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John: I guess I say the Jaguars are closer to a better team than four years ago for a pretty simple reason: I believe they are a more talented roster than they were four years ago. This is not to say they are a team of experienced, veteran, mature players at all positions – because that’s clearly not the case. This also is not to say they are a good team – because 2-5 teams are not good teams. But there are far more positions with capable players than was the case four years ago. And while this is not a week to laud specific players, I will say that Fowler’s issues center around maturity more than skill set, that Jackson’s significantly more worthy than your email indicates, that the Allen brothers are more capable as well and that the offensive line is actually pass blocking well despite its run blocking … but as I said, the wake of Thursday’s ugly loss is not a time when anything looks or feels or smells or tastes good. As for my confession … while there’s no way I thought this team would be 2-5 after seven games there also is no way this team will need five years to be competitive. Not even close.

John: I think let’s see what the next few weeks bring.

John: I sense a quarterback who’s having a remarkably difficult season and who appears to be going through the expected, understandable crisis of confidence that goes along with that. I see a locker room of teammates that knows that quarterback can play well because they have seen him do so – but that also is expectedly frustrated with losing. As for lost faith … I’m never sure how to gauge that. I sense Bortles’ offensive teammates are not as confident as a group as they were last season and it stands to reason that Bortles’ play is part of that. I also sense that a few productive games – or even a few productive series – would make a lot of things better in a hurry.

John: One-on-one time is not specifically limited by the CBA, so a player could theoretically receive one-on-one instruction any day except the players’ off day (usually Tuesday). But players are in meetings, walkthroughs, film study and practice on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – a schedule that severely limits time for one-on-one, mechanic/fundamental-oriented work. That’s what makes the offseason – particularly the time between the regular season and the beginning of the official offseason program – so important.

John: Kansas City.

John: It indeed has been too long since the Jaguars have had a rhythm offensively. Offensive rhythm more often than not is reserved for teams with consistent quarterbacks functioning at a high level. Even when Blake Bortles was playing well last season he was rarely efficient and before that … so, yeah, it has been a while.

John: I say that right now Carr looks better than Bortles. With Carr playing as he has played this season and Bortles playing the way he has played this season it would be foolish to say otherwise. It didn’t look nearly as clearly that way at the end of last season. If nothing changes, then yeah … it’s probably accurate to say Caldwell missed on the selection. Bortles obviously needs to fix some significant things in terms of mechanics and performance. If he can’t, then it’s a bad thing and he may have a short career as a starter. If he can, then we’ll all be revisiting this question.

John: Yes, that’s how he looks – and it’s how he looked at times last year. When I said people are piling on Bortles a bit, I included myself as much as anyone. What I meant was there is a lot going wrong right now – and it’s truly not all Bortles. But is his play troubling right now, and it is a focal point when discussing reasons the Jaguars are struggling.

John: I say Shad Khan now has owned the Jaguars for nearly five years. I say he’s a remarkably intelligent man. I say when he makes decisions regarding the future of this franchise he will make them based on his experience, his research and his increasing knowledge of the NFL. And I say that’s how an intelligent owner should make decisions.

John: A couple of thoughts here: One is that while a quarterback coach’s job does involve mechanics, identifying a mechanical problem doesn’t mean having a quarterback who is able to fix the problem. More pertinently, it also does not mean having time to fix the problem. Remember that under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement coaches are limited in how much time they have with players – and most of that time for quarterbacks is spent on execution, game-planning and practicing as opposed to working on mechanics. Tweaking and honing mechanics must take place before organized team activities begin, which is why Bortles worked with Tom House in California so extensively in the 2015 offseason. The most important thing to remember, though, is that Bortles’ mechanics have nothing to do with Hackett’s ability to game plan and call offensive plays. One has nothing to do the other – and how someone fares at one is no indication of how they will perform at the other.

John: I know.

John: I believe the Jaguars will win more than four games this season, though I can’t blame you for disagreeing. I also can’t blame you for apathy. That’s because it’s not up to you to avoid that feeling; it’s up to the team – and the team hasn’t played well enough to make you avoid it. There’s no rule that says the team can’t start playing better and make you feel better about the rest of the season. We’ll see if it does that.

