Now it's Labor Day. That's the unofficial end of the summer. Now that it's football season, gentlemen, what is your favorite part of football season?
Fall? I love the fall end of summer. Same answer.
Welcome into jags Am presented by car Shield or here in Hyundai Studios, our new studios. This is going to be our new home from now on for jags Am. So we're really excited to kick off the season here and get to talk a little bit of football. Finally, guys, I know I don't know what fall actually means. The terms weather wisier, but I am excited.
For football to start.
Fall shows up about November okay here, which is great. You get that little kool breeze in the morning, but you've got two months of summer still, which is what Southern football fans like because it's an advantage for them when teams come down from the norths.
Yeah, once October hits, it's not quite as bad.
You'll get a little more fall. And answered up your question. I had a hard time answering a football season fall except for when you were a kid and it meant the start of school.
What's bad about it?
It's the best time of year.
To me, it's always been the default best season, maybe because probably because it's football season.
Well, and you know it starts on Friday morning around here. There's a really intense vibe all the way through, and Friday morning seems to have a little different feel and NFL Friday, and then it continues through high school football, right because I've got one playing and people who love high school football, and then Saturday you've got college, and then Sunday you got It's three days of this feeling of football that makes it so much fun.
It's certainly a turn in the calendar. And we love it of course here because now we get to finally talk about some actual football games. Are we're gonna start with our big things for our first week of the regular season. So the first thing that is our big thing is the Hunted. Now that they won division, they've proven themselves to a certain degree by the way they finished last season, jack Wards are gonna be hunted this year.
They're not sneaking up on anybody, So, Brian, when you look at the team this year in terms of expectations, or not necessarily that, but just when they go out and face these games and their opponents are ready for them. What's the difference when you face teams that way.
Well, there's two guys in particular that I'm looking for, right, because last year this team was all about that upstart energy and you know, they were all new and together.
But this year, Brandon Scherff on the offensive line and Roy Robertson Harris on the defensive line to me, epitomize what you're looking for, which is that mentality of I'm a badass, You're gonna line up against me and I'm gonna win, right, And that's the mentality whether you're playing the Chiefs in Week two or whether you're playing the Ravens or Bengals, you know, on prime time in Jacksonville, you've got to have that mentality when you line up
that you were equal to them. And those two guys sort of personify that because no matter who they line up against, their equal to the task.
Yeah, I'm gonna go a little bit of a different direction, and I get that they're the Hut, but my senses that there's still a little bit of a thought around the league of are.
They for real yet?
And talking to my friend Mike Chapl who's covered.
The Colts for forty years.
When he was listing off the top of the Colts schedule, he mentioned Jacksonville, but then as a whole, he said the schedule, if the Colts are okay, they can get through it.
Jackson in Jacksonville sort of still had to prove itself.
They went nine and eight, and I think they'll be hunted, but there's still a feeling on this team, and I think it's what'll protect them from feeling hunted. They went nine and eight last year. Guys, they were one game from not being in the playoffs. They still have to prove themselves and I think that'll work to their advantage.
Sure, but I do think when you pick up an article right the Athletic this morning has the top twenty three most intriguing players, and you've got two of them on there, and the quarterback happened to be listed very highly. Calvin Ridley's there as well. I get that they went nine to eight last year, but no one's going to overlook them like some teams probably do. I mean Dallas in here last year, they were not thinking they were
going to have a fight on their hands. They thought they put up thirty five points, they'd put a little pressure with their top rated defense on Trevor and everything would collapse. So I do get it, John, I mean nine to eight is not world beaters. You haven't won a trophy yet. But this team has enough traction. It's probably the best word kind to describe it.
It's got enough.
Traction in the media and thus in the football world to make people stand up and take notice of them.
We cover this team every day, so obviously we have high expectations. That's our second big thing, just from what we've seen. If everyone stays healthy and they, you know, accomplish what we think they can accomplish. What are realistic expectations for this team this year? John, I want to start with you, what's the ceiling for them? If they play to their highest capability.
Well, if the offense is what it looked like in the first quarter of the third preseason game, which to me felt like an offense that was flexing its muscles, and you know, it was almost like at started the Kentucky Derby when the horses are kicking.
At the gate to get out.
It felt like that if this offense is that high powered, if it's top three, then I think AFC Championship Game two or three seed, and you're in that group. I think of the Bills and the Bengals and the Chiefs as sort of the group in the AFC. If they're what we think they could be offensively, then they're in that group.
