JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Ross from Mechanicsville, VA
Liam seems different than all the other coaches. He seems to avoid "CoachSpeak" and seems a relatively open book. Even when he doesn't say something, you seem to know what he is thinking. Is that the trait that makes him different than other coaches or is it something else? I know your historical take on great coaches is that they are great communicators and managers of the whole group. But still Liam seems different.
I have covered multiple great head coaches, and all were great communicators and "managers of the whole group." I can't imagine a great head coach who is not those things, and I absolutely believe Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen is high-end in this area. I would say one subtle difference in Coen is his willingness to be a touch more open with the media than some great head coaches I've seen and heard. His knowledge of the game, passion for it and ability to communicate complex concepts in an understandable way comes through in many of his media availabilities. My theory is that he loves his subject – football – so much that he can't help but share his enthusiasm for it, even in a public setting. That's pretty damned cool. I can only imagine this trait is even greater when he is speaking to players and coaches, and it's impossible to overstate the importance of communication and clarity of thought when leading a high number of players/coaches in a complex sport. I don't know how different Coen is on this front than all other coaches because I haven't covered all other coaches. I do know his abilities in this area are impressive and a major reason I believe this organization will win a lot of games for a long time.
Allen from St. Johns, FL
How is it that in 2025 we played Denver at Denver and we're doing the same thing in 2026?
This happened because of the NFL's scheduling formula. The Jaguars played the Denver Broncos in Denver in the 2025 regular season because AFC West and AFC South teams all played four games against teams from the other division that season, as they do every three seasons. The Broncos played a road game against the Jaguars in London in 2022, the Jaguars played the Broncos in Denver in 2025 and the Broncos will play a road game against the Jaguars in 2028 because of that formula. And so on and so on. The Broncos and Jaguars play in 2026 because both teams won their division in 2025, and teams always play the "corresponding team" from two divisions in their conference every season. The rotation happens to call for the first-place AFC South team to travel to the first-place AFC West team this season, so the Jaguars will play in Denver again Sunday. That will switch next season, so if the Jaguars and Broncos both win their divisions in 2026, they will play a Jaguars home game in 2027. The NFL schedule uses this formula specifically to prevent unfairness over multiple seasons. The rotational nature nonetheless at times creates situations such as the Jaguars playing in Denver two consecutive seasons. Some years you eat the bear. Some years, the bear eats you. Sort of.
Corey from Palatka
Hey, John! This team looks good. Actually good. We have had excitement before and had a great season last year. But this feels like a precise, disciplined, confident team. Not having to beat themselves because of penalties, turnovers, etc. I guess what I am trying to say is they look WELL-COACHED. And maybe Liam Coen was the secret sauce. Go Jags!
Maybe.
Kyle from Ingalls, IN and formerly the mean streets of Arlington
John, John, John … what happened to look ahead Wednesday? I counted all of one question out of 13 discussing the Jags next opponent, the Broncos. You even threw in a dead-zone question about market size. That's a question for in between the draft and training camp. You are better than this. You are the King of all Funk. Now, go out there and get into regular-season form.
Lookahead Wednesday means moving on from the previous week and into the hollow, terrifying void that is the future. The topics and daily feel of the O-Zone will always depend on the questions I receive. Remember, too: Once we "look ahead" on Wednesday, four O-Zones remain before Sunday 1 p.m. We can cover a lot in five days, particularly if we all remember to stay in our lanes.
Dakota from Dupree, SD
Nicholas is onto something with your next book, but I think the better title should be "Streaking Beauty: The Ascension of the Jaguars From 2011-2026." The rest of cover will be epic as is. King of All Funk. Quarterback play looks to be there. Defense wins championships. Do the Jags have enough to go get that Super Bowl to make this vision come true? I think they might.
You could have stopped at "Streaking Beauty." I think most people would.
Kyle
There they go again: Oddsmakers have Denver as a 2.5-point favorite. I watched both the Jags and the Monday nighter. Did I fall into a parallel universe? Isn't this the universe where the Jags went into Denver late last year and won by two touchdowns? Make it make sense, King of all funk.
A couple of thoughts here. One is that oddsmakers historically and collectively are very good at their collective jobs – and they are not given to the biases or laziness that sometimes define observers or "national media. Another is that my experience is that those collective, hard-working "oddsmakers" typically count home-field advantage as about three points. The Broncos being a 2.5-point favorite therefore means the oddsmakers see the game as being pretty even – or the Jaguars maybe being a slight favorite – were it played on a neutral field. I like the Jaguars in this game, but I understand how observers could view this game as sort of even considering both teams' bodies of work over the last two seasons.
Fred from Naples, FL
I used to think that the only way to break the curse of our forlorn Jaguars was for you to finally skip an O-Zone posting. I no longer think that way.
That was sort of a silly thought in the first place, don't you think?
Steve C from Cardiff, UK
Hey, KOAF. Given your well-publicized negativity about the value of Power Rankings, how come you put your name to this week's? I was happy you placed us at No. 4 until I remembered what you think of ratings. You suck!
I have done power rankings every week for this website since returning to Jacksonville in 2011. I preface these each week by reminding readers "we all know how important these are." The importance is none. Rankings. They have no value. Zero. None. I do them because people read them and seem to think they matter. There is no accounting for what people think, it seems.
Mike from Zaragoza, Spain
Thoughts on Pregnon? Am I the only one who noticed that? It's gold Jerry, gold.
Jaguars rookie offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon played well in his first NFL start on Sunday. There is a strong belief within the organization that he's doing to be very, very good.
JP from Phoenix
Travis Hunter was out last year when we played the Broncos, how do you think his presence will impact the game?
Positively.
Mark from Davenport
If I remember correctly, did you do an O-Zone with Jakobi when he first came to Jax? I would like to add Jakobi to the list to maybe get a podcast on him. I am a fan of his that he comes in and does his job. I was also a fan of Dennis Rodman on the court, always did his job for the good of the team. The name on the front means more than the name on the back. Go JAGS.
The plan is for Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to eventually be the guest on the 2026 O-Zone Podcast. He indeed appeared on the pod when he first arrived in Jacksonville, and he was not unexpectedly a terrific guest. These typically post on Fridays. Pregnon will be this Friday's guest.
HD from Jacksonville
Why would the national media go so gaga over the Chicago Bears' performance in Week 1 where – yes, the offense was fantastic, but – the defense gave a lot of points too and tend to ignore the Jags, who put 34 points in three quarter and had a fantastic defensive efforts to go along with the offense?
Chicago is a major media market and the national media – much like a cat – is often distracted by shiny objects, particularly if those shiny objects are in the aforementioned major markets.
Armand from Atlantic Beach
We beat Denver last year that is the past Sunday game is the present and we will see the outcome then.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
