JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
JagsMavs from Virginia Beach, VA
Yo, O! We've all heard that cornerbacks can be divas. I've read a few times here recently about the "personalities" in our defensive backfield. I know Jalen Ramsey is still young and extremely confident, but are there any indications his newfound fame and personality may become a distraction or even a detriment to the team or his continued growth and success?
I wouldn't worry about this. While Ramsey indeed is a strong personality who stands out on a team with plenty of such players, remember: NFL history is littered with confident cornerbacks with strong personalities who have had perennial All-Pro and Hall of Fame careers. Those players often have played on championship teams. Deion Sanders? Richard Sherman? Ramsey seems to be the heir to such legacies; there's a lot more positive to that than negative. The way I think about player behavior on or off the field is this: if a player isn't hurting others or breaking laws off the field and doing whatever he can to improve on it, I generally don't care about a player's "extracurriculars." Most wise NFL coaches feel this way, and Head Coach Doug Marrone certainly seems to take that approach. Also, wise coaches allow players for the most part to be true to themselves – and I absolutely believe the personality we see from Ramsey is a case of someone being true to himself. Is he confident? Is he brash? Does he make it difficult for non-Jaguars fans to like him? Sure. But he is who he is. And while I don't pretend to know everything about Ramsey as a person, he seems a genuinely decent young person who likes to talk and play at a high level off the field – and walk to the beat of his own drum off it. That's OK, and I certainly have seen nothing about him that I anticipate being a detriment to himself or the Jaguars.
Bill from Ponte Vedra, FL
You have already answered my question about "Myles Jack Wasn't Down," so I don't expect an online answer to this comment, but here it is: You normally correct factual errors in questions, so why do you continue to give a pass to people who don't understand that the issue was never whether Jack was down, but whether there was a fumble at all because Dion Lewis may have been down? Just because that question is not as sexy as whether Jack was down, it is still the correct question – and the persistence of ignorant comments about Jack is partly your fault for not correcting them.
I suppose I could get emotional and angry over people not being technically correct about the Jack play in the AFC Championship Game. I suppose I could get mad when people say "Myles Jack wasn't down" – even though a lot of fans seem to enjoy saying it and seem to like the camaraderie of what has become something of a phenomenon. I suppose I could become irritated over the fact that it was Lewis who wasn't down and not Jack. Or maybe I could just remember that it's football and it's supposed to be fun – and if people enjoy saying "Myles Jack wasn't down" then maybe it's not a crime. I also supposed I could watch this and remember that sometimes it's OK to just enjoy things and sort of "be."
Chad from Nassauville
Funk King, I don't get why everyone is so upset that T.O. doesn't want to speak at his induction. Had I been able to vote, that would have been a stipulation. He can be in as long as he never speaks again. Everything single thing he says annoys or angers me. This is a win for NFL fans and would be even more so if we stopped talking about him completely.
Fair point. People are upset about Owens because this is the age of Twitter and loud soundbites – and the default mode of many people is loud, angry and "over the top." That's many people's initial reaction to many things they don't like. My guess is you're right – and that in time people will realize that they won't have to hear much from Owens, and my guess is many people will be OK with that.
Andrew from Green Bay, WI
Is it just me, or does A.J. Bouye look like he spent the offseason living in the weight room? Dude looks jacked, focused and confident. Jalen better watch out ...
For what?
Scott from New York City, NY
I thought I read the O-Zone every day. When and why did this digress to random animals from different parts of the world drinking and hanging out on the beach?
Random animals from different parts of the world drinking and hanging out on the beach are cool. People like them.
Ryan from Apopka, FL
So, with the French Open over now and two weeks from the start of Wimbledon, who would you pick to win a major on their preferred surface: Federer on grass or Rafa on red clay? Roger has eight Wimbledon titles and 20 total majors while Rafa just won his 11th French Open with 17 total grand slams. He also has only lost twice in his entire career in Paris.
If you're asking if Roger Federer is more dominant on grass than Rafael Nadal is on red clay, the answer very clearly is no. No player in the history of tennis has been more dominant on a single surface or in a single major tournament than Nadal has been on clay and the French Open. While Federer has won Wimbledon more than any player in history, he also has lost to multiple players there – and there was a brief time when Novak Djokovic had a clear edge over him at Wimbledon. While Djokovic once beat Nadal in the French Open, no one can be said to have any sort of a sustained edge over Nadal there. I believe Federer to be the greatest player in the history of the sport in part because you can take away his performance at any one tournament – Wimbledon included – and be left with a career that includes double-digit grand slams. That's not true of Nadal or any other modern player. But if you're talking about dominance on one surface, no player ever has ruled a surface the way Nadal rules clay.
Sunil from Jacksonville
Hey, John. You mentioned the first playoff meeting between the Jaguars and New England Patriots was following the 1998 season. However, I'm sure you were just testing your O-Zone followers. We all know that the Jags and Patriots played in the AFC Championship Game following the 1996 season as well. Bill Parcells was the coach and his secondary was led by ... Bill Belichick. But you already knew that ... #DTWD.
I did know that. I brain faded in the answer to the question to which you refer, but the gist of my answer remains the same: People tend to forget that the Patriots existed before Belichick took over as coach and before Tom Brady became quarterback. They had limited success before then, but the franchise does predate the duo.
Renee from Duval
King of all Funk!!! AKA JOHNNY O! If the Titans fell off the face of the earth the world would be a wonderful place. Rival enough for you? GO JAGS!!!!!
DTWD
Mike from Melbourne, FL
Been a reader for years. Will come back when the ads are gone.
The ads on jaguars.com and in the O-Zone likely will never go away completely. To think that that would happen is unrealistic. The hope of many of us here is that they can be reduced. We'll see.
John from Jacksonville
Mr. Oehser, I wanted to share with you the anatomy and anticipation of an O-Zone Question; it is quite a stressful process you may not be aware of from that side. First off: don't believe those who say there are No Stupid Questions; we all know better. Then there is the incredibly frustrating process of navigating one of the new apps or websites to submit the question, followed by an ongoing tug of war with spellcheck and backspacing. Then, Zone, it's the anticipation like an old ketchup ad ... will John pick me for tomorrow? It lasts through the evening. Dear God: I hope I am Zone, worthy. And, lastly the potentially life-changing event of being The FINAL QUESTION; I have I said something clever (or stupid) enough to be the final question and perhaps even be referenced in the title. John, can I please be the final question today? It would mean so much to me?
Yes … wait … no. Almost, though.
Matt from Murray Hill
Recently my kitchen sink started leaking and some sort of funk has developed underneath due to excess moisture. Are you the man I should talk to?
No. I've got a guy for that.