I don't know how you tell the difference in that group right now.
I don't know that I can put them with Patrick Mahomes and Burrow and Josh Allen on those teams. I can't see the Jags being above that group automatically going to the playoffs, but they should be in it.
I would think they're in it. You know, last year the Jaguars had that five game streak where they were losing games by a field goal or a touchdown at the end of the ball game when they gave up the lead in the final two minutes. So I asked the head coach after the season, did you think nine wins was achievable? And I'm not gonna tell you the number he told me, but he thought more than nine
wins was achievable last year. So with an improved roster this year, with a quarterback who's got another year in the system, you know, eleven twelve wins seems to be something that you can look at now, you got to stay healthy, and they stayed healthy last year. I'm with John And when you look at the best teams, you look at those three teams that he mentioned, and you throw the Eagles in the in the NFC, and you know,
maybe San Francisco out there as well. But you know, I think the Jaguars are in that next group of teams that if they have a good year and if the quarterback takes the step the next year, we're talking about them in in this way.
And it's nice to be at a point where you could maybe say super Bowl and it's not completely out of the realm of possibility, because certainly, if you're talking AFC Championship game, anything can happen at that point. And while we like to make fun of some of those lists where Trevor Lawrence doesn't get as much credit as we think he is due, they have been giving him some praise nationally at least the last couple of months.
I feel like people have taken notice and people do expect that jump from him this year, as we do as he hits the field, and hopefully we see that in Week one against the Colts on the road, our final big thing this week is our new digs because we want to show you show off our new studio. We finally we're in the Miller Electric Center. We have our new home out here. John's a little upset we didn't let them wear shorts and flip flops today.
I'm not a flip flop guy.
But I do have socks because Dave, you can't just told me towhere socks all right?
And I like my seat here because I may or mind I have socks on.
We'll never know. Anyway. We love our new studio. We got a lot of new technology in here. We're gonna be doing film room, touchscreen, a lot of fun stuff we can bring to you here with our new resources. So we love our new digs and just want to show them off a little bit. Stay with us. Coming up, we're gonna go over the AFC South, what we have going on in the division and what you can expect there coming out later on jags Am presented by Carshield.
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we're back here. We're going to talk a little bit about the AFC South because while the Jaguars won the division last year, there are high expectations and what are they facing off, what are they looking at across the rest of the division. We'll start off with the Colts because that's who they're playing first, and not a great year last year, they're definitely in rebuild mode. We look at their new head coach there, of John What stands out to you as the biggest change for them this year?
Well, I think everything you know.
It's again I spoke with Mike Chappell, who's been around that team for forty years. Not having Jonathan Taylor in this league right now, a running back typically isn't seen as the Bellweather at most franchises.
He's the guy at that franchise.
As recently as two or three months ago, they were talking about needing him on the field to compliment Anthony richardson that with that sort of dynamic, and now all of a sudden and they don't have that they're going into the season with a rookie quarterback. I expect them to challenge the Jaguars on Sunday, because Week one can be weird. I don't expect them to be consistent enough all through the season to contend anything close to the division title.
But it's a franchise.
That oddly seemed very very close until by midway through last season, and then all of a sudden they sort of fell off the map, and now they feel like it's sort of in shambles a little bit, and they're trying to put it back together.
I think it's gonna be a long year for them. Oh it's gonna be a really long year for them. Maybe they win five games this year. But to me, the biggest issue is that they are completely retooling John the way that they played football. This was always a team that was built on the passing game with Peyton and Andrew Luck and of course you know they tried with Philip Rivers through Matt Ryan, and they never got
it the way that they wanted to get it. Well, now you're radically overhauling because you're going to that Philadelphia style that was so effective with Jalen Hurts in that running game, and of course they had that number one receiver, that guy that they brought in they traded for aj from the Titans, and it opened everything up. Well, I don't see them having that over the top receiver. They've got a quarterback who never really threw much in college
and now he's coming into the NFL. What he does, I mean, he does really, really well. It's just not a very big body of work. So I think this is a team in transition this year, and it's probably two maybe three years away in terms of being completely effective like the Eagles system is.
Yeah, I think they're dangerous because this kid once a half can do something like this.
You can keep it close for sure.
Can he do it enough in pressure situations you would think, not being a rookie quarterback.
