JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Kenneth from Jacksonville
What are we waiting for?
My Scooby Sense – not my Scobee Sense – is working overtime lately and tells me you still maybe want to know why the Jaguars haven't hired a general manager yet. To reiterate, the Jaguars have interviewed 10 outside candidate virtually and are expected to begin a second round of interviews beginning Wednesday – with this round to be conducted "in-person." The five remaining candidates: Chicago Bears Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham, Los Angeles Rams Director of Scouting Strategy James Gladstone, Green Bay Packers Vice President of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, Jaguars Interim General Manager Ethan Waugh and San Francisco 49ers Director/Scouting and Football Operations Josh Williams. The Jaguars aren't "waiting" for anything. They are going through the process, and I would expect the "wait" to end Friday or Saturday-ish. To reiterate (again): You don't hire a general manager to fit the timeline of external expectations. You hire a general manager to find the right general manager for a timeline that extends over the next few seasons – and well beyond.
Paul from Orange Park, FL
So, Trevor's out of the sling. Time to get back to work.
You're seemingly referencing Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence telling Up & Adams with Kay Adams Monday that he is progressing well from December shoulder surgery. He indeed said Monday that he has been out of the shoulder sling for three weeks. That's good news. Lawrence can't really get "back to work" in terms of on-field football stuff until a few weeks after the offseason program begins. For the Jaguars, that program begins April 7. I expect we'll know more around then how extensively Lawrence will be able to participate in organized team activities, which begin in May.
Peter from Jacksonville
Bob Hayes vs Derrick Henry.
I feel like we've covered this pretty well in recent days.
John from Jacksonville
I have not committed much of the Jaguars' 2024 season to my memory, being that it was so forgettable. I don't recall if Brian Thomas Jr. was used at all prior to the injuries to tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Christian Kirk and wide receiver Gabe Davis. Did the coaching staff even recognize what they had before those key injuries?
Yes, the 2024 Jaguars coaching staff knew what they had in rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. He worked with the starters throughout 2024 Training Camp, started Week 1 and scored a touchdown in the regular-season opener.
John from Jax
Hi, KOAGF. When did mid-February become the end of February? When it's mentioned that we will have a new general manager by the end of February, I look at my calendar and don't see us there yet. Why are some fans not looking at their calendars and acting surprised it's taking so long?
Fans fan. It's what they do.
Don from Marshall, NC
Blake Bortles needs to be the backup on this team. He is the perfect veteran quarterback who is more than capable. He can be the holder on field goals, too. With our field-goal kicker and Blake holding … hmmmm. Great all-around athlete. He would make a nice addition. He adds character that the team needs. You won't find a better backup anywhere around. Plus, Myles Jack Wasn't Down cut short his ride unfairly. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to not realizing – or just passionately not accepting – that former Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles is retired, Don remains "all in."
Kei from Kitakyushu, Japan
All the headline coaches that the Jaguars have hired, and all their general-manager candidates, are purported to be rapid risers who are highly touted by the rest of the league. On the other hand, is there any concern that having this many first-timers in new roles, with seemingly few experienced hands helping them along the way, may potentially lead to a situation where one, several or even all of them end up looking out of their depth in their roles? I think even Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli in his new position could fall into this category, though he obviously has been more involved with the Jags organization over the years than any of the new hires on either side of the ops.
It's certainly something to watch. If the decision-makers/leaders are capable – and if they communicate with and listen to the right people in the building – it's not a problem. If they're not good and if they don't communicate/listen, then it's a concern.
Scott from Fernandina Beach, FL
Hi, John. People like to point to sacks when comparing Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker and Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Aidan has 28.5 in his career so far compared to 24 for Travon. Travon has a lot more tackles, though. I say let Detroit keep Hutchinson and I'll stay with Walker.
Hutchinson and Walker are both disruptive, consistent players. Hutchinson when healthy has been a more consistent pass rusher. Walker has been available more and has better against the run. Hutchinson also plays on a team with a more explosive offense and is therefore in pass-rushing situations more than Walker.
Keith from Saint Augustine, FL
In regards to the Jaguars' search for a new general manager: Are we there yet? When are we going to be there? Why aren't we there yet? I bet these people were a jungle of fun in the back seat of a vehicle when they were growing up.
Fans want news now. They want decisions made now. We live in an age of instant online access and it's understandable that fans – and many observers – see rumors, speculation and pseudo-analysis and expect everything to happen NOW. The process is the process. It will play out. Soon.
Daniel from Johnston, IA
Recent commentary about drafts got me thinking. Is it fair to say Baalke did fairly well in the drafts but was ultimately fired for the free agency misses and his reputation (fair or unfair) as difficult to work with?
The Jaguars and General Manager Trent Baalke mutually parted ways because he and owner Shad Khan decided it was the right time to do so. Multiple factors went into this.
Duval then, Sacramento now
John. A thing that strikes me about the angst around the general manager not being hired yet is that it seems folks think that the new guy will have no idea who any of the players available are or anything about them. This seems silly to the point of thinking Derrick Henry is a better athlete than Bob Hayes. Every name on that list you kindly print daily, except for former Tennessee Titans General Manager Jon Robinson, is a person that is actively employed by an NFL team. I feel pretty confident that each of those people has been actively diagnosing available players for the entire past year if not longer. If the interview process goes as stated, that the team wants a general manager that synchronizes with the existing staff, all he will have to do is align his already built data to match with the existing alignment. I mean, it's not like he is going to have to start from the beginning. Or is it not 106 miles to Chicago?
Whoever is hired as the Jaguars' next general manager will have no problem being fully prepared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Bradley from Sparks, NV
I think Travon Walker is a good player that could end up being a great player, but Aidan Hutchinson is one of those guys you are constantly talking about an elite player that makes elite plays to win games. If the Jags had drafted Hutchinson, how many emails would you have received complaining about Baalke drafting him over Walker?
Number of emails about a topic often influences how often that topic is discussed in the O-Zone. The nature of the complaints – or the number of times those complaints are repeated – in no way makes those complaints pertinent or all that correct.
Hugo from Portland, OR
Good to see Don agrees with you about Walker-versus-Hutchinson. That makes it you, Don and Baalke who believe that. Walker can be a good player and still be the wrong choice. Especially when the other player regularly produces at a DPOY level.
OK.
Josh from Atlanta
If you have a defensive tackle, offensive tackle and cornerback equally graded in this upcoming draft, which are you taking?
It would be a coin flip between the defensive tackle and offensive tackle. I probably would lean toward defensive tackle because disruption, disruption, disruption.
Ed from Danvers, MA
It must be a time of great excitement in the building with pretty much a complete turnover in the football coaching side of things. Do all the new coaches, assistants, et al, make your office the first stop after they come through the door? Not only do they want to meet the legend, the likely want to know where to find you down the road.
What's an "office?"
