O-Zone: Great Expectations

JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get to it…

In 2022, the Jaguars, New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs and haven’t made it since. The Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins were good last year. Not so much this year. With the exception of a few organizations, success is short-term. It doesn’t make the loss any less disappointing, but the Jags have better players now than when they were really bad. I thought they had reached a level of sustained success midway through last season, but apparently not. At the very least, the situation can change faster than in past years, when the lineup was not so good.

The Jaguars roster is not very good. Great squads usually don’t lose 12 of 15 games, unlike the Jaguars at the start of this season and at the end of last season. Good lineups also have players who make big plays in key moments, something the Jaguars haven’t done consistently this season. But the Jaguars’ roster isn’t as scarce as it was in past eras. Young players like running back Tank Bigsby, tight end Brenton Strange, defensive end Travon Walker, running back Travis Etienne Jr., right tackle Anton Harrison and linebacker Ventrell Miller have done a lot of encouraging things this season – and they’re not alone. in this category. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence continues to develop, and veterans like cornerback Josh Hines-Allen and cornerback Tyson Campbell are at least strong starters. This is not a case where the franchise is necessarily far, far away.

Accident in Glen St. Mary’s, Florida.

OZ! Scherff is next. Bring Cooper Hodges to RG.

I think you’re suggesting that the Jaguars could trade offensive lineman Brandon Scherff before Tuesday’s trade deadline. I understand the reasoning because he is a veteran player and struggling teams often trade veteran players at the deadline. I don’t expect the Jaguars to make any new moves before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Now there is a lot to wring our hands over, but there is also a lot to be happy about. The stadium is officially approved and we have secured Jags football for another 30 years. Over the last month, Lawrence has shown great signs of being the guy we know he can be. Our young core of BTJ, Travon, Bigsby and guard Jarrian Jones all show varying levels of future anchors for the team. This season may be lost, but I’m still very hopeful and excited for our future. Now let’s play spoiler for the rest of the season. I mean, who knows, there was a team in town that started 2-6 a few years ago and ended the year pretty cool!

Eric, like the noble man named Don in the old days, steadfastly and shamelessly remains “all in…”

Talk of defeatism has already begun. I can’t do this, John. I can’t hurt to lose. Even when it was obvious that Trevor would become number one, he just couldn’t do it. I feel like if I ever got to that point, I would just binge and not even bother watching the rest of the season. I just can’t do it. Go Jags!

Bruce from St. Simons Island, Georgia

Oh, my glass is less than half full now, but here’s my Hail Mary. If the Jags win at least one of the next three games (Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions), they will be in a position to compete for the AFC Crown as their schedule becomes easier from here on out. Losing Kirk last year was very painful, so Parker Washington had to take the field. What do you think?

I think sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington should definitely replace Kirk for this season, and I think Kirk is a major loss. I also think that if the Jaguars win their next two games then maybe, maybe, maybe a conversation like the one you’re suggesting could happen. I think the Jaguars need to win two of their next three games before even thinking about those scenarios. I think it will be very difficult for the Jaguars to win two of their next three games.

Kerry from Mount Airy, North Carolina

Anyone who truly believes we’ll be better off without Trevor is blind.

I think I’m on the opposite side of the people who are concerned about the Jags trading left tackle Cam Robinson and more concerned about others being traded. Trading Robinson was the only responsible thing to do, and anyone – anyone – who could be traded depending on contract status (near the end of their contract), the team should listen to their offers and, if smart, should trade more veterans nearing the end of their contract, including difficult Evan. Engram, who could get a higher pick considering he’s still under contract this year and next. As you have pointed out many times, they lack great quality players. You only get them through the draft. If it were up to me, they would trade Engram, Cisco security, and maybe something else, depending on what they could get in return. I would have traded wide receiver Christian Kirk before he got injured. I know it’s not baseball, but recognizing the problem – there are no great players – provides only one solution: collect as many lottery tickets as possible and hope that you eventually collect one or two. Call me crazy, but the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result.

The Jaguars aren’t going to trade Engram and they’re not going to trade Kirk. And doing the same thing and expecting a different result is not the definition of insanity. It’s a nice (and lazy) thing to say if you don’t want to or can’t think about the topic or Google the real definition of insanity, but it is not the definition of insanity.

Steve from Hilton Head, South Carolina

John, when a player is traded mid-season, who pays him for the rest of the season? Do these numbers affect the salary cap?

It depends on the terms of trade.

Tom Coughlin is one of two head coaches with multiple Super Bowl rings and Hall of Fame finalists this year. How do you assess his chances?

I think Coughlin will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the next few years. I have no doubt that someday it will be fixed. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens this year. But the list of coaching candidates is deep and includes Mike Shanahan and Marty Schottenheimer. I would consider Coughlin, Shanahan and Schottenheimer to be the most deserving of the group and would not vehemently argue with any of the three.

When people compare Trevor’s stats to those of former Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, is it fair to say that most of Blake’s passes came late on plays that were already out of reach?

Michael from MIDDLEBURG, FL

John Unitas, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw and many other quarterbacks played without a coordinator or coach to hear every play. Lawrence last Sunday likely spent the final series with no, or at least very limited, outside interaction. This tells us something. Allow players who have played the game well enough to get to the place where they have been their entire lives. PLAY THE GAME!

You’re right that those quarterbacks of yesteryear did more on their own and listened less. But we’re in a different era of the NFL now – an era of huge coaching staffs and an era that places a big, big emphasis on coordination and playmaking. It’s a long road to this point: I wouldn’t mind seeing more defensemen, including Lawrence, do more with their own instincts. But I wouldn’t expect it anytime soon. The 70s and 80s did not pass through that door, and coaches believed that the once simple game was too complex to allow quarterbacks to have full control of the offense. I do think the Jaguars could allow Lawrence to play more freely, taking more shots down the field as well as more movement and pace. It worked so well last Sunday that it could almost be seen as moving forward.

As I understand it, the player’s salary is divided into game checks. Do players on IR get paid? If not, how will this affect the salary cap?

NFL players’ salaries are actually paid per game, but bonuses are paid in lump sums determined by each player’s contract. Players on injured reserve are paid their agreed-upon salaries and their salaries count toward the salary cap the same as if they were on the active roster.

Bob from St. Augustine, Florida

You can’t give up more than 20 points and expect to win.