JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Nick from South Carolina

Is this team different? Watching on TV, it seems different. The whole vibe seems much different than last year.

The vibe around the Jaguars as 2024 Training Camp ends indeed is positive, which perhaps could be seen during their 20-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Preseason Week 2 game at EverBank Stadium this past Saturday. This appears to be a tight team that likes one another, and the defense appears to be somewhat rejuvenated – which is to be expected with a new coordinator (Ryan Nielsen) and change in scheme. As for how this Jaguars team compares to the 2023 version … I don't know that I can honestly say the "vibe" is all that different. The 2023 team was a positive bunch in training camp, and there was good energy and "vibe" early in the season. It was still a pretty damned happy bunch when the Jaguars were in first place in the AFC South at 8-3. It wasn't nearly as happy after that. Losing five of six games and missing the playoffs tends to dampen the vibe.

Deane from Daytona Beach, FL

Yo, O-Zone!!! There has been some chatter as of late about developing chemistry between quarterback and wide receiver. Is the progression chemistry faster for a "new" veteran wide receiver like Gabe Davis versus a rookie like Brian Thomas Jr.? Or are they fairly equal because they are both new to the team? I would love for them both to be sooner rather than later! What says you O-Zone???

This varies from player to player, from receiver to receiver and can depend on the quarterback. First and foremost is both players knowing the offense and knowing correct routes. Without those elements in place, chemistry between receiver and quarterback can't exist. A veteran in theory would learn the offense and its subtleties quicker than a rookie, so veterans often can develop chemistry with a quarterback more quickly. That's the theory. Reality in this case is case by case.

Gary from Centerville, Ohio

I never get too excited or too worried about backups playing backups. Having said that, do you see the Jaguars keeping both backup quarterbacks, especially considering the amount of injuries that can pile up during the 17 game regular season?

I expect the Jaguars to have three quarterbacks for the 2024 regular season. This would either be three on the 53-player roster or two on the "53" with one on the practice squad. Remember: While we observers tend to focus on that 53-man roster, recent changes to the practice squad – expansion along with greater flexibility moving players to the active roster – have made that more an extension of the "active roster." When players get "cut" at the end of preseason, we tend to act as if they no longer matter to the organization and never will contribute again. That's often simply not the case.

Jonathan Formerly of Jax Beach, FL

I know your approach is let's wait and see but Jaguars left guard Cleveland has never been very good and right guard Brandon Scherff has never been good in a Jags uniform. I think center Mitch Morse is a significant upgrade but I don't believe it is enough to make a difference. Not sure what we could have done to really address it better for the coming season, though and two draft picks likely would not have helped. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Let's wait and see.

David from The Island

Trade Mac Jones? Not for me. There's a good chance Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence doesn't start 17 games. Jones is a quarterback that can win games if Trevor is out.

It is a seemingly never-ending phenomenon that fans and observers want to trade a good player if that player is not in the "starting lineup." Many of those same fans and observers also ask questions and get irritated if a team isn't deep. Do those people realize that trading good players means those players no longer play for their team? I don't know the answer to this.

Brian from ROUND ROCK, TX

Okay, okay, okay, just one more ... am I correct in saying that any offensive coordinator who is in the box is insecure and hiding up there? I cannot think of one reason that an OC would want to be up there other than he is hiding. What say you, O great and wise O of Zone?

I say, "Are you serious?" And if so, I say this is about as silly a question as I can imagine, and I have quite the vivid imagination. There are plenty of reasons for offensive coordinators to call plays from the press box: Better perspective on the entire field on a play-to-play basis, calmer surroundings, easier access to play-call sheets, etc. Insecurity? Really? Is there a camera here? Alan? Alan Funk? Are you here?

Billy from Orange Park

No question. Just wanted you to know that I bought you a Bullet Bob and waited for you to get to Strings. You were too busy after the game, so I had to drink it myself. It was great, will try again in the near future. Go Jags!!

I work after games. There's a board on the wall. It's there for just this sort of occasion.

Sean from Oakleaf, FL

While we have not seen it yet in the first two preseason games, can you confirm that Jaguars kicker Cam Little can kick it out of the back of the end zone any time he wants to on a kickoff?

Little, the Jaguars' rookie kicker, has a strikingly strong leg and my assumption would be he has a chance to kick it out of the back of the end zone on kickoffs consistently. I don't know if he can do this "any time he wants."

Steve from San Marco

Hypothetical, you're the general manager and after Saturday night's game a team wants to trade for Mac Jones. What would it take?

The Jaguars acquired Jones from the New England Patriots for a sixth-round selection this past March, so I probably would want to improve on that. I would probably need at least a third-round selection because I traded for Jones for a reason – that I wanted to feel good about the backup quarterback position.

Bill from Springfield, VA

Guess it's a good thing we have three quarterbacks on the roster. Most groin injuries take a while to heal. Do you anticipate that he might be placed on PUP list or just kept for the practice squad?

You're referencing a groin injury sustained by Jaguars reserve quarterback C.J. Beathard Saturday. He can't be placed on the physically unable to perform list this season because players who practiced at least one since the beginning of training camp can't be placed there. I don't have a feel for the severity of the injury, so I can't predict whether he would be placed on injured reserve, which would end his season if it happens before the Jaguars trim the roster to 53 players later this month. I would think the practice squad might be an option, but that's a guess.

Joe from Living in St. Johns, down by the river

Hey John, a few comments and a question. We saw some young players make plays the past two Saturdays. Good depth helps a team survive a long season, so I am optimistic. My question is not about who will call the plays or is our O-line solid enough or should the NFL expand to 18 games, none of that matters if the players execute the plays … and now I forgot my question. See you next week and go Jags!

Let's go Jaguars.

Matthew from Charles City

Does Brian Thomas Jr. kind of have that floor presence like a Kawhi Leonard in terms of not talking and not getting in his head just taking care of business??

Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas is somewhat on the quiet side. This is not terribly unusual and is certainly in no way a negative. I don't know how similar or dissimilar this makes him to Leonard or any other athlete.

Jonathan from Formerly of Jax Beach

When you say ponytail, was it actually a mullet with some type of hair tie in the rear or did you have long hair? There is a difference with the former being inexcusable.

We're again referencing the ponytail sported by this writer from early 1996ish until early in 1997. It was certainly not a mullet. It was more "long hair" than anything else, but it would sadly struggle to fall into any classification. It was a bad look, which is why it is no more.

Bradley from Sparks, NV

I need an expert opinion on three questions, please. Will the O-line qualify as average? Will Jags have a top 10 scoring defense? Will Brian Thomas Jr. exceed 700 yards and seven touchdowns?

Hopefully. Perhaps. Possibly.