JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Rich from Dacula, GA
Gladstone is getting a lot of praise here for wisely putting the Los Angeles Rams back in a contending position after a sellout to win a Super Bowl. My question is simply, was that him or their current general manager? Are we now considering that the Jacksonville scouting department is equal to the Rams department? There is an old saying "garbage in, garbage out!"
I confess I don't quiiiite understand your question, though my Scooby Sense – not my Scobee sense – is you're asking if Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone deserves
"credit" for the Los Angeles Rams' success when he was with that organization or if Rams General Manager Les Snead deserves said "credit." As with most questions involving "credit" in the NFL, this is impossible to answer satisfactorily. Snead as general manager receiver credit and blame for whatever happens in the organization. Gladstone contributed significantly in the sense that he and Snead collaborated regularly with Gladstone also running day-to-day scouting operations. How much did Gladstone do? How much credit does he deserve for their success? I have no idea how to quantify that. I can tell you he's really smart, communicates really well and is really impressive. My sense is his presence will give the Jaguars a chance to have a very well-organized, sensible approach to acquiring personnel. Does that mean they will be equal to the Rams in this area? I have no idea, but I'm encouraged by what I've seen.
Don from Marshall, NC
Head Coach Liam Coen is the best offensive mind we have had in Jacksonville since Lindy Infante! If they can fix the problems of the defense fast enough they could make a playoff run! Go Jaguars!
When it comes to harkening back to days gone by harkening back to the old USFL and Jacksonville Bulls Head Coach Lindy Infante, Don remains "all in."
Robert from Elkton
Some suggest giving up a second- and third-round draft pick to trade for Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and then paying him top-tier defensive end money would be worth it. Hendrickson will be 31 years old before the end of next season. Expecting him to be at the top of his game for three more years seems like a massive gamble. Giving up those picks and north of $25 million a year (how much guaranteed???) seems like incredibly bad business to me. What would you be willing to do to get Hendrickson?
Not nearly that much. For essentially the reasons you cite.
Sal from Austin, TX
Speaking strictly results versus expectations, at what point during Trevor Lawrence's career arc will it start to resemble Jay Cutler's or Jeff George's?
I haven't the foggiest idea because I don't know Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's career arc. This is because no one knows it. Cutler, incidentally, played 12 seasons and started for three different teams after being selected No. 11 in the overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 NFL Draft. He's not going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it wasn't as if he was some major bust.
Dave from Waunakee
Which job is harder, head coach of a major college football program or head coach of an NFL team?
It's a matter of the two jobs being different more than one being "harder" than the other. Or at least that was the case until NIL and the transfer portal took over college football. Coaches who have worked in college and the NFL recently will tell you the NIL/portal has made college coaching into a year-round endeavor – and made what already to many coaches was the unpleasant process of recruiting even more burdensome and time-consuming. Because of that, many now consider college coaching the harder of the two jobs in terms of its effect on one's life – which is why many coaches in recent seasons have tried to get out of college and into the NFL.
Tough Guy Pete from Washington D.C.
Have you noticed the White House is following the NFL lead by announcing to the world that a team will do an onside kick? The defense department (under my exceptional leadership) from now on will continue to announce to our enemies when and where will be bomb them. Hurray for being transparent!
The NFL needs to fix the onside kick rule. The current rule, which mandates a kicking team inform its opponent that it plans to execute an onside kick, has resulted in onside kicks being successful rarely enough that they seem silly. The reason the league has gone this direction – that onside kicks were too dangerous under the former rules – is legitimate. But some alternative must be introduced. Either way, I always hesitate to comparing military operations to football. One's life and death. Whatever form the onside kick rule takes, it ain't that.
Chevin from Ohio
I, too, cherish the R.E.M. IRS Records years. "Murmur" is one of finest rock records ever made. Any chance you were also an SST Records guy? Watt Dü you say?
I confess I wasn't all that into Husker Du, though my friend – the late, great Jacksonville bassist Christoper George McFall – swore by them, and he's among the few people whose musical taste I trust over my own. For the record, I'll take any of the first three R.E.M. albums – Murmur, Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction – above most others of the era for a variety of reasons. Others in the conversation for me from this era: Housemartins London Hull O Four, Fine Young Cannibals, Alarm Declaration and Strength, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Rattlesnakes, Connells Boylan Heights, Lone Justice, Violent Femmes Hallowed Ground and The Smiths Hatful of Hollow. There are likely better albums from this era. Those are some on my list.
G Dawg from Waycross, GA
Hey, John. Wondering if you have heard the story about when Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris and Eugene "Gene" Frenette got into a battle over who was going to step aside and let the other pass. It turned into a standoff with both staring intensely at the other. This all took place in the U.S. City Hades in the long-forgotten State of Armageddon. The beams of their stares crossed and obliterated everything around them, leaving both hovering over complete darkness and destruction. They both realized they needed to go their separate ways for the sake of humanity. Chuck went to California to make action movies while Gene went to Florida and became a mild-mannered newspaper man, hiding his powers from everyone as best he could. Though both tried to keep their powerful masculinity under control, it's no wonder their fame spread around the world. To this day neither one has crossed the other's path again.
Yes, I had heard this.
Gordan from Somewhere in the Sunshine State
Did our general manager poach any of the top scouts he worked with over the years? Jags should spend more time and money bringing in top-notch scouts to stock our squad.
Gladstone has yet to make significant changes to the Jaguars' scouting department. This is not unusual, with most NFL general managers who take their positions in January or February usually executing that year's draft largely with existing staff before making staff changes – either additions or dismissals – after the draft. I would expect Gladstone will add some people in higher, decision-making positions sometime after the draft. We'll see.
Al from Fruit Cove, FL
Technical question: When a player retires (e.g., former Jaguars center Mitch Morse), how long does his last team retain his rights? Can he come out of retirement a year or more later and join another team? How about one that he is a partial owner of (Tom Brady, Las Vegas Raiders)?
A team retains a player's rights on reserve/retired indefinitely. If a player retired and wanted to come back and play for another team, his current club would have to release him from their reserve/retired list. Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is a free agent and is on no club's roster.
Sean from Saint Johns City
I just think head coaches named Doug don't like to be overly positive around here.
Former Jaguars Head Coaches Doug Marrone and Doug Pederson both had memorable moments of success with this organization – fleeting moments, in retrospect, but memorable nonetheless. I didn't find them overly negative and actually found them both pretty good NFL coaches for the most part.
Michael from Orange Park, FL
When is the next episode of "The Hunt?"
Funny you should ask. The latest episode of the Hunt debuted on Jaguars Media channels Thursday at 7 p.m. I had a chance to preview this Thursday afternoon, and the staff led by Gabby Dalton, Trent Padilla and Andrea Kuri did a nice job giving viewers insight into Head Coach Liam Coen, Gladstone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli? How good was this? It made Boselli seem likeable. A tall task indeed. I highly recommend it. It's worth the time.
