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Touchdown Jaguars!
Touchdown Jaguars!
Episode 78: Super Bowl LVIII Reactions / Coaching Changes / Top Positions of Need
Ever feel like the off-season can be just as thrilling as the regular NFL games? That's exactly the vibe we're channeling in this latest episode of Touchdown Jaguars, where Phil Smith and James Johnson dissect the ins and outs of what it takes for our Jacksonville Jaguars to step up their game. From reflecting on the Super Bowl outcomes to envisioning the moves that could catapult the Jaguars into the league's top contenders, we're unpacking it all. We'll even address the hypothetical shake-up with coach Kyle Shanahan potentially bringing new strategies to our team and the impact it could have on Trevor Lawrence's trajectory.
The gridiron isn't just about the clash of helmets and the roar of the crowds; it's about the people and the communities that come together in celebration and in times of tragedy. In this heart-to-heart segment, we send out condolences for the somber incident during the Chiefs' victory festivities, while also welcoming the fresh faces in the Jaguars' coaching staff like Ryan Nielsen. Sports can often be a microcosm of life – unpredictable, challenging, but always moving forward. We are here to honor both the highs and the lows, and keep the spirit of the game burning bright.
Lastly, strap in as we tackle the nitty-gritty of team dynamics and player acquisitions that could redefine the Jaguars' future. The offensive line is at a crucial crossroads, and we're laying out the blueprints for a fortress to protect our quarterback. And let's not forget about the wide receivers - who will be the next big name to light up the scoreboard for Jacksonville? We dissect prospects, strategies, and the underlying passion that drives us all during this exhilarating off-season. Whether you're a die-hard Jaguars fan or just love the tactical side of football, this episode promises to keep you engaged and informed.
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James Johnson and Phil Smith bring you the best and most up to date Jacksonville Jaguars news. "Touchdown Jaguars!" is a tribute to the prospective ownership group "Touchdown Jacksonville!" In 1991, the NFL announced plans to add two expansion teams and "Touchdown Jacksonville!" announced its bid for a team, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as one of five finalists. In November 1993, the NFL owners voted 26–2 in favor of awarding the 30th franchise to Jacksonville. James and Phil have been fans of the franchise ever since and have had the honor (and sometimes dishonor) of covering the team professionally since 2017. The rest as they say, is history.
Welcome to the Touchdown Jaguars podcast.
Speaker 1:I am your co-host, phil Smith, and joining me, as always, is your other co-host, james Johnson. Jay, after a little bit of a break after the regular season collapse for lack of better term of our Jacksonville Jaguars, we are back in the studio and could not be happier to be here with you as the NFL season has come to an end. We have played the playoffs and the Super Bowl has come and gone and we are now here to look forward and look ahead to what will hopefully be a brighter future for our Jacksonville Jaguars. You know it's only been a month but, of course, in typical Jacksonville Jaguar and NFL news cycle in general fashion, plenty has taken place that we are going to be discussing here today. So, jay, it's nice to get a little bit of a refresher and take some time away from the team and maybe leave some of our frustrations in last season and carry over all new ones into 2024. So, before we get started, how are you doing here this evening? And, as I mentioned, excited to be back here with you on the podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, glad to be back. Not sure if I'm with you in terms of leaving our frustrations in the past, because, I don't know, the postseason might have made me even more frustrated when looking at how far away we are in comparison to other teams. But no, I mean like when you don't record a month, man, you get that itch, you know, and a lot of things transpired, you know, in the meantime, while we weren't recording, and so we got a lot to talk about. We'll have to space it out. Of course we can't put it in one episode, but you know we'll get there eventually. In terms of covering all the things that happened during the offseason Some positive things. As frustrated as watching the postseason was, it was some positive things to come out of the offseason for the Jacksonville Jadwara's man. And, yeah, I can't wait to discuss it all here on today's episode.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll have a full offseason of needing to create content, so don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities as we head into draft season, free agency, all of that offseason champs baby, we are here to defend our crown and yeah, like you mentioned, jay, it does kind of like, especially around this time of year, it is eyeopening when you see, like, the difference between us and those teams that are still playing in the playoffs and you come to the realization that you're not as close as maybe you thought you were. You know, looking at teams like the Lions, for instance, who I think were our NFC equivalent, I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say that. You know, the Jags and the Lions were in similar boats coming into the season. Of course, the Lions just barely missed the playoffs. The Jaguars had a little bit of a run in 2022, but very similar in terms of expectations and taking that next leap, and Dan Kamlin, the Lions certainly did that, and the Jacksonville Jaguars and Doug Peterson and Trevor Lawrence did not. So here we are.
Speaker 1:Plenty to discuss here on today's episode as we get back to it. Before we begin, want to welcome in any brand new listeners and welcome back all of our loyal listeners. We want to thank you guys so much for continuing to support the show. Make sure you click the link tree link in the show notes. You'll find everything you need, such as our social media pages, as well as the link to download the SeatGeek app. Save yourself $20 on your first purchase with SeatGeek. We got baseball season coming up, a whole bunch of concerts, all of that stuff, so make sure you help yourself as well as help out the show.
Speaker 1:But, jay, before we get started, do want to discuss the Super Bowl with you here, as we are a couple of days removed from that taking place. The Kansas City Chiefs winning their second straight Super Bowl, third in four years. We're recording this here on Wednesday evening of February 14th, so Valentine's Day evening, and we don't want to talk to you about that game here. Really quick. The Chiefs winning 25-22 in overtime in controversial fashion in terms of a decision that was made by a head coach that you are very familiar with, and that is Kyle Shanahan, and I'm very sorry to bring up 28-3. I know that brings up a lot of bad memories for yourself and many other Falcons fans.
