JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Wade from Westside

If Jaguars Owner Shad Khan is serious about winning, he should be holding the people/person responsible for not addressing the offensive line accountable. It has been an issue for years and this team has little chance of being competitive with the worst offensive line in the NFL.

Jaguars Owner Shad Khan does and will continue to hold Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke accountable for all issues in the same way all NFL owners hold general managers and head coaches accountable for all issues – by constantly evaluating them and determining at the proper time if they are the right people for their position. This is how it is done, and this is how it will continue to be done.

Sascha from Cologne

Hey, John. I know it's not always coaching, but from what I see in the press conferences the last two weeks, it doesn't look like Doug P is confident and has answers for the situation. From the outside, it looks like he has lost the room? What do you think?

I don't believe Pederson has "lost the room." I do believe coaches' press conferences don't always reflect how coaches feel – or how players respond to a coach. I do believe Pederson is frustrated that the team isn't playing at a high level and that he's not sure there's too much more coaching can do to remedy the situation. You coach. You prepare. You say what must be done. At some point, thy will must be done.

JT from S Ga

Zone, curious with all the vitriol this week, what type of head coach do you feel is more successful? Authoritarian – or players' coach?

The one who has buy-in from the players.

Andrew from Middleburg, FL

The end of the Doug Pederson era. Mostly because he wouldn't let go of Press Taylor. Embarrassed on MNF. Time for a change.

I expect Pederson to be the Jaguars' head coach well beyond this week, though they must play better moving forward than they did Monday in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Whatever ails the Jaguars, it's not "mostly because" of Taylor. It's not "mostly because" of any particular issue. The NFL is rarely – if ever – that clearcut. It would be cool if it was, though. And it would be a whole lot easier to explain.

Sam from India

O guy. I went back and watched the tape of the Bills disaster after letting my emotions come down a bit. What I saw made me less worried than I was during and immediately after the game. Yes, the last 10 quarters have been horrible. But I really do believe this team has the talent and ability to turn this thing around. And it starts with a win on Sunday: 31-20, Jags.

Go Jaguars.

Jason from North Pole, AK

If the Jaguars were to turn things around then make the playoffs and lose in the first round, I am not sure that would ultimately be a good thing. It feels very much like we do not have the right coach or general manager for this team. Does it feel like they need to do more than that? I suppose it depends on how they play against some of the big boys left on their schedule.

If/when the Jaguars turn this season around, my guess is you would/will feel a lot different about the head coach and general manager. Winning general managers and head coaches are popular. They're not as popular when they're losing games. This is almost always the case.

Tommy from Fernandina Beach, FL

John, is the offensive line still better than most observers believe? They haven't improved at all this year and look more like they're regressing.

The Jaguars' offensive line hasn't been good enough through three games of the 2024 regular season.

Julian from Brooklyn, NY

Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen runs a man-heavy scheme but now the Jags' fastest defensive backs are all hurt; I fear we may see more defensive performances like the one Monday night. Maybe not 47 points bad, but still... also, last year the Falcons' D was fourth from the bottom in turnovers, and now here we are praying to catch a break with a fumble or an interception to no avail thus far. Perhaps this Nielsen hire wasn't as brilliant as people made it out to be?

The Jaguars have had two good-to-decent defensive performances to start the 2024 regular season and one very rough defensive performance. This is the NFL. Teams and coordinators from time to time have very rough defensive performances. One or two doesn't mean a coordinator was a bad hire.

Pradeep from Bangalore, India

Hi, John. My belief in Jaguars is fading quick. Last offseason coach excused defensive coordinator, but real issue seems to be offensive coordinator. Are we there yet and make mid-season coaching change?

I don't remotely expect Pederson to make a midseason change at offensive coordinator. He repeatedly has made clear that he doesn't think the offensive scheme or play-calling is an issue. I don't know how he could have made it clearer, actually.

Joe from Jacksonville

Considering only six teams since 1979 have made the playoffs after starting 0-3. Not a question, just a stat I read that is jarring.

It's a good statistic.

Will from St. Augustine, FL

0-8. My dog could have coached the last eight games with the same or better outcome. Research shows that dogs provide significant mental health benefits in stressful situations. Will you now agree that Doug, Press or both need to go?. 0-8. Are we waiting until they are 2-15?

I don't believe Pederson and/or Taylor need to go. The Jaguars are 0-3, but if they win Sunday, they are one game out of first place in the AFC South. It has been bad this season, surprisingly so, and I don't know if it will get better. I do believe the best chance to improve is to stay the course and follow the plan the Jaguars' decision-makers set for the season. That doesn't always work, but it works more often than massive change in September.

Mike from New Milford, NJ

Although it seems unfathomable, the season is salvageable. It starts with a win this Sunday. Just like that, the Jaguars would be within a game of the division lead. They'll probably need to win the division for a playoff spot. It might also take a 5-1 or 6-0 record in the division. They currently look far from competitive let alone a playoff team, but the season is far from over. That's the silver lining I'll go with until they're eliminated from postseason contention.

This is true.

Robert from Peachtree City, GA

Are we lacking good receiver. We aren't scoring points. Are lacking in the running game?

The Jaguars aren't lacking a good wide receivers. They are also running the ball pretty well for the most part. What they are lacking is something they do very well consistently – and they are lacking in great players. Great players in the NFL make difference-making plays. The 2024 Jaguars haven't yet proven they have such players.

Marcus from Jax

The team has really put Shad Khan in a difficult spot. He declared that the expectation is to win now, and then doubled down on that declaration by making sure everyone knew that he was not misquoted. The opening of this season certainly has not met that expectation, so what is the owner to do? If he does nothing, then there is reason to question whether his expectations mean anything or not. If he does step in and fires someone or demands someone is benched, then he's a meddling owner who doesn't let his football guys handle the football stuff. It's really a tough spot to be in.

The NFL is a difficult, high-profile league. Owning a team means difficult decisions and being in tough spots. Khan is uber-intelligent and is a high-end leader. He has handled tougher situations than this, and my guess is he will come through this stretch just fine.

Wade from Westside

I do not believe that the Jaguars have the people in the building to fix this team, because they are the ones who created this mess.

OK.

Eastside Mike from Bold New City

Zone, that was hard to watch and I'm not talking about the game, I'm talking about the fashion show at the airport. I get the idea of "look good, play good", but if you look good and play like that, you're putting your attention on the wrong things. Can we at least not publish the "runway" photos, so as not to encourage this distraction?

I get the sentiment. I'm an old-school guy and sometimes wonder a bit about the emphasis on pregame "get ups." (I would call them outfits, but my father told me never to call them that. And to never say my car was broke.)