JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Boxcutterbill from Mass

The arrow's pointing up O. Everything seems to be lining up. The Jags got through the preseason healthy, undefeated and our backup quarterback situation is one of the best around. Can you say "Super Bowl?""

The Jaguars appear to have had a good offseason. They followed that with a good preseason. They stayed healthy throughout that preseason and that preseason seems to have shown that the team has good depth. It makes sense to feel good about young players such as running back Tank Bigsby, wide receiver Parker Washington and linebacker Ventrell Miller. It makes sense to feel good about quarterback Trevor Lawrence and what appears to be a very good group of skill players around him. It makes sense to feel good about the defensive line, and it appears this is a capable and deep linebacking group. It makes sense to feel good about specialists such as kicker Cam Little and Logan Cooke. It makes sense to feel good about backup quarterback Mac Jones. There's a lot to like. There's a lot of reason for hope. The Jaguars open the 2024 regular season against the Miami Dolphins in Miami on September 8.

Jeremy from Gilbert, AZ

I'm all for Lawrence's success, but those praising him as elite aren't correct (yet anyway). Just the speed of his decision making and timing of some of his throws at time are lackluster. Especially on shorter out routes, he gets the ball to the receiver just in time for that receiver to turn around and get tackled. He's often a split-second away from a Pick 6 going the other way. He's to hoping he progresses and is actually elite this season.

Lawrence indeed isn't elite yet. I haven't heard many knowledgeable football say otherwise, though it remains possible that I don't hear all knowledgeable football people. But Lawrence at the end of the 2022 season and into the 2023 season was showing good overall improvement – and was playing at a high level. It seemed from this view that his decision-making was improving at the appropriate pace, as was his pocket presence. The Jaguars through a 16-game stretch over that period went 13-3 and Lawrence threw 29 touchdowns with nine interceptions. That stretch ended when Lawrence dealt with a series of late-season injuries in 2023. It seems from this view that that 13-3 stretch is a very solid foundation from which to build. It's a stretch that showed the Jaguars you can win big with Lawrence starting at quarterback. I expect he will make quicker, better decisions in 2024 in his third season in Head Coach Doug Pederson's system and I expect he will reduce avoidable turnovers. This will move him closer to "elite" status. Stay tuned.

Tom from Blowing Rock, NC

Tell Marc from Oceanway not to be too sure. We had an NFL football land in our yard on the mountain. If it was from Cam Little, he needs to aim a little more to the left.

Fair.

Michael from Orange Park, FL

Zone, come clean for us now. How many tough decisions do the Jaguars really have on cutdown day?

Few, if any. The idea of players winning and losing roster spots in the third preseason game is a bit of a fantasy. Coaches and personnel officials have seen most players on the 90-man offseason/preseason roster practice/play for at least four months and often longer. There may be a rare case of a player playing well enough in the preseason finale to make a roster, but that rare case often will involve an injury. More often, a player might play his way onto the practice squad. But for the most part, coaches and personnel officials have a very good idea of the "final roster" before the end of the preseason. Because of course they do.

Jon from Athens, GA

Went to the game Saturday. First time I have been to a game in an air-conditioned stadium. And Wow, what a difference. After having been to 50-plus games in Jacksonville, the Benz is just on a whole different level. This update for the stadium cannot be understated. It is needed so badly. Kudos to Shad and the city for making the agreement.

Your experience would apply to many, many stadiums around the NFL. The current incarnation of EverBank Stadium has served the Jaguars and the city well. I spent most of my working life in it from 1995-2001 and 2011-present. I always will have fond memories of it. Three decades of Jaguars players, coaches, employees, fans, etc., feel the same. But it is not a modern NFL stadium, and it must be upgraded. Its time has come, and yes … one fer Jaguars Owner Shad Khan and the City of Jacksonville for getting a deal done.

Don from Marshall, NC

I think Travon Walker has reached maturity and there is no one that will be able to handle him. He is the total package and if a quarterback gets landed on by him they will break. No slight to Josh Hines-Allen because it's double trouble. General Manager Trent Baalke has done a nice job with the roster and Pederson seems pretty, pretty, pretty satisfied. Go Jaguars!

When it comes to defensive ends Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen, not to mention Baalke and Pederson, Don remains "all in."

Scott from Gilbert, AZ

Zone, With the exception of a kicker, the Jags have not selected a starter after the first round in the last three drafts. Was there not a single interior offensive lineman amongst the more than 700 draft worthy players outside of the first round who can move a sixth-round rookie defensive tackle when we need to run on third-and-one?

My Scooby Sense – not my Scobee sense – tells me you're unhappy with the Jaguars' offensive line, or maybe recent drafts. I suppose I can't control your unhappiness. I can tell you the Jaguars have selected offensive linemen Walker Little (tackle), Luke Fortner (center), Javon Foster (tackle) and Cooper Hodges (guard) after the first round of the last four drafts. These players essentially make up the depth of what looks like a deep offensive line. I can't speak to the specifics of the other part of your question. Perhaps your point is that the Jaguars' offensive line won't be good this season. We'll find out soon enough.

Andrew from The 904

I know you say the difference between a 3-4 and a 4-3 base defense isn't as defining as a lot of observers think, but could it be a sneaky reason Travon Walker has a true break out season? A few google searches worth of info says the Lions run a 4-3 and Aidan Hutchinson is a similar size so maybe Walker was always better suited to be a 4-3 defensive end rather than a 3-4 linebacker?

The difference between a 3-4 and a 4-3 indeed doesn't have to be as big a difference as observers believe. This is somewhat because a lot of teams play hybrid-ish fronts in base packages these days and it's primarily because teams are in nickel/situational defenses far more these days than they are in their "base" defenses. But in the case of Walker, I do think there will be a difference – because of how the Jaguars will use him in their four-lineman defense this season compared to how they used him the past two seasons in their 3-4 defense. Walker appears likely to be playing mostly moving toward the quarterback and toward the ball in defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen's defense. He previously dropped into coverage quite a bit. Walker was strikingly good dropping into coverage for a player of his size. I expect he will be better overall not having to do it as often.

Stuart from Cottonwood, AZ

You might, in the nicest way possible, (we're always nice) tell Johnny Sumara that files are made of iron.

I guess.

Cliff from Callahan

The person being beaten badly with a stick is better off than the person being shot in the face with a bazooka. It can always, always be worse.

You're damned right it can be worse. It has proven to be this way for me through the first 58 years. Why would it stop now?

Steve from Nashville, TN

Against a hurry up or no-huddle offense how will defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen's rotating and substituting players "with abandon" work?

The Jaguars will get defensive players in and out as quicky as possible when possible, and they won't always be able to rotate in and out.

Brendan from The Moral High Ground

Third-and-1 is absolutely going to be a problem if we continue to run up the gut, same play, no creativity. Give me a jet sweep reverse pitch to the damn moon for cryin out loud.

The Jaguars have played three preseason games. They open the regular season in a little less than two weeks. I expect them to have some cool, new football plays by then.