JACKSONVILLE – Happy fourth.
Let's get to it …
Alan from Orlando, FL
You list Keelan Cole as the Jaguars' most underrated offensive player? I say it's another wide receiver, Marqise Lee.
I did answer Cole when asked the Jaguars' most underrated offensive player early this week, and I do believe that is correct. Far too many people seem to forget him when listing potential offensive weapons next season – to the point where some question if he will among the team's active wide receivers. I absolutely believe Cole will be active when healthy next season, and I think he could be the Jaguars' best receiver by season's end. What Cole accomplished last season as a rookie from a Division II program combined with his offseason approach bodes well for him making a big Year 2 jump next season. But I agree with you that Lee is underrated – and that he is too often criticized and overlooked by Jaguars fans. The Jaguars surprised people by re-signing Lee as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but it really wasn't surprising at all. The team likes his toughness, his blocking ability and his willingness to play through manageable injuries. Will he be a 1,000-yard receiver next season? That's hard to tell. Will he be valuable? Absolutely.
Bruce from Mummycurse, Egypt
Awesome, just Frenette-ically awesome.
Yeah, he knows.
Zach from Orlando, FL
John - With running back Leonard Fournette and wide D.J. Chark coming from the same college system does that assist Chark in learning the blocking schemes?
Fournette and Chark are close friends from their days at Louisiana State, and it's conceivable Fournette could help Chark with certain aspects of the Jaguars' playbook because he has a year more experience in the NFL than Chark. But having played in the same scheme as Fournette won't help Chark significantly in terms of learning the Jaguars' blocking schemes. Chark will be perfectly able to learn those from the coaching staff and the other receivers.
Bruce from Mummyville, Egypt
I heard a clarinet ... and saw Frenette and he was playing, "Walk like an Egyptian…"
Bangles vocalist Susanna Hoffs indeed long has said longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette doesn't get the credit for his role in the group's success. It turns out this often is the case with Gene, who is known in journalism and musical circles for his limitless thirst to do good for others without receiving credit. It's really what he is best known for – even more so than for his quick turn of phrase, uproarious sense of humor and keen sense of direction.
Mark from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Don't you think defenders are also coached to get towards the sideline on runbacks so if they fumble it is more likely to go out of bounds?
No.
Scott from Jacksonville
O thought a kakapo was a little fuzzy rat dog. I saw "kakapos" and thought, "That's how you spell it?!" Then I just moved on. Now I can't help but giggle about it. Thanks.
Jaguars 2018 Training Camp begins July 26. Veterans report July 25. Rookies/first-year players report July 18 and quarterbacks report July 20.
Dwayne from Jacksonville
Wait. If the Jaguars were to beat the defending Super Bowl champions twice in the same year, would that make us arguably the mythical NFL champions?
If the defending Super Bowl champions in your scenario were in the NFC, then the Jaguars wouldn't need to worry about being "mythical" NFL champions. They would be the NFL champions for real.
Marc from Oceanway
Much has been said about this being Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles' second full year in offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's offense and how that has helped Blake. What would happen should Hackett be hired elsewhere as a head coach? Would Blake need to learn another new offense or does an offensive system ever become the team's offense? I would imagine that when New England hires new offensive coordinators they might not force Tom Brady to learn a whole new offense, or do I ere?
You don't "ere." Nor do you "err." Because there's certainly no law that says a team must change its entire offensive system when it changes coordinators. When coordinators are fired from losing teams, the new coordinator often is hired from outside the team because the team perhaps correctly believes a new approach – i.e., a new offensive coordinator's scheme – is needed and warranted. When a coordinator leaves for a head coaching job he usually is leaving a successful situation, and the new team is more apt to try to hire from within the staff and try to maintain the successful offensive system. The Patriots indeed for the most part have done this during Brady's tenure as quarterback. If the Jaguars are successful and Hackett does leave – which is of course a possibility – I imagine the Jaguars would try to hire from within with someone such as quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich a possibility.
Bruce from Orange Park, FL
What's the one player the Jaguars can't afford to lose this season?
The obvious and far-and-away choice is Bortles. The most irreplaceable player on most NFL rosters is the starting quarterback, and that's the case for the Jaguars this season. That's perhaps even more true this year than last considering the inexperience behind Bortles at the backup quarterback position. As far as the player the Jaguars can least afford to lose beyond that, it's a difficult question because this is a balanced team not dependent on a particular player. While cornerback Jalen Ramsey, for example, is valuable, the Jaguars' secondary would be very good in his absence. And while defensive end Calais Campbell is valuable, the Jaguars' defensive front is deep enough it should be very good if he wasn't on the field. To answer your question, let's go with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. The Jaguars' pass rush would be good without him, but he's clearly the most disruptive pure edge rusher. Without him, the Jaguars would be without their best turnover producer and would be down to just Dante Fowler Jr. at the position. They would still be good there, but the depth suddenly would be a big issue.
Gary from St. Augustine, FL
I'm bored. Is it football season yet?
I'm not bored. No, it is not. Football season will be here soon enough. (Promise).
Nate from St. Pete
John, not gonna lie, almost brought tears to my eyes reading former Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis' 11-on-11 when he said "things changed after Week 7 and MY Jaguars found their groove..." I love how he called them HIS Jaguars, and I love seeing former players take pride in this current team and openly supporting them locally and nationally the way so many seem to be doing nowadays. #DTWD
If there has been a takeaway from jaguars.com's 11-on-11 series running during late June and July it's that former Jaguars players indeed embraced and took pride in the team's success last season. Winning is cool. Fans like it. And former players do, too.
Tom from Loughborough, England
Please tell me it isn't just me who thinks that TIAA Bank Field doesn't pop like EverBank Field?
Of course it doesn't. But Alltel Stadium didn't "pop" at first and EverBank Field didn't, either. Many new stadium names, particularly those attached to a corporate sponsor, feel relatively clunky at first. You get used to it. Or you don't. It's a minor issue, really.
JagsMavs from Virginia Beach, VA
O-Face. There was a lot of talk about your streaking. Personally, I don't ever want to visualize that again. Wait ... STREAK! Never mind ...
Don't kid yourself.
Nicholas from Fort Hood, TX
As the festivities for July 4 are about to be underway, I wonder how does the King of All Funk celebrate? Does "Rat Dog" (your words not mine) get afraid of the fireworks and hide – or do you get to go out and enjoy the awesomeness as a family? Also, do you get paid extra for posting on July 4 or is Mr. Khan taking advantage of your high work ethic?
Rat Dog indeed is as scared of fireworks as she is of many things – which is to say "very." She shakes uncontrollably at the sound of thunder or fireworks, forgetting that in six years neither fireworks nor thunder has broken through the ceiling and "gotten" her. Our extremely large (read: obese) cat, Spike, cowers during firework and thunder attacks under his fear chair – forgetting that we care not a whit what becomes of him. The animals' fear doesn't prevent us from going out on July 4, though we as a family don't find fireworks all that awesome (we frankly don't get the appeal) and don't usually make a tremendous effort to fight crowds made up of those who do. As far Jaguars Owner Shad Khan taking advantage of my high work ethic, I feel quite sure that he has no idea what you're talking about.