Speaker 1:But not only that, but also the Super Bowl from a few years ago with Jimmy Garoppolo, and then, of course, now here against Kansas City with a very, very controversial head scratching move to not defer as far as the overtime kickoff went, and also, since that game has passed, a lot of players coming out and admitting they didn't even have any idea that this rule, that this overtime rule, had changed.
Speaker 1:And it actually changed a couple of years ago when Pat Mahomes and Josh Allen had that shootout in. I think it was the divisional round and Josh Allen didn't get a crack at it. So, jay, I just kind of want to get your thoughts on the game itself, but also just the decision making of Kyle Shanahan, because that is definitely being called into question. A lot of people saying you know, he's not the guy when it comes to these big game scenarios and he hasn't necessarily said all of the right things post Super Bowl loss as well. So you don't want to get an idea of how you're thinking in your opinion on Kyle Shanahan and just the game in general, now that we're a couple of days removed.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, what I will say? I mean the, you know, the overtime rule stuff aside we got to keep in mind that Kyle Shanahan, in these scenarios that people are grotesque in him for, has faced, arguably, you know, going back to his time with the Falcons as the offensive coordinator the two best quarterbacks to ever play the game right and two best head coaches to ever coach in the game, in Andy Reed and Bill Belichick, and then going back to the quarterback things Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. So you know the whole. I think people are being too hard on him in terms of not being able to win the big one because he's he's fighting against the best in history. You know, the top two best in history in terms of coaching and quarterbacking at the position. You know. Now people some people argue that, you know, maybe Belichick and Andy Reed aren't, you know, top two and saying could be said for Mahomes and Brady, but for me they are.
Speaker 2:And, that being said, I do get where people are coming from in terms of the concerns. But when you look at how we're running as an organization right and look at others not even just us, but you know other teams, the Bears, so on and so forth, and you can see Clare's day, who isn't equipped to, you know, win a Super Bowl and who isn't, and I don't get that vibe with the San Francisco 49ers, right. I don't get that vibe with Kyle Shanahan, although you know he has had numerous opportunities and has come up short. But I don't, I don't get that feeling and that vibe with him. And part of the reason is just because, not just because of him, but just he also has the right front office in place to that. His, you know, added weapons to that team and will continue to add weapons as well. I mean, we've seen a team that they know how to do it all in terms of acquisition, in terms of trading. You know, we've seen it with Trent Williams. If I'm not mistaken, I think they traded for Trent Williams and we've seen it with, or they might've got him in free agency. I might be wrong on that, but we've seen it with Christian McCaffrey. We've seen their talent evaluation in terms of, you know, not being able to draft in the front of the draft order and still get a serviceable quarterback in Brock Purdy, who you know, people do have their thoughts about, but he plays within himself and he does it well. You know they have talent that they've been able to acquire Evo Samuel, brandon Iuk, who admittedly they don't use as much as they should. But yeah, I mean like they will be just fine.
Speaker 2:I think it's a matter of it may be a matter of it might be another team that may be the ones that need to knock off the chiefs, which I think is the bingles, as you have pointed to in the past on this podcast when I asked you who is that team.
Speaker 2:I think it's the bingles, with the healthy Joe Burrow. We didn't get to see that this year, but yeah, I think they're the ones who can knock off the chiefs. And then I could see Kyle Shanahan knocking off the bingles in the Super Bowl, and I can also see when Kyle Shanahan wins that big one. I can see him not having the issues that he's having with the chiefs past that point. Once he wins the Super Bowl, you know, maybe it'll come easier, maybe he will, you know, develop that cutthroat mentality, so on and so forth. But yeah, man, I mean, I know admittedly people are upset right now and it's the heat of the moment type of thing, and you know it's fresh off the Super Bowl. But take it from me Casual fans, 49 offense. Whatever the case may be, I think Kyle Shanahan is more than qualified to win the Super Bowl and I think he will win one eventually.
Speaker 1:See, I don't know man, I'm gonna play Devil's Avenue here because, while so, I'm sure there are sub-sex of the 49er fan base and I'm not in 49er Twitter or social media, whatever it is, that probably won't Kyle Shanahan gone. The question always is care for what you wish for, right? The way that I look at it, and what a lot of other people have kind of said here, is that the Niners window is closing. They're not gonna be able to re-sign all of these people. A lot of people are gonna be up for new contracts here very shortly. What do they do in turn? You know they just got rid of the defensive coordinator, whose fault it was not held the Chiefs to 19 points in four quarters. Right, you get rid of that guy. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.
Speaker 1:So I'm kind of in the mindset and I know a lot of other people are in the mindset of comparing Kyle Shanahan to Andy Reid, in that Kyle Shanahan could be in his Philadelphia Eagles era where he needs to go somewhere else, despite having a ton of success. Remember Andy Reid went to what? Four straight NFC championship games in Philadelphia before they eventually let him go up because you know he ultimately couldn't win the big one, and the talent that it takes to become an NFL head coach and be an extremely successful one like Kyle Shanahan is something that I will never understand. But I think there comes a point where it just does not seem to be working. I mean, yes, they've made a lot of excellent decisions when it comes to building this roster. They also gave away a lot of draft picks for Trey Lance. He's not on the football team anymore. And yes, brock Purdy you know there is that argument. You know where does he belong in the tier of quarterback, and I think you could ultimately win a Super Bowl with Brock Purdy.
Speaker 1:But a lot of the narrative going into this game, jay was not can they overcome Brock Purdy, it was can they overcome Kyle Shanahan?
