JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Charles from Jacksonville
Hello, John. You wrote "Coen's system isn't as big on starters at running back as on multiple backs who can play productive roles." Any thoughts on how that would break down positionally next year with our current backs assuming ETN moves on?
My answer here was perhaps a too-wordy way of saying that running backs in Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen's system are often more "committee" than having true first, second and third-team backs. For an idea of how the Jaguars' running-back position might look moving forward, perhaps look at how it looked this past season with Travis Etienne Jr. as the "starter" and rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. as "reserves." Etienne started because his versatile skillset fit well with what Coen wanted to run, but Tuten played extensively in some down-and-distance situations and on some series to periodically allow Etienne plays off. Allen also played extensively when the Jaguars could utilize his strengths in pass protection. Remember, too: Coen is very good at creating situations for specific players to excel without regard to who "starts." I expect he will continue to utilize backs based on their strengths rather than a preconceived idea of their depth-chart status regardless of whether Etienne is here or not.
Greg from Marietta, GA
I was wondering what the coaching staff does during this time besides look at the draft tapes. I assume the scouts and general manager are more involved in this process. Is the staff in the office everyday, but more in the traditional nine-to-five hours?
An NFL coaching staff's schedule indeed is more traditional in the offseason than in the regular season, with half of the day generally spent on their own personnel/scheme development and the other half spent on scouting potential free agents/draft prospects. There's also lunch. There must always be lunch.
Jesse from TX
So, if next year, on the final week of the regular season, the Jaguars are already locked into a playoff seed with no chance to move up or down, would that final game of the regular season still be the most important game in franchise history?
For the players playing? Damned right.
Josh from Atlanta, GA
It has always been said you draft, develop and re-sign your good players when you can. It is also said, "Spend a bazillion dollars for players other teams let walk, at your own peril." I absolutely understand why we aren't re-signing the two main guys we talk about daily. If the current staff had been in place, and made some smarter free agency moves the past two-to-three years, would we still be having the same conversation if the same two players had still been drafted? Would the group prefer to keep them, and would in a better cap situation, but just understand what the right moves are at this stage in our Jaguars era?
There's a lot here, but my Scooby Sense – not my Spidey or Scobee Sense – tells me you're asking if the Jaguars would re-sign running back Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne Jr. if their salary cap was in a better situation. This is tricky to answer because all teams have some "dead" salary-cap space, and each team has a different interpretation of what a better cap situation entails. My best effort at an answer is I don't know if the Jaguars would re-sign either player if their cap situation was close to ideal. This is because you not only must consider the current cap when making re-signing decisions but also the impact of those decisions moving forward. Paying those two positions what the market figures to command would be really, really costly whatever the cap situation – perhaps too costly to consider it a wise move.
Bradley from Death Valley, CA
Noted beer connoisseur, Antonio Stradivari just flipped in his grave.
Goody on him.
George from Lakewood, OH
It's close to tax season, so regarding taxes … When teams play overseas, who reaps the benefit of state taxes? Where do the state taxes go? Thanks.
There are no state taxes in overseas games, though there are international taxes. Those go to the countries that collect the taxes.
Sam from Orlando, FL
We can't talk about Eric Stoltz and not mention his role as Rocky Dennis in the movie "Mask". Sam Elliott as Gar was unforgettable. We all deserve a father figure like that.
Did that make Elliott "unforgartable?" (I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your bartenders and servers).
Jim from the Beaches by way of central Pennsylvania from Intersection of nowhere and no place PA
O-Zone, assuming you were smarter in math in high school than I was, what are the odds of Power Four conference football player making the roster of an NFL team?
This is impossible to answer precisely because you need to know the players' skill level, position, specific school, specific conference, etc. You also need to know if "roster" means playing one NFL regular-season game at any time. Or does it mean being on a regular-season-opening 53-player roster? And do you mean a player who gets recruited by a school, a career backup or a player who eventually starts? But if you assume the average size of a Power Four recruiting class to be 20 and assume the average school has five players drafted into the NFL each year, then there's about a 25 percent chance a Power Four conference player makes the NFL. My guess the real percentage is significantly lower, with the percent chance that the player has an extended career far lower. Stay in school, kids. Just say no. Do your homework. Open wide and say "Ah." And all of that.
Thomas from Charlottesville, VA
If every team is going to play an international game, why not have them play the same week? Let this be the 17th game and then have eight truly home games and eight away games. You could give every team the bye week after the "International Game" weekend?
The NFL wants to spread these games over the course of a season so that each individual game stans on its own as a special event. Your plan also would necessitate one weekend in the fall being completely without the NFL – and God knows we can't have that.
Bradford from Orange Park, FL
Saw you tagged "A League of Their Own" in your Top 5 sports movies. All-Time movie quote, for me, from Jimmy Dugan when he told Dottie Henson, "It's supposed to be hard … if it wasn't hard everyone would do it - the hard, is what makes it great."
The line about the little hat was good, too – and the end, when Dottie sees Jimmy's picture and we realize he has passed away … I'm not crying. You're crying.
Scott from Jacksonville
I wonder if people who keep saying "just put the franchise tag on Devin Lloyd" realize that would pay Lloyd around $28 mil for the year? I love Lloyd. He turned into a real difference maker, which is the kind of player Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone was looking for when he moved up for Hunter. I'd love to keep the man, but that's a bit steep.
It's a lot steep, actually. Like waaaaaaay too steep to even be seriously considered.
JAY from THE BURG
What is considered momentum? Positive plays, first downs, scoring? If you go for it on fourth down and fail, it's the same as a turnover. If it's first-and-goal from the one and you fumble on first down, it's the same as not scoring on fourth down. It doesn't mean never risk going for it. But if the offense stalls when in scoring position, I would always kick after a defensive turnover and in the first half. Every score, large or small, matters. Not just on the scoreboard. The kicking game is there for a reason. To help the offense and team maintain momentum and confidence when the offense stalls. Even if the placekicker misses, it's not as deflating as the offense turning the ball over.
This is the '25 Jaguars offseason Topic of Choice. I get it. It's not going to change. What also isn't going to change is the Jaguars under Head Coach Liam Coen are going to be aggressive, particularly in situations where the offense has a chance to gain huge scoreboard advantage and momentum. And especially when the Jaguars have a chance to win the game. Coen believes offense must thrive in those situations for a team to be great. He's going to keep working this area until the Jaguars do it consistently.
James from Titusville, NJ
For all the flack you give your dear loyal readers (and I know who I am) for name misspellings and typos, here you are found to be human along with the rest of us in misspelling Jordan Stolz's name. Isn't that right, Mr. Ohser?
I am the kng of all fnk.
