JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Brian from ROUND ROCK, TX

What does the team have to achieve for Doug Pederson to keep his job: 1) playoffs, 2) winning season, 3) NA, he walks on water because he won the Super Bowl for another team that fired him. I say 3) because Shad Khan?

I'm not sure I completely grasp the question, which I have found is not an unusual phenomenon for questions originating from Round Rock. Still, I again find myself intrigued by a notion that somehow Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson is "coaching for his job" in 2024 – or that he has somehow coached his way onto some sort of "hot seat." Is Pederson indeed coaching for his job? I suppose – but only in the sense that most, if not all, head coaches in any professional sport must to win to remain employed. If the Jaguars have a disastrous season, Owner Shad Khan obviously will consider what needs to be done in the offseason to improve. If they have a winning season, it's hard to imagine a change. This is because the Jaguars already have had two winning seasons under Pederson. My high-level basic-math degree tells me that a third would be three winning seasons out of three seasons. That's not saying "just" finishing over .500 is "OK" or "good enough." It's not. But there's a lot of space between not quite good enough and a fire-able offense. The thought here remains that all this talk is waaaay premature. Pederson is a very good NFL head coach and he has shown as much in two seasons here. There's a much better chance of him doing a very good job in 2024 than doing a fireable one. That has nothing to do with him having won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and everything to do with the job he has done with the Jaguars in two-plus seasons.

Deane from Daytona Beach, FL

Yo, O-Zone! I see we picked up another guard/center off waivers. I am sensing that the Jag coaches really do value guys that are versatile. Another thing I have recently noticed is that our International Pathway player Patrick Murtagh is eerily similar in body composition as a former Georgia tight end and current Steeler. However, I think Murtagh just might edge him in athleticism, which would be a steal for us! My question is since Murtagh is new to the NFL would you have him work a little with the offensive line to get good fundamentals in blocking then have him work with wide receivers to work on route running and his hands? Being a lengthy and athletic tight end, I would like to see him succeed and possibly make a roster spot. What says you O-Zone, does he have a chance???

Tight end Patrick Murtagh, the Jaguars' International Pathway player, indeed is impressive physically – so much so that it's not a stretch to think he could be a productive NFL player with work. As you mentioned, Murtaugh indeed is new to the NFL. For that reason, I wouldn't work him with the offensive line or the wide receivers any more than I would any tight end. I mostly would work him as a tight end to give him a chance to learn his prospective position as fully as possible.

Jonathan from Jacksonville

Hey John, how goes it? I heard a rumor that you were the photographer for the recent ROAR photo shoot. If that is not true, then why were you there with a camera?

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Devin from RVA

Why isn't Mercedes still a Jaguar, again?

The Jaguars opted to not re-sign tight end Marcedes Lewis following the 2017 season. They were moving in another direction, at least somewhat for salary-cap reasons.

Marty from Jacksonville

John, I can't believe I've been watching NFL football for 50 years and I don't know this rule. You recently said a ballcarrier must be touched while down to be down. Please clarify: if a ballcarrier is clobbered head-on by a defender, to the point where he is propelled up into the air, and comes down on his back, and the defender is not touching him when he lands on his back, is he not considered "down?"

I misspoke. A ballcarrier must be touched when down OR have had a defender cause him to be down. I was assuming the second part. Never assume.

Don from Marshall, NC

Well, we all can't be all puffed up and pretty like Gilbert from Arizona. Duval is the largest county in the USA by size. You talk about comparing apples to oranges. Jacksonville has its challenges, of course, but when you take it all in it's a pretty cool place. Go Jaguars!

When it comes to realizing that Jacksonville indeed is a pretty cool place to live – and to be the home of an NFL team – Don remains "all in."

Rob from the duuuuuuuu

Christian McCaffrey? We could have traded back in 2017 and picked up Patrick Mahomes AND T.J Watt. If we are running it back, we are taking Mahomes. Period.

OK.

Steve from Nashville, TN

Who in your opinion would be first up to handle kickoff duties if Special Teams Coordinator Heath Farwell decides there is too much injury risk to his field-goal kicker and wants somebody with meat on the bones to be the eleventh tackler?

Farwell when discussing this recently said he has had plenty of volunteers for this, including safety Andre Cisco. Farwell and Pederson both said there hasn't been serious consideration to taking this approach. Who would I think? A reader a few weeks back mentioned safety Andrew Wingard. He's as good a choice as any. My guess is most NFL players think they could do it. They're a self-confident lot – and sometimes a bit self-delusional.

Shane from Atlanta, GA

Happy Birthday O-Man!!! It's cool knowing I share a birthday with one of my top 50 sportswriters.

My birthday is not in June. Thank goodness. This is because anyone with a June birthday …

Bradley from Sparks, NV

The San Francisco 49ers were relatively healthy four out of the last five years. They made it to the conference championship game all four of those years and won that game twice. The injury-plagued year they went 6-10. I'm sure it has been said but just occurred to how much playoff experience was added by signing defensive tackle Arik Armstead and center Mitch Morse.

The NFL is a league of attrition, matchups and quarterbacks. It's no coincidence that Armstead and Morse, who signed with the Jaguars as free agents this past offseason, played for teams with extensive playoff experience (San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills). Other 2024 free-agent signings were from the Green Bay Packers (tight end Josiah Deguara), the Baltimore Ravens (cornerback Ronald Darby, returner Devin Duvernay) and the Bills (wide receiver Gave Davis). Pederson wanted veterans with winning experience. That was an offseason objective. The Jaguars accomplished it.

John from Jacksonville

I'm disappointed in you, Zone. Woody from Dunlap set one up perfectly for you when he mentioned our left tackle Cam Newton. I almost skipped ahead to see what clever and witty comment you'd make. But alas, no comment. It was right there on the plate and you didn't take a bite.

I am the king of all funk.

Joe from Jacksonville

I have a theory why injuries are downplayed publicly from a coaching standpoint. The teams we are facing are most likely just as beat up. I don't think the public injury reports reveal truly how many players play through some kind of injury throughout the season.

Most teams indeed try to downplay injuries in this fashion because most players who play extensively have some sort of injuries. If teams put every injury of any degree on the injury report, they would be listing almost every player every week. Where's the line? It's a matter of degrees and reason, with the ultimate line being that a player who can't practice or is going to be limited must be on the report. Erring on the side of caution is the prudent approach.

Sean from Oakleaf, FL

With the word "writer" in your title do you consider yourself proficient at grammar, punctuation and sentence structure? Does it bother you when your readers send in questions constructed with little regard for those rules?

I consider myself mildly proficient at grammer. Spelling, not so much. Grammer isn't what bothers me about most readers.

Greg from Section 122, Jacksonville, FL

If you ever decide you need a vacation or break that could endanger the streak let me know. I am pretty good at objectivity (except when it comes to RAMSEY!) and have a fairly developed wit. I would be happy to fill in for the KOAF if you needed a breather. HMU and let me know man. Got keep the O-Man's legs fresh for the season.

We'll, we'll look forward to that, Greg.