Speaker 1:And in this case, in this specific scenario of this game from the other day, I think you can place a lot of the blame on Kyle Shanahan, and that window is getting smaller. I do think that the Detroit Lions I will put the Lions ahead of the Niners going into next year, just in my opinion, because I do think that team is going to learn from their mistakes from the NFC Championships game and they're going to get even better once they address the secondary and, you know, even add and add more pieces to what they already are. So again, to play devil's advocate, I think, again, be careful what you wish for, because Kyle Shanahan is an excellent coaching mind. But I do think that we need to kind of talk about this notion that maybe he needs to go somewhere else and win the Super Bowl. But who's going to win a Super Bowl anyway when the DM Chiefs in a down year win the championship anyway? So maybe it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:So what I'm hearing you say is that Kyle Shanahan needs to come to the Jacksonville Jaguars and get his hands on Trevor Lawrence to win the Super Bowl. That's what I heard.
Speaker 1:Listen, there will be worse replacements than Kyle Shanahan coming to Jacksonville. I certainly would not be mad at him. My dream is still Mike Tomlin, even though that's not going to happen either.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know what I haven't really thought about? The coach thing. You know we're veering away from the topic here, but admittedly I haven't thought about the coach thing as disappointed as I am in Doug Peterson I haven't crossed that bridge yet for the simple fact that Doug Peterson has done some that we're kind of talking about now. You know, overcome the juggernaut, he was able to beat Bill Belichick right. You know it's Super Bowl. So I, you know as mad as I am with Doug I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I'm more alone. The lines of I've started, you know we talk about this all the time. I've, you know, more so, trying to visualize who the next GM would be, even though the Cones have a affinity for. You know, trent Baalke, but you know I'm more so instead of coaches.
Speaker 2:It's been me, you know, dreaming about getting Mike Bargonze from the Chiefs, speaking of the Chiefs right. Or you know Joe Hortons, which y'all saw my text when I put it in the third. I was so mad when it was revealed that he was going to the Chiefs. But yeah, I mean, I understand where you're coming from with Kyle Shanahan in regards to that, but I mean the 49ers, let Kyle Shanahan go. Like how long will it be before they return to glory again? You know like how many coaches out there that you would put on the same tier, let alone not just Andy Reid, but like that tier below him with Kyle Shanahan and company, that could, you know, get them back to where they were consistently. But yeah, I mean you made. You made some good points there.
Speaker 1:And also you know not to bring this up because obviously God rest his soul a great coach. You know, when you mentioned Kyle Shanahan, we'll get one eventually, but not Dan Reeves. Dan Reeves was an excellent head coach. Lost four Super Bowls, right. That was probably a guy and you know that was a little we were a little obviously younger when he was going through his run, but that was probably a guy where people were like Dan Reeves is going to get one Right. So it's just hard to do. And now we're in this era where we went from Tom Brady and the Patriots to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs with no lapse, like there was literally no gap in between them, we're literally in this, going through this all over again. So again, this may all be moot for nothing, but you may not mean anything anyway, because Kansas City is going to run the table for the foreseeable future, which is just a horrifying future to think about.
Speaker 1:But you know we'll see what happens Again. I do think maybe they'll get one more crack at it. And when it comes to the 49ers, but you know, when you look at a landscape and the NFC that I think is getting better, you look at the Rams, even in their own division, I think are going to take a big leap next year. They still got Matthew Stafford and a really, really great young core. They're not even guaranteed to win their division next year, so we'll see what happens. Next thing we want to touch on here, jay, obviously something we never want to discuss in terms of just kind of sports fans in general, was the really really scary moment that happened at the Chief Super Bowl celebration here today, where there was gunfire and a few people have been hospitalized. One person has been confirmed to have passed away and obviously we all have our individual sports teams and we can get very defensive about that. You know we obviously can be people. You know trash talk and all that kind of stuff, but when it comes to its core, when you talk about people's safety and when you want to talk about, you know, people just being in an environment where they just want to celebrate that their team won a game right. We want those people to feel safe and unfortunately, that is not what happened here today. So we want to send our thoughts and our prayers out to everybody involved, all the families. We hope that everybody recovers from this physically, but not only physically, but also mentally, because I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in that situation.
Speaker 1:And again, these people went down there to celebrate their sports team, their favorite football team, and ended up, you know, going home and terrified, not knowing what was going on. So we want to send our best to those families and Jay. Just another scary moment within this country. If you guys have been listening to this podcast for a while, you know where we land on these types of things. So we're not going to rehash any of that, but you know, it just seems like in a country that is supposed to be as touted as one of the best in the world and I love being here, you know, I'm not going to make any qualms about that, I love being here and I love being in this country but it seems like in a country that's supposed to be as great as it is, we shouldn't be afraid to go to celebrations such as this. So we just wanted to talk about that very briefly again before we dive back into sports. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I mean it's scary, man, because you know we have these conversations all the time, and not just about gun violence and what have you, but also the conversation of you know, like if we always play the game, if we want to Super Bowl, man, like we definitely are going to the boat parade. You know we spoke about that, we'll have a boat parade in the St John's, we're definitely going. And then you know you get brought to reality that stuff like this could happen in that scenario. So it could happen anywhere. And that's not to take away from the situation in Kansas City, which I'm going to go to right now, which is that's very sad and unfortunate, man, like it breaks your heart because it wasn't just adults out there, there were children out there, so on and so forth. And to, I guess, what I was trying to say visualizing yourself in that situation right Us as jazz fans, because we talk about it all the time Any of the other 31 cities that have an NFL team that would have a parade. Just visualizing, you know you're having a time of your life is a once in a lifetime opportunity, your kids are there, so on and so forth, and that happens right, and just imagine where your mindset would be and how you know just terrifying that would be. So it's just crazy that we keep having to deal with this kind of stuff. But thoughts and prayers to the victims there and just everybody there in general, because you know it's not just traumatizing to them but also the people that were there and heard the gunshots to like you know that's something that they'll never forget for the rest of their lives too.
