JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Daniel from Jersey City, NJ
O-man, that video was truly a masterpiece and I'm truly impressed and glad it came up in the Zone or I may have missed it. Just curious if during your nap, did you dream of taking credit for it all by yourself?
The inbox through Friday evening was still reveling in the glory that was It Was Written, the Jaguars' 2023 Schedule Release Video. The reveling is well-earned. Besides, what's mid-May on the NFL calendar if not a time for self-congratulation? The video was masterminded – and written – by Jaguars Fan Extraordinaire Asher Grodman, an actor and producer who starred in the piece and who "also" stars in the CBS comedy Ghosts. I can't do justice to the piece describing it in writing, so I'll again include this link. Grodman was misguided enough to include me in the video and guided enough to make the inclusion a small one. I indeed did nap before, during and after filming – and I absolutely took credit for the operation. Who else should get it? The "television star?"
The Other Ryan from Denver, CO
The video put out by the Jags with Asher Grodman was amazing!!!! I guess you got a good nap coming. Well-deserved. YOU ARE THE KOAF.
True, but Asher is the King of All Release Videos.
DT from NW AR
The schedule release video was incredible. The acting, the jokes, the cameos … perfect. And then I realized there are TNF, SNF, and MNF games all in the same season. With the two games in London, is that five nationally televised games? Has this ever happened before? This season is the teal deal!
The Jaguars never have played in five nationally televised regular-season games in one season. They played on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights in 2008.
Sean from Jacksonville
The "Writers" skit was great, but don't quit your day job.
What's a "day job?"
Brucifer from Owensboro, KY
I don't know if we will have the best football team in the NFL this season, but I KNOW we definitely have the best production team in the business! It Was Written was hilarious! (Nice job with the nap also).
One fer the video …
Brad from The Avenues
Oh my god! It Was Written was absolutely brilliant! I laughed my ass off through the whole thing!
… and another fer the video …
Tim from Fort Wayne, IN
Is the song at the end of the schedule release video "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by Mike Mains & The Branches? Great song to end a great video.
.. and one fer the Branches, apparently.
Gabe from Washington, DC
It has now been confirmed that Dewey plays Trevor Lawrence's stunt double, just as anyone paying attention already suspected. The question still remains though: who plays yours?
Fabio.
_Ed from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL _
It will be really interesting to see the attendance number between the first London game and the second back-to-back game. I think many spectators will go to one game for its novelty but not two weeks in a row. If the attendance is high on both games, then international is a real success. Your opinion, please?
I don't expect this to be a major topic. The Jaguars' game against the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium last season set an NFL International Series record for paid attendance at 86,124. The Jaguars' games at Wembley always have been relatively near that record number. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has a capacity of 62,850, and all non-COVID NFL games at Tottenham have had attendance of more than 60,000. I would be surprised if any of those numbers are dramatically lower in 2023 when the Jaguars play host to the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley in Week 4 then visit the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham in Week 5.
_Tom from Loughborough, England _
In response to Daniel from Jersey City, NJ … yes, there are crazy Jags fans across the pond like me who stay up beyond 4 a.m. to watch primetime NFL games in their entirety. I, like some other Jags fans, welcome the additional primetime games, though. That Bengals matchup at the bank on MNF is going to be a special.
This is in response to a recent O-Zone question wondering how Jaguars fans in Europe handle their late-night/early-morning reality of viewing the Jaguars in prime time. The question was asked. Now it is answered …
Pedal Bin from Farnborough, Hampshire. UK
Oh Mighty 'O' / King of All Funk, to answer Daniel from Jersey City's question on what we Europeans do when watching the primetime games … simply stay up late! Some of us go for a "power nap" between 9pm and midnight. Others just plough on through. I have a very understanding Brigadier who lets me book the day off after late Jags games as they finish about three-four a.m. and the Super Bowl (I already have 12 Feb 2024 booked as leave). Others not as lucky as me go to work on two hours sleep. One p.m. games (six p.m. in the UK) are great, later games not so. Primetime games start after midnight and are annoying. Now, there are some kids on my lawn I need to see to!
… and now it is answered again.
Randall from Jacksonville
London is five hours ahead of us. Why would someone be getting up at two a.m. for a six p.m. or nine p.m. game?
The Jaguars' Week 13 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 4 is scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m. Eastern. That would mean a 1:15 a.m. local start for a fan in London. That was the spirit of the question.
Jason from Jacksonville
I couldn't be happier with the Jags' 2023 schedule. Playing an away game in London, three primetime games with two at home, no long stretches of road games, very few games with a chance of heavy snow. This is going to be a fun year! I'm all in.
Jason, as he made clear, is "all in."
Brian from Gainesville, FL
Big O, what does additional international presence for the Jaguars mean or matter? Sounds like something that is said to justify a thing (two London games) that many in the fan base won't like. Will it lead to more nationally televised games, more jerseys sold, more money spent on stadium upgrades? I guess at least they're playing the games back-to-back instead of having to travel twice. Still, I don't like it. Only team in the league without nine home games since the London game is not a home field advantage notwithstanding that it might mean more profits for the owner.
The international presence matters to the Jaguars because Owner Shad Khan wants it for the long-term international visibility – and financial health – of the franchise. The London home game as it stands does mean more local revenue for the Jaguars. Considering the team is on the low end of the NFL in this category, that's more correctly seen as allowing the Jaguars to come closer to maintaining pace with the rest of the league in this area than a grab for "profits." Local revenue is important to the team's financial health. This is true even if some fans don't particularly like it.
Richard from Jacksonville
_I'm not a believer that schedules can be a reliable predictor of wins and losses but let's just pontificate. The Jaguars go 11-6 and finish second in the AFC South is that enough to get them the Wild Card? _
Almost certainly.
Brad from Jacksonville
When is the NFL going to release the pre-season schedule? If I remember right, it usually was released in advance of the regular season schedule.
The NFL has released the 2023 preseason schedule. The Jaguars will play at the Dallas Cowboys Preseason Week 1, at the Detroit Lions Preseason Week 2 and home against the Miami Dolphins Preseason Week 3. Days and times will be announced at a later date.
Ryan from Apopka, FL
John, I think I just became even a bigger fan of yours!! I too absolutely hate chicken on the bone. Thank you for confirming that there are others who dislike chicken wings.
OK.
JT from Fort Worth, TX
It's great that we have a SNF and a MNF game this year! But I'm also not blind to the fact that the NFL positioned those game to possibly get flexed out. Touche NFL, touche
All Sunday games after Week 5 can be flexed. All Monday Night games after Week 11 can be flexed. There was nothing intentional about the NFL scheduling the Jaguars on those dates.
Charles from Greendale, CA
First off, I want to preface this question by saying, I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years - I'm no dummy. With the schedule out, there are many games that look tough, but that Kansas City Chiefs game looks to be the toughest. Kind of like trying to ski the K-12. Would you agree?
I think you just froze the left half of your brain.