John: We’re not there yet.

John: Yes, though I don’t believe he will.

John: I’m not a big believer that whip a## is needed to be a good head coach, but considering the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that continue to occur, something is needed. The Jaguars pulled Dante Fowler Jr. out for the remainder of the first half after a second-quarter penalty Thursday. He has had a lot of silly penalties this season. Perhaps that’s a start.

John: No. In particular reference to Bortles, I never got the impression the past two seasons that he was suffering from any sort of heavy toll of being sacked too much. And he actually has struggled more this season playing behind a line this season that has pass blocked far better than it did in his previous two seasons.

John: Potential, size, mobility, intangibles, upside – mostly upside.

John: Stay cool tonight, Eddie.

John: I understand why you’re picking up that odor, and certainly any midseason coaching change has a tendency to take on that aroma. The Jaguars reached a point where something evidently needed to be tried. This is what they’re trying. It’s not the ideal option, but when you’re changing coordinators midseason it’s safe to say you’re past the point of ideal situations.

John: Yes it’s possible to improve those things in the offseason. Bortles in fact improved those things in the 2015 offseason – though they seem to have regressed this season. It’s not my impression that his arm is tired or hurt, though that doesn’t mean it’s not.

John: My thoughts on Brandon Allen have been gleaned from organized team activities, training camp and preseason because we don’t see practice during the regular season. He has arm talent and throws a good-looking ball. He at times looked better in terms of spiral and velocity than Bortles; but spiral and velocity aren’t the NFL end-all. He appears to have a lot of positives, and I know the team very much likes his potential. That does not mean he yet knows fundamentals and NFL basics – or that he is ready in terms of grasp of the offense – well enough to start in the NFL.

John: I agree that there has been some piling on of Blake Bortles – and without question I’ve been guilty of that here in the O-Zone. The Jaguars indeed have struggled in the run game and that is not all on Bortles. Still, the current NFL depends on the passing game executing at a certain competitive level. The Jaguars’ passing game, particularly in the last two weeks, hasn’t done that. Some of that has been receivers dropping passes, but the biggest factor has been Bortles’ inaccuracy and decision-making. It’s probably accurate to say those issues have gotten more play than any other issue facing the Jaguars, but the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. When that position is struggling it’s front-page stuff and nothing else makes the front page.

John: This was a common sentiment in the inbox Saturday, and I get it. Many readers had focused on offensive coordinator Greg Olson as the reason for the Jaguars’ issues this season – and the team indeed parted ways with Olson on Saturday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett. I long have said I’m not given to a midseason coordinator or head coaching change because it’s usually change for change’s sake – and because such changes often produce little long-term gain. Hackett is very smart and very capable of running the offense, but I am skeptical Saturday’s move will have an earth-shaking impact on the offense. That has nothing to do with Hackett and everything to do with being skeptical that what ails the offense – quarterback Blake Bortles’ struggles and the offensive line’s struggles to run block – will be magically fixed. At the same time, the Jaguars’ offense had reached a point where nothing was working. The unit scored six first-half points in the past three games and the performance in a 60-yard, zero-points first half against Tennessee Thursday clearly had the effect of frustrating players on both sides of the ball. Maybe this move is change for the sake of change, but – as many readers have noted – there seems little harm to the team in changing. Perhaps the change will yield earth-shaking results. Perhaps it will spur players to respond. Perhaps Hackett will find something to help Bortles regain confidence. That’s certainly possible. Here’s hoping for the sake of this offense, the franchise and the quarterback that it happens. The aforementioned group and anyone associated with the Jaguars sure would think that was cool. They would like it.

John: Bradley changed his mind.