Speaker 2:But you know, going back to the victims, thoughts and prayers to them. Hope they have a speedy recovery. I did see a tweet, and I don't know if this is from an official source, but this gentleman his name is Alex Gold, with 16 Sports KC he did tweet out that children's Mercy Hospital spokeswoman says that all 12 of their patients are expected to recover between the ages of six to 15. So, yeah, I hope that some you know from somebody that is credible. I probably should have, like you know, maybe researched him a little bit more, but it did pop up on my timeline and I did see a lot of retweets on that. So, you know, I hope that that's the case. I hope for a speedy recovery for all of the victims. Thoughts and prayers to the families. Thoughts and prayers, most importantly to the Kansas City community as well.
Speaker 2:And you know just want you all to know that the touchdown Jaguars podcast is with you, just as well as the 904 and the rest of the NFL as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not only that, shout out to the heroes that tackled one of the gunmen. I don't know if you saw that crazy video, Jay. I know one of the guys was interviewed about it and he said he just kind of did it. You know he didn't hesitate, he just jumped on the guy. I did see it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the bravery that takes right To just do it, no hesitation. So you know, shout outs to that gentleman. And well, he said it was. It's him and somebody else who I guess the other person? Just yeah, a couple of people.
Speaker 2:Right, Didn't want to be like recognized or anything or like that, so they just went on about their business afterwards. But shout outs to him, because that man saved probably more lives than we know. So, yeah, just shout outs to him for the bravery and just looking out for his, his community too, man, just saving his community from something that could have been worse than it was. So yeah, man, it's terrible man and you know we keep having to revisit these things and I just it does.
Speaker 2:It's disheartening to keep having to revisit it. But, yeah, we just have to do better in this country when it comes to this kind of stuff, because there's no way we should be coming off a celebration like this, something that's just so meaningful for Americans, right, the Super Bowl and you know can't even enjoy that due to, you know, the gun violence that's going on in this country.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, you know, heavy topic, but hey again, if you've been listening to us a while, we never stray away from any of that. So, yeah, I'm just going to continue to keep the Kansas City community and everybody involved in our thoughts and said as much positivity as we can. So let's transition here, jay, into football, which is obviously never an easy thing to do, but that's what we're going to attempt this evening and you know, like we said before, as we got started, lots of changes have happened within the Jacksonville Jaguar Front Office. We talked about in our very last episode some of the people that were released in terms of the coaching staff, and we have now made quite a few of those changes here over the last couple of weeks, and most notable, obviously, will be the addition of Ryan Nielsen as the new defensive coordinator, coming over from the Atlanta Falcons. So, jay, obviously that is a name that you are very familiar with in terms of other positions that have been filled Jerry Mack as running backs coach, coming over from the University of Tennessee.
Speaker 1:Dave Huckstable, a former defensive assistant with the Falcons, has taken on a role here within the Jaguars. Matt House, former defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers, has been hired as the linebackers coach. Chris Rashard, former co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Saints, also has taken on a role. Corey Robinson, former analyst with the Tennessee Volunteers, hired as the Jags defensive backs coach. Jeremy Garrett, former defensive line coach for Auburn, hired on as the Jaguars defensive line coach. So there are some moves that we have made here, jay, as we mentioned earlier, we'll probably dedicate a larger episode, a full episode, to some of these changes, but I guess I want to kind of get your thoughts, most notably on Ryan Nielsen. So again, a lot of excitement with that hire from both of us included, but also a lot of people fellow journalists within the Jaguar media really, really liked that hire. So what do you think about some of these names and what are your very, very early expectations?
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, I'm excited about the addition of Nielsen and the people he's bringing with them. Chris Rashard is somebody also too. You might have remembered him from his time with the Cowboys, whether that was good or not, but he is somebody that's well-respected too, so that's a huge addition to this group as well. You bring in somebody who will be an assistant under Nielsen. That also was a former defensive coordinator too. So that's big too. So from just those two additions along, it does feel like they're bringing in some assistants that are further along than the last defensive group with Mike Caldwell and the company.
Speaker 2:Remember Mike Caldwell was, if I can recall, the first time defensive coordinator. Formerly was a linebacker's coach, but now we have a coach that has had defensive coordinator experience in Nielsen, and also Rashard as well, who they worked together with the New Orleans Saints. So you know they learned some things from Sean Payton back in the day. Love him or hate him, sean Payton is one of the greatest coaches in football history. So they learned some things from him. So that's huge.
Speaker 2:I'm excited about the fact that, you know even though Trent Baulkey kind of denied this we probably will see some heavy man-to-man coverage, which that's kind of a good thing and a kind of a bad thing right from the standpoint of we might have to do, or we might have to spend, some more resources into the defense than we thought, aside from some of the things we'll talk about later today in terms of the Jaguars top needs. But when you move to that kind of a situation that adds needs to the mix, right, so you know that might hurt the Jaguars from the standpoint of having to spend additional resources that we kind of weren't looking at into the defense. But that's okay because in the end, if it all works out, I don't think anybody will be complaining, especially after the run that Mike Caldwell had and the issues they had under him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lots of excitement, and, again, for good reason. Obviously I defer to yourself as well as a lot of our peers within the media when it comes to the excitement, when it comes to the hiring, but I think it's the right track obviously not the only coordinator position that people hope that we will be filling in the offseason, but hey, that is what it is. But we just wanted to very briefly mention those hirings before getting to the rest of the episode, because obviously it was very big news that happened for the team. But we just want to do but the majority of this episode is going to be spent on the list that you put together here, jay, in terms of the needs of the team.
