JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
J. Hooks from Mandarin
Yo, Zone! I have a sneaking suspicion that you, personally, are not embracing the Anyplace. Anytime. Anywhere philosophy. We all know how much you love your 1 p.m. kickoff home games. With all this travel over the next two seasons, my question is: You going to be all right?
Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen has made clear that "Anyplace, Anytime, Anywhere" is an organizational philosophy for the coming seasons. This is because the Jaguars play six regular-season games in Jacksonville in 2026 and none in 2027. This is not easy and Coen has decided to embrace the challenge collectively rather than complain about what he can't control. I expect the players as a whole to respond well to this philosophy and to continue being what they were Coen's first season last season – a gutsy, resilient team that plays as well on the road as at home. As for me … I indeed am long on record preferring 1 p.m. home games to any other locale and/or start time. Am I going to be all right? We shall see, I suppose. One thing in my favor here: I have a long history of not getting what I want and am therefore well-accustomed to the feeling. This won't be a huge change.
JAY from THE BURG, FLha
For Jaguars players and quarterback Trevor Lawrence to start a game fast, you need to up the tempo and slow the thinking. And that comes from Trevor being under center and snapping the ball with at least 10 seconds left on the play clock, creating more rhythm and fewer pre-snap penalties. On average, NFL offenses run 60 percent of the time with the quarterback lined up under center and pass 76 percent out of shotgun. That slight hesitation from defenses having to "think" run or pass in the first series is an advantage for the offense, and taking the play clock out of the equation for coaches and players is also an edge. In the first eight plays, be intentional without overthinking. This allows players to be set to play fast to start fast without mistakes.
You have spent some time on this theory and I am sure someone somewhere appreciates this. But while hard work is a virtue, Coen's offense depends heavily on pre-snap movement and the quarterback reading what the defense is doing based on pre-snap movement. This often requires using much of the play clock, which means Coen has zero problem with snaps that take place with :02 or :01 on the clock. I don't expect the Jaguars to become an offense that snaps the ball all that often with at least :10 remaining on the play clock. At least not by design. Coen just doesn't believe that snapping the ball later in the play clock is a negative. And he absolutely believes a quarterback needs the information gained from the pre-snap movement to run the offense at its highest effectiveness.
Evan from Cocoa, FL
Do you believe this team has the characteristics of a Super Bowl team and or a perennial playoff team? I only ask because you saw it in Indianapolis.
They're getting there.
Jason from North Pole, AK
I love wide receiver Parker Washington, but it is easy to forget that Lawrence's cap hit is set to double over the next two seasons and triple the season after that. Not to mention huge cap hits for defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker moving forward. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is due $22 million on the 2027 cap as well. The Jaguars have to be very careful about how they are allocating their resources at this point; these are not the days of having a quarterback on a rookie deal anymore. If we have to choose between extensions for left tackle Anton Harrison or Parker Washington for example, I am prioritizing the big fella.
The Jaguars want to sign Washington to a contract extension. I think both sides want this. I don't know that the issue is as much about re-signing specific players to future contracts as making sure that Washington's salary-cap hit make sense within the Jaguars' overall cap. I don't think at all that this is a case of the Jaguars not believing that Washington is worth paying a lot of money. I do think it is a case of the sides not yet agreeing just how much money is reasonable.
Boxcutter Bill from Mass
We're days away. As a lifelong Jags fan, I have not been this excited since 1999. This is real, and this is sustainable to be REAL for a long while. Who would have known that all it took was a coach's kid from New England. Jaguars officials should have just called me 10 years ago. But I digress. GO JAGS!
Boxcutter Bill, while decidedly digressing, is ready for some football.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
Since Anton is a natural left tackle, do you expect many growing pains early on? He clearly has done a hell of a job thus far, but the games are different. Naturally, he will get better as the season progresses, but out of the gate are you expecting a very, very good blind side protector? Personally, I am.
I expect Harrison to be a similar player on the left side as he was on the right side. He wasn't always perfect on the right, and there were times he needed to smooth some inconsistencies, but he was overall usually very good. I would expect at least that.
Scott from Jax, FL
I'm craving linguini and clams now. Thanks, Rat.
Learn it. Know it. Live it.
Chris from Durham, NC
So, I reread your book recently. I was just wondering... what would it take for your next Jags book? A Super Bowl appearance, or would it take a win? Something less but still amazing? Any ideas on the horizon?
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports and I co-wrote "Jags to Riches" following the team's run to the 1996 AFC Championship Game. It was a different time when people read books more than now, and who knows if a similar run would create a similar opportunity? What would it take? The right Jaguars on-field performance/result, the right amount of time to execute the project, the right offer. O-Zone don't work for free.
Nathan from Duval then, Sacramento now
King of the Funky Tennis Court, Alcaraz going down in an epic, late-night marathon match! I read where Shelton clocked a 146 MPH serve at the end. I'm certain you stayed up alllllll night to catch that match!
Ben Shelton of the United States indeed beat Carlos Alcarez of Spain in a five-set U.S. Open quarterfinal match that began Tuesday at 10:55 p.m. and ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday. It was the sort of match because of Alcaraz's stature that will long be remembered – and that could elevate Shelton from very good to major contender. I watched the first three sets and reluctantly went to sleep well before the finish. Shelton during the time I watched played as well and as maturely as I ever have seen him play, which he absolutely needed to do beat a player as dominant as Alcaraz. And while Alcaraz seemed at times to feel the effects of a four-month layoff because of a wrist injury, that should not take away from a mammoth victory for Shelton. Good on Shelton. Well-deserved and a very cool – late-night – moment.
Craig from Holly Springs
How is it acceptable for a sport to start a match/game at 11 p.m., and finish at 3:30 in the morning? Have you ever see any sport that allows something as crazy as that to be allowed? I love tennis, but that seems completely out of bounds in the world of sports we live in. Thoughts?
The Shelton-Alcaraz started late because all three previous matches that day – two women's quarterfinals and one men's semifinals – were extended matches that lasted the maximum sets. All also were played on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and because people bought tickets to see all four on that court tournament policy is to not move matches to other courts. That's how major tennis tournaments typically work. That said, late starts and finishes have happened what seems like a bit too much at this year's U.S. Open. It's a tricky issue to fix because of the untimed nature of the sport. There's also sometimes a cool element of a U.S. Open match running past midnight toward – or a bit after – 1 a.m. But pushing to 3:30 a.m. is extreme and it's not good for the sport to have such a high-profile match played too late for most East Coast viewers. I don't know the solution, though I expect it will be a topic moving forward.
Gary from St. Augustine, FL
Even in Week 1 of the regular season, you still suck.
The Jaguars play host to the Cleveland Browns in the 2026 regular-season opener at EverBank Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m.