One other thing to note on them is that, you know, last year, their offensive line, which I think we would all agree was one of the best in the NFL for a number of years, it really fell off sharply. I mean, even Quentin Nelson, they're all pro left guard, fell off sharply. They've dropped did a young tackle. They're excited about him, Ryan Kelly in the middle of that offensive line, when he's playing well, is one of the
best centers in football. They could see more success running the ball if that offensive line is what it was in twenty twenty twenty twenty one as opposed to what it was in twenty twenty two.
I know we mentioned that. Obviously, Jonathan Taylor is the big story of him not being there. It's gonna affect Anthony Richardson a lot because when you don't have that safety valve of a very talented running back to help distract a little bit of the attention, all the focus is going to be on the rookie QB. So definitely could be a long year. Now we're gonna look at Houston because they've had a lot of change as well.
But I feel like the upside for them is huge, right, There's a lot more positive, you know things coming out of that camp. Everybody loves Jamiko. Ryan's over there. Obviously, they're enamored with CJ. Stroud what they think he can be, and I feel like the vibe Brian is different for them. They were in a not great place. I think it's a little bit wells.
You the one thing that they did, John was they went out and they spent a ton of money, kind of like the Draguars did, but on mid level guys, just guys that would allow them to line up and compete. They still lack that explosiveness down the field that Brandon Cooks gave them. The young running back from Florida last year who had what four or five hundred yard games, is a guy that I think they have a lot
of upside for. It's just you've got a rookie quarterback and a defensive minded head coach who doesn't have the players that he had in San Francisco. Here's the one thing they do have. They have lots of draft capital and lots of cap room. So if Stroud can play, they can turn this thing around quickly. Because unlike Richardson, he threw the ball all over the field at Ohio State. Remember all the great receivers that he had in Columbus.
So if they can get that defense going and find a couple of guys in free agency in the draft, it shouldn't take them long.
It's interesting this division right now has two teams in very similar spots. When you've sort of torn it down and now you have rookie quarterbacks who are going to start. I think the phrase you would use is both of these franchises. Probably with the Colts for years obviously they were sort of piece me on the quarterback position, trying to get there that year.
Well, now they.
At least have hope for the future. If this kid's okay, then you've got a Trevor Lawrence situation, you know, or a Josh Allen situation, any of those guys.
Same story with the Texans. So you would think.
The Jaguars have a little window Jaguars and Titans, I would where they're gonna be the two teams in the division. That window doesn't all always last this time last year, teams thought they had a long window waiting for the Jaguars and then a sudden Jaguars took it.
So it's not.
Guaranteed, but those two situations should give the Jaguars and Titans a window where it's just each other well.
And both of those franchises are willing to be patient, right because both of them weren't in recent years. Now they're all in on the rebuild and they understand that sometimes in the NFL, being patient and accepting where you are puts you in a position to improve dramatically. In the draft, right if you're picking in the top ten of the draft. The next two years, these two teams have a chance to really restock.
And it'll be interesting to see how patient the Colt Stata because since.
Jim's been the owner there, they have not had to be patient.
Yeah, they got Peyton and the next year they were good. They got Andrew Luck, the next year they were good. He's not that known to be patient, so be It'll be interesting to see how they play that out. I think the Texans will be patient.
But that's such a huge decision to take Anthony richardson because we all know what we do, especially because we saw him in games. But we all know that he's gonna take time. He is a legitimate project. Peyton wasn't that much of a project, and neither was Andrew Luck. So you just wonder if you're making that institutional decision if the owner doesn't know that he has to be but you know him better than.
Most And as we have seen here, once you have the quarterback or what you think will be the future of your franchise, you can rebuild around them very quickly, as we've seen the Jaguars do in the last two seasons. Doug Peterson, All right, let's check out the Titans because that's gonna be the real threat within the division. Obviously, so they were seven and ten last year, they did not finish very well. Jaguars finished very well and ended
up winning the division. Mike Rable's been around for this will be his sixth season, so he's had tons of success since he's been there. DeAndre Hopkins is added to that offense. Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry is amazing as always. Uh, what is it gonna be for them? Is it just staying healthy?
John?
What are you looking at in terms of them being successful?
Well, I think they're dangerous because they know exactly what they are and who they want to be, and they know how Mike Rabel wants them to play. So when you have that and you've got some experienced guys, meaning you have Derrick Henry that you know that that's your guy. I anticipate the last three weeks of the season, the Jaguars and Titans will be close enough to each other with this team's.