Speaker 1:We're coming into draft season as well as free agency, and we have a lot of holes to fill, I think a lot more than people thought we would have to address heading into the offseason. Now, listen, at this time a month ago, we expected to be heading into the playoffs, right, and hosting a playoff game, and that obviously did not end up happening. And, as we just talked about, we now have a lot of positions of need and I know you wanted to address that here today. So, wherever you want to start, because you can literally start anywhere, because there's so many things that need to be addressed and need to be fixed when it comes to this team. So, wherever you want to kick it off, what are your top positions of need for the Jacksonville Jaguars here heading into the offseason?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean we'll take it straight from the top. I guess We'll start at number one man for me. Well, so, number one, collectively, you could say, is the offensive line, right, but when you look within the offensive line, number one to me is center. And that's a little frustrating because we just, first and foremost, we just spent a pick on Luke Fortner, you know, not too long ago. So this issue, in much like many issues that Trent Balkie was supposed to address in the past and did, aren't truly fixed. So we're going to have to find ourselves revisiting these issues. So that's one reason why it's frustrating.
Speaker 2:And the other reason why it's frustrating that we need a center is because I don't think Trent Balkie and Teeway talked about this is going to address it like he should. He might get a backup, you know, maybe some competition, but I'm not convinced that Trent Balkie is going to view center or want to admit that center is probably the biggest need on this team. You know, Luke Fortner, I mean one thing I want to work on on this podcast, more is. I mean we've done it, Don't get me wrong, but let's call it what it is. Man, Luke Fortner is probably the worst starting center in the league, you know. I mean, I'm sure somebody can find maybe one or two centers. That's not as good as him, but the amount of times we see him in the backfield, the amount of times we see him, you know running into his teammates running, yes, running into his teammates, stopping them on the momentum of Travis Etn, and runs, so on and so forth.
Speaker 2:The reason behind tackles that come behind the line of scrimmages is just, I've never seen anything like it, man. And we were coming from an era where we had Brad Meester, you know as a stalwart force for many years, and then we had Brandon Linder, who you know. Brandon Linder battled injuries but when he was, you know, available, he was good at what he did. You know, I know he started at guard initially but he was, you know, a darn good center when he was healthy and when he was there, one thing you didn't really have to worry about was him, you know, getting bored where he was in the backfield during the run. So, yeah, man, like we'll see if the Jaguars are dressing or like they should, but I'm doubtful for some reason I would love to. I mean, I know I'm in now we're starting to see a lot of drafts, a lot of mock drafts, as of this week sending us powers Johnson, the center from Oregon to us, who I love, by the way, I watched about five tapes of his, clearly before he even went to the senior bowl Clearly felt like the best center in. You know the draft to me, and now he went to the senior bowl and just showed up and showed out. Now people are putting him in the tier of being drafted in the middle of the first round or maybe a little bit later than that, and even some mock drafts I said all of that to say this have sent him to the Jacksonville Jaguars at 17. Would love that pick, would love it, but I don't think we would go that route for obvious reasons.
Speaker 2:What I just said, and also to you know, for me, man Trent Baalke has to show me that he's not so caught up in traits and arm length and all of this. How about getting caught up in the best player, that getting caught up and finding good players that can help this team? Let's get caught up in that. It's that, all of this trait stuff where you know, sometimes it does help us, sometimes it has paid off in the case of Trayvon Walker, but in most cases it has. So that's another story for another time. But want to hear your thoughts on that position specifically. Do you think it's the top need for this team heading into the offseason?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, absolutely. We said pretty much in defense of Trevor all year, you know when, obviously a lot of people are ready to write him off, not only nationally but also just within their own fan base. We cannot fully evaluate what Trevor Lawrence is and can be without getting him the proper team around him. Now listen, they tried to and you can make the argument that they kind of have at least made great strides when it comes to the receiving core, when you look at Christian Kirk, what Zay Jones has been, and obviously Evan Ingram, but that offensive line man is an absolute mess. I mean, I think you probably saw the video making rounds just the other day of, once again, fortnard, you know, running into I think it was Walker Little and you know the fact that this team even won nine games is a miracle based off the offensive line play. So I am all in on addressing that position within the first two rounds, if not even the first round.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of people are going to be clamoring for wide receiver. You know, obviously. I think you're going to talk about that here in just a moment. You know everybody wants to know what we're going to do when it comes to Calvin Ridley and obviously T Higgins is probably going to, you know, be off the market. I don't think that was ever a realistic option anyway, I think T Wigg may have mentioned that a couple of weeks ago. But yeah, they got to take care of that J. They got to protect their investment and just figure out if they actually have something. Here we're coming up on the fourth and fifth year for Trev and you got to decide hey, you know, if at least the protection is in place, is he the guy? And you can't do it with the roster currently, as is.
Speaker 2:Facts, facts. Yeah, they're going to have to hit on more than picks outside of the first round to fix this thing, you know they need, you at least need to hit on your picks, and you know rounds one through three, you know, and to make this thing something that Trevor Lawrence can work with. Now, going to the rest of the offensive line, under that I have, offensive tackle is number two. For the simple fact that it sounds like or I don't even want to feel like the Jaguars are based off of what Trent Parkie was kind of saying, I kind of feel like they're OK with moving Anton, anton Harrison, to left tackle, and that would mean Ken Robinson is out, right, and that probably means Walker Little is your right tackle pencil as your right tackle in light pencil, and maybe you address tackle in the draft or in free agency, probably so, more so the draft and free agency. But I do think tackle will be a need, just for the simple fact that they're moving and they could move Anton to left tackle, which that's fine. I mean you invested a first round pick in them. You might as well put them at. You know the blind side of the quarterback. I actually don't mind that and you know, going back to what I was saying earlier, the first round picks for Trent Parkie, at least with us, have been one of the only things he could seem to get right. So moving Anton to the left, I would be in favor of that. But I know with that means they need a tackle as well. And Walker Little. I think if they would have given Walker Little the repetition early in his career he could have become a better tackle than he is. I'm big on that in terms of, you know, not having somebody in and out of the lineup. But here we are, and now I do feel like they probably should. You know, I wouldn't be shocked if they draft a tackle first round again this year, which I mean that would be volumes about protecting the Trevor. That would make a statement there.
