John Oehser Senior writer jaguars.com Follow John on twitter Like The O-Zone on facebook
JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get to it …
John, I have been a Jags fan for almost 20 years since I moved to Jacksonville in 1998. I had season tickets in 2007. This season has been the most amazing since I have been a fan, probably because no one expected things to go this great. Win or lose Sunday, I have loved this season. But since the Jags have come this far, why not finish this amazing ride and beat the Pats then go win the Super Bowl? #DTWD
John: I thought a bit about your question and here’s what’s intriguing: I couldn’t come up with a great answer. First, I honestly haven’t given two seconds thought as to how the Jaguars would match up with either the Minnesota Vikings or Philadelphia Eagles. That’s not some don’t-look-too-far-ahead mandate from Head Coach Doug Marrone; rather, it’s because there are two weeks between the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl, so there is time for such thoughts should the Jaguars beat New England Sunday. But I have given thought as to whether the Jaguars can beat the Patriots and the thought here is they can. They shouldn’t be favored; the Patriots were the AFC’s top seed and playing at home for a reason. Quarterback Tom Brady is a Rushmore Player at his position, as is tight end Rob Gronkowski. But great players don’t make teams unbeatable and the Patriots absolutely aren’t unbeatable – and they are beatable by the Jaguars. Great defenses can beat great quarterbacks, and the Jaguars are capable of playing a great defensive game. Remember, too, the Jaguars were a reversed touchdown call against the Steelers from being ahead of the Patriots in the race for playoff positioning with two weeks remaining in the season; if the Steelers had beaten the Patriots in Week 15 rather than the other way around, the Jaguars would have been ahead of the Patriots at that moment. Does that mean the Jaguars are better? Not necessarily, but it does mean the three-game difference in the team’s final record might not be reflective of the strengths of the teams. The Patriots are a dynasty, and they’re difficult to beat in any situation. They’re particularly difficult to beat in Gillette Stadium in January. But it’s not impossible and the Jaguars have the defense to do it. They have had the offense at times, too. Why not finish the ride? I have a feeling they just might.
All I ask is to beat New England!!
John: Is that all?
The Jaguars have a very real shot at a trophy. This is one of the best defenses I have ever watched. If they can keep most of it intact, they will be in the playoffs a lot more in the future.
John: There’s time to worry about the future in the future. Focus for now on the Jaguars’ current shot at this trophy. The future is promised to no one – in the NFL, or anywhere else.
I saw a picture of Jalen Ramsey‘s locker with his uniform. There is a $20 taped to his lower-back pad. What is that all about?
John: He won’t say. Ramsey and video guru Max Hochman have a special relationship, so I assume Max knows, but no one else is privy to such information.
John: I get the love the Blake Bortles is getting right now and he deserves it. I’m just unsure how you can afford that salary cap hit of $19 million next year. I know this question/comment is not about #DTWD and you may think it’s a boring question, but I think one worthy of your thoughts on the options the Jags have BEYOND just taking the salary cap hit (rework the contract)?
John: It’s not boring, and I’ve shared thoughts quite often on this topic. It’s quite possible the sharing came on a day you weren’t reading, so my advice: read often – even if you have to move your lips while reading. As far as Bortles’ future, there is ample time for parsing through the details, but the overview is this: I think he’s going to be the quarterback here next season – and I think he has played well enough most of this season to justify that being the case. He can either play under the $19 million for which the final season of his rookie contract calls, or he and the Jaguars can negotiate a long-term deal. My guess is he will play at least part of the season under the $19 million because the Jaguars may not want to sign him to a long-term deal yet and because Bortles has little incentive to sign a shorter deal. The sides theoretically could renegotiate during or after the season – or the Jaguars could use the franchise tag on him for 2019. A lot of options work in the Jaguars’ favor in the short term. As far as having him play for $19 million next season, you can afford that because he’s a quarterback – and in the NFL, there are times and circumstances you must have room for a quarterback cap hit that high. This could be one of those times.
So, does Tom Coughlin come into the locker room this week and show off the two rings to remind the Jaguars that even when the Patriots are perfect … they aren’t? DUVAL!!
John: I don’t know that Coughlin will bring his rings for the occasion and don’t know that the occasion will occur in the locker room, but would be surprised if he doesn’t deliver that message this week. I imagine it will be delivered to players, and I imagine a lot of the principles behind the Giants’ two Super Bowl victories over New England will be in play for the Jaguars Sunday. The Giants beat the Patriots twice because they pressured quarterback Tom Brady, and because they believed they could win – and because they diligently carried out sound plans they believed would work. The details of the Jaguars approach this week will be built on the fundamentals of such a philosophy. Of that you can be almost sure.
