JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
JT from Palm Coast, FL
We have to be the youngest coaching staff in the league. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but I am holding off opinion, for now. What is your take on the youth movement?
Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen late last week finalized the 2025 coaching staff, and its youth remains a topic for fans and observers. Coen is 39, with offensive coordinator Grant Udinski at age 29 and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile at age 42. My first take is well-known to O-Zone readers – and that's what we as football observers spend waaaaay too much time worrying about coaching. Because cameras and analysts find themselves drawn to the helmet-less guys on the sideline constantly during games, an overriding perception has been created that the helmetless decide victories and losses. I have heard commentators following a touchdown gush, "What A Great CALL by the offensive coordinator!!!!" Seriously? But I digress. The reality is that experience does not determine if someone is a good coach and age is neither good or bad on this topic. Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay has won a Super Bowl ring in his 30s and Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell – also under 40 – is one of the NFL's better head coaches. Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl-winning head coach Nick Sirianni? Age 43. Forget age. Forget experience. Can the coach lead people? Do players believe in him? Are those players capable of consistently making big plays in big moments? Those factors matter more than age of the coaches.
Darwin from Cebu City, Philippines
John, after watching the Super Bowl, I hope the new-direction Jaguars decision-makers realize how crushingly destructive a fierce pass rush is to an opposing quarterback. I do hope defensive tackle is on the top of the board for this upcoming draft.
The Eagles won Super Bowl LIX Sunday largely because their lines – particularly their defensive line – were better than the lines of the Kansas City Chiefs. I never have been around an NFL decision-maker who doesn't consider pass rush and defensive line important. I expect this regime to emphasize both lines perhaps a smidge more over the long run than some past regimes.
Marcus from Jax
The Eagles dominant Super Bowl win won't silence the narrative that the NFL has favored the Chiefs. It will only intensify it. Everything leading up to the game was about how the NFL and the officials favored the Chiefs, so they had no choice but to cease and desist their obvious favoritism now that their cover was blown. The Super Bowl, then, is what the Chiefs look like when they don't have the benefit of the officials on their side.
It's always conspiracies in the NFL.
Brian from Carlisle, PA
Mighty O, SB 59 showed how important an offensive and defensive line is in a game. The Eagles had the best of both. Quarterback play was above average and there was a balance on offense, because the offensive line could block and give time for the plays to develop. The defensive line was a wrecking machine. They kept Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes running for his life and forced him to make spectacular throws for easy completion. Philly's lines made a huge difference in the game and that is exactly the level of play in the future you need from them. If our beloved Jags can make that change, we will be very competitive next year.
It's tough to transform the Jaguars' lines from what they were in 2024 to the level of the Eagles this past season and this past Sunday. But you can start drafting and building toward it. I would guess the drafting-and-building-toward-it part to start this offseason.
Matthew from Townsville, Tropical Australia
Hi O, I seem to have seen a slightly different Super Bowl than everybody else. Yes, I saw a dominant Philly D-line. But the key factor for me was a Philly secondary that didn't give Mahomes anywhere to throw, and gave the D-line time to get at the quarterback. Am I wrong somehow? I'm wondering how different the Jags 2024 would have been with a secondary that good, giving defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker more time to turn those abundant pressures into a dozen more sacks, and creating more desperation quarterback throws that turn into interceptions?
We did see different games on Sunday – and we see professional football a bit differently, too. I haven't seen many teams dominate for an extended periods with a great secondary. I've seen plenty of teams dominate with a great pass rush. And I've never seen a secondary good enough to dominate a game without at least a very good front applying consistent pressure.
JaxJohn from Aurora, CO
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts might have won the MVP, but as Tom Brady says, the bigs won this came on both lines of scrimmage or am I missing something?
The Eagles' victory Sunday was balanced and dominant, more about the entire team than one individual. When that's the case in the Super Bowl, the Most Valuable Player award often goes to the winning quarterback. Why? Just because.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
Philly's defensive line shows me that our first pick needs to be the best projected interior defensive lineman. If you can get consistent pressure with your front four, it changes everything.
The Jaguars' selection at No. 5 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft needs to be the best available player at the time. If two players are inseparable in value, then yes … lean toward the offensive and defensive lines.
Tony from Johns Creek, GA
O, the young coaching staff doesn't concern me. It's what the Jags do in the draft and free agency that will determine how good the team will be moving forward. Coaches teach, players win.
Yep.
Don from Marshall, NC
Nick Sirianni became the Eagles head coach at age 39. Young bloods are taking over. Congratulations to the Eagles. That was very impressive. Old-school coaching by a young coach. Looked like an eighties championship team. Plus the Jaguars retained their potential record three straight Super Bowls. I was worried we might let that record slip away. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to digging the Eagles and Sirianni and saying something I didn't quite understand about the Jaguars, Don remains "all in."
Ed from Jax by Lionel Playworld
What aspects of Sean McVay's Rams will we see in our Jags moving forward? Please, include analysis and conjecture.
Coen is decidedly influenced by Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, having coached as an assistant on his staff from 2018-2020 and in 2022. I expect we will see similarities in culture and approach, which may not be initially as visible outside the organization as felt within it. You certainly are seeing it in the sense of a younger coaching staff. Here's hoping we'll see similar success.
Matt from Jacksonville
With the Super Bowl in the books, we are now officially in the dead zone time of the season. With that being said, the burning question is, "we know Boselli knows where to find you, but do you know where to find Boselli?"
We're two weeks from the NFL Scouting Combine and essentially a month from the start of the 2025 NFL League year – and the accompanying start of free agency – so we're hardly in any sort of a "dead zone" in terms of ongoings and accompanying interest. As far as your question, while I know where to find the new executive vice president of football operations, I'm not permitted to search. There are doors around the MEC closed to yours truly. And quite understandably so.
Superbiker from Ormond Beach
The explanation that the Jags' offense is predictable because the team cannot effectively execute running plays has holes. Could it be that the predictability and lack of creativity invites opposing defenses to scheme against the runs they know are coming?
When analyzing anything in a sport with as many moving parts as football, there rarely is one explanation. Did defenses in recent seasons scheme against the Jaguars because they knew runs were coming? Perhaps. Are there holes in the explanation that the Jaguars' offense was predictable in recent seasons because it couldn't run well? I suppose. But look around the NFL: Teams that run well – or at least have the ability to run well – are much harder to defend and therefore have the ability to be more creative. Maybe it's a little chicken and egg, but teams that can run are usually in more good down-and-distance situations and teams in positive down-and-situations are free to be more creative than teams that lose yardage and struggle on early downs.
David from Mandarin Town
Just curious. When Jason Isbell comes to play St Aug, like he is in April, does he hang at the Oehser pad or do you hang with him?
We hang at a Super 8 motel.