Speaker 2:And then after that I would say guard is number. You know three branded surface up there in age. He's a penalty machine. He's not as good as what we paid for. You know he had flashes, but nowhere close to the pro bowler that you know came from Washington. I think it's time to move on from him, especially with the cap figure he has, and you know the amount of money that it would cost to keep him.
Speaker 2:And you know, obviously you know with I'm blanking out on his name the gentleman we got from the Vikings field, the guard as we're Cleveland, as we're Cleveland, yep, as we're Cleveland I think maybe you can keep them around for the cheat. You probably need to, you know, if you can, because you don't want to be in a situation where you're looking for straight up three offensive linemen in the offseason. It's just a lot to fix in one offseason. So you know, maybe you give him a you know, affordable deal or a reasonable deal, keep him around, keep him at left guard and get you a right guard in the draft for free agency and replace Scherf, who is just again, for obvious reason, with the expenses and he's just not what we paid for. So you know, I'm in the camp I've said this many, many times I'm in the camp of getting Robert Hunt in free agency from the Miami Dolphins, or, if not, drafting Robert, or if not getting Robert Hunt in free agency, getting a gentleman or a young man out of the draft.
Speaker 2:But parent Robert Hunt with powers Johnson has been what I've been saying this whole time. You get those two in your lineup, in your interior lineup and things could drastically change for this Jacksonville Jaguars offense. They can establish an identity, something that Trent Baugh, he was actually right about. This team doesn't have an identity. He said that in the press conference. I hate to admit it but he was right about that. He still shouldn't be the GM of this team, though, for a state in the obvious.
Speaker 2:But I think they can establish an identity from the standpoint that I think as much as we hate press Taylor I said this in a solo episode feel as much as we hate press Taylor. If he could run the ball on first down, that would help him tremendously. That helps any young offensive coordinator, that helps any young quarterback, that helps any young running back. That is where you can start a foundation that is being able to run on first down. And if you could get those two gentlemen Robert Hunt in free agency powers, johnson in the draft, put them in the interior of your offensive line, we could get moving in the right direction. We could start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But you know, time will tell if the Jaguars view their interior and their tackle position, that right tackle position, as big of a need as we think, or some of us think. I'm curious to know your thoughts on that.
Speaker 1:Well, I was just going to say I'm glad you mentioned it, jay, because you can make the argument. If you address those positions of need, fill it in with those two guys that you're talking about there when you're talking about powers Johnson and Hunt. I think you feel okay with bringing back the skill position guys. Right, you're okay with the running backs that they have, and then the wide receivers, and then bringing in a new, you know a third receiver, which you're going to talk about here in just a moment. If you fix the interior line, and then you know, I'm also all in for Anton moving in, moving over to left tackle and putting Walker at right tackle.
Speaker 1:If you just fix that offensive line, that's going to relieve so many of the team's woes, right, then, and there it all starts in the trenches that you know, that's football 101. So I think if you can address that and feel like you're in a good place with the offensive line, it makes everything else easier. You're okay with bringing back a 28-year-old, calvin Ridley. You're okay with whatever running backs they're going to draft this year, most likely. And then, obviously, travis Etienne. Shout out to Travis Etienne, who got an offensive player of the year vote, by the way. Good for him. I think you feel a lot better if you make the correct moves on the offensive line and then you can then, like you said, run the football effectively.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean people hate Press Taylor. But just imagine I'm not saying we would love them, but imagine how much more tolerable Press Taylor would be if we can get three and four yards on first down by running the ball right, and just imagine how easier that makes him or makes things for him as a game planner. So that's why I think that's so important. Those are why those are the two most important or the two top needs I have on the team, because it fixes, or it helps fix so much. It helps protect Trevor Lawrence, who was on the injury report more than we thought or more than we hoped he would have been. And it helps Press Taylor, who nobody likes and feel like he's a good offensive coordinator. But the guy has to have a chance right. We hear all of these rumors about Trent Baughy chirping about Press Taylor and looking for answers in terms of what's going on with this offense and the thing about it. And you hear Trent Baughy in the press conference pointing fingers at other people. That's not him, but here's the thing about it. As much as y'all hate Press Taylor and as much as he's disappointed me as well, I've never been that high on him, even from the time in Philadelphia. One thing you can't say is that Trent Baughy has given him the weapons and what he needs to make this offense go. How can Press Taylor have success when he can't run Travis Etm for at least three yards on first down, when the reason is we got our center in two yards in the backfield, right. We got our center in Trevor's lap almost in every passing snap, right. So a lot of what Trent Baughy said it's like well, you're part of the issue too. You're part of the reason why Press Taylor can't have success. But I digress from my point and I do want to see that offensive line fixed. At least give this offense and Trevor Lawrence a chance to get back to where they were a year before last.
Speaker 2:Now, next, we'll go to the receiver position. The JRs do need an ex-receiver, right, and I said this, if you can recall, phil, and now we're revisiting this. I said this a year or two ago and I were thread with Boogie and you and Boogie were like what do you mean in terms of they need an ex-receiver? And what I was saying is like a lot of their guys, aside from like they Jones, they are in cooks, elijah cooks who they don't really use, for some crazy reason, a lot of those guys that we had. Even when we got Calvin, really I was saying like they need some height man on that team. They need some not only height but just a big body target, you know, a wide catch, radius type of target, right, and here we are revisiting this a year later and it seems like this is something that Trent Boogie should have addressed already. Right, he did get his age on, but they Jones, you know, dealt with his injuries and what have you this year. And now you're looking at a situation where they Jones is extremely expensive this year and you got to maybe look towards letting him go, right, and I think if you do that, you are in a situation a lot of people were saying T Higgins, t Higgins or my evidence, my evidence If the Jacksonville Jawors let Z Jones go and they resign Calvin Ridley, they're still in a situation where they have a ton of money and maybe they might even have to extend Christian Kurt.
