JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Nick from Annapolis, MD

At this point it seems clear that Coen is targeting young coaches with good reputations over older coaches that have done it before. We've seen the opposite strategy here as well, where there seemed to be a clear effort to bring on experienced coaches who have often even held positions "higher" than the one they took here. Thoughts?

Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen indeed remains neck-deep in his staff-hiring process, and the last week has served as a reminder of the difficulty new head coaches face hiring a staff – and the time crunch they are under to do so. Coen, hired as head coach on January 24, hired Green Bay Packers defensive run-game coordinator Anthony Campanile after interviewing for defensive-coordinator candidates and has interviewed Minnesota Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski, Los Angeles Rams offensive assistant/passing-game specialist Nate Scheelhause and Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard for offensive coordinator. He also has retained special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and reportedly has retained tight ends coach Richard Angulo. The Jaguars also reportedly have been blocked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from interviewing offensive line coach Kevin Carberry from interviewing with the Jaguars for offensive line coach. The Buccaneers also reportedly blocked assistant offensive line coach Brian Picucci from interviewing – also for the offensive line coach position. It's true that Campanile, at 42, is young. So, too, are the offensive-coordinator candidates. They, like Coen, are comparatively inexperienced. My thought here is there usually is a focus on experience and age with assistant coaching hires because we know comparatively little else about them. Another thought is I doubt Coen is thinking as much about the age of candidates as he is thinking of their qualifications, his knowledge about them and their ability. Age and experience matter a lot less than ability. If they're good, hire them. If not, don't.

* *Jason from Jacksonville**

John, just read the BTJ Pro Bowl article and what I liked most is him mentioning the discussions he gets to have with the best in the biz. I wanted the Jags to draft a defensive back as a need (and still is) but BTJ is him and I'm happy the Jags have him.

Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas indeed participated in the 2025 Pro Bowl games this past weekend, citing among his highlight moments a chance to talk with the game's best players – including Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. Though Jefferson and Chase, like Thomas, attended Louisiana State University, Thomas hadn't met either of the pair before this past weekend. Cool stuff and deserved experience for Thomas. As for the Jaguars selecting Thomas instead of a "need" at defensive back in the 2024 NFL Draft … teams need elite players. Draft the guy in the first round you think can be great as often as possible. Drafting for need leads to mistakes.

Ryan from Orlando, FL

Has the team given any timetable on when a decision will be made on playing location(s) for the 2027 season? When would you expect to hear something definitive on these plans?

No. Sometime relatively soon.

Bob from St. Augustine, FL

It would seem the solution for the Jaguars is hire a general manager who is good at team-building and compatible with the coach.

This absolutely should be a big part of the "solution." The Jaguars will search for a general manager, with Owner Shad Khan saying he expects to hire one by the end of February.

Tony from Johns Creek, GA

O, you know I love the Jaguars. Who are the Jaguars? Every year you lose and gain new players. When you get down to it, you're rooting for uniforms. I want my team uniforms to beat your team's uniforms. It's always about uniforms in the NFL.

Fair.

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF. With the purge of coaches when a season goes bad, I wonder what value there is (if any) for team captains. Where were they last season when we needed that final score or that final stop to win (about 10 games)?

Team captains have value as leaders. Just because a captain is a good leader doesn't mean the players on a roster are good enough to make enough big plays in big situations.

Bradford from Orange Park, FL

I'll tell you this (with Head Coach Liam Coen's "Duval" in view): If quarterback Trevor Lawrence tosses 41 touchdowns next season, we've all been saying it wrong the whole time.

Fair.

Jim from Middleburg, FL

Hi, John. When teams begin "rebuilding," sometimes it seems like there is a loose pattern: Point-scorers: Quarterback, wide receiver, wide receiver – and once in a while, running back. Then we jump quickly to defensive and corners. Let's see what's left?? Not much money. No one wants to "waste "an early round pick on an offensive line. Seems like most of the money is gone. Then there is the fallback position of taking over the hill veterans discarded by other teams. Hey this is like building a house in the air because there is no ground floor! Oh well. Drafting a young project lineman is just not sexy. Nothing from nothing! Just saying. Go Jags.

Most NFL decision-makers build around quarterback, offensive line and defensive line – with wide receiver becoming more prominent the more pass-centric the NFL becomes. I've never been around a decision-maker that overlooks the lines, though. At least not good decision-makers. That doesn't mean those decision-makers always make the best decisions. But they rarely ignore the lines.

Dbsuperbiker from Ormond Beach, FL

Do you think those fans who are skeptical of former head coaches who were fired for losing seasons are aware of Andy Reid's record in his last year at Philly, or Bill Belichick's overall record as head coach for the Browns?

People generally acknowledge what supports what they already believe. It's easier that way.

Ed from Jax by Lionel Playworld

How worried are you about Cooper Hodges's health? Is it too risky to rely on his availability entering next season? Should we carry an extra guard on the active roster, presumably one more capable than a practice squad player?

The health of Jaguars offensive lineman Cooper Hodges isn't among my foremost worries, though it absolutely is something that those running the Jaguars must consider when planning for the future. Hodges, a seventh-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, has starting-level ability. Had he been healthy the past two seasons, he very likely would enter the 2025 offseason as a starter. As it stands, he must remain healthy until training camp then remain healthy after that. From this view, the Jaguars must plan for him not to be healthy until he shows otherwise. And yes, that means making sure they have a starting-level guard who can start if Hodges can't play.

Crash from

OZ! Hope the Cats trade back into the first round and get both of those defensive tackles from Michigan. Stop the run!

One fer stopping the run.

Matt from Orlando, FL

Do you think the Jaguars lack accountability on the field? I know this is tough to define in sports, but the Jag players don't appear to be motivated by any negative outcome. I understand we can't see what happens inside the building, but we seem to be missing something organizationally here. The coach paid a price after a 25-game slide, but it hasn't appeared that the players fear any repercussions for well-below-average play. All the talk about playing for pride or each other is stale and the fans deserve more. Large player contract commitments aside, here's to hoping the next regime instills more external accountability on the field.

This topic arises a lot on the O-Zone, with the nature of accountability in the NFL often frustrating fans observers and observers. This is because accountability in professional sports looks far different than it does in little league, high school or even college sports. In lower levels of sports – even through college – coaches can indeed motivate by the threat of taking away playing time. It's much less realistic to do so in professional sports. This is partly because relatively small roster sizes limit coaches' options to do so, and because teams typically build teams in the offseason and training camp to have clear starters and clear backups, which means "benching" players for perceived below-average play would mean taking your best players off the field. The reality is most teams in the NFL don't lose because of a lack of motivation. They lose because of injuries, poor quarterback play, poor line play or because overall they're simply not better than their opponent. The quarterback often trumps all else. Witness the conference finalists. Decent quarterbacking going on there. Not that accountability and motivation don't matter. But it's a small factor compared to the bigger factprs.

Michael from Fruit Cove, FL

"Winning is the Jaguars' task now. That's the mission." What was their task before? Were they any good at it?

The Jaguars' task always has been winning. They have done it at times. They haven't done it well often enough.