense – and not my Scobee Sense – remains in high gear and rare form, and that sense tells me that you're among the long list of clever O-Zone emailers wanting to me write daily about the end of the dead zone and the accompanying start of 2025 Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center. Or perhaps you're not part of this "long list" at all and are genuinely curious about these things. Either way, I'll suck my stomach in, stick my chest out and strut proudly while I remind you yet again that the first '25 camp practice is scheduled for Wednesday morning. Quarterbacks and rookies reported Saturday. Veterans report Tuesday. It's upon us. Or the end is nigh. Or however you want to phrase it. Here we go.

Richard from Jacksonville

Once rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten was drafted, I never understood all the speculation about trading Travis Etienne Jr. He averages over eight yards per carry in space. Can catch the ball and excels on screen plays. All comments on Tuten mention his speed. I took his 40 time and Etienne's 40 time and used AI to determine how far ahead Tuten would be at ten yards. The answer was 3.6 feet, favor of Tuten. Balance that against the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and obvious concerns about Tuten's ball safety and most would choose Etienne every time. One other major point, and most important, reference last year's performance. In every game, it became a pre-snap chant from the crowd watching the game on TV on the first play of every Jags possession, Etienne UP THE MIDDLE. Everybody in the stadium knew what the call would be, including the opposing team.

A few thoughts on your thoughts. One is that fans and observers love to speculate on trades whenever a rookie is drafted at a position where a team already has a starter; it's just how it is. Another is that I agree with you that Etienne is a valuable, versatile piece of the Jaguars' offense – and I think coaches grew increasingly excited about how he might fit into Head Coach Liam Coen's scheme as organized team activities and minicamp continued in the offseason program. Still another is that if Tuten is indeed "3.6 feet" faster than Etienne over 10 yards, that means he is a yard faster over ten yards. That's absolutely significant and would be a legitimate reason for playing Tuten extensively. Still another is that most Jaguars fans agree with you that the play-calling was predictable last season; this is not uncommon in that most fans believe play-calling is bad when an offense struggles. Either way, the Jaguars have a good situation in that they have multiple backs who appear to be playmakers. They also have depth. And a lot of time that's a lot more important than trading current talent for future draft capital.

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF. If you truly suck, what does one have to do to suck as good as you do? Any wisdom to share?

Just keep at it. And care.

Nick from Palm Coast, FL

What happened to Dennis Gardeck that he was put on the injury list?

Gardeck, a veteran linebacker who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in June, sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Week 7 last season while with the Arizona Cardinals. It's comparatively common for players rehabilitating torn ACLs sustained the previous season to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list to allow a few more days or a few more weeks for the player to approach full strength. PUP allows a player to continue rehabilitating without being placed on injured reserve and he can be activated at any point before the regular season. It's a safe move that preserves a roster spot until the player is activated.

Richard from Lincoln, RI

Happy birthday to you on Monday. On my local news TV channel they talked about the head coach of Cumberland, Rhode Island's high school football team leaving here for a job with the Jaguars. Do you have any info about this? His name is Josh Lima and he played football with Liam Coen in high school here in Rhode Island.

Thank you. Lima, the head coach at Cumberland High School in Rhode Island, indeed reportedly has left that position to take a position with the Jaguars. No specifics about Lima's position with the Jaguars have been made public. The move makes sense. Lima reportedly is a talented, smart football mind. He and Coen remain very close friends. For Coen to offer Lima a chance at a developmental position certainly wouldn't be surprising or anything untoward.

Tom from The Mean Streets of Nocatee

I'd like to echo Darwin from Cebu's comment about Mike Mills. He is the musical genius of R.E.M. As to their post-Document work, "New Test Leper" is one of my favorites.

OK.

Steve from Nashville, TN

Just wondering where you rank the eight Jaguar playoff wins as far as significance to the franchise. I would think the '97 Denver game would be No. 1. I was there for the Dan Marino retirement game in 2000, but my recollection is that game was over fast and never in doubt with a 24-0 lead in the first quarter. Wondering if the 2023 win over the Chargers was so surreal with the record setting comeback that it lacks "credibility?" It is an impressive list of HOF quarterbacks the Jaguars have defeated in the playoffs : (on the road) Jim Kelly, John Elway, Ben Roethlisberger (twice) and Dan Marino at home.

Ranking a team's playoff victories is impossible - in part because all playoff victories are important and in part because pretty much every fan judges games differently. I'll take a swing at the Jaguars and go with this as the list: 30-27 over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Playoff following the 1996 season, 62-7 over the Miami Dolphins (AFC Divisional Playoff, 1999), 45-42 over the Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC Divisional Playoff, 2017), 30-27 over Buffalo (Wild Card Playoff, 1996), 31-29 over the Steelers (AFC Wild Card Playoff, 2007), 31-30 over the Los Angeles Chargers (AFC Wild Card Playoff, 2017), 10-7 over the Bills (AFC Wild Card Playoff, 2017) and 25-10 over the New England Patriots (AFC Wild Card Playoff, 1997). Denver following the 1996 season at No. 1 is the easy selection, and I went with 1999 Dolphins and 2017 Steelers victories because they – like the '96 Denver game – put the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game. The '96 victory over Buffalo was memorable because it was the first Jaguars postseason victory. The final four games sort of feel similar and from this view are behind the other four.

Rob from Pittsburgh, PA

Hey, John. Which Jaguar player from last year will improve the most? #clear eyes full hearts can't lose.

I'll lean toward wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and quarterback Trevor Lawrence here, though I wouldn't count out Tim Riggins.

Jags4life Canton, GA by way of Duuvaaal

My Scooby sense, and not my Scobee sense, tells me that Liam Coen is going to be a better head coach than Detroit Lions Head Coach Ben Johnson!

OK.

Bradley from Kansas City, MO

Liam Coen impressed me most when asked if he would be calling the plays. His telling chuckle and the tone in which he answered the question suggested he isn't Doug Pederson when it comes to the way he deals with the media, fans, his players and his assistants. He would never degrade Pederson in words, but his chuckle and tone spoke volumes. The Jags obviously got faster and more athletic this offseason and we can hope they got more physical but the biggest thing is this franchise is miles smarter than they were a year ago.

I agree that Coen appears better with the media than former Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson. While I don't know that either particularly liked talking to the media, I haven't met all that many coaches that do like it. As for Coen's answer about calling plays, I wouldn't remotely assume that Coen was trying to criticize Pederson – if was even thinking about Pederson during the answer. Remember: While Jaguars fans seem prone to continuing to blame Pederson for all that ailed the team last season, and while there remains a weird amount of hate for Pederson, new head coaches such as Coen aren't necessarily thinking about the former head coach. They have their own pasts and they're all about the present. There's no reason for them to worry about their new team's past and there was no reason for Coen to concern himself all that much with how Pederson coached this team.