JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get started…
Eric from Jacksonville Beach, Florida
When re-signing Calvin Ridley, are you concerned about his age? I really want to have him here and I think his second year in the system with quarterback Trevor Lawrence will show real progress. But we’re going to be investing in a receiver who will be in his 30s for almost the entirety of his contract. I know he was out for almost two years. Did it stop the clock on some of the age concerns or do you see it as the same as he was playing?
This is a legitimate concern. Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns in his first year with the team in 2023, but he will indeed turn 30 in December. That will almost certainly be a factor in considering his contract extension, and Ridley is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in mid-March. But remember: Many “second” contracts are signed by a player with the idea that in that contract he will play for 2-3 years. It’s reasonable to think Ridley will perform at a high level over that period.
Ed from Jax by Lionel Playworld
You’ve talked about how Lawrence’s injury could be negatively impacting his play. What happened to the defense? Earlier this year, I asked what this team was all about. One of your defensive accolades included your ability to stop runs. How did this defense turn an identity-forming strength into an embarrassing weakness?
The Jaguars’ run defense certainly started the season as a strength, but it has become inconsistent at best and a weakness at worst. It seems like some issue is causing this. For one, the interior of the defensive line wasn’t as solid as it was earlier in the season. The second big problem was that defenders seemed to pop out of gaps more often in the second half of the season, especially in the regular-season finale loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars allowed about 50 more yards per game in their last six games than in their first 11 games. When you’re weak against the run, it’s hard to force as many turnovers because your team isn’t passing in as many bad situations. . All of this led to tough finishing and a new defensive approach.
Big Jags fan from Jacksonville
Can you tell me about the duties and responsibilities of a passing game coordinator? Is that position a support staff for the offensive coordinator and head coach, and does that person influence the weekly game plan?
I received several emails like this last week following the hiring of former Jaguars passing game coordinator Nick Holtz as the Titans’ offensive coordinator. This was one offseason after 2022 Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was hired as the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive coordinator. The Passing Game Coordinator is an assistant who assists with the passing game. He is a support staff in the sense that the assistant is the support staff for the coordinator on the side with the ball, and he is influential in the sense that the assistant has influence over the game plan.
Hello KOAGF – I know this topic is old, but so am I. As a coach, be as aggressive as you want during the regular season. But when you’re playing in the second half of a championship game to get all your players, staff and fans to the next game (Super Bowl), do the right thing and kick a field goal. That would have given the Lions an extra point lead or at least stayed within one point. I call calling it a game on 4th down or being careless in making important decisions selfish and crazy.
I understand your perspective on this. If you’re like me, you have an old-school approach to gaming. But remember: The aggressive approach many NFL head coaches now take on fourth downs is not just a spur-of-the-moment decision, such as going for a first down on a 4th-and-3 from midfield. there is no. It’s a staff-wide, systemic approach, and coaches decide in the offseason that they almost always plan to implement it in a given situation. I don’t like that approach. I’m not recommending it. But it’s not selfish or careless on the part of the head coach.
Hi John. Any thoughts on the Jags adding another passing game coordinator? Maybe Bryon Leftwich or Frank Reich?
I hope they will. If they do this, they’ll be fine. There are never too many passing game coordinators in the NFL.
If right tackle Anton Harrison becomes a solid borderline 10-year All-Pro, 2023 will go down as a very good draft even if the other draftees do nothing ( (For a team that drafted him in his mid-20s). right?
What do you make of the play and acquisition of left guard Ezra Cleveland? I’m a Boise State Broncos football fan and have been following his career closely. He has made no secret that he wants to return to left tackle, but that’s not expected as a Jaguar. Do you think he will be on the roster next season?
The Jaguars acquired guard Ezra Cleveland from the Minnesota Vikings with a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, trading him to Cleveland just before the trade deadline late last season. This was a good trade since Cleveland is a starting level guard. Yes, I think he will be on the roster next season. He’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, but I expect the Jaguars to re-sign him. Let’s take a look.
*Doug from Jacks Beach*
As is often the case with many of your answers, if the question isn’t clear, you know the meaning but use the ambiguity to fabricate an answer that fits your agenda. In my case, I basically said that even if I had 0 wins and 5 losses in 5 games, my win/loss record couldn’t get any worse. I think you knew that and went in a different direction. As far as your record goes, 0 wins and 5 losses in 5 games cannot get any worse. I never have.
There are many “amazing” things about this job. There’s nothing better than being taught how I do things. That’s a “big help” in my opinion.
When one of the biggest keys (along with good QB play) to keeping a franchise competitive in the long run is drafting and development, we have a problem. Baalke has yet to draft a single superstar. He drafted a lot of very OK players, except maybe TL, and the jury is still out on him. Get ready to introduce a new GM next year.
Is it understood that the identity of this team lies in a well-coached balance of defense and attack? For our offense, we want to design our offense around running back Travis Etienne Jr. He’s too good.
A team’s identity is formed when the team is playing well. When this team has performed well over the past two seasons, quarterback Trevor Lawrence has played well, with the offense making big and clutch plays and the defense stopping the run and forcing turnovers. It’s a little early to say when a “new identity” will move forward with a new defensive coordinator. I predict that the identity of the offense will always center around Lawrence. He also expects it will be a little more important for him to protect the ball on offense and not allow big plays on defense. Etienne will continue to play this important role, but it remains to be seen whether this offense will be built “around” the running back.
Author. Please forgive me for having some doubts about one of your answers. I didn’t want to be like that. When you said Belichick was one of the best coaches, I looked at his record. He was fired after the then-Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore. He was almost released by the New England Patriots until Drew Bledsoe was injured. The Patriots certainly parted ways with Tom Brady after he left the team. Even after subtracting Brady’s time as the Patriots’ starting quarterback, would Belichick still be on the list of top coaches?
No, but you can’t take the game out of a head coach’s career, just like you can’t take the game out of a quarterback’s career. It’s not an exact science to determine such things. I think Belichick’s performance without Brady is why you can’t call him the best head coach in NFL history, even though many people undoubtedly think so. At the same time, you can never talk about the greatest head coaches in NFL history without including him in the conversation.
KOAF – When are you going to answer the most exceptional Ozone questions that you keep in a special folder and read only when you are in despair and need proof that there is still beauty in this world?