JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Charles from Riverside
Hello, John. Here is a recent quote from Jaguars run coordinator Brian Picucci about Head Coach Liam Coen: "As a player when we were coaching him, he knew how important the run game was, because our run game was as diverse as it is here. Terminology is different, the level is different and all that stuff. But, when you look at coordinators in the NFL, you can't say that every coordinator in the NFL cares about the run game as much as Liam does." Hoping you could explain what he meant about how the Jaguars' rushing offense is "diverse?"
This was good stuff from Picucci recently, vocalizing what those who paid attention started seeing in Coen's first season with the Jaguars last season. Coen's offense not only utilizes different backs, but it also attacks the defense unpredictably in terms of types of runs and on which down-and-distance scenarios he calls runs. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence did a nice job throughout the season checking into the right looks on running plays, and Coen's commitment to the running game – sometimes even in game situations where other coaches might abandon it in favor of the pass – was one of the "hidden" reasons the offense remained effective and consistent much of the season. I am not sure the Jaguars' offense ever rushed as consistently and effectively last season as Coen wanted. My guess is it did not. He has extremely high standards for the running game and I expect the Jaguars will get close to those standards this season.
Robert from Elkton
John. Arik Armstead prior to his injury last season seemed to be playing great. I believe his super-important Pro Football Focus grades had him as one of the top five at his position, and he led his position in the league with 5.5 sacks and 41 pressures. If he looks that good in camp, do you think the team will offer him an extension structured using accounting magic to lower his cap number with voidable years, etc.? I have read all offseason about him being a cut candidate, and I just don't see it. You do not get rid of your best players; you sign them to another year.
I will be surprised if the Jaguars sign defensive tackle Arik Armstead to a contract extension based on his performance in 2026 Training Camp. He is 32, entering his 12th NFL season, and you must navigate contracts of veteran players carefully. If he is playing at a high level during the 2026 regular season, perhaps they will make the effort to navigate with Armstead.
Nathan from Duval then, Sacramento now
"Language was invented for one reason ... and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won't do in your O-Zone submissions." I may have forgotten a word or two there ...
OK.
Limo Bob from Neptune Beach/ Piscataway
Are there rules or laws about team employees gambling on sports?
Yes. NFL team employees – non-playing staff – are prohibited from betting on any sporting event, NFL or otherwise. There are many specifics and details to the policy, and it is zero tolerance, but that's the overview.
J.Hooks from Mandarin
London Calling = perfection. Guns of Brixton is one of my all-time favorite jams ever written.
Yup.
Jadon from Raleigh, NC
So, I guess my question would be who is the best Jags player ever to don No. 68? Just curious.
We're staying on the offensive line here. Possibilities here include left tackle Kelvin Beachum (2016), guard Zane Beadles (2014-2015), guard Andrew Norwell (2018-2021), guard Brandon Scherff (2022-2024), tackle Guy Whimper (2010-2012) and tackle Bruce Wilkerson (1995). I suppose we will go with Scherff, a tough guy who had some nice moments here.
Chris from Mandarin
Letterkenny was over the top hilarious for its first few seasons. It is one of those in visual media where the dialog is funnier if you see it written out. The alliteration was very clever. That being said, throughout the show, many of the jokes became redundant and it lost something over time.
I liked the whole thing enough to watch it three times through. So far. I probably will watch it again. And again. I guess I am smart enough to know it's not as good as I think it is.
Travis from Chattanooga, TN via Ormond Beach, FL
Hey, O. I was heartened to see you reference Letterkenny as an omission for best comedies, because it certainly is (was). My question is, have you checked out Shoresy yet? I dare say it is even better than Letterkenny, especially if you have a love – or even a like – of hockey.
I like Shoresy a lot. I can't put it on par with Letterkenny, and I can't say it's as deep as Letterkenny or as consistently funny. What I particularly like about Shoresy is how the jokes became redundant and how it lost something over time. That's my jam.
Daniel from St J
Stephen from Fortson, GA made a comment about "seeing Elvis in the early aughts." While our KOAF would never make such a statement, you did not correct it, so I did, with a feeble attempt at being funny. Declan Patrick McManus is a fine musician and artist by any standard, but he is not a member of the Inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he is not one of the tiny number of artists known by a single name. A music lover should know better. (I am trying to be nice. I am just not very good at it.) On a side note: I was considering asking a question for the dead zone. Who is your favorite guitarist whose last name starts with an "A?" May I suggest Duane Allman...
Declan Patrick McManus is King.
Rob from St Augustine, FL
Elvis Joseph?
Elvis is King.
Luke from Brisbane, Australia
Howdy, O. What are the coaches up to now in the Dead Zone period? Do they work through (and, if so, what would they be doing?) – or do they take a break before entering the grind of the season? Cheers.
The "dead zone," as O-Zone readers have come to refer to it, is the time between the end of the offseason program and start of training camp. Coaches and players sometimes call it their summer break and sometimes they don't call it anything except that time of the year they're actually off for an extended period. Whatever they call it, coaches don't work during that time – or if they do, it's very, very minimal. If a month-plus off sounds like a lot, remember: Except for a week or two immediately following the season and the occasional few days around offseason weekends, there's not much extended time off for coaches except during that period. Cheers.
Jim from Jagsonville
Since the president can call in to revoke red cards, shouldn't they have called in about Myles Jack not being down? How would the NFL have handled that?
Differently, presumably.
Mike from Pensacola, FL
O-Zone. I know, dead zone, but I am reflecting. I just rewatched the 1999 playoff beatdown of the Miami Dolphins. The Jags retired quarterback Dan Marino and Jimmy Jones on the same day. It was surreal. I am going to credit a ton to a lot of the Jags, but I'm kind of superstitious. It's always been about the prowlers. Come on Tony, make it happen. Zone, no snark please, just a fan fanning.
The day the Jaguars beat the Miami Dolphins 62-7 in an AFC Divisional Playoff following the 1999 season was unforgettable. They indeed sent Marino and Dolphins Head Coach Jimmy Johnson – a.k.a., Jimmy Jones – into retirement. I expect the Jaguars will unveil "new" uniforms around the time of the Stadium of the Future opening for the 2028 season. I expect there will at minimum be a "Prowler feel" because of the popularity of those uniforms. I don't know that it will be exactly the Prowlers. Whatever the choice, I'm guessing not everyone will like them and there will be backlash. What's anything in this world these days without backlash?
Ken from Jacksonville
I think I speak on behalf of everyone who regularly reads this column when I say that going forward his name is Miles Jackson.
Yup.
Pedal Bin, IFOTY 2025 from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK
Oh Mighty 'O'/King of All Funk, I had assumed that as you are the King of all Funk, you would refer to yourself not in the third person, but as "we" or "our" as Monarchs do. As in "We are enjoying a Bullet Bob," "R.E.M. are one of our favourite groups," "we recommend the Sopranos as an excellent TV show" and "fans write into our column and we answer their questions." Why not try it out with Mrs. O?
I am the King of All Funk. I am not the We of the King of All Funk. Or something like that. Whatever. What?
