JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Billy from Middleburg, FL
I don't think they are using Shenault correctly. He's great at yards after contact but not on bubble screens where he catches the ball standing still. He's not quick enough to make an initial move to avoid being tackled. Seems he would be much better and harder to tackle if he's moving at 15 mph when he catches the ball instead of three mph when's he's contacted on bubble screens. Wouldn't he be better on a quick slant?
Jaguars coaches are trying to use wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. as best they can – and he indeed has made a few big plays this season. The reality with Shenault is he's not an incredibly fast receiver and he has yet to refine his route-running skills to the point that he gets open consistently downfield. He also has had issues with drops. I also worry how effective a receiver can be for the long-term when his best attribute is breaking tackles; that's a hard way to make a living as an NFL receiver. But your point is valid – that he probably is most effective when he gets the ball on the run, and quick slants could be something the Jaguars try more there. Another reality is we continue to talk about coaches needing to design relatively specific ways to get Jaguars receivers the ball for them to be effective. At some point, this team needs receivers to get open and make plays in multiple ways. Shenault's skill set thus has been relatively specific, and it's part of why he hasn't yet ascended into a consistent enough presence in the offense.
David from Ada, OK
Dear Senior Writer, when did you become Senior Reporter? Why do you have to "hold people accountable?" Aren't the same people accountable whether you hold them or not? And isn't holding a penalty? And isn't it still WAY too early to talk about the draft even if people have lost interest in the season?
People ask questions and I answer to the best of my ability. I try to explain why the Jaguars do many of the things they do, and I try to give perspective based on years covering the league and speaking with people around the Jaguars. That has been the job here since I began in 2011 and there never has been much mystery around that. People are welcome to read, write and interpret what I do on this free website as they see fit – and if they attach unearned and unrealistic importance to what they do or don't read here, I can't control that. Either way, you're correct … accountability for people running and playing for Jaguars is decided in places well outside this column and website. (Thankfully). And obviously it's way too early to discuss the draft. Reasonable people realize this.
The Other Michael from Middleburg, FL
Every offseason, it seems that much is made of the team's wide receivers. "This position group is going to be a strength" is the constant remark. Yet, year after year, that proves to be false. Can we just admit next offseason that these guys look good in shorts and refrain from any excitement until they actually do something?
Fair.
Terry from Cordele, GA
The day Jacksonville was awarded an NFL franchise our family sat down and had a family vote. We had been fans of another team. The vote was unanimous! We were Jaguars fans, and it hasn't changed! We don't believe that any of the coaches wanted to lose. Neither owner wanted to lose. None of the players wanted to lose. And while fans will fan, a true fan understands and supports. What else can we do, we (fans) have zero impact on the record. It's a game, cheer it, boo it, love it, hate it, but remember it is for our entertainment and pleasure, so always enjoy it he reality that Jacksonville has professional football!
Being a Jaguars fan hasn't been fun enough, particularly in the last two decades. Even so, a staggering number of fans I have met feel as you do – to their core. It's remarkable, really.
Bradley from Sparks, NV
About 0.3 percent of practice-squad players ever became decent NFL players.
That sounds about right. Fans love practice-squad players as they love backup quarterbacks – because they often haven't seen them in regular-season games yet. There obviously are exceptions to this. Exceptions aren't the rule.
Don from Marshall NC
If the Jaguars had five Tony Bosellis and a Fred Taylor they would dominate today's game. I have not seen better players in the modern game. Both were special.
Yes.
Justin from Jax
Hello, sir zone of Duval. I know we still have plenty of season left and getting into details of the draft or discussing it on any more than surface level, is premature. I would like to ask though, considering our Top 10 – or more than likely, Top 5 – draft pick we'll have, would you say the chances that we pick a wide receiver with that pick are extremely high? I know too much has to unfold – free agency and the like – but I don't see how we don't take an explosive, elite offensive talent at the tip top of the draft.
Wide receiver likely will be a major priority in the offseason. I would expect it to be addressed both in free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft, because the Jaguars may need more than one productive player at the spot. I therefore expect the Jaguars to address it somewhere in the first two rounds of the draft. Whether it happens with their first selection will – and should – depend on the players available when the Jaguars select. While the team needs receiver, you don't want to reach past a potentially elite player – say, a pass rusher – early in the draft for a receiver who doesn't merit being selected there. That's the definition of how to botch the draft and limit the franchise for the long term. I'm not saying it wouldn't be tempting or that many teams don't take this approach. I'm just saying it's not the right approach.
Stan from Jacksonville
Despite all the frustrations, I am thankful that Trevor remains healthy as he experiences so many of the looks and the unworldly speed of the NFL. I have never been the master of a process at the beginning of a new job. But after a while, the process becomes much more simple. I can imagine Lawrence' s skills will develop and thrive as new tools are added. Outstanding future if he stays healthy!!!!
Your eye is on the big picture – and that's the right place right now. Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn't been perfect this season – not close. He hasn't received enough help and he has made mistakes. But he's learning and improving – and if his line isn't straight up, it's in the right direction. Nothing that has happened this season gives indication he's not on the right path. Stay tuned.
Jaginator from (formerly of) Section 122
This is honestly one of the more disappointing seasons in memory (and as a Jags fan, that's saying a lot). A 2-8 record doesn't necessarily bother me so much - but the lack of player development is disheartening. Lawrence was a no-brainer pick and I can't fault anyone for the fact that running back/wide receiver Travis Etienne Jr. got injured. But the rest of our picks are guys who apparently can't get on the field, which is a really bad look when your team is so devoid of talent. And the product on the field hasn't just been "bad" - it's also been … sloppy. Crippling penalties. Players losing their cool. Critical turnovers. Complete offensive stagnation. I've seen many teams in the first year of a turnaround that lose a lot of games, but you still see that "spark." I've seen frightfully few sparks this year on our team. And that makes this very hard to watch.
OK.
_Bob from Sumter, SC _
Dear Mr. NFL Unfortunately from Jacksonville: 1) We know our team stinks do it's not really that profound an insight; 2) What's really unfortunate is that Jacksonville is a great place to live and people like you move there and constantly complain how great it was where came from (nobody cares); 3) If the website content is so bad why do you keep reading it?; 4) One day, hopefully in my lifetime, the Jaguars will be successful – and until then, why not find yourself a nice hobby like macrame, tofu cooking or whatever is they do up north, or out west for fun? You're annoying and I haven't even met you. Y'all take care now.
You perchance aren't a child of the '70s. Because people who mock macrame typically never have, well … macramed. You can macrame one of those things for hanging plant. Or a hammock. Or, if you're enterprising and a fashion trend-setter, a cool tank top. Like re-e-e-e-ally cool.
