PALM BEACH, Fla. – Let's get to it …
Michael from Orange Park, FL
I watched Liam Coen's press conference and was disappointed. Do none of you media guys know what you're doing? Yawners.
I feel awful for you that you were disappointed, though I wonder if perhaps your expectations aren't a bit extreme. Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen spoke to the media Monday at the AFC Head Coaches' breakfast during the 2025 NFL Annual Meeting at The Breakers Palm Beach. Coen spoke to "us middling media guys" for just under 30 minutes and covered multiple Jaguars-related topic. The availability perhaps lacked riveting news and headlines, but that's not unexpected during an offseason availability. It's perhaps really not unexpected during an offseason availability two months into a head coach's tenure. Coen on Monday said he liked the 10 unrestricted free agents signed last month, and he talked of the signings helping to raise the roster floor. He talked positively of quarterback Trevor Lawrence's mindset. He talked positively about the offensive line. And wide receiver Dyami Brown. And veteran defensive end Travon Walker. It was a lot of positives and a lot of energy and a lot of hope. In other words, it was a lot of exactly what you would expect two months into a tenure. Even if it wasn't horribly "exciting."
Philip from Jacksonville
I watched Liam Coen's presser with interest. He talks about T-Law's fire, but not about him as a quarterback. What gives?
Wow. So many presser questions, so little presser satisfaction. Coen during Monday's availability indeed discussed Lawrence extensively. He said he and Lawrence have had dinner multiple times, and that he likes Lawrence's sense of urgency. His quote: "He knows, he's confident, he loves to play. He doesn't want to be hurt, he doesn't want to be not in the game. That means a lot to him. When you start there and that's the floor of the conversations, you feel so good about where it's going to go. Because it's honest, you can feel it from him. He's hungry, though. I would say that for sure." I suppose Coen didn't specifically discuss Lawrence's play on the field – perhaps because he hasn't coached him in a practice or a game yet. That chance will come soon enough. For now, Coen clearly is enthusiastic and optimistic about the starting quarterback. As he should be.
Sean from Oakleaf, FL
Do you believe the mechanics for adding an 18th game to the schedule would be to add a game from another NFC division for a similar seeded team, that would give us a symmetrical 12 AFC games and six NFC games. For instance, if we played 18 games this year our opponent would be the third place in their division Green Bay Packers from the NFC North?
Maybe.
John from Jax
Hi, KOAGF. I wish we could find someone in the upcoming draft like Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette. He was known for playing multiple positions on the same play. He could snap the ball to himself, block for himself, drop back to make the long pass, and run fast to catch his pass only to score a walk-in touchdown. He was too proud to have silly touchdown celebration dances and needed to quickly return to the line to long-snap the ball to himself while holding it for himself so that he could kick his extra point. What a legend!
If you have the chance to select longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette in the draft, you take it. You don't worry about "need." Or "value." Gene is value defined. Most NFL General Managers will tell you that.
Rob from San Antonio, TX
I once heard that Gene Frenette won the 1987 World Arm Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, handily dispatching both defending champ Bob "Bull" Hurley and newcomer Lincoln Hawk at the same time, one on each arm. What strength and courage! Btw, has the Jags' new regime signed any free agents? If so, who, by-name, might they be? Thanks in advance!
Bull and Lincoln made the mistake of underestimating Gene's raw power and forgetting that he is ambidextrous – a combination considered among those given to feats of strength. As for free agents signed by the new regime, I went looking for a list. I couldn't find anyone who had published one of these. This is what I've found so far: Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown, Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Chuma Edoga, Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey, Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Fred Johnson, Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, Los Angeles Rams tight end Hunter Long, Baltimore Ravens guard Patrick Mekari, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens, Vikings tight end Johnny Mundt and Houston Texans safety Eric Murray. Hope it helps.
Nick from Virginia Beach, VA
Out of the free agent class, who will be the most important player in 2025?
I don't know that one stands out far above the rest. Let's go with Mekari and Hainsey as an interior offensive line tandem as No. 1 because that position group simply must improve for the offense to be more effective. I'll go with Brown and Lewis next because the Jaguars are a bit thin at wide receiver – and because they also must improve in the secondary. Murray is critical for the same reason as Lewis – that the secondary must be sounder than last season if the Jaguars are to improve defensively.
Steve from Nashville, TN
The Jaguars had the league's lowest "Strength of Victory" percentage last year at .265, can you explain to your reader what this is (other than standings tiebreaker number five)?
Strength of victory measures the winning percentage of the opponents a team beats during the season. Considering the Jaguars' victories last season were over the 3-14 Tennessee Titans (twice), the 4-13 New England Patriots and the 8-9 Indianapolis Colts it's hardly surprising the Jaguars would have the worst result in this category. That's not a lot of victories with most of those victories over other weak teams. That's pretty much the formula for a poor strength of victory.
Cristiano from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Blinking and squinting? I don't notice any of that. I just see a guy I wish I was as sexy as.
Good eye.
Sean from Oakleaf, FL
When Shad Khan votes this week at the Owners Meeting is his vote public record or are all ballots secret?
When Jaguars Owner Shad Khan or any NFL owner votes at the league meeting, the votes aren't public record. Neither are they a state secret. Many NFL votes are unanimous and the ones that aren't usually have a few dissenting votes. If it's an important vote on a high-profile issue, someone will usually ask an owner how they voted and the owner often will tell them. It's not an incredibly secretive process.
Richard from Jacksonville
Stevie Stiletto and the Switchblades?
This is a weird one for me. I feel I should have more familiarity with Stevie Stiletto and the Switchblades, a Jacksonville band from the late 1980s. I heard about them often. I knew of them. Some of my friends knew them well, from what I recall. A lot of my friends saw them often. I don't ever recall seeing them play. I don't really know why. Life, I suppose.
Bradford from Orange Park, FL
If Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is "a safe selection compared to other potential early selections in this draft" and he's there, that needs to be the pick. I'm coming around to Travis Hunter of Colorado as a wide receiver. But, outside of those two scenarios - trading back, grabbing a defensive tackle or offensive lineman and coming back up for the other is what my 'hope-list' consists of. Am I off my rocker here, for any reason?
As has been discussed previously in the O-Zone, this is shaping up to be a tricky draft for the Jaguars. There are said to be two "special" players – Hunter and Penn State edge Abdul Carter. There are also two quarterbacks who could be selected in the Top Four – Cam Ward of Miami and Shadeur Sanders of Colorado. I have been asked on multiple occasions if this was reason for panic. I have answered that it is not because you can find good players throughout the draft. Your scenario of trading back is a possibility. The problem with that scenario is that you need a partner to trade back and finding one is more difficult than it sounds.
Sam from Orlando, FL
Asking when Eugene "Wilma" Frenette is going to end is like asking when the sun is going to stop shining. He was recently spotted out swimming a Marlin. Afterwards, he hassled a gas station attendant for not having the spicy beef jerky in stock.
Always, always stock the jerky. While Gene and my late uncle Otto often disagreed to the point of fisticuffs, on this topic they always could agree.