John: Many fans indeed gave up on Gus Bradley long ago. Many just as certainly did not. Many pros gave up on Gus Bradley a while back. Many did not. As far as Bortles … sure, it’s fair to fear that the Jaguars are traveling a road right now where they must give a young, highly-drafted quarterback a chance to prove whether or not he’s the guy. That’s the deal when you draft quarterbacks early. They must be given time to prove if they’re the guy. The signs haven’t been good the last two weeks. They were better last year. Which are right? The rest of the season could determine the answer.

John: This is a brutally tough season so far – and indeed, the masses are expectedly roaring about coaching. And that roar has reached deafening levels. But that roar gets deafening whenever teams lose and whenever fan bases grow weary of a team’s direction. I won’t argue the fact that the Jaguars’ discipline on the field has been troubling this season. The unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties point to that. If the season continues in this vein, I can’t imagine changes won’t be made. Nine games remain. Time will tell.

John: The way the Jaguars have played the last two weeks makes this point difficult to argue. What needs to happen to make the Jaguars play better? Improvement at the quarterback position would be a start. Improved run blocking would help, too. If those areas could have some success early in games and give the team a chance to play with a lead, it’s my belief that the Jaguars’ defense is more than capable of playing well throughout an entire game. That combination could move this team a lot closer to being competitive. This didn’t remotely happen Thursday but it has happened enough that it’s not insane to think it could happen again. It’s very difficult to win scoring two points per half offensively. That has been the Jaguars’ offensive production in the last three games. If that improves, everything else will look much better. Will it happen? I can’t predict that. If it doesn’t, it’s going to be a long nine weeks.

John: There’s little any coach can say in a press conference to inspire confidence if results aren’t happening on the field. A press conference is by definition “talk” and therefore words. Action is what happens on the field. Actions speak louder than words.

John: Not in the last two weeks. As for last season, his statistics indeed were partly compiled late in one-sided games, but by no means were all of them overly inflated. He wasn’t great last season. He needed to improve entering this season. Those things are true, but to paint all of last season as being worthless and inflated is incorrect.

John: Over.

John: No, this does not look like a slump. This at best looks like a young quarterback still finding his way and needing serious work on throwing motion and mechanics This at worse feels like a young quarterback who won’t develop into a franchise quarterback. Because of the last two games many believe it’s the latter. It’s up to him to prove it’s the former.

John: I say you’re right. I don’t know that that means Khan absolutely has decided to make changes, but there’s little question he has a plan.

John: When the Washington Redskins lost to the Chicago Bears 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game, Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh was asked if the outcome would have been any different had a Redskins player not dropped a touchdown pass early in the game. Baugh said it would have been different. The score would have been 73-7. Had the Jaguars won against the Packers they would be 3-4. Would that make the last two games feel different or changed their outcome? I can’t say that.

John: ….

John: The Jaguars haven’t benched Bortles because they have seen enough in Bortles to believe he can develop into a quality NFL quarterback. If he is benched it becomes unlikely he ever will develop into such a player for this franchise. The way Bortles has played in recent weeks has caused many to question his future, but for now the Jaguars must support him and believe.

John: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever say it couldn’t be any worse.

John: Every situation is different. There have been situations in which 2-5, struggling teams indeed right the ship and even make the postseason. This does not feel like one of those situations, but those situations never feel savable until they are saved. What will it take for it to click? It must start with better quarterback play. That’s not to say that is all that’s going wrong. Not even close. The defensive effort and performance Thursday was questionable at best and bad at worst – and there are ongoing discipline issues. There also is the ongoing issue with the team’s run blocking. Still, it’s a quarterback-driven league. When the position isn’t functioning very little around it can function, either.

John: When teams play as the Jaguars did Thursday everything gets called into question. I believe this is a more talented roster than Year 1 – or 2013, if you will. I believe it showed that in the first five games of the season. Frankly, so much is going wrong right now that it’s hard to pinpoint a reason. I believe the offense’s struggles are reaching the point where it is eroding a lot of other good things around it. I believe coaching has been an increasing issue in terms of discipline this season, and while that surprises me, something absolutely must be done to stop that being an issue. Mostly I believe that as bad as a lot of things look right now a lot could get solved with more efficient quarterbacking. It’s not the end-all and it hasn’t been the primary issue for four seasons. But it’s a glaring one right now.

