JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it … Tommy from Jacksonville:
John, what really frustrates me about this offseason is the fact we didn't draft a quarterback in the mid-to-late rounds. Most NFL quarterbacks have not been drafted in the first two rounds. It seems crazy why you wouldn't give it a shot in Round 5 or even 6. No one knows how a quarterback develops, but without giving it a shot you are guaranteed not to hit on a stud. Instead, you have someone that will be lucky for a second contract and hardly have playing time.
John: I understand your frustration. When a team has a quarterback who hasn't played like a franchise guy, it's easy for everyone involved – fans, included – to be frustrated. But I don't necessarily agree with your assessment about where you find quarterbacks. Sure, quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, and Dak Prescott are notable late-round finds, but your percentages of finding a front-line starter go up dramatically in Rounds 1 and 2. Aaron Rodgers. Matt Ryan. Cam Newton. Philip Rivers. Ben Roethlisberger. Eli Manning. Derek Carr. Marcus Mariota. Jameis Winston. Drew Brees. Carson Palmer. Alex Smith. Joe Flacco. All were early-round choices. That's not to say the Jaguars couldn't have found a potential starter in the late rounds in this year's draft, but considering this was not considered a great quarterback class, it's not shocking in retrospect that they passed on the position.
Jags Fan 818:
OK, Zone … I've got to spit it out. For those idiots out there who believe POZ can't cover – have you not watched the Jaguars over the years since Poz has been here??? He has been the "constant" player on this team. There are very few plays Poz isn't/wasn't involved in!!!!! Poz definitely deserves RESPECT. He will put his heart and soul into his new position and if for some reason he can't do it, I believe he would bench himself! Go Poz, Go Jaguars!
John: Hey, one fer Poz!
James from London, England:
As a Brit that follows – but doesn't know all the intricacies of – the NFL, what do analysts mean when they say a "smash-mouth" offense? Do they mean that the Jags are gonna have one hit and then fade away into oblivion? No disrespect to Smash Mouth.
John: Clever – very clever, in fact. But it actually sounds like you did intend disrespect to Smash Mouth. And while I don't know that that's necessarily a crime in these parts, it's not very … well, respectful. At least not to Smash Mouth. But no, when analysts talk about smash-mouth football they don't mean one hit; they mean a physical, aggressive, constant commitment to a running offense that eventually wears defenses down and establishes the offense as the team able to enforce its will. The Jaguars appear committed to at least getting closer to that style than they have in recent seasons. When it works, it can be effective – and perhaps most pertinent to the Jaguars, it absolutely can help a quarterback.
John from Durango, UT:
What would a guy from Provo, UT know about being stranded on an island?
John: Maybe he meant Provo, Spain.
Trae from Ponte Vedra, FL:
Thanks for answering my earlier question about starting left tackle. You predicted Branden Albert. Does this prediction project Robinson to the bench or to left guard?
John: I in no way expect Robinson to be on the bench next season. If he doesn't start at left tackle, I feel confident he will start at guard.
Tommy from Cherry Valley, PA:
Fans are definitely gonna fan. I was actually fanning this morning watching old footage from '99 when I first became a Jaguars fan. I remember that year like it was yesterday. Though I'm only 28 now, I still remember Steve McNair torching us for five touchdowns – and for some reason Kyle Brady is a pretty vivid memory. I'm excited for this upcoming season. With that being said, how about one fer brady? 1999*
John: Fans should fan. Fanning is what makes football fun. One fer Brady? Absolutely.
Michael from Saskatoon:
Can you please explain to me why the Jags have not shown interest in Colin Kaepernick? This team definitely needs a quarterback competition, and am I the only person that thinks that could be a good fit? A good defense with special players on offense … why not try him out? He wants the opportunity to start and this team needs someone else at the quarterback position to help if Blake Bortles regresses further? Tell me, O-Man. Am I crazy??
John: You're not crazy, but in this case the Jaguars don't see Kaepernick as an upgrade over Bortles – and they don't see Kaepernick as a good enough option to have as a potential backup. The best explanation I've heard about Kaepernick not yet being signed is that teams don't see him as a starter, and his style makes it necessary to build much of the offense specifically for his skill set. This was similar to the issue teams had with Tim Tebow toward the end of his time in the NFL; it's tricky to have a backup quarterback who doesn't fit your style of offense because the team will have to make major adjustments in game plan and approach if the starter is hurt. If you add potential off-field noise then it makes it doubly tricky. Now, the argument many fans have is Kaepernick might be better than Bortles – and that the Jaguars should bring Kaepernick in and have camp competition. That's an understandable opinion. The Jaguars don't see that as a productive alternative and therefore aren't doing it. That answer won't satisfy many fans, but that's the answer.
Stephen from Jacksonville:
Obviously, the construction cameras don't show everything, but from what I can tell it looks like there are still more than a just few things left to do before the new facility is finished. Is the amphitheater really going to be concert ready in one week?
John: Yes.
J from Jacksonville:
I don't disagree that David Caldwell has done some good in the later rounds of the draft and with cap management. But let's not forget: his first three years of Top 5 picks have been subpar at best. Jalen Ramsey was a gift, and we will see how our newest selection turns out. That makes me a little hesitant in crowning him as the general manager of the future and extending the contract.
John: OK. I suppose we could go round and round on this in the O-Zone from now until the regular season. The Jaguars took a long-term approach early in David Caldwell's tenure. The result of that is there were a lot of young players on the field in the past four seasons. The result is that the Jaguars still aren't exactly a veteran-laden team. Caldwell's last three drafts will look better if the team improves this season. If the team doesn't improve, they won't look better. That's pretty much the story on this one.
Kendrick from Jacksonville:
Do you feel like the Jaguars have a good team chemistry that's being developed during the offseason? Also, do you think I'tavius Mathers and Tim Cook can be offensive threats. I see from their highlights they have a similar running style to Leonard Fournette.
John: I see no reason why the Jaguars won't develop good team chemistry this offseason. They have some strong veteran leaders such as Paul Posluszny, Calais Campbell, Telvin Smith and Barry Church. As far as Mathers and Cook, we really need to wait to see them against NFL competition before figuring their ability to be offensive threats. College highlight reels are cool. People like them. But they don't always show much about how a player will adapt to the NFL.
Daniel Since Day One:
Your comment about the Texans winning the division with their quarterback array proves something I've always believed. They have beaten the No. 1 pick in the draft, the No. 2 pick in the draft and the No. 3 pick the draft. Maybe the other players on the team are more important than you and many other people think?
John: Other players matter very much, but if you watch the NFL playoffs year after year after year and don't believe your percentages of winning go way, way, way up with an elite quarterback … well, if you're doing that, then we're not watching the same playoffs.
Luke from Jacksonville:
Are any of the OTAs going to be open to fans this year?
John: No.
Bryan from Jacksonville:
Is Myles Jack getting a new number? I see someone else wearing 44 in the pics of rookie minicamp.
John: No, there were dozens of tryout players in rookie minicamp who never will be in organized team activities or minicamp, so they therefore won't ever be on the same field as Jack. Those players had to have numbers during that weekend, so many wore numbers of players on the regular roster.
Hey from Jacksonville:
Why did the Oehser cross the road?
John: To take his shirt off and do a sweaty, rain-soaked victory dance underneath a glorious morning rainbow. No, wait. That's not why.