Gonna be a factor.
There's a lot of fans and a lot of Jaguars fans saw the Titans lose what's seven in a row at the end of last year and think, well, the JAG's gonna run away for the division. I don't think they're running away from the Titans. I think this team knows how to play to what it is, and I think they're dangerous. I think those I think the two teams will split this year and it's gonna be interesting going into the second half the season.
I'm not as high on them because I think they realized they're at the end of the run. Tannehill and Henry are both still there. DeAndre Hopkins feels to me like that receiver you know, everyone grabs one. We grab Tory Holt here in the you know, two thousand and eight and bring him in. Oh, we've got Tory hold here we go. Right, it's gonna change everything. Their offensive line is being entirely rebuilt. You saw they brought in Andre Dillard, who was a bust in Philadelphia. Their defense
is very talented. That was their downfall last year. All those guys got hurt and the offense couldn't score enough points to overcome a defense that couldn't keep other teams out of the end zone. But I just they feel like a team to me, that's holding on and it's because of Tannehill and because of Derrick Henry. And you know Derrick Henry at some moment he's just and it may even be now he's not the same Derrick Henry right where he can just take over a game and
just run the roost. Maybe maybe I'm wrong. It just seems to me like this is a team. I do think that they are going to be dangerous, but I am not as convinced. Here's what I do like about them. I think Mike Vrabel is a tremendous coach. You saw his record fifty and thirty seven, and he's got a couple of AFC South titles to his name, so they can get something done. I just they seem to need to be like that team like the Colts the last couple of years, unwilling to just move on.
They're definitely gonna work with what they have there. And as we mentioned, Rabel finds a way usually, so we'll see what he rolls out this season and see how things fare coming up. We're gonna do some hot takes for Week one and for this season, so stay with us.
Move the freight, Move the freight.
Magellan Transport voted the coolest office space in Jackson. Bill. You can apply a line at www dot Magellanlogistics dot com. Welcome back into Jags am here in Hyundai Studios, and we're doing hot takes because why not. We've won, you know, less than a week away, so now they we're finally talking football. Brian, you got a wider.
Team, eleven friend, let's swing right, yes, let's bring it to it.
I just couldn't wait to go. Jags go undefeated in the division, which they've never done. And here's why I say that. I think they're too much for the Colts and the Texans. A high powered offense like John talked about against Miami. I think these guys are going to put up a lot of points, and I just don't know what rookie quarterbacks that you're going to be able to overcome the points the Jaguars are going to score.
I think the Jaguars beat the Titans here in November, and then it all comes down to the final Saturday night or Sunday. That game has not been officially scheduled yet, and I think the Jaguars overcome and I beat the Titans and take their second consecutive division crown will be the first time since the ninety eight ninety nine seasons that they've won back to back division titles. And I think they do that this year with a dramatic win in Nashville to go six and zero in the division.
And we're talking, by the way, about a team the Jaguars, who've never posted very good records in the AFC South, Right, they did in two thousand and seven, twenty seventeen, and twenty twenty two. I think this year they post the best record possible in the AFC South.
It would be impressive because it's hard to win six division games, even if you're really really good, because your division and that's know you so well and just think about you know, as much as teams may think the Jaguars are favored this weekend, all of a sudden, you're going up there a second time when you play them and say, it's just hard.
So if they do that, Ryan, well, I think they're going to the super Bowl.
She asked me for a hot take, not a mile take, so I figured I'd swing for it. But here's what I think. I think, John, that it's gonna come down to the Titans and the Jaguars, right, obviously, if the Jaguars don't beat them here in November, well then that take is out right, and then it all comes down to that final Sunday of the or Saturday night of the regular season, which is kind of what we've been seeing that the league try to do with the Jaguars
and Titans recently. So at least they'll be fun in some drama to see if they can get there.
Pretty good, John, your hot takes a little more specific to our game.
Yeah, And I don't know if mine's hot.
It's maybe it's mild, maybe there's some heat. But I think this game, it's been amazing how this fan base, after years of feeling sort of like the underdog, all of a sudden it's flexing its muscles, and boy we should many fans are just looking past the Colts and and they're actually asking me, are you worried that they'll
look past the Colts to the Chiefs. I don't think a team that made the playoffs last year in the last three minutes of the season and we're nine and eight, is gonna overlook anybody.