You alluded to Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson covering Gronk and another reader suggested linebacker Telvin Smith. Wouldn’t the most logical be Myles Jack? With his speed and size I think he would create the biggest problems for someone like Gronk.
John: He’s a possibility, but the Jaguars’ most common approach has been to use Smith and safety Barry Church on tight ends. My guess is much of the pregame talk about who covers Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will be for naught, because my guess is the Jaguars take the approach of playing base defense as well as possible and trusting that the techniques that allowed it to be the NFL’s No. 2 defense will continue to work. We’ll see.
O, I heard a report that the league takes over training schedules or something like that. Can you explain what this is and why it’s done?
John: The league is involved with conference title games because they’re the league’s conference title games, but the league doesn’t take over a team’s schedule. They assist in running press conferences, and you’ll see NFL Network broadcasting them, but the Jaguars’ schedule this week won’t change from last week.
Not exactly a question but more of an observation. To get out of Foxboro with a “W,” the Jaguars will have to beat the Patriots AND … the officials!! The calls against the Tennessee Titans were blatant and obvious. It’s sickening how biased the league and CBS is in favor of the Patriots!!!
John: You’re not the first fan to voice this concern and you won’t be the last. I heard the same concern from Jaguars fans before last week’s victory over the Steelers, and I didn’t sense any weirdness regarding the officiating. (Patriots fans, incidentally, would tell you the league is routinely against them and for everyone else. They hold this opinion because Patriots fans gonna fan just like everyone else).
Normally, this time of year is reserved for talking about the draft in April. How much fun are you and your colleagues having, this being the third straight week talking playoffs – and now, the AFC Championship Game?
Vikings, Jags facing big decisions
Can the Vikings be the first to host and play in a Super Bowl?Yes, they have the defense to do it. I won’t root against them, but I don’t like the idea of a team having homefield advantage for the Super Bowl. I covered Super Bowl XIV. It wasn’t homefield but it certainly was a hometown advantage.
Brad from Jacksonville, FL
I was 10 and sitting even with the north end zone goal post when Morten Andersen missed that kick for the Jaguars’ miracle run. The feeling in that stadium that day was when I fell in love with football. I have been an avid fan since then. On an odd day, Jacksonville allowed 42 points to Pittsburgh but still managed a win. You win how you win, but after all the years of being terrible, this feels like something special growing.
Revel in it. Chortle until your brains fall out. After all of the years of epoch losing you’ve had to endure, you deserve to celebrate, and I think you should take advantage of every second of celebration available to you this week before the next game. By the way, I was standing on the field just to the side of the left upright when Andersen missed.
Jim from Morrison, CO
Looks like Case Keenum is “The Man,” Vic. How does it feel to be wrong?
Really? Because he completed a desperation pass that won the game? If the defender had wrapped his arms around the receiver and held him inbounds, the clock would’ve expired. Prior to that pass, Keenum had thrown for no touchdowns, one interception and a 71 passer rating. He is not “The Man,” and the Vikings face the same dangerous decision on him the Jaguars are facing on Blake Bortles. Winning in the postseason could be costly for both franchises. The issue is: Will the Vikings pay Keenum as they would “The Man?” That’s a tough one because you’re talking about a longterm commitment. In my opinion, if the Vikings do that, they’ll open the door for the other three teams in the NFC North.
Bill from Sheboygan, WI
What are your thoughts on the Saints-Vikings game?
My first thought is how painful it has to be for Saints fans. How could a great athlete completely whiff on the tackle as the defender did? When it hurts this bad — Packers fans certainly know the feeling — I’m not sure football is worth the emotional investment. The poor people in New Orleans don’t deserve this heartache.
Simon from New York, NY
What are your favorite/least favorite personality traits in a person, football player, coach? Have those preferences changed since retirement?
Genuineness/insincerity, aggressiveness/softness, dignity/disloyalty. I’m more sure than ever before of what I like and don’t like in people. The bottom line is I like virtue, as defined by the roles in which we’re cast.
David from San Francisco, CA
We’ve seen the Jaguars improve with the free-agent signings of Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye and Barry Church. As they continue their search to pay “The Man,” how can this team remain competitive in future seasons and maintain financial stability?
