JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Bobby from Section 410 from Summerville, SC
KOAF, what do you think will happen now? More of the same or a house cleaning?
The Jaguars' 2024 season ended Sunday with a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, with the Jaguars finishing a hugely disappointing 4-13 after the season began with expectations far higher. The fate of General Manager Trent Baalke and Head Coach Doug Pederson therefore will be the pressing question around the Jaguars until it's not. Only Owner Shad Khan knows the answer. I doubt that will remain the case for long.
Dwight from Naples, FL
KOAF. Trevor just completed his fourth year: Two winning seasons, two losing seasons, two seasons healthy, two seasons injured at end. Not a very good start. We continue to hear we have the quarterback. Do we? How long do we continue on this course?
I have heard many people say the Jaguars "have the quarterback." I also have heard many people say it's unclear if the Jaguars "have the quarterback." The latter is truer than the former, and the latter will be the reality until Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence does more to show he is an elite, franchise-foundation quarterback. He absolutely hasn't shown that yet. That doesn't mean he won't do that or that he hasn't progressed toward that. It means he hasn't done it yet. The best case to be made that he can be that is how he was playing just before he sustained a series of injuries late in the 2023 regular season. Lawrence for a three-game stretch against Tennessee, Houston and Cincinnati that season was playing at a very high level and appeared to be ascending to the needed level. He did not look like that the rest of that regular season and did not look like that this season. How long do the Jaguars continue the course? A couple of seasons at least. This is the path. We shall see where it leads.
James from Socorro, NM
How many one-score losses is that now? Probably some sort of record ...
The Jaguars' loss to the Colts Sunday was their 10th loss this season by seven points or fewer. That's the most such losses for any team in the Super Bowl era. This does not mean this team was good or close. It means it lost a lot of close games.
JK from NY & Fernandina Beach, FL
John. Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson said after the game that the Jags "have the makings of a good football team." The big storyline of this lost season was that the Jags allowed too many big plays on defense and failed to make enough big plays on offense to win close games. The Jags were able to hang with mediocre teams. But the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions losses showed that they have a long way to go to compete with elite teams. Are the Jags as bad as their record or a few key pieces away?
Both, sort of. When you're 4-13, you're not a good team. So the Jaguars indeed are as bad as their record. They're also from this view not just "a few key pieces" from being on the level of elite teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions or the Buffalo Bills. But they are from this view not far from contending for the postseason. You can get to "competitive" quickly in the NFL. Getting to great is a bigger lift.
Paul from Saint Johns, FL
Doug's end-of-game press conference has him searching for words, in my opinion, when asked what went wrong this year. This leads me to believe either he doesn't know what went wrong, or he isn't comfortable saying what went wrong. Which is it, do you think?
I think it's tricky for an NFL head coach to categorically list what went wrong with a season in the immediate aftermath of the final game. The end of a season is by definition emotional, and coaches are thinking about the short-term rather than the long-term. When and if Pederson speaks after some time to reflect, I would expect a more specific answer.
Vitaliy from Jax
It's Week 18, do we know their identity yet?
A couple of thoughts here. The Jaguars were bad this season – and it's rare for bad teams to have an identity. The Jaguars also don't have a dominant, run-centric offensive line – and offensive identities are usually about strong offensive lines. They also have a defense that isn't great against the run, and that tends to give up a lot of explosive players. It's really tough to have a defensive identity in those circumstances. Bottom line: The thought here is the Jaguars' "lack of identity" this season was less about identity and more about just not being good.
John from Jacksonville
You mentioned that you liked the NFL's original sudden-death rule, that "it's OK to play defense." I think that we have to keep in mind that the NFL rules heavily favor the offense and that successful 50-plus yard field goals are a regular occurrence.
OK.
James from Jax
Best players – i.e. linebacker Ventrell Miller, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. – wasted half the season for what?
To play a game they loved and be well-paid for doing it. People have suffered through worse atrocities.
Bruce from Owensboro, KY
One for Shatley, that is all.
Longtime Jaguars offensive lineman Tyler Shatley, who spent part of this season on the practice squad after being with the Jaguars since 2014, indeed announced his retirement following Sunday's game. Shatley was a reliable player for a long time for this franchise, and a player who carved out an impressive career after signing with the Jaguars as a collegiate free agent following the 2014 NFL Draft. Good career for a good guy. He will be missed.
Dan from Jax
Jaguars Owner Shad Khan has done a great job in the rebuilding of the city of Jacksonville. Maybe it's time he took a business acumen or two in the direction of the Jags. Perhaps if he really sees what he has to bring to the table, he could find a coach who could take these pieces and build a more focused, if not more competitive unit.
What?
Joel from Jacksonville
The comments and questions I have would fill a book. But the short summary is this. IF Mr. Khan replaces the leadership, historically we seem to be at 50/50 - a Mike Mularkey? An Urban Meyer? A Gus Bradley. Or A Doug Marrone (year or two of success then dumped), a Doug Pederson (our most successful coach in recent history). How will we know it's a long-term solution? I would argue tweaking the staffs might be enough.
How do we know anything is enough? This is real life, not scripted television. There are no guarantees. You make decisions, move forward and wait for the results.
Will from Saint Augustine, FL
So, we're the "Spray and Away Team" now, huh? Saw that satellite TV ad where the jaguar gets sprayed and bolts like a house cat – tail flip, bowl tip, the whole deal. Feels like that's our legacy this season. Here's to hoping next year's commercials show our jaguar standing its ground.
What?
Fred from Naples, FL
Josh Hines-Allen didn't travel with the team to Indy because of personal reasons? What is up with that?
Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen didn't travel with the team Saturday and missed Sunday's loss to the Colts for personal reasons – which means, presumably, he had personal reasons for not traveling with the team.
Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA
When as a youth I hoped, the Bills would win it all, Young hope first snuffed out, Let's give the Jags the ball! More years of wishful thinking, Some Flash and some Kaboom, Hard hitting warriors retired, Thank you sir for letting us fume! Keep up the good work O!
Jaguars 2025 Training Camp is expected to begin in late July.
Craig from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Winning close games and losing close games have something in common – coaching. Additionally, the difference between being the No. 1 seed in the AFC and being eliminated early is as clear as the fact the two owners fall similarly in the same scenario. I know you won't print this one!!!!
The Jaguars were great in close games at the end of the 2022 season and the beginning of the 2023 season, and they have been bad in that situation since. The coaching staff did not change in December 2023. I don't have the foggiest idea what your second sentence means, though your confidence is admirable. The O-Zone never has been printed. This is a website.
Tony from Johns Creek, GA
The Jaguars are dead, and I don't feel so good myself. It's been a long, horrible season. I'll suck it up and be ready to cheer the Jags on next season.
Onward ho.
