JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Chuck from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
With the Jaguars having the record that they unfortunately have, who is in the best position to determine the skills of the players we have - the general manager and his staff or the head coach and his staff? Would your answer be different if it was draft talent versus current players?
Evaluating roster talent is best done by a combination of coaches and personnel officials – and if there is disagreement between the groups, the best staffs find common ground. Such conversations and evaluation usually are done over the course of time and over multiple conversations between multiple people rather than one meeting around a conference room table with dramatics and banged tables. The answer indeed is a bit different if it involves drafted players, with the personnel department typically holding more sway in those discussions because scouts and talent evaluators are involved year-round rather than just during the offseason as the draft approaches.
Brian from Greenwood, IN
In easily one of the most disappointing seasons ever, maybe we can go 4-2 in the division. Wouldn't that make for a little better offseason? I guess that was a rhetorical question.
The Jaguars can finish the 2024 regular season 4-2 in the AFC South if they win their final two games – home against the Tennessee Titans Sunday and at the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday. That would give the Jaguars season sweeps over the Colts and Titans, and they lost both games to the division champion Houston Texans. What would that mean for the Jaguars? It would mean they were a good enough team to beat other teams in a struggling division. It seems from this view that would feel OK for a day or so, but that it would be soon and understandably forgotten.
James from Socorro, NM
Are you allowed to Moodachay with FULL CONSISTENCY during Krimma?
I am the king of all funk.
Tom from Charlottesville, VA
From the answer Mr. Smith gave about following a routine that was not good hurt him at the start of the season, this seems to indicate that not all of the players were putting their best foot forward. If some of these players had that much influence, then the poor showing on the field is more understandable. This is also an indictment on the coaching staff for not fostering the right kind of work ethic! If this is the case, then the leadership should be changed. Bad records happen, the ball can bounce a different way, injuries will occur, but attitude needs to be a total team effort not just core guys! Is the culture not what it should be?
You're referencing Jaguars rookie defensive tackle Maason Smith saying earlier this week that earlier in the season "I was kind of winging it to a point. Not necessarily getting in the facility as early as maybe I needed to or just going off of somebody else's routine that – no offense – isn't where I want to be. So, I had to take it into myself and find my own process …" He said more, but that's the gist. Your take, while understandable, is incorrect. It often takes NFL rookies a while to "get it." They're young people who have had success at lower football levels who must figure out how to succeed at the highest level – and that highest level is one of grown men rather than younger players who sometimes are still teenagers. Every player transitioning to the NFL must learn how to be a professional. They must "get it." That a rookie doesn't necessarily get it in his first month in the NFL is not remotely an indictment on the coaching staff. Smith seems to get it now. That's a fairly normal progression and timeframe in the NFL.
Sean from Oakleaf, FL
Who you got for the Sunday Night Football finale next week?
No idea.
Travis from Chattanooga, TN
Merry Krimma, John! 'Tis the season to think about gifts and what the Jags can give to me is a team worth watching next year. However, knowing you can't overhaul an entire roster in one offseason, what's the priority? What do the Jags concentrate on in the 2025 offseason? Games against the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders proved that the offense can't go down and score winning points when it needs to win the game. However, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans (twice!), Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and also Las Vegas proved that the defense can't make a stop when the game is on the line, either. I'd at least like to have hope that one side of the ball can function competently. Now, where's the Tylenol?
The Jaguars from this view must focus on getting younger, better on the interior of the two lines and better at the safety position. They also need quarterback Trevor Lawrence to stay healthy and continue developing. They need better play in big moments from the quarterback position. I don't know that these improvements will happen immediately – and I don't know that even those improvements would make the Jaguars elite immediately. I think they're a few seasons from elite. I do think doing those things would make a big difference in a hurry.
John from Jacksonville
Watching the Texans take a beating from the Baltimore Ravens was so much fun I stayed tuned for the whole thing. Sweeping the Titans should be more fun but there's a dilemma. The Jaguars will actually be helping the Titans by beating them.
I guess you'll just have to figure this one out.
Holden from Callahan, FL
I have a couple questions regarding the defensive line: 1.) I've noticed that defensive end Travon Walker has seen more double teams and chips from tight ends than Josh Hines-Allen. With the amount of looks he's getting, how can he work on splitting double teams? I'd think that might come in the offseason. 2.) I was pleasantly surprised to see Maason Smith having a solid outing. He was everywhere on Sunday. Will he continue to build on that momentum heading into 2025?
Good eye on both counts. Walker gets double-teamed and chipped extensively – and he must continue working on splitting and beating double teams. He can work on that in the offseason and in games – and he also can get help with players improving around him. Little helps a defensive end rush the passer more than interior pressure. I don't know if Smith will continue to build on the momentum he has built in the last three games. I do know that he has looked increasingly more effective in recent weeks and that the Jaguars must have that continue. Smith is an important storyline. Any Jaguars player showing signs of improving the defensive interior is an important storyline.
202 from Jacksonville
John, I see six players who are the cornerstone of our team: Lawrence, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and tight end Evan Engram on offense – and on defense Hines-Allen, Walker and possibly Smith. What do you say?
I consider most players on the list core players. I wonder about Engram more because of age and experience level than anything. Smith must have an extended stretch of good play before he's a cornerstone.
David from Fruit Cove
Looking to 2025, who are the top six players on offense and defense that you believe an incoming new general manager or head coach would want to keep? Which of those players, if any, will be difficult to keep?
Top five on offense: Lawrence, Thomas, right tackle Anton Harrison, tight end Brenton Strange and running back Tank Bigsby. Top six on defense: Cornerback Tyson Campbell, cornerback Jarrian Jones, Walker, Hines-Allen, linebacker Ventrell Miller and Smith. It won't be hard to keep any of those players. All are under contract for 2025.
Bruce from Owensboro, KY
What are the chances that Shad brings in a football czar to run that side of the operation? Do you think that is possible. I love what Shad Khan has done for the Jags, but so far his picks haven't worked out and perhaps he has too much fan in him to be objective. Your thoughts Wise and Mighty O.
I do think this is possible. I think this because he tried the approach with Tom Coughlin as Executive Vice President of Football Operations from 2017-2019. I don't have any feel if this is likely in the foreseeable future.
JK from NY & Fernandina Beach, FL
John - The laidback vibe is what attracts many to Northeast Florida. Is it possible that Jacksonville is not a conducive environment to develop the team work ethic needed to establish an NFL "winning culture?" When the golf course, beach and backyard pool beckons all season and offseason long, what incentivizes management, coaches and players to put in extra work when they are living the good life in First Coast?
You can work hard in Jacksonville. This is not a thing.