The quarterback position will define the Jaguars’ future. I don’t think Blake Bortles is the future. The Jaguars are the result of a unique situation. That team isn’t just about high picks and free-agent signings, it’s about the uncapped year in 2010 and stripping the team for sale, which left the Jaguars so horribly beneath the cap floor the league had to give them an exemption from the cap minimum and allow them to recover in stages. I thought it was unfair and the Jaguars should’ve lost draft picks for noncompliance, but nobody complained because the Jaguars were horribly uncompetitive and irrelevant. As a result, the Jaguars were able to take an ultra-aggressive posture in free agency. They were so flush with cap room they didn’t have to worry about their free-agent misses, and they had plenty of them. They still have room to spend. It’s almost as though they were reborn as an expansion franchise. They are not a realistic model.
Jerry from Savannah, GA
“We must kick the extra point to finalize the game.” Succinct and to the point. Steratore is a classic.
I love him. “There’s no flag on the play.” He didn’t explain why there was no flag or for what there was no flag, there’s just no flag. Deal with it.
Jonathan from Saint Joseph (folks, please include the state)
Has Tony Romo turned into a typical fan? In the Titans/Pats game he said the Titans need to run the ball to surprise the Pats on a third-and-three. Then, when they throw it to convert a first down, he says “no one knows the Titans run the ball more on third-and-short except Bellichick, and he stacked the box.”
He talks too much and he was at his worst on Saturday. I watched Saturday’s games with friends, which is kind of a first for me. I prefer to watch in silence and study the game as it unfolds. I guess I was being new, and I liked it. It helped me ignore “Chatty Cathy.” Be that as it may, I couldn’t help but hear him exclaim pleadingly following one Titans play, “What are they doing?” He’s a fan! He talks incessantly, even as the play is unfolding: “That motion caused the linebacker to move with the man in motion, which means it’s man coverage, yada, yada,” or “they’re unbalanced to the left so he needs to change the play to run to the right.” It’s just too much. He’s missing the drama in his obsession for being the great scheme explainer. The Titans were slowly but surely being outclassed by the Patriots. Say that! That was the story.
Jake from Knoxville, TN
What did you think of Foles?
He did what the Eagles needed him to do, and that’ll work as long as the Eagles don’t need him to do more. The day they need him to be a star, it’s over. That’s when you need “The Man.”
Edward from Canton, SD
Are you more happy for the Jags or sad for the Steelers
Happy for the Jags. The Steelers didn’t need to lose to the Patriots one more time. It was over for the Steelers the night they lost Ryan Shazier. Cris Collinsworth more or less explained that the following week in his analysis of why the Ravens were running roughshod on the Steelers defense. It’s another example of why I think Collinsworth is the best. Inside linebacker is a critical position in the Steelers’ 3-4 defense. Shazier is a star. James Farrior and Levon Kirkland were stars. The Steelers lost Lawrence Timmons in free agency, then Shazier to injury and his replacement to injury almost immediately. That defense was toast. I’m happy for the Jaguars and I was happy to see Shazier in good spirits on Sunday. The best feeling I’ll get from this season will be from seeing that man walk again.
Tim from Durham, NC
The announcers spent the last few minutes criticizing the Steelers’ decision-making and didn’t feel like mentioning teams that give up 45 points don’t usually win games. Where does the Pittsburgh defense go from here?
Baltimore ran the ball at will against the Steelers, and the Browns moved up and down the field on a defense that was resting only Cameron Heyward. The Steelers have to replace Shazier. It begins with that.
Oscar from Milwaukee, WI
Vic, congrats to the Jaguars on making the AFC title game, however, I am not completely sold on the Jags’ defense. I saw a lot of missed tackles and a lot of unguarded receivers. Despite that, the defense is still highly ranked. How do I reconcile this discrepancy between rankings and my eye test?
The Steelers offense is exceptional. Ben Roethlisberger was indefatigable. He threw for 469 yards and five touchdowns, and that doesn’t include an open-field lateral pass to Le’Veon Bell for a touchdown. Antonio Brown is better on one good leg than most receivers are on two. Bell is the king of multi-tasking. I think James Conner was a big loss. I think he was developing into their short-yardage pounder. The Jags defense kind of ate the pizza after the touchdown return. It really fell in love with itself, and it better fall out of love real fast because just ahead is the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
Greg from Danbury, CT
Bortles performed very well. Well enough to take down Brady and Co.?
Bortles can’t beat Brady. Fournette has to do it. Everything Bortles did against the Steelers was the result of the Steelers’ fear of Fournette. I routinely saw eight guys in the box with a ninth guy inching up. Bortles could throw short over the middle because the inside linebackers didn’t dare leave the line of scrimmage. For the Jaguars to win in New England, they must run the ball and rush the passer. Bill Belichick knows what he must prevent. So did Mike Tomlin, but he couldn’t do it.