Speaker 2:They have a ton of money invested into the wide receiver position. For me, the science have always pointed to them they almost have to draft a receiver. They can't get an expensive free agent to fix this problem because they just they are going to be allocating a lot of money to the wide receiver position between Calvin Ridley and Christian Kurt. That said, that's why this is a Donnie Mitchell, a D Mitchell podcast. We'll get into that, you know, later down the road We'll keep banging that drum right. But I feel like they almost have to get a receiver in the draft, and that is the third need here, but it's a need that's very specific. In a sense, they need a specific type of receiver and they probably have to get it from a specific place which is in the draft, in my opinion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I feel about 80 Mitchell. I would absolutely love to have that guy here. But I mean just receiver in general. Like you said, I think Zay Jones has run his course here in Jacksonville, you know, had solid contributions that. Jamal Agnew probably on the way out as well, although they kind of have his replacement already on the roster with Parker Washington, it seems. So, yeah, there is again.
Speaker 1:When it all starts with the interior, then I am OK with, you know, bringing back Calvin Ridley. I don't think T Higgins was ever a viable possibility. Mike Evans is going to command too much money. I don't know, Jay, I just have this weird feeling that Mike Evans is going to end up on the Kansas City Chiefs. Dude, I hate thinking that, but the way that things went as far as receivers for the Kansas City Chiefs this season or this past season, they're going to address that immediately and it's going to be. They're just going to rain terror again in 2024. But I digress so. But yeah, they definitely need that. That receiver, that guy with the height outside of AD Mitchell, you know, who else would it be that you'd be looking at? Would you be looking at like a Keon Coleman, which would make Boogie very, very happy. Or who are those guys that maybe you've targeted in the draft outside of AD Mitchell?
Speaker 2:Yeah, keon Coleman, obviously I mean I like Coleman. I'm not like as high on him as some others, it was some it too many balls hit him like squarely in the hands where I feel like he should have caught, and I'm not, I'm not big on we already have drop issues. I don't want a young rookie who, admittedly, you know, like he may, he may not have a hands issue, you know, or he may come to the Jacksonville Jaguars and just fix his issues with his hands like Evan Ingram did, but for me in the film that I watched it was just too many balls that hit his hands and hit the ground. And I didn't, I don't know man, I don't like that because when you have a team that already has the drops that we have, when you see a Calvin Ridley dropping passes, you see a Christian Kirk dropping passes as the young rookie, how are you supposed to elevate your game when the veterans are doing it Right? We live in a time where what the veterans do on a team is infectious to an individual and it trickles down to the players under them in terms of the rookies, and not only that, the backups as well. So like I don't want to add somebody who has potential hand issues to a team that already drops a lot of passes, right. But no, I understand the Key on Coleman hype. I'm not saying I wouldn't draft Key on Coleman, but I probably wouldn't take him where a lot of people want us to take him. You know, 17th, if you know we trade back to the back of the first round, do it. You know, I'm all game for it there, but not where we are.
Speaker 2:But Brian Thomas Jr is another guy I keep hearing a lot of I him. I have to watch some more film on, but the tape I saw him. I didn't love the tape of him, but I do get it. Six, four, two hundred five pounds. That's what we need, right, phil, I want to watch more film on him and see what he's working with. So he's another one.
Speaker 2:I did have Xavier Leggette in that category, but he went to the senior ball and he didn't measure as we thought. He was six one, not as tall as we thought. He still does play like a big receiver though. So I wouldn't that upset with his measurements. I think he still is a guy. You, you know, you kind of look towards in the, you know, maybe the second round. And another one, troy Franklin, from the University of Oregon as well. He's another guy that you know we could maybe target. And then when you talk about late round guys in terms of options, there again we are looking for guys towards the bigger end. There's a gentleman from the University of San Antonio, texas. His name is escaping me, right now.
Speaker 2:We actually met with him at the Shrine Bowl. Let me look it up real quick. Cephas, that's it. It just hit me, josh. Cephas, he's a late round guy you maybe can get. I want to see some film on him. I haven't seen any film on him, but I do know he's one of the taller wide receivers in the draft. He's a guy that I did, you know, hear some things about in the senior the Shrine game, excuse me. So those are some options.
Speaker 2:We'll see if the Jaguars end up with some of those guys, but I would love to see one of those targets, because this is the thing to a lot of what Trevor Lawrence's struggles is. Phil is what you look at. When Trevor Lawrence has had success, right, it's because he's had that big X receiver. He's had T Higgins in college, right, he's had all of these big receivers in Clemson when he had all of this success and Josh Shippley pointed this out to us a reason why, when LeCouin Treadwell was on his team, he was one of Trevor Lawrence's kind of favorite targets, right, that's kind of what he gravitates towards. So that would help him a lot too. In addition to fixing this offensive line, he does need that bigger guy at the receiver position.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that would certainly work wonders for Trevor, I think. But um, yeah, jay, I mean it'll be interesting to see how these things play out. Obviously, the draft is going to be huge, with, you know, things being especially after last year's debacle I don't know if that's the word you want to use. You know they had all those picks and missed on so many of them. But you know there is obviously a lot of work to be done and a big year coming up for the front office, not only when it comes to the coaching staff but also Trent Balkie. But I mean we say that I don't know. Doug Peterson could be out next year and then Trent Balkie still somehow stick around. I don't even know what the hell is going on here with this team when it comes to shotgun and Trent Balkie's relationship.
Speaker 1:But, jay, anything else you wanted to, you know highlight. You know those are definitely going to be the primary ones. I know a lot. Some people have also slotted us defensive back In the first round as well. You know somebody on the opposite side of Tyson Campbell. I know we probably expect Arias Williams to be gone, even though he had a great season most likely move on from him for money and age purposes, anything else, you think that is just on the cusp of the. You know the primary needs for the team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean for the third when I had defensive line it's not that far off from a wide receiver.