This game.
I would be decided in the last five minutes, not necessarily because the Jaguars are bad or the Colts are good, but because Week one is so weird and you see the weirdest scores. Sometimes it results in a blowout if a team's just not ready. I think what you're gonna see is Anthony Richardson have a couple of weird plays that go for touchdowns.
I think it'll be a fight into the last.
I think the Jaguars a winning at the end, but I think I'll be getting a lot of emails on Monday, guys.
Of what's wrong with the Jags?
They're one and oh, well, you know, okay, take one and oh out of this game because if you win Week one, right, take that and go home because it's such a weird week, don't.
I don't disagree with any of that. The one thing I'll accept, well, okay, except now you know, you and I talked for years about the Jaguars, and when you looked at the Jaguars roster, you know, from an objective third party perspective, right, who really did you worry about? Who made you work harder on Wednesday and Thursday and sleep a little less secure on Saturday night? And they
really there wasn't anyone, right, Jack Wars didn't have that. Well, now they've got players all over the roster that you have to worry about. But here's my question, who is it in Indianapolis that you're staying awake?
Probably only a quarterback and if they had Jonathan Taylor, you've got two.
It's a much different dynamic.
Forest Buckner, but he's an interior defensive lineman, right, he's the only other guy. They just don't have it. And I'll say, as I went through my exercise of hot take, there's nobody really in Houston.
That makes you do the same thing.
You know. JJ Watt isn't there anywhere. Whitney Merciless isn't there anymore. The Colts just don't have those those players that make you do that. Now, Richardson make any that in time, but I just don't see it yet.
My hot takes for Week one as well, because I'm expecting our defense to do a little bit of something that we're hoping is a trend for the rest of the season. I think they will sack Anthony Richardson on Sunday. I think they'll probably get more than one, and that's based off I know that Anthony Richardson is elusive. I know that he can do some crazy things and get his way out of certain things. We've seeing that in the preseason already. But you don't have Jonathan Taylor out there.
You don't have anybody to bail you out. And I think being a rookie quarterback in the NFL we overlook at maybe because of what Trevor. You know, Trevor had his growing pains as well, but like it's not easy. This is a huge transition for him and what we're actually going to see out there. As we mentioned John, Week ones a little weird, but Anthony Richardson's in for a big dose real check. I think when Week one starts.
I think they'll get a couple of sacks.
I think they'll get him late because I do think by the last drive, the Jaguars will have the lead.
And Anthony Richardson will be going against the defense that knows he's coming.
I think they'll get a couple of sacks to end it, but I think he'll be dangerous early.
Well, yeah, the size Steed ratio with that guy. Jack Derrio always just talked about Ben Roethlisberger and say his accuracy, his passing, completion percentage went up on plays where you hit him. And this guy looks to be someone who can stand in the pocket. He's six four, two fifty and maybe as muscular quarterback as we've seen since Cam Newton. Right, big strong guy who'll stand in the pocket. It's early in his career. He's obviously going to get a little
bit flushed. He's gonna see jerseys across his face and just decide it's time to run. So I'm interested to see, you know, how long it takes him to stand in the pocket, because he.
Can do it.
We'll definitely see some flashes, but excited to see him in game action on Sunday as JAG's head to Indianapolis.
All right, stay with us.
Coming up, we'll preview what we've got coming up the rest of the week bags fans. If you want customized Jaguars furniture for your home, check out zipchair dot com to browse all customizable options zip Chair furniture for fans. So we want to preview the week a little bit because now that week one we are back in action, we have our full shows. We'll be here on the new set for jag Zam on Wednesday and Thursday, we'll be previewing that matchup against the Colts, and then we
have our full slate of shows as well. Brian, what are you working on?
Jack's Wired obviously comes up on Wednesday night.
Excited to you know, kind of recap the preseason and get her and focused forward. Really, I mean it's the energy level around the first week is a lot of fun because you get in the locker room for the first time. Now get guys in their own setting, John get talked as many guys as you can, and I'm excited about the regular season start.
Week one's great the ozone podcast or either be Christian kirkers A Jones not sure yet, looking forward to that as.
Always very good.
We have All Access on Thursday. That's me on Fox and that Evan Ingram is our guest this week, so you definitely want to check that out. And of course Jaguars Weekend will be out on Sunday on Fox as well. Thank you for joining us. We'll be back on Wednesday for Jagsam