JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get to it…
Greg from Section 122 and Jacksonville
That should be our team motto, “Give it a year!!” It seems to be the theme of, “Oh, we are mediocre now but WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!” Yes, if our commercial, suspended suspended hidden weapon receiver will be available. Maybe maybe. If we get the next Top 3 draft pick! Or … OR … ORRRR … The next amazing free-agent signing. Is it just me or does this team feel like a living version of the Indians from the Major League? It’s never good enough to be…right? Maybe we should do like the Indianapolis Colts and hire Tony Boselli as our head coach. It will be working for them.
You are upset. That is beyond understanding. It’s hard to look at the Jaguars’ results over the past decade-plus and say fans shouldn’t be upset. And anger. And more, more, more. And O-Zone’s responses during that decade echoed many from this era, heavy on themes of youth and construction. I can’t promise the future. Even Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson can’t guarantee future success. What I can tell you is that quarterback Trevor Lawrence through 10 games this season has shown enough progress to make a reasonable observer confident that he can continue to improve significantly in the coming season. And the mistakes in the first season under Pederson have been good enough to make the average observer confident that he can improve significantly in the coming seasons. I doubt Boselli will be the head coach of the Jaguars. I think Pederson is the right person for that position, and I’m confident that the team can win more consistently — and sooner — than I have in a while. Will see.
Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen seems like a nice guy and a hard worker. After several years is he the one? A good player but not Pro Bowl caliber?
Allen, of No. 7 overall pick by the Jaguars in the 2019 NFL Draft, he was a Pro Bowl selection as a player and deservedly so. He hasn’t been a Pro Bowl selection since, but he’s been good. So, yeah…that’s what he’s been up to today.
You’re excited about it, aren’t you?
As you can see, it is difficult for players to develop during the season. It makes Pederson’s decision to cancel parts of training camp/OTAs all the more troubling. It seems like we could have used some more development time.
I didn’t find Pederson’s performance for the 2022 season to be problematic, and in my mind he didn’t erase parts of training camp. He canceled June’s three-day mandatory minicamp for veterans — though not for rookies. Pederson knows from experience how much offseason work a player needs. If you believe that those three days off in the middle of June’s work would change the course of the season, and that Pederson dumped his team to allow veterans three days off, I think we’ll agree to disagree.
Chances of the Jaguars making the playoffs in 2022?
Do you think the Jags will look at the personnel they have on D and make it easy? The given places are confusing nonsense, and they have actors to play the man. That would also help them go to 4-3. Adjust the program to the employees.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jaguars use the bye to try to lighten up their defense. I would be surprised if they moved to a 4-3 defense; it’s a difficult transition to make in the middle of a season. I’d be very surprised if the Jaguars looked at their personnel and thought they had players/playmakers who focused on man-to-man coverage.
The legendary rookie wall is quickly approaching for our 2022 draft and undrafted free agent class. Is this a phenomenon (regression in play) you’ve seen in your many years covering the Jaguars and Colts?
You often hear about it more than you see it. Rookies often talk after the season about the NFL season feeling longer than the college season. Notable differences are usually smaller than statistical declines late in a player’s rookie season.
It was nice of you to answer a question yesterday from Riley Patterson’s mother. Do you get questions from moms of athletes often?
I sent an O-Zone email recently supporting Jaguars kicker Riley Patterson, who has missed three of his last five field goals. That is a difficult struggle. If it continues like this for another game or two, I expect the Jaguars to seriously reconsider their move. Considering he’s been consistent for the first eight games this season, I don’t know that it’s safe to assume the email came from Patterson’s mother. Or it was from his mother. Or maybe it came from your mother.
By the way, is this a good week to go? I’m not sure I’m buying it. Should the bye week be season-ending? Would the bye be better to buy if it was earlier? Thank you and good luck.
The ideal time for a rest week is when the team has a lot of short-term injuries that can be healed with a week’s rest. The Jaguars have been surprisingly healthy in that sense. To take injuries out of the equation, most coaches opt for a late-season bye so in that sense this is a good week to go, by golly.
Most of the successful teams keep a core group of players over several years. Which players on the current roster do you see being for the Jags for the next four-plus years?
Four years is actually five years, and five seasons is a loooong time in the NFL. The players I watched with the Jaguars in five seasons: Lawrence, linebacker Devin Lloyd, running back Travis Etienne Jr., center Luke Fortner, cornerback Tyson Campbell, outside linebacker Travon Walker and maybe Allen. Oh, and offensive lineman Tyler Shatley, of course. It is clear that he is going to play here forever. Either way, if the roster is just Lawrence and one or two others — and if Lawrence is good — the Jaguars will probably be good.
It feels like a few times in the last few O-Zone columns someone has said that Aiden Hutchinson has been SOOO more productive than Walker when that is completely untrue. Take out Hutchinson’s three-sack game where he was credited with two of those sacks, and his numbers are even worse than Walker’s. Are these people just pulling your chains, or are they complaining for the sake of complaining? Maybe he’s stupid? I don’t understand it.
The reality of Walker’s rookie season was that he was going to be heavily criticized if he didn’t produce big sacks – and because Walker would need time to develop as a pass rusher, odds were good that he would be heavily criticized. . People who criticize are not dumb. They are the fans who want their team to win.
Hello Zone, I keep reading pundits like you saying that once Travon Walker learns the pass rush he will be a great player, my question is what the hell have they been doing on the plays since the beginning of training camp? Thank you
I don’t know if I’ve ever written or said that Walker will be great once he learns how to pass. I don’t know Walker’s ceiling. I have written and said that he should improve on this matter. The Jaguars spent a lot of time with Walker in this position in training camp and in the offseason. Once the regular season begins, practices will not be less about fundamentals and skills because the current time demands that these practices be more about game-planning and preparation.
You know, the nine years Dave Caldwell was here as general manager you never once said he was doing a terrible job. The fans were right, and I don’t think you understand that supporting the team and everyone in front made your good eye look less good. We are here with Trent. Everything is fine and he is a great manager and everyone just needs time. The fans weren’t always wrong John. Stop it, just stop the sunshine. We don’t care if we’re better if we’re still 3-7. It’s 3-7 my dear God. Better to aim for .500. Stop putting your mouth on the pig! This franchise is awesome, that’s for sure.
People ask questions, Alan. I answer. That’s the format and I have no plans to change it. Being “scary” wasn’t so much a desirable job as it was a happy accident. And while my daily goal isn’t to piss you off, it’s one of the coolest jobs out there.
The great and mighty O, I have a lot of money riding on your answer to my question – Can you guarantee the Jags won’t lose this Sunday?
Yes, and Alan won’t like this answer, either.
