JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Jaginator from Section 124

People often down talk great quarterbacks when their teams don't win a Super Bowl. Elway's teams were annihilated in their first three Super Bowls. Kelly's teams were destroyed in their last three Super Bowls. I suppose you could argue that's because Elway/Kelly were somehow subpar. I look at it differently. Those were very good – but flawed – teams. Their quarterbacks were able to "hide" a lot of those weaknesses with stellar play. But they weren't so stellar that they could make up the difference when they went up against the best that the other conference had to offer.

Well said. And good eye. Judging quarterbacks on Super Bowls usually is a lazy way of analyzing a career – with former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway good examples. They lost Super Bowls to superior teams – with the Broncos losing in the late 1980s and early 1990s to the teams that defined that era: the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and Washington. The Bills in the early 1990s also lost to the Giants, Washington – and a dominant Dallas Cowboys team. Had Elway or Kelly played on the 49ers, Giants, Washington or Dallas, I have little doubt their teams would have won the games. Yes, great quarterbacks can lift a franchise. And yes, the careers of quarterbacks are often defined by big moments. Quarterback is the NFL's most important position. And Super Bowls should be part of the conversation. But analyzing a career is nuanced. Judging quarterbacks on "rings" leaves out most of the nuance.

JT from Palm Coast, FL

Have a hypothetical question for ya. Jags seem pretty set on linebacker, but say Will Anderson Jr. is there next year for the Jags to select. Do you take him or a potential "elite" offensive prospect?

What makes hypothetical questions difficult – and hypothetical answers not all that meaningful – is they so often depend on unknown circumstances. This is particularly true when they project far into the future. Anderson, a linebacker from Alabama, presumably will be one of first two or three selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. I don't see the Jaguars selecting that early. If they do, the selection will depend on multiple factors. How they see Anderson. How they see other players early in the draft. Further down the list will be how players on their roster play this season, where the team's strengths and weaknesses seem to be developing and where they see the roster two or three years in the future. I do expect the Jaguars at some point in the next few drafts to select a wide receiver to develop into a true WR1. And I would expect them to always focus on offensive and defensive line. But the ultimate decision must come down to the player. If Anderson is the best player available and the Jaguars are selecting, they should take him. If not, they shouldn't. Draft questions eventually should be based on that.

Jason from North Pole, AK

In regards to intentionally dropping interceptions when it might be an advantage to do so, have you ever met a defensive back that doesn't think they can return every pick for a touchdown?

Fair.

Mike from Ponte Vedra Beach

I keep reading national articles about some team looking to steal a player from the Jags for mid-to-late round draft picks! The Cowboys and wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., the Bills and offensive tackle Walker Little, the Green Bay Packers and wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. Does the rest of the league think the Jags are really that dumb or is it a sign of improvement in our roster talent?

Neither. The sorts of "national articles" you're referencing are offseason filler, with writers looking for storylines that will draw readers. Nothing draws readers in the offseason like proposing options for the TRADE MACHINE!!! These stories rarely – if ever – have anything to do with reality. They're not a sign of things that league people think will happen. They're not a sign that people in the league think the Jaguars are dumb. They're not a sign of an improving roster. They're not a sign of anything. They're just something for people – often without sources or league connections – to write in late June and July.

Shawn from the mean streets of Arlington

Can we get an update on JP?

He's a-ight.

Steve from Nashville, TN

Thinking about the preseason home opener versus Cleveland, my recollection is that player suspensions do not typically include preseason games, meaning Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson could potentially play in this upcoming game - causing Jaguars media to have to cover this off the field storyline?

I'm not sure why Jaguars media "covering" off-field storylines of other teams suddenly has become a topic. Perhaps it's a dead-zone thing. Whatever. Here's the deal: We at Jaguars Media don't "cover" other teams because we're not typically talking to players and coaches from other teams. We do discuss pertinent opponent storylines as games approach. I'm sure Watson will be mentioned on our shows that week. I imagine I will get questions in the O-Zone about him. I doubt it will be a major topic. It's the preseason. The focus will be on the Jaguars. The opponent is a minor storyline in the preseason, and that's true whatever issues are facing the team.

P Funk from Murray Hill

Seems like Bruce Springsteen falls into that category of victims of their own success – much like Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Ramones, etc. The feeling and raw soul and creativeness associated with the early days of the bands leads to wide connections with the audience, which leads to commercial success and exposure to a wider fan base. The wider fan base, unfortunately, focuses more on appearance and reputation – which directly opposes that punk energy/mentality that appealed to core audience. Bands such as these are marketed as a brand and kind of become just that by continuing to make great, widely-appreciated music. At the risk of being the "You just don't get it" guy, the wider audiences want the corny, radio friendly music which lacks the connection that the hardcore original fan base longs for. But it is the Music Business after all. Anyways … Rage does an excellent cover of Springsteen's Ghost of Tom Joad. I will be seeing them (finally) in a month and I'm sure I will feel that strong connection that appealed to me when I first heard them and said "I get it".

I'm a bit hesitant to dive too deep into this. This is, after all, a football website. But it is the dead zone – and you are right: Many artists with a rock/alternative background unavoidably fall into the pattern of appealing to the "disenfranchised" outsiders then getting accused of "selling out" once too many "outsiders" find the artist appealing. Add in a few "too many" non-insiders liking the band and soon the artist's original fans just can't see artist in the same way. My theory: It's largely a phenomenon of youth. I considered REM "my band" in college. I loved "Murmur," "Reckoning" and "Fables of the Reconstruction" – the band's first three albums – and thought they should be more popular. Then, their fourth album – "Life's Rich Pageant" – was super popular. College Ozone was mad they had sold out. College O-Zone got mad at their concert at the Coliseum that fall because they didn't play "Sitting Still" and instead played songs from "Life's Rich Pageant." That album is now one of my favorites. They hadn't sold out. They hadn't committed a musical sin. They had grown up. Eventually, so did I.

Rob from Ponte Vedra, FL

Saw Bruce Springsteen in Gothenburg, Sweden, a few years ago while visiting my wife's family. Probably the best concert I've ever seen. So much energy, so much love – and for the crowd, it was pretty amazing. They must have been in their 60s … can't imagine what it was like when they were young. I've had others tell me it was their all-time favorite concert and it didn't disappoint. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see them again before it's too late.

Yep.

Khalin from Jacksonville

I'm 20 years old. I only seen one winning season. That was in the historic 2017 season. When will I see another one?

I can't speak to what you have seen. I can tell you the Jaguars have had three winning seasons since 1999 – 2004, 2007 and 2017. I don't know when you'll see another. I don't expect them to be above .500 in 2022. I think it could happen in 2023.

Levi from Cd'A, Idaho

Do you play fantasy football? What format? Draft Strategy? Dead zone much.

I have played fantasy football twice. Once when I was working at the Florida Times-Union in the late 1980s and once in 2020 when I was part of a fantasy league with Jaguars Today at 1010XL. I don't know enough about fantasy formats to tell you which one was used in either year. As far as draft strategy … people have strategies?