John: This is a question I’m getting a lot. The benefit of keeping Bradley is there is little evidence historically of mid-season coaching changes making a tangible difference. That means that if there’s a chance of salvaging this season then that chance rests on stability. It’s clear Khan wants the organizational philosophy to be one of stability, and midseason coaching changes are the hallmark of unstable organizations. The cynical among us may state that 2-5 franchises that get blown out on national television while getting outgained 354-60 in first halves aren’t exactly rock solid in terms of stability, and it would be hard to argue that point right now with the cynical types. But the bottom line is that’s the reasoning for staying the course. A mid-season coaching change might have a short-term positive effect, but it likely wouldn’t be lasting. That’s the reasoning. Feel about it how you will.

John: This is the other side of the coaching conversation. The points are valid. Readers are as upset and disillusioned, and understandably so. The product on the field hasn’t been good enough, and to follow up the Raiders performance with the Titans performance? Well, you used the word “embarrassing.” That fits.

John: It obviously hasn’t looked good on this front the past two weeks. It appears we have nine games to find out for sure.

John: You’re right that the players weren’t trying to get Bradley fired, but I can’t argue how it looked – and I can’t argue that it appeared there was a lack of focus or effort at times. Something was undoubtedly lacking. That’s how it looked. Why did it look like that? I wish I knew.

John: A successful season right now would be going 8-8. That would mean winning six of nine games. It would also help if the Jaguars got good quarterback play and went through the final nine games with no wheels-are-off moments. There must be progress. Somehow, some way. That’s what’s necessary. There has been little indication in the last two weeks of such a turnaround, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

John: Frankly, I am a bit shocked, too. I didn’t expect greatness from this team. I expected a push for .500, perhaps – and I certainly didn’t expect anything like what we saw Thursday. There’s very little to say. Thursday was total defeat. It shouldn’t be this way.

John: That’s how it feels. It shouldn’t feel that way because this season shouldn’t be 2-5 with one-sided, national-television losses. But that’s how it does feel. Bad. Really bad.

John: For long, long stretches Thursday – yeah, pretty much.

John: If they weren’t off in the first half I don’t want to be around when they do come off.

John: That’s an understandable sentiment. This was a team that needed to bring its best effort Thursday. That did not appear to be such an effort.

John: No, there was no offense Thursday – at least not when it mattered. But on Thursday there honestly wasn’t enough of anything. There’s little question the offensive stagnation hurt, and ineffectiveness on that side of the ball drags everything down. But the Jaguars’ defense also allowed a 36-yard second-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Kendall Wright that was far too easy and the Titans had 354 yards offense at halftime. This was bad – inexcusably, franchise-shakingly bad – all around.

John: This is not the time for cute answers, though I’m sure I could think of a few. There seems little question that Bortles is struggling with confidence right now – and with reason. He’s not playing well. The Jaguars’ offense showed few if any signs of life early Thursday, and you never had a real feeling – particularly in the first half – that that was going to change. I don’t know where Bortles’ head is at. I only know this Jaguars offense doesn’t seem to have answers and it’s tearing apart the season.

John: This was the much-anticipated, over-analyzed, oft-ballyhooed first email of the game. No word on when Adam drifted into the land of nod.

John: Thursday’s performance was the sort that often prompts change. I don’t know if it will prompt change in this case. We’ll see.

John: That’s certainly true of the offense, with the frustrating thing for the team obviously being that the defense in many stretches has played OK. They didn’t play remotely OK during the second quarter Thursday. But whatever … we won’t nit-pick on this one. Yeah, it’s bad.

John: Shocking was absolutely the right word – for parts of this Jaguars season, but certainly for what transpired Thursday night. I expected the Jaguars to play disciplined and turn in an inspired performance Thursday. I don’t know that I realistically expected them to win because I thought without defensive tackle Roy Miller III this was going to be a tough matchup for the defense. I also doubted whether the offense could suddenly find itself in four days. But I didn’t expect 27-0 at halftime. I didn’t expect a 354-60 total-yardage edge for Tennessee at halftime. The degree to which the Jaguars were dominated was shocking. Absolutely.