Speaker 2:You know, in offensive line we saw that in against the Titans, remember. Just no toughness, we don't have that grit. We talked about that in that podcast. Afterwards I'm blanking out on the running back's name that's been giving us trouble from the Titans all these years Phil, oh, derek Henry, derek Henry, derek Henry just ran wild on us, you know, and had his way with us and that was the game. I mean it was clear before that actually that we just don't have that toughness, we don't have that stoutness. You know we have too many people trying to run around offensive linemen and not run through them. You know it's just too much of that. So we do need some toughness.
Speaker 2:In terms of the defensive line again, or something you know you can maybe address in free agency, maybe in a draft. I know sweat from the University of Texas, your guy, that's a guy that sticks out and he makes sense from the perspective of that's kind of what Trent Balkie likes Height, weight, speed, explosive. You know it was a video of sweat out there. He was running routes like he was a receiver at the senior bow, trying to at least, and I was like, okay, I'm definitely going to check this guy out at the combine but he had a pretty impressive senior bow. You know he straight up in one on one has been an offensive lineman, like an accordion, as somebody put in one of T-Wigs Pike. As I was looking to I was like man like this dude is the real deal. So defensive line is almost just as big as a knee as offensive line and receiver, and then edge depth right In terms of what do we have behind Josh Allen and and Trayvon Walker?
Speaker 2:Right, and you have Kaila want to chase on. They're going to probably let him go, right, I don't see him being re-signed. So there's that. They did draft the kid from Louisville last year. They didn't give him any time on the field, didn't see any snaps. So that's telling of what they feel about their depth. You know we've heard the early rumors of them having interest in the Neil Hunter. It makes a ton of sense, right, but even if you get the Neil Hunter, you still need some depth back there behind the Neil Hunter and behind Josh Allen, behind Trayvon Walker. So that's something that I think also needs to be addressed. Just want to hear your quick thoughts on those two.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean when Trent Balkie came out and and listen, we love DeWant Smoot and respect him and appreciate everything he's done here. But when they, when he came out and said, you know they were pretty confident coming off that injury that Smoot had, you know, in their pass rush, you know it's another head scratching moment. You know, obviously, get the Josh Allen deal done. You know, relieve everybody's stress when it comes to that, don't mess that up. But yeah, you know this has been. Now this will be the second year in a row, right as far as the Neil Hunter, you know, and at some point you got to believe where there's smoke, there's fire, right. I don't know how they'll pull it off and you know we're obviously big believers in the salary cap. Is not real here at the Touchdown Jack Wars podcast. I don't know how they pull it off, jay. I mean again pairing those guys together and then moving Trayvon Walker to the interior or moving him around all over the place where you know, which is what he should probably be doing anyway. I'm sure the the new defensive coordinator is going to be, you know, foaming at the mouth to to start working with Trayvon Walker. But shore up that line and don't go in with the quote unquote depth that she had last year. I mean the amount of guys that you had the opportunity to get.
Speaker 1:You know, granted hindsight being 2020, the Chase Young deal maybe ended up being something positive. He kind of disappeared for San Francisco after the game against us, which he he managed to, you know, just seem to be everywhere, but after that he kind of disappeared a little bit. So we maybe dodged a bullet there, but you know, he talking about the Jayvon Clowney's that were in the building as well, you know, letting Arden Key go, even though he had, you know, he had a very Arden Key season right In Tennessee. So you got to make sure that you have that depth, you know, very similar to the offensive line. We always talk about offensive line and defensive line depth. Definitely get those addressed and you know they'll be looking good. But can they pull it off? Is the other question, jay, right?
Speaker 2:That's always the question, man, again, if they pull it off, man Trent Balkie is going to have a, going to have to have an outer body experience. He's going to have to not be the GM he's. He can't be the GM he's been in the past. He's got to actually hit on stuff outside of the first round right. He's got to actually be effective in free agency, which we've seen him do once. We saw him do it last year, before last, when he got Kirk and all of them and brought them into the mix. So, yeah, he has to be the guy that we haven't seen these last few years. You know and time will tell if he can be that I have my doubts, but you know, you hope that.
Speaker 1:You know, maybe, if he's not that, that he could put enough around his team to, you know, make them a team that can get an extra one or two wins from you know what we had last year, yep, obviously, we'll be monitoring that very heavily as we head into the off season, jay, and what will be a very important one, as the window has now closed when it comes to the AFC South. Houston is here, indianapolis, we think, is right on heels and Tennessee will not be down for long, so we will see what happens. But, jay, anything else you want to mention before we get out of here for our return episode, as we are anticipating getting back to the weekly schedule, as there's going to be a whole lot more to discuss as we navigate this off season. Anything else you want to tell our audience before we get out of here for the night?
Speaker 2:No, man, just glad to be back and you know, hopefully we'll get some guests in the coming weeks, so it should be fun. You know we may get some opportunities to sit in on some press conferences around this time of year. You know we get to hear what the ESPN guys are saying sometimes. So there, you know we'll be looking forward to that and mentioning that. And yeah, man, can't wait to get back in the booth for the next episode.
Speaker 1:Yeah, folks. So make sure you stay tuned to not only podcasts but also over on social media, as that is the best place you can keep up with everything. Touchdown Jaguars you'll find everything you need in the link tree link of the show notes. Also a reminder to leave those five star reviews on Apple Podcasts, spotify, wherever you find yourself listening. Share our content on social media and don't forget to use that promo code touchdown Jaguars over on SeekGeek. Save yourself $20 on your first purchase. Folks, that is my co-host, james Johnson. I am Phil Smith, and do not forget to tune in to Touchdown Jaguars for every Jaguar touchdown, and we'll see you on the next one.