JACKSONVILLE – Bye-week Sunday.

Let's get to it … Geoffrey from Virginia Beach, VA:
To respond to Dave from Orlando, I might be in the minority, but I want to see Gus Bradley and Dave Caldwell get that much-needed fourth year and really see this rebuild through to the other side. I believe brighter days are on the horizon. This rebuild has excellent potential to be consistently good, possibly even great if more pieces keep being added. The truly great teams build from within, through the draft. That's what Dave and Gus want to do, and I applaud them for sticking to their guns, especially through the trials and tribulations that have been 2013-2014. End rant. Thanks for all you do, Johnny O! #Duuuuuuvallll #Moodachay #BortlesKombat #O-Zonerules
John: This seems destined to be a much-discussed topic for the remainder of the season, and I imagine we'll have more clarity as the season continues. As it stands at the bye, the more you look at the young players on this team the more you see a core forming. They're not developed yet, but they are showing real strides. When speaking in London last Saturday, Jaguars Owner Shad Khan said he had no plans for making any changes midseason. He wants to see this process work, and I believe if he continues to see progress and improvement he will let the process continue. #DTWD
Greg from Boise:
Was the draft pick for Josh Scobee a conditional pick? Could we end up losing that pick because the Steelers cut him or was it a guaranteed pick?
John: It was a guaranteed pick.
Eric from Orlando and Section 150:
Let's assume Marqise Lee comes back from this injury and remains healthy for the rest of the season. Do you see him playing in the slot more or backing up the Allens? This isn't a knock on Lee; I just think both Hurns and Robinson have solidified their roles as starters. I also ask because we will be getting Greene back soon, and I really think he is one of the best route runners I have seen from the slot. I know he has an issue with drops but I hope he still gets some time there.
John: We're a ways off from this being a huge issue because when Lee returns, I imagine it will be a few weeks before he is up to speed enough to be ready for a full-time role. Once that happens, it indeed will be intriguing to see his role. He will need to perform consistently and prove reliable to have a chance to eat into either "Allen's" playing time, though I would think he has more of a chance to play ahead of Hurns than he does Robinson. He also could get some time in the slot, but the Jaguars believe Greene has a chance to be really good there. It's not out of the realm of possibility to think you could see some four wide receiver sets. Probably, the best way to put it is this: if figuring out a role for a healthy, productive Marqise Lee is your biggest problem you're in very, very good shape.
Jeremy from Jacksonville:
John, if a receiver catches the ball and runs 90 yards but fumbles after 91 yards with no return of the fumble, does the receiver get credit for a catch and 90 yards? What about same scenario, with a return? You pick the yardage, bro.
John: The receiver gets credit for the yardage until the fumble, and the returner also would get credit for yardage for the return until the fumble. Bro.
Mike from Navarre, OH:
Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are on track to both hit 1,000 yards well before the season ends. Is it safe to say they will be the new Thunder and Lightning for this Jags squad? With Marqise Lee and Rashad Greene returning and Bryan Walters playing as consistently as he has, not to mention Julius Thomas, we have a seriously potent offense for years to come. Do you see us turning from a laughingstock to serious contenders any time soon?
John: Yes.
Ken from Jacksonville:
What's more likely, the Jaguars finish 8-8 or the Patriots finish 19-0?
John: It's more likely the Jaguars finish 8-8. The Patriots have to win 12 more games to finish 19-0, which means avoiding injuries, bad breaks and letdowns. I'm not one who remotely believes it's impossible to go undefeated. I saw too many Colts teams reel off long winning streaks – and starting 10-0, 11-0 or 12-0 isn't nearly as rare as it was a couple of decades ago. I believe it may well happen in the next decade. However, the odds of a particular team doing it are still pretty long.
John from Jacksonville:
Just wanted to let you know that I'm suffering from withdrawal due to the bye weekend and the realization that our season is nearly half over already. Please ask the team to win enough to make the playoffs as a wild card and then win all playoff games through the Super Bowl. It would help us to have four extra games to shorten the offseason. Can you make this happen?
John: I think there's an app for that.
Chuck from Baltimore, MD:
OZONE. Where's the love? Watching Dolphins-Jets and Chiefs-Lions from London on the Big Screen. Relegated to watching my JAGS on the laptop via YAHOO. The JAGS and Bills are still real NFL teams. I feel slighted.
John: It has been fascinating this week to see the different reactions to the NFL streaming the Bills-Jaguars game on Yahoo! last Sunday. I have gotten emails from people around the country and around the world ecstatic at the opportunity to see the game, and I have gotten an equal number from people angry it was not available in the way they normally view a game. Some of those people said the connectivity was great throughout, and others complained of streaming or other issues. I was at the game, so I didn't have a chance view the game over my Roku box or on my laptop, so I don't know personally how it went. I do know the NFL putting that game on Yahoo! wasn't about putting a couple of unimportant teams on a periphery medium; rather, it was about the league for the first time putting its toe in the water of a technology that apparently will be the norm sooner rather than later. Soon enough, I anticipate the glitches and confusion of Sunday will become less and less. Streaming appears to be the future, and it sure ain't going away.
Herbert MidState Office Supply:
What are the odds the Jags bring in Ryan Mallet to upgrade the quarterback position?
John: Herbert, if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised.
Herbert from Midstate Office Supply:
What are the chances the Jags re-sign Scobes? Better or worse than signing Mallett?
John: Not incredibly high. Better.
Jeff from Jacksonville:
The draft is always full of hindsight, but knowing what they know now, where do you think Allen Hurns would have been drafted? I know it was a deep draft, but even given that like most wide receivers he would have required some time to develop, I honestly can't see him dropping below the second round.
John: I imagine he would go somewhere in the first few rounds. He still might not go as high as he should go because NFL types love receivers with prototypical speed and/or size when selecting – sometimes foolishly ignoring production. But you know what? Where Hurns was drafted or would be drafted doesn't matter much. He's good and because of his work ethic and professionalism, he's almost certain to get better. And deservedly so. He's earning everything he gets, and that's cool to watch.
Keith from Palatka, FL:
Why do a lot of people think we are going to win a bunch of games after the bye week with a defense that gives up 30 points a game? It's hard to win in the NFL with a defense that gives up 30 points a game. If you doubt me, look at our record over the last two years and the first seven games of this year. Our defense is the main reason we are not winning.
John: No one's disputing that the Jaguars' defense has to play better, including the Jaguars' coaches, players and front office. I'm not sure why "a lot of people" think the things they do, but the one reason I believe the Jaguars have a chance to win more games after the bye is because they have been in most games in the fourth quarter this season. When you are in games in the fourth quarter you have a chance. That wasn't often the case the last two seasons.
Jason from Dallas, TX:
I often hear and read the Favre comparison when it comes to Blake. While I agree that the mindset is similar, I'll have to say I hope he doesn't try to emulate Brett too much. People forget, but Favre in his prime had an elite arm...one that I don't think Blake possesses. Let's hope that Blake doesn't try to make throws that Favre in his prime tried to make.
John: I think we're overthinking this who-Bortles-compares-with thread. He's his own guy. He's going to throw some interceptions because he's aggressive, and I believe he has a chance to start reducing those as time continues. He's not going to be Favre. He's not going to be Roethlisberger. He's not going to be Johnny Unitas. He's going to be Bortles, and so far this year, he's showing that has a chance to be a good thing.