JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Nick from Annapolis, MD
You have been not so subtle when discussing just how impressed you are with this new regime – and you use the word professional quite a lot. You have been complimentary in the past regarding staff, but this is different. It's almost like you have realized this is a different level of competence, one this franchise has not seen since prime-time Tom Coughlin and one you have probably not seen since you covered the Indianapolis Colts with Head Coach Tony Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning. At risk of being repetitive, there are people who try to copy the standard, and then there are the people that set the standard ... and it comes easy for them. Not that they don't work hard, but competence and professionalism are just the only way they operate. Whenever I have been around that, it's eye opening and it hits you right away. Can I get some sort of head nod or wink wink that I am on it? That you have been around the block, and this is the best you are going to get in the NFL? That doesn't guarantee a Super Bowl ... but it all but guarantees we're going to have fun as long as quarterback Trevor Lawrence is healthy and this group wants to keep doing it. Yes? Yes?!?
Your email suggests that I have been coy or furtive regarding this topic. I in fact have said and written often that Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, General Manager James Gladstone and Head Coach Liam Coen are professional – and that they are absolutely doing things right. Their high-end communication and ability to focus on what's important were immediately obvious upon their 2025 offseason hirings and immediately made me believe the franchise was heading in the right direction – and that it would have a chance to reach a high level of success. Was this because I had seen it before? Yes, that's fair. This is what good organizations look like. There's no need to wink or nod or be subtle. This is a good organization with a chance to be one of the NFL's best teams this season. It seems as if that could be the case for a long while. Once you've seen it, it's easy to see and it's easy to see with this organization right now.
Anthony from Jacksonville
Last year, T-Law sat out of the fourth quarter multiple times because the Jags were up by so much. Due to this, his statistics suffered. If the Jags continue to get big leads where he can rest again for multiple games, would this hurt his case for MVP? Thank you in advance for any insight you may provide. Go Jags!
One would assume that most games in which the Jaguars are leading by enough for Lawrence to leave early are games in which he has played very well. One also would assume he will have had very good statistics in most such games. One would also assume that he wouldn't be passing much in that situation if he were to stay in the game. Would being out of the game late hurt his statistics a little? Perhaps. But almost certainly not enough to change Most Valuable Player balloting.
Tony from Johns Creek, GA
O, now that the accolades are done, it is time to address special teams. They need to get better. When the Jags play good teams, this will become critical.
OK.
James from Titusville, NJ
If it has not been fully recognized already, it may be past time to appreciate nine regular-season wins in a row. I am old enough to remember when I would have been happy to see this team string two in a row. Well, I guess that is to say we are all old enough to remember such a time. Go Jags.
Nine consecutive regular-season victories absolutely should not go unappreciated. Such a stretch of prosperity has not been seen in these parts in nearly a quarter century. Savor thy moment, James. Savor thy moment.
Tom from Keystone Heights, FL
Not much of a question but it still pisses me off that the NFL/Not the NFL Network still will not talk about US. Watching two NFL shows after the game, they did not talk about the Jaguars! They went through every game twice – even the games that were playing live. When We make it to the Super Bowl, I wish the players will play a Marshawn Lynch and say " I'M ONLY HERE BECAUSE THEY MADE ME! " That's all. Skrew the "networks."
The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man trying to send soup back in a deli.
Joe from Fleming Island
O Zone, who would you compare Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington's playing style to whose name would be recognized by fans of other teams?
Jaguars Media Analyst Bucky Brooks has told me he sees comparisons between Washington and former NFL Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith. I don't disagree.
Tim from Tallahassee, FL
Hey John, I was thinking that Parker's style of play reminds me of Julian Edelman. They are also similar in height. It would take a while to match Edelman's career. Do you agree about the similarities? Thank you.
Not bad.
Tom from Sanford
OK, it is just one week and not that meaningful, but how enjoyable is it to see the Jags have sole possession of first in their division while the Los Angeles Rams – first in just about every preseason power ranking list – have sole possession of last place in their division?
The Jaguars (1-0) are alone in first place in the AFC South entering Week 2, with the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans all having lost in Week 1. Where the Rams rank in the NFC West is not something that concerns me to any significant degree.
Chris from Mandarin
I am not sure I would agree that pressures are "more" important than sacks, seeing as sacks are also pressures. To me, sacks are a good gauge (over time) of whether a defensive end is a premier pass-rusher. Finishing matters. However, a pressure is just as good as a sack if it results in an incompletion, interception or tackle for loss.
It appears Chris has weighed in. I suppose we're all better for it.
Art from Just shy of the ditch
Not that we should ever take NFL opponents lightly, but the Broncos will have a big 'ol chip on their shoulder after Monday night. Hoping the Jags can knock it off? Oh and two for Bo?
The Broncos being "motivated" after 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs Monday will be a major storyline when the Broncos and Jaguars play in Denver Sunday. The Broncos know the Jaguars are good. They know the Jaguars handled them in a 34-20 Jaguars victory last December. The thought here is that whatever "national media" and observers say about the Jaguars, the Broncos damned sure respect this franchise after what happened last season. They were going to be motivated however they fared against the Chiefs.
Emm from County Tyrone
Sunday was a good start. Not a time to get carried away. Time to focus on what can be improved upon to better equip the team for sterner tests. Situational awareness, mental fortitude and instinctual reactions to legitimate rather than perceived threats will be key. That said, do you think that the addition of Joey Bosa to this Jaguars depth chart would make them stronger by providing that x-factor which will push them to franchise greatness?
FREE-AGENT MACHINE!!!!
Justin from Jacksonville
Question on the big-versus-small-market "thing." I recently searched what the biggest cities in the United States were based on population. For 2026, Jacksonville came in at No. 11 at just over 1 million residents. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, etc. fleshed out the top 10. We ranked ahead of cities including Miami, Atlanta, Detroit and Seattle that I hear being referred to as big markets. My question is what determines big market versus small market in NFL terms when our population is just outside the top 10 in the nation based on residents, yet we're still considered a small-market team. Thanks, Zone!
Jacksonville is one of the league's bigger markets if you just count population within a team's official city limits. If you count population within a team's entire market are then it is one of the league's smaller markets.
Sven from Morgantown, WV
Finally, KOAF! Finally we're feeling regulated. I trust this coach and front office to make great decisions for the first time in a real long time. It feels like there's some permanence to key players and all the backups look like clones of the starters. I love it. I have seen every game of every season and this feels like them ol' Thunder and Lighting, Brunell and Boselli days. Bust out the Bubba Burgers and Blue Rasberry blow pops. Feels like 1999 in Alltell. Meet me at Crawdaddy's on the riverfront after the game!
The older I get, the more I appreciate the importance of being regulated. It's a daily battle.
