JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Tom from Sanford, FL
I've read where the coaching staff has been critical of Anton Harrison, and Chuma Edoga has been getting some first-team reps at right tackle as alternative. Since Fred Johnson has been the best (in his NFL play) of the free-agent offensive tackles signed by the Jaguars this year, wouldn't it make more sense for him to be the primary alternative?
Let's clarify here a bit. This is what Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said about third-year right tackle Anton Harrison recently during the 2025 offseason program: "When Anton wants to go, he can go. [It's] just consistently doing it on a day-in, day-out basis." That's not as critical as it is trying to be truthful in an answer. Also: While Chuma Edoga – who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent this offseason – indeed worked some at first-team right tackle during organized team activities, coaches worked many different players into the starting lineup around the entire Jaguars' offensive line during the offseason program. Why didn't the coaches work Johnson, who signed this offseason as a UFA from the Philadelphia Eagles, at right tackle? Because they were working Johnson at left tackle, where he is expected to compete during 2025 Training Camp with Walker Little.
Ben from Santa Clara, CA
Who do you expect to be captains in the coming year? Defense is pretty straightforward but offense besides Trevor not so much.
This will be a cool storyline as the 2025 regular season approaches. There are no NFL rules about how captains are named, and I don't know that we yet know how Coen will approach this. Some head coaches name all captains themselves, while others – such as former Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson – have players vote on most captains while naming one themselves. Top candidates on defense from this view: Middle linebacker Foye Oluokun and defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. On offense: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and perhaps an offensive lineman such as Patrick Mekari. Stay tuned.
Greg from Section 122, SOTF, Jacksonville 32219
O-Man, need your help, please. I forgot my anniversary this Saturday to my wonderful wife of 24 years. Can you please give a shout out to Amy and let her know I love her with everything I am. Even more than my beloved JAGUARS! Honest, honey. Fun fact, she bought me my first season tix as my first birthday gift 25 years ago. Been going ever since. I think she regrets that choice now. Thanks, KOAF. HEY, you ever forget your anniversary?
I can't remember.
Thomas from Charlottesville, VA
Wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and defensive end Calais Campbell were leaders in the clubhouse. It seems that since 2021 that type of leadership has dropped off or been totally lost. Who do you feel can bring that level of leadership and accountability to the present roster? What veteran has the respect of all (or most) of the players?
The Jaguars have had leaders in recent seasons. Players such as Oluokun, Hines-Allen, Walker and Lawrence are capable of continuing to provide it.
Don from Marshall NC
Wow. Jalen Ramsey gets bundled out of Miami. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to noting that former Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey indeed is now on his third team in four seasons, Don remains "all in."
Kevin from Jacksonville Beach, FL
Zone!! Go Jaguars. I'm fired up for it. Happy Fourth.
To you as well.
Steve from Hilton Head, SC
John. For summer reading, I suggest Mark Twain. Not his usual stuff, but the biography of Joan of Arc. He considered it his best work. Well researched, over many years. His opinion is that she is the most interesting human (except for Christ) in history. She certainly has the most impressive resume: Work history; 1) illiterate farm girl. 2) Supreme commander of the French Army. She then went on to argue against the most learned men of the time, and held her own so well. But they all feared her.
Joan had a good run. Until she didn't. Huckleberry Finn was damned good, too – up there with the greats.
Sam from Orlando, FL
What are your thoughts on marijuana in sports for pain management?
I'm not a doctor or a scientist and I don't pretend to be either here in the O-Zone. I don't know enough about marijuana's benefits for pain management to speak intelligently, though my understanding is there are indeed benefits. If so, I'm all for athletes using it for this purpose – primarily because I think it's silly that marijuana is illegal in this country on any level.
Stebo from Trout River
Who is this Hemingway guy, and why is he stealing from Metallica? Doesn't he know what they did to Napster? The audacity!
I never have been a big Metallica guy. While I am aware of their monstrous and loyal fan base, "metal" of that era wasn't my thing. Their song, For Whom the Bell Tolls, was inspired by the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Wikipedia also tells me many specific lines from the song referred to a chapter in the book in which soldiers are killed in an airstrike during the Spanish Civil War. It's an incredible, harrowing chapter. If the song approaches the book, I assume it's a hell of a song.
Michael from New York, NY
At noon of Sunday, the 6th of July, the fiesta exploded. There is no other way to describe it. Go Jags!
Simple, simple, simple. Truth above all else. That's the genius.
Pedal Bin from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK
Oh Mighty 'O / King Of All Funk, at last I finally have found someone else who does not 'get' Pet Sounds. I have tried so many times to try and hear what other people do on this album. I have tried mono and stereo versions (people have variously told me I HAVE to listen to in one of these versions to "really understand it"). Most other classic albums I can hear why they are so great (Dark Side Of The Moon, Rumours, Back In Black, Thriller, Sgt. Pepper's, etc.) Pet Sounds just sits on the shelf gathering dust. Any other "Classic" albums pass you by? Also, I was surprised to see that longtime former Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette was not on the order of play at Wimbledon. I thought he was going to play left-handed this year to give the others a slim chance?
Regarding "classic" albums" I routinely pass by, Pet Sounds sort of stands out. While I really like Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," I confess I don't rate it as highly as many rock critics. I also pass by Joni Mitchell's "Blue," which is always rated highly and which I feel like I should really like but just don't get. I also confess that while I am a huge Beatles fan, I rarely listen to Sgt. Pepper's and far more quickly reach for Rubber Soul, Revolver and the White Album. Regarding former longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette's surprising non-entry into Wimbledon … it surprised me, too. I checked with Gene on this. I thought the absence perchance involved some remodeling work he mentioned during his recent O-Zone Podcast appearance. Alas, it had nothing to do with that. He just wanted to give the rest of the field a chance.
Crash from Glen St. Mary, FL
OZ! Grow the regional brand. Play in Gainesville.
I don't expect this to happen. This is not inside information. This is what I expect. Stay tuned.
Michael from St. Augustine, FL
Predictability is comforting, so I was a bit miffed that Gator from Gainesville beat me to the Louis L'amour quip. Seriously, have you read Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park? No soul searching drama, but a great read and so much better than the silly Dino movies,
I haven't read Jurassic Park, though I did read "Disclosure" by Crichton. I was reading it while traveling by plane with then-Florida Times-Union sports columnist Tim McDonald in the early 1990s. McDonald was easily the best pure writer with whom I ever worked with at the Times-Union, with an unreal ability to turn a phrase. I likely had bought the book at an airport on a whim. I laughed when showing it to McDonald, who was widely well-read and whose writing reflected as much. He said something to the effect that Crichton wasn't Hemingway or Fitzgerald, but there was a lot to be said for the ability to make the reader turn the page. I learned something that day, as I usually did when McDonald discussed writing. And Crichton absolutely could make a reader turn the page.
Bob from Coosawatchie, SC
Rumor has it that Dos Equis is going to bring back The Most Interesting Man In The World commercials with Gene Frenette. Any truth to that?
I don't think we're supposed to discuss this yet.
