JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Brendan from The Moral High Ground

Everyone likes surprises. Who do you think surprises the most this season not named Travis Hunter?

Some might take issue with your first statement, and I might well be among them. I also don't know that Jaguars rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter necessarily will surprise too many people – though it's quite possible he will impress them quickly if he plays both positions at the level the Jaguars expect. As for potential surprises … let's go with rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten and the Jaguars' offensive line. It's hard to evaluate much in the running game in the non-padded work of the offseason, but there's a lot of optimism around this offensive line. And Tuten's speed stands out. There are some elements in those two storylines that could surprise many observers.

Rob from San Antonio, TX

KOAF, what would it take for Logan Cooke to reach Hall of Fame consideration? It would seem he's one of the best at his position over the last several decades. I'm sure due to his position it's highly unlikely, but his performance over the past several years appears historical for his position.

Punter Logan Cooke, who signed a contract extension with the Jaguars Monday, is the NFL's all-time leader in net punting average and ranks sixth all-time in gross punting average. He has been one of the NFL's best players at his position for most of his seven NFL seasons. He's worthy of high career accolades. But specialists must excel on an insane level to be considered for the Hall. Only one punter, Ray Guy of the 1970s/1980s Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, is enshrined. For those who don't remember Guy, he was the punter by which all others were measured during his career. He also was a six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection. It will be tough for any punter – including Cooke – to match Guy's reputation. And it will be equally tough for any punter – including Cooke – to be enshrined in the Hall.

Doug from Jacksonville, FL

This is one answer you didn't need to preface you were using your Scooby sense not your Scobee sense. When it comes to Jaguars punter Logan Cooke, who is steadily and quietly becoming perhaps the best specialist in Jaguars history, Don remains "all in."

I suppose.

Mason from Palm Bay, FL

I know you don't want to turn this into a tennis forum, but well said about Jannik Sinner. I saw folks on the internet and X – "The Everything App" – saying that Sinner choked the match away. That is unfair to him. Great match between the best young stars in the sport, but in the end, only one can win. The Wimbledon Championship will begin during the thick of the Dead Zone, so maybe we can talk tennis again around that time.

I'll talk tennis now and during the dead zone, and I don't mind discussing Carlos Alcarez's victory over Jannik Sinner in Sunday's French Open men's final one last time. Sinner indeed lost three consecutive match points while leading two sets to love – and he missed another real opportunity by not holding his serve in the next game while serving for the match. But Sinner also broke Alcarez's serve in the fifth set to force a tiebreaker. When he did that in that pressure situation, it rendered any talk of Sinner "choking" silly and inaccurate. While we live in an era in which everyone needs to label everything with a hot take, and while Sinner certainly long will regret an opportunity missed, sometimes two competitors compete at a remarkably high level. One must win and the other must lose. It doesn't mean either "choked."

Van from St Augustine, FL

So, should the Jags pursue pass rusher Trey Hendrickson from the Cincinnati Bengals?

Trade machine!!!!!!!!

Jay from So-Cal

While I roll my eyes at most of your "Gene Frennete" O-Zone takes, I am eager to see or hear the two of you have a one-on-one discussing the team and his otherworldly acts of heroism and awe-inspiring feats. Do you have a date set for the Jags fan base and O-Zone diehards to be mesmerized by you two (or at least Gene)?

I am scheduled to record the final 2025 O-Zone Podcast with former longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette – a.k.a., Gene Frenette – imminently. There's no posting date yet scheduled, but it will be soon. Very soon.

Dan from Madrid

Hi, John. I was reading your answer to a question recently about the Jags' expansion and it brought some fond memories. I arrived in May 1993 from Europe to work on the cruise lines and at the beginning didn't know anything about American football. Remember that all conversations about this sport were around the Miami Dolphins as they had quarterback Dan Marino at the time. One day, I found we had a charter cruise to promote the Jacksonville Jaguars expansion and they had some members participate. That was the date I made my choice to support this team, in the beginning just to mess with my Dolphins friends. It never has crossed my mind to support any other team, even if I have many reasons to do so. Thanks for your daily entertainment.

Good stuff.

Mike from Daytona Beach, FL

Let's talk about our interior defensive line run defense. Am I correct in assuming that both Arik Armstead and Maason Smith are both better suited to play the three technique? If yes, that currently leaves DaVon Hamilton, Tyler Lacy and Jordan Jefferson at nose tackle. Lacy is significantly undersized for nose tackle and Jefferson has yet to prove himself. If Hamilton is back to 2022 form from his back injury, he is a solid starter. If not, big trouble! Despite the team not having meaningful-contact practices yet, how does Hamilton look so far?

Hamilton has looked like pretty much all defensive linemen look during organized team activities and minicamp – like a very big, very good athlete competing against other big, very good athletes in non-padded work that is low intensity compared to padded work. It seems obvious and fair to say that the Jaguars' defensive tackles – particularly the nose tackles – entering the 2025 season are somewhere between potentially good to perhaps a bit concerning. If players such as Armstead, Hamilton, Jefferson and Smith are what they could be, it might be a pretty good group. If they're what they collectively were in 2024, they're just OK. Stay tuned.

Joel from Mandarin

O, KOAF, I knew that saying "blah, blah, blah" after mentioning Aaron Rodgers' successful career would get your attention. I should have put a little sarcasm asterisk after my statement. I'm making a mental note of that so I don't ever offend the Great and Powerful O again. I was merely pointing out that many fans of the NFL don't care about how good a quarterback in the regular season if that quarterback can't consistently win in the post season (I'm not one of these fans). The list of great quarterback you gave...Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Brett Favre...even contains some quarterbacks who were on a different level than Aaron Rodgers and were able to consistently win in the postseason and consistently win Super Bowls. The postseason and the Super Bowl are unfortunately what many fans care about and if a team loses in the postseason, they too are forgotten for what they accomplished during the season. I'm not saying I agree with this thinking O, but this is the true thinking of many fans and I know the Jaguars have been forgotten many times. I apologize for offending you when I didn't clarify my position.*

A peek behind the O-Zone curtain: Very little offends me and O-Zone questions rarely bother me on any significant level. Also: I have a decent working knowledge of what "most fans care about" when it comes to NFL quarterbacking – and it's indeed postseason play and Super Bowl titles. What most fans care about rarely shapes my thoughts on the NFL. If I answered questions the way "most fans" saw the NFL I would be doing the reader a massive disservice. Any forum can give expected answers based on what fans believe about the league. If this forum offers anything it's a slightly more educated, experienced view that's at least a few degrees closer to reflecting how the league really works. Either way, fear not about offending me.

Ryan from Apopka, FL

Talking about summer sports, and you forgot to mention Le Tour de France! Between the NBA Finals, CWS, US Open this weekend, Wimbledon in early July with the British Open to follow that takes us to August when training camp starts back up and then of course right before the NFL season we get the US Open! Ahh, summer sports. while not the traditional sports, are always enjoyable to watch.

Or we could read a book. /Ducks