JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Rog from STA

Another running back??

The Jaguars on Tuesday signed running back Kevin Harris, one of a few roster moves they made early in Preseason Week 3. They play the Miami Dolphins in the 2025 preseason finale Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. NFL teams sign players throughout the year for multiple reasons. Sometimes it's with the idea they will make huge contributions. Sometimes it's with the idea they will be roster depth. Sometimes it's with the idea they will be good competition in training camp. Sometimes, particularly in late August with the preseason finale approaching, it's with the idea of having players available to avoid unnecessarily exposing front-line players to injury. I would lean toward the latter with this signing.

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF. It seems to me that NFL players have been in football for many years. It seems to me that the first basic skill for a defensive player is tackling the guy with the ball. It seems to me that NFL players should be good at this after years of practice and experience. It seems to me that NFL players represent the best and get paid lots of money. With all of this said to lull you to sleep, why so many missed tackles?

Tackling from this view is one of the NFL's more-criticized areas – and this criticism isn't without merit as the old-school football guy in me tends to believe tackling isn't nearly as good as once was the case. While that belief may be more selective memory and perception than fact, I'll offer a few theories on why we see "so many" missed tackles. One theory is that tackling isn't as easy as it appears to be on television. NFL defenders may be the best in the world at what they do, but they're tackling world-class athletes who are also the best at what they do – and who are trying not to be tackled. Sometimes those other world-class guys are going to win. Another theory is that some NFL defensive players tend to lean toward "SportsCenter" tackles rather than fundamental tackles, which can lead to missed tackles. But the theory I believe most is that NFL players simply don't practice tackling much these days. They don't tackle at all in the offseason and they don't tackle "to the ground" often – if at all – during training camp and they don't do it between games during the regular season. They practice "techniques" and "thud" tackling in controlled environments, but they rarely actually do it. Professional football players practice pretty much everything else a lot. It stands to reason that the one thing they don't practice much would suffer in quality over time. How would anything else happen?

Kay from Jax

Help, O: Every photo and video I see of Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile, he is wearing an impressive gold chain and pendant. I can't quite make out what the pendant is. Is it symbolic/sentimental/decorative? Thanks for your help in identifying it.

I promise nothing on this matter except piqued curiosity with the added caveat that I – and not Campanile – am the King of All Funk.

Josh from Green Bay, WI

As you pointed out to Scott in regard to the Wisconsin training camp, it absolutely was miserable (we didn't have AC in our house at the time) and if I remember correctly, it was hotter in Wisconsin than it was in Florida, which was one of the reasons the team never came back. Glad they decided to travel here that year or I'd probably have become a Packers fan.

We're once again discussing the Jaguars' inaugural season training camp in 1995. You recall correctly that it was insanely hot that July and there indeed were days early in that camp when the temperatures in Stevens Point, Wis., where the Jaguars trained were higher than in Jacksonville. I don't recall if it was officially the hottest Wisconsin summer on record, but it was damned notable and damned miserable. But while the heat made for more difficult conditions than expected, that wasn't a reason the Jaguars didn't return to Stevens Point. The Jaguars only had '95 camp in Wisconsin because EverBank Stadium – then Jacksonville Municipal Stadium – wasn't ready until mid-to-late August and therefore camp couldn't be held there. Then-Jaguars Owner Wayne Weaver always planned to hold camp in Jacksonville so fans could attend. He valued that fan experience highly and never planned to hold camp anywhere else once it could be held at the team's facility.

P Funk from Murray Hill

Ideally, we will never see them on the field, but how comfortable are you with our backup quarterback situation? Is there any competition there or is it pretty much settled?

Nick Mullens is the Jaguars' backup quarterback. He's an experienced, smart veteran who knows this offensive system and that's why he's the backup quarterback. I'm about as comfortable with Mullens as I would be with most backup quarterbacks I've covered, which is to say I'm infinitely more comfortable with most starting NFL quarterbacks. I don't expect either of the Jaguars' two reserve quarterbacks – John Wolford or Seth Henigan – to push for the backup position this season, though Henigan has intriguing traits for the long-term.

P Funk from Murray Hill

Regarding the end of the Saints Week 2 preseason game, could it be that our coaching staff were putting Seth Henigan in a high pressure, go win the game type scenario to see how he responds?

We're once again referencing the Jaguars' 17-17 with the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday – and specifically, we're once again referencing Head Coach Liam Coen's decision to have reserve quarterback Seth Henigan throw on first-and-10 from the Saints 42-yard line with :09 remaining rather than have kicker Cam Little try a 60-yard field goal. A first thought is that the analysis regarding this play has gone well beyond what the NFL preseason merits. But the most pertinent thought is that we're overthinking this a bit. Coen wanted to get Little a few yards closer because a 60-yard field goal is not an easy kick. While you always want players to experience scenarios, that was the reason.

Ed from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

I read a lot of disappointment on the not kicking a 60-yard field goal. The interception was a downer but the decision not to do the 60 is brilliant. We are still enjoying the 70-yarder moment. If he misses the 60, the magic is gone. One for not kicking. It's preseason people.

OK.

Jaypee from The Vortex

Hopefully, you will answer one last question on the situational awareness of the coaching staff to pass instead of kick a field goal to end the game. Shouldn't we have run that ball? I don't mind getting some extra yards because a 60-yarder is an extremely long kick. But why risk the interception or incomplete pass? I feel like this is a poor call. I feel like we've had too much of this in the past few years.

There's more risk to a pass than a run. You can get more yards with a run. Deciding to pass didn't work in this situation. Making that decision means the decision didn't work. It doesn't mean Coen was "situationally unaware." This was the preseason.

Gary from St. Augustine, FL

Wherever the Jaguars practice, you still suck.

Let's go Jaguars.

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF. Why is taking a couple of shots down the field not happening in the preseason? It's not giving anything away to the opponents. The quarterback and receiver did it last year. Wouldn't it be a nice chance to test their timing and coordination on the play? I don't get it.

It's important to remember when discussing the preseason that while preseason games are all most fans see, they do not make up the entirety of a team's preparation for the regular season. They in fact make up a comparatively small percentage of a team's preparation for the regular season. The Jaguars have run three series with the first-team offense in preseason and each drive has been at least 40 yards. They have worked on the running game. They have worked on quarterback Trevor Lawrence getting a variety of skill players involved. They have worked on Lawrence working on footwork and continuing to learn Coen's offensive system. They have worked on the offensive line. They have worked on a jet sweep. They have not thrown deep, but they have thrown deep plenty in plenty of practices. You can work on timing and coordination in that situation, too.

Howard from Homestead, FL

I asked my AI of choice to offer an opinion of you. It (co-pilot) said, "John Oehser is a reliable, insightful, and entertaining voice for Jaguars fans. His writing bridges the gap between insider access and fan experience, and his football acumen is backed by years of frontline reporting. If you're looking for a columnist who can explain a blown coverage and still make you chuckle, he's your guy."

What's "AI?"