Tim from Sun Prairie, WI
Vic, any word on the expected strength of the 2018 draft class yet?
It’s getting stronger with each underclassman declaring eligibility. There were several last week. College football is suffering from these defections. I remember when Woody Hayes said a team loses one game for every sophomore in its starting lineup. Back then, freshmen weren’t elgible. That changed in 1973 and now players are going pro after just two seasons in college football. Larry Fitzgerald and LeSean McCoy never got to their junior years, and they weren’t redshirts. The ACC proposed interesting new redshirt rules last week, and I’m in favor of them. I’m in favor of anything that’ll help college football retain its talent. Maybe college football needs to go back to freshmen being ineligible.
Clint from Boom Bay, WI
I was feeling we needed to bring in some AFC North blood to the defensive coordinator position, and I’m very excited about Pettine. Do you think he can bring the same edge to our defense Zimmer has to Minnesota?
It’s a good thought. The Packers need some AFC North blood. They need that kind of nastiness. Mike Zimmer has brought the AFC North to the NFC North and that style of play is going to intensify. Mike Pettine will be looking for AFC North-type players in the draft.
David from Madison, WI
What do you think of the Big 10 scheduling games on Fridays?
It indicates to me a decline in high school football popularity within the conference’s footprint, which saddens me.
Sean from Arlington Heights, IL
I have a lot of respect for what Mike Tomlin has accomplished as a coach, but kicking the onside kick with two timeouts and the two-minute warning left was a bad decision. Not using the timeouts before the two-minute warning was inexcusable.
He tried the onside kick because he had no confidence in his defense. He knew his defense couldn’t stop the Jaguars. The Jaguars offensive line is bigger and stronger than the Steelers’ defensive front, and Fournette is the new Earl Campbell. The only chance the Steelers had of winning the game was sending it into overtime, winning the coin toss and scoring a touchdown on their first possession. Do you remember what I wrote about the previous meeting between the two teams? Forget about the five interceptions and the long run at garbage time. It was the Jaguars’ ability to run the ball off their own goal line and move the ball out to midfield at crunch time that resonated with me. That’s the kind of physical dominance we saw again yesterday.
Andrew from Minneapolis, MN
Any plan to set up some merchandise for sale to pay the bandwidth bills? “Ask Vic” T-Shirts, hats and things?
I have no plans to monetize this site. My sole purpose for creating this site is to have a place to write the truth as I perceive it to be. If you don’t like it, don’t read it, but those who like it and read it will never have to pay for it.
Adam from Wausau, WI
I know you don’t know what Twitter and Facebook are, but I know you’re a big free speech guy. What are your thoughts on the recent revelation Twitter (a private company that lets you say whatever is on your mind whenever you want) is limiting certain kinds of speech they don’t agree with? Just for the record, I love when you interject politics into your forum.
It’s Twitter’s site and it has the right to express itself as it wishes. If you don’t like it, start your own site. What I’m against is any change in the first law of the mass media, that public figures are subject to public scrutiny. I recently listened to a lecture from a learned person on the Civil War media. I was most intrigued to know Sherman wanted to execute a New York Herald reporter for writing something Sherman didn’t want written. The reporter’s life was saved by his publisher, Horace Greeley, following a negotiation in which Sherman agreed not to execute the reporter provided reporters would henceforth include their names in their accounts. I guess that’s how the byline was born. Imagine a nation that would execute a man for telling the truth. We truly are blessed by our freedom of speech laws, and they must never be compromised.
Blaine from Bagley, WI
Two games remain. Who are your picks for the Super Bowl?
New England and Philadelphia. Brady is nearly unbeatable, and the homefield will give the Eagles an advantage, especially in the cold against a dome team.
Robert from Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Vic, it was just like you said; the Jaguars ran the ball and rushed the passer. Seems retirement has made you sharper than ever.
It was obvious. Fans ignore the obvious because they like to tickle themselves.
Tim from Lancaster, PA
Can Brady hit the same throws as Roethlisberger at this age?
Absolutely! He’s not as mobile in the pocket as he was, but his arm is still strong and accurate. He and Roethlisberger throw the deep ball as well as any quarterbacks I’ve ever seen.
Jon from Bloomfield, NJ
They called Telvin Smith for taunting after the play. It was clearly during the play and, to me, that’s an important distinction.
I completely agree.