John: Not necessarily. Shad Khan meeting with the coaches and players as he reportedly did Monday certainly is not a great sign because it wouldn’t have happened had the team been 4-2 as opposed to 2-4. And while Khan has said often that he’s not pro-midseason coaching change there obviously for every owner is a tipping point when a change must be a made. I have no idea what will happen if the Jaguars lose to the Titans because I’m not Khan and deep down only he knows. But I don’t know that it’s correct to Khan speaking with the means he’s on the verge of a change. If he thought a change was the necessary move I imagine he would simply make a change rather than going through the process of speaking to the team and trying to find answers.

John: There’s no question coaches are partially at fault. I don’t think I would ever say coaches weren’t partially responsible for on-field goings on; that’s their responsibility. But far too often in the NFL coaches are blamed and fired for the sake of blaming and firing – and are blamed and credited for things over which they in fact have comparatively little control. I’ve said often a head coach’s primary job is to create a structure and an environment in which players can be successful and in which winning can occur. That in essence is “steering the ship” and ensuring all players are essentially moving in the right direction. That is what Head Coach Gus Bradley has done well even while the talent level on the team precluded the Jaguars from winning more games. That’s what was concerning about the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to Oakland. There was some out-of-control stuff that reflected on the culture of the organization. It certainly didn’t appear all players were on the same page. That’s a bad sign. It doesn’t mean things are absolutely out of control; remember, Bradley’s teams don’t have a trend of such behavior … but the fourth quarter Sunday was bothersome. No doubt.

John: OK.

John: I think you’re going to see a heavy rotation inside – heavy enough where it won’t matter who starts. I agree that Marks is a beast, but he’s a beast who has had injuries in recent seasons and you don’t want him playing 900-1,000 snaps a year. Rotation, rotation, rotation.

John: I’ve never been under the impression that the zone-blocking scheme is all Bradley, but yeah – at this point I wouldn’t mind seeing more power running.

John: Multiple quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Andy Dalton have worked with House and Adam Dedeaux on throwing mechanics and other quarterback-related skills. They run their program from Southern California. I have no idea how much they make. My guess is it’s enough in both cases that they don’t need to seek full-time employment elsewhere.

John: I’m including this email because it remains a major topic a few days removed from Robinson’s comments about the fans and Wembley Stadium. I’m not ignoring the questions, but I can’t answer them all. Fans are mad about it – and reasonably so. It wasn’t a good thing to say. You can’t touch the third rail. It never plays well.

John: I don’t think the coaches are playing conservatively. I think they’re trying to do the things they feel will work based on the strengths and weaknesses of the players. I also think it’s a struggle right now for the offensive coaches to know what this team is doing well, but that’s quibbling. Yes … fair. Very fair.

John: Neither. I don’t think he was saying he would get ejected for fighting 90 percent of the time. I think he was saying he would react the same way and that his actions normally wouldn’t get him ejected for fighting. In watching what occurred I had the impression Ramsey and Raiders wide receiver Johnny Holton were ejected largely because there were other incidents going on in the fourth quarter and that the officials ejected the players to maintain control of the game. Had Ramsey’s incident occurred in the first quarter of a game with no other altercations I don’t think it would have gotten him ejected. I believe that’s what he was saying. Perhaps he could have made that point clearer, but I was standing next to Ramsey when he spoke. I didn’t remotely get the idea that he was saying he has no concerns about the team.

John: I think it won’t be difficult to discern who should be signed long-term and who shouldn’t be signed long-term.

John: I don’t think we’re there yet, but it’s a legitimate discussion … and yeah, if you’re a Jaguars fan, that does suck.

John: Oh, Tom, Tom, Tom … in the NFL, it’s always coaching. You know that.

John: I was wrong in my previous answer. It’s not always coaching. Sometimes the media is to blame.

John: Oops: wrong again. It’s the officiating.