JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Calvin from Ponte Vedra, FL
What will the Jaguars' record be in 2026 and what will happen when they fall off the cliff?
My Scooby Sense – and not my Scobee or Spidey Sense – tells me you want a specific record prediction for the Jaguars' 2026 season, and that you believe that record will be poor. Though this latter belief is shared by some O-Zone readers, and while I understand that the Jaguars have followed good seasons with poor ones multiple times in the last decade or so, there is no reason the Jaguars should "fall off a cliff" in 2026. This is a good team. With a very good head coach and very good coordinators. And a very good quarterback. And a lot of really solid position groups. I am not a big "prediction guy," particularly before a regular season begins, but I do expect the Jaguars to make the postseason in 2026. I would be stunned if they "fall off a cliff." Stunned.
Woody from Dunlap
KOAF: Last season our offensive running game was quite effective in the first half of the season, then tailed off in the second half. Did you notice any major changes in our blocking schemes (man, gap, or zone) that may have affected our ability to run? If not, were we perhaps, pre-snap, inadvertently "tipping" off what play we were going to run? Were there injuries within our offensive line later in the season that reduced their power or speed? I fully expect the coaches have spent significant time this offseason investigating the causes of this significant second half reduction, to avoid a similar situation in 2026.
I won't say the Jaguars' running game was as effective last season as Head Coach Liam Coen wanted. As I have written and said before, my sense is he very much wants it to be more effective this season – and that will be a major priority. But while there were games late last season when the Jaguars' running game could have been more efficient, it is not entirely accurate that it "tailed off" – and it certainly didn't decline statistically. The Jaguars actually rushed for more yards per game in the second nine games – including the postseason – than in the first nine. The thought here is one reason the rushing game was perceived as ineffective at times last season was it was more dependent on explosive plays than would have been ideal. While 2025 starting running back Travis Etienne Jr. made big plays – with multiple explosive runs – he was more explosive than efficient. That can lead to extended periods where the running game feels inefficient and extended periods where teams get away from the run more than is ideal. An offseason Jaguars priority absolutely is increased efficiency in the running game. That was a major reason the Jaguars acquired Chris Rodriguez Jr. as a restricted free agent, with the hope that his ability after contact and to squeeze the most yards possible out of more runs will make the team more consistent in more running situations. Whether that happens, and how it affects the overall offense, will be a major storyline in the coming weeks and months.
Richard from Jacksonville
What's up?
Not much.
Eddie from Jacksonville
You keep saying Trevor is one of the best players in the NFL. Slow down with this. You're part of the problem.
I am absolutely part of the problem, and a case can be made that I'm the whole problem. But this isn't why. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was fifth in the 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player balloting. He was the quarterback of one of the NFL's hottest teams late in the season and was a major reason that team made the postseason. He enters the 2026 season as one of the league's best players. Absolutely.
Robert from Elkton
Since Dead Zone ... talking music ... have you ever listened to Tim Minchin? He's not for everyone. But he writes some incredible lyrics - usually either downright hilarious or surprisingly deep and emotional. YouTube has "Tim Minchin and the Heritage Orchestra: Live at the Royal Albert Hall" and it's a classic.
He is indeed unique and clearly talented. I can't pretend to have delved too, too far into his work – much less his deep tracks. But the man can write lyrics and not everyone can write lyrics.
William from Jacksonville
I must say, Zone. I have watched soccer – or, as Mrs. O-Zone reportedly calls it, "futbol" – a lot this World Cup. I still don't get how people like it. I guess I just don't like sports without scoring.
You are entitled to your opinion, of course – and many fans of sports such as American football, basketball and baseball share it. And there was a time in my lifetime that most "American sports fans" didn't understand "soccer" to the point of ridiculing those who were fans of the sport. While I once was perhaps one of these people, and while I still enjoy ridiculing things I don't understand, I have over the course of time come to enjoy it far more. I confess there are rules and situations within the sport that I don't grasp, and I'm not in love with the constant falling and flailing following every slight contact. There also is a bit too much gray area and interpretation in the rules. But where I once considered the lack of scoring boring, I do now appreciate a bit more the effort and strategy involved. Scoring or not, it's in no way a boring sport. If you have been watching in recent weeks, it's hard to imagine you not considering it at least a little exciting.
Greg from Jacksonville
I'm going to miss the Striking Viking. He's cool. I like him.
England beat Norway, 2-1, in a World Cup quarterfinal Saturday. That was the end for this World Cup for Norway and star striker Erling Haaland – a.k.a., the Striking Viking. He's absolutely cool. I like him, too. And he's not boring.
Kenneth from Jacksonville
Who's the best player in Jaguars history to don No. 70?
We've moved from 60s to the 70s in this discussion, with possibilities here including center Luke Bowanko (2014-2016) and left tackle Cole Van Lanen (2022-2026). One fer Van Lanen.
Gator from Gainesville, FL
You no longger get to keep the koaf title if skynard aint yur top rock and live albums. There aint no others....
Goodd eyye. Or eer.
Charles from Riverside
Hello, John. I was curious if the Jags have their players go through any formal sports counseling? Always a story during the Olympics, competitors go through all kinds of mental practice, visual repetition, therapy, etc. Do the skill players do the same thing in football in regard to their position? Also is there specific counseling in general on how to handle momentum swings, controlling emotion, winning, clarity of thinking, etc.? Or is this all done organically during practice, class instruction, and coaching?
Many NFL players – like most high-level athletes these days – focus heavily on mental preparation, visualization and therapy, etc. The Jaguars, for example, have a virtual reality training room – and like all teams – they employ sports psychologists. I don't know if this qualifies as "formal sports counseling," but the mental game absolutely is a priority.
Jim from Jagsonville
It's the dead zone, so why not? Statistical anomalies happen in the NFL. Scoregami's are a great example. One of my favorite examples is which quarterback won against the same team twice the same season while playing on two different teams? Jack Kemp, 1962. He beat the New York Jets (then Titans) twice. Once as a San Diego Charger, and once as a Buffalo Bill! Amazing! My favorite though is related more to the local market ... the Pittsburgh Steelers have been beaten in their home stadium twice in the same season on two occasions. That means both second losses were playoff losses. I assume the KOAF knows where I'm going with this. So, what is your favorite statistic ever in sports history? And why is the brilliant Coen play call "Stumbleruski" the only correct answer?
The "Stumble-rooskie" on which Lawrence fell twice before scoring the game-winning touchdown in a 31-28 Monday Night Football victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025 wasn't really a "statistic," though it was unquestionably a big play and fond memory. Favorite sports statistic? I don't know if it's my favorite, but a statistic I always find amazing is that Chris Evert reached the semifinals of her first 34 major tennis championships and reached that round in 52 of 56 majors overall. The women's game was not as deep as it is now, but that's impressive playing against air.
Kevin from Jacksonville
I am bored. Is it football season yet?
Jaguars 2026 Training Camp begins July 28 at the Miller Electric Center, with quarterbacks reporting July 25. The Jaguars open the regular season against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium September 13.
