O-Zone: Skewed perspective

John: My thoughts are that Tennessee is good – and I guess I’ve never really considered the Jaguars’ results from the first three games this season all that unusual. They played big-time defense against two opponents, got leads and stretched those leads into comfortable victories. The best team they have played thus far is the Titans, a team with an offensive line capable of controlling the Jaguars’ defensive line. The Jaguars in that game were unable to get the score in their favor. That made pass-rushing tougher and penalties put the offense in difficult down-and-distance situations. Tennessee indeed is good with a good offensive line. If the Jaguars don’t play really well against good teams with good offensive lines they’re going to lose – and possibly lose big. Remember this, too: “inconsistency” is the norm in the NFL. It’s a league of matchups and it’s a week-to-week league. Super Bowl champions get blown out during the regular season. Struggling teams beat good ones. I expect the Jaguars to win some more games big when their pass rush is effective and they create turnovers. I expect they may lose some games by double digits if their defensive front doesn’t control games or if the offense commits penalties and turnovers. Fans will panic when the latter happens and draw conclusions. As long as the team doesn’t follow the fans’ lead in this area, then I think this bunch has a chance to stay competitive and maybe be better than I originally thought. We’ll see.

John: What the Jaguars and Khan did Sunday they did in a difficult circumstance. Ravens-Jaguars was the first NFL game after President Trump’s comments, which meant there was no blueprint for handling the situation. The Jaguars chose to lock arms during the anthem, which did show solidarity. Within that solidarity, there were players who chose to kneel. I can’t speak for Khan, but my guess is he wasn’t going to “order” players on how to behave at that moment. I could be wrong, but that’s my guess. Was how the Jaguars handled Sunday ideal? Perhaps not. But this isn’t an ideal situation. No action taken Sunday was going to make everyone happy. There’s no blueprint or perfect approach on an issue so divisive.

John: I hope not because I didn’t think of it – and only things I think up should be clever and catch on.

John: The emails I choose for this topic will be ones that I choose to choose. The effort will be to choose ones that inform on some level. I doubt I’ll always choose “fairly.” When that’s the case, it won’t be because of a personal point of view. My personal point of view, for the record, is essentially that citizens in this country have the right to say and do as they so choose so long as they don’t harm others. And it doesn’t bother me when professional athletes speak out on issues. I don’t really put all that much stock into what they say or do off the field; I rarely consider them experts on social topics, but there’s nothing wrong with them speaking on the topic. Just as they have the right to speak or act, people have an equal right to not listen or pay attention when they do. Many people don’t share my outlook and therefore get very emotional or upset at things players do. That’s fine, but I choose not to let it bother me on a personal level. As for discussing this topic in the O-Zone, perhaps we’ve discussed it about as much as is necessary. Perhaps not. I suppose we’ll see what the day brings.

John: I thought before the season the Jaguars had a decent chance to return from London 2-1, so that factored into me thinking they had a chance to win seven or eight games. But the reason I think the Jaguars have a chance at nine victories is that the Jaguars are a better team than I thought before the season. The defense is significantly better and twice has shown the ability to take control of a game. The offensive line has been more stout blocking for the pass than I thought possible. While the running game hasn’t been dominant, it has been good enough in two of three games to allow the offense to function in manageable situations. The team has a formula. It’s not ridiculous to think that formula could get the Jaguars over .500 the rest of the season.

John: Rivera is a tight end, and he would be a viable option in the passing offense. But because he went on injured reserve before the Jaguars finalized their 53-man roster on September 2, he is not eligible to return this season.

John: I’m not all that interested in point-by-point arguments here. They frankly make for boring reading – and what I write is boring enough without furthering the cause. My point when saying that NFL players can’t be compared to “normal employees” is correct because they’re not “normal employees” in the sense that I am a “normal employee” or that most people I know are “normal employees.” There are many ways this is true, from the fact that they have limited choice in where they play to the fact that they make exorbitant salaries to the fact that they often remain employed after incidents that indeed would be fire-able off-field offenses for “normal employees.” A lot of what I mentioned in the previous sentence may not feel “right” or “fair.” Fair or unfair, that’s the way it is. The same is true of athletes protesting. Could I protest similarly and remain employed? Perhaps not. But players can and will. That’s the way it is.