Now for days away from the start of the season, is this the season that you've been most excited for or you've seen the most hype for the team.
I think it's the most excited I've been for season since nineteen ninety nine.
Yeah, I think definitely the most hype and uh, the outlook for this team is better than Spanson's ninety nine.
Welcome into Jags Am presented by Jet Home Loans. I'm Kinnannie Stevens, Brian Sexton, John Osier here with me as we get prepared for Week one. We're gonna talk a little bit about the game plan and what we've got looking forward to, got to look forward to in week one because we're finally there. We're finally finally getting there. What are you looking for in terms of we talked about how hyped we are for this team, but Brian, what are you looking at in terms of wanting to see a Week one Well, I.
Want to see what we saw in the early going against the Dolphins, which was in offense that could do whatever it wants, right, I mean, there are multiple running backs, You've got multiple options in the passing game. Look, let's face it. Doug Peterson Press Taylor. I mean, these are guys that are very creative offensively, and I expect to see a level of offense that we haven't seen here since ninety nine.
Yeah, I expect to see that. I feel we had in the Dolphins game of a team that couldn't wait to get out of the gate, and that in that game, I got the feeling that they had practiced for an offseason, in a preseason and just couldn't wait to show people how good they were. You hope you see that against the Dolphins, I mean against the Colts, I'm assuming you're
gonna see an element of that. So I think on the other side, you want to see a team defensively that is better than the observers or thinking is a team that's bringing back eleven guys as far as starters. So I think you want to see a team on defense that has a little more energy, a little more ability to get to the quarterback that may be observers think if you if you see those two things, then yes, I'm really excited about the season.
All Right, it's game week. Let's get to our big things. The big thing Number one this week is gonna be you think you know you're facing off against a division opponent in the Indianapolis Cults. But this is not the Indianapolis Colts that we saw last year. If they got a new head coach, the offense is gonna be starting a rookie quarterback. Their defense lost, you know, their best player in Stefan Gilmore, who's now in Dallas. So, John,
what are we gonna see from this Indianapolis team? How different is it gonna be with Shane Stiking leading them?
Well, I think you don't know. And that's what makes Week one so interesting in the NFL. I think you're gonna see a Colts team that tries to protect the quarterback a little bit, tries to not put him in situations where he makes mistakes, and tries to get him outside the pocket.
They would like to create.
And maybe chaos is the wrong word, but they would like to create moments where the Jaguars defense is confused and doesn't know what they're doing with this quarterback. If there's some indecision on the part of the Jaguars, think the Colts feel like he can create enough big plays to keep them in it. So, really, Week one, that's the big mystery in the NFL. Everywhere you don't know what you're gonna see. I sure like this better than if Jonathan Taylor was playing.
Hey look everywhere every year.
I can remember standing on the field at MetLife Stadium at twenty eighteen before the Jags Giants game and Doug Marone was kind of bouncy and I said, but just you know, opening day nerves, and he goes, no, I really don't know. They've got a coaching change, They've got players, We've got it. You just don't know an opening day. It just always feels this way. So it's one of those things that both teams are gonna deal with it.
It's not an advantage to one or the other. But you know, when you talk about division rivalries, generally you feel like you know a little bit more. It's completely different. This is no longer the past happy Colts of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck and what they tried to have with Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz and most recently Matt Ryan.
I mean, this is a team that wants to beat up at the line of scrimmage and use the physical running game, and especially with this quarterback being able to open things.
Up for the Deep Bowl.
Very good big thing Number two for us today is it's been a minute. Because John pointed out in our Reporters podcast and yesterday that the Jaguars have not won in Indianapolis since twenty seventeen. So, Brian, do you make something of the fact that, you know, there's a bit of a bugaboo with them playing in Indianapolis or here we break.
That it was a tough place to play, you know, and they have had good players on both sides of the ball.
They still do have good players.
I mean, their offensive line is some really talented guys, their defensive line with DeForest Buckner. They got a first round pick in Quinny pay Shaquille Leonard is a guy that can make a lot of noise if he's healthy. No, I mean they play well at home. They've been a good team. They've not been a great team. The Jaguars haven't been that good of a team since twenty seventeen until last year, and they probably should have won last year.
They had the lead there with two minutes to play, but Jack Griffin became the are getting couldn't hold up and gave up the game winning touchdown. So I don't make a lot of it other than the Jaguars haven't been good enough.
I think that changes this year.
Well, it's been a series where both teams have won at home five years in a row now, So yeah, I make a little bit of it. I think I make more of what Brian just mentioned.
This is a defense.
Gus Bradley is still there as defensive coordinator, meaning this defense knows how it wants to play.
I don't think the defense will have very much confusion.
That worries you a little bit because you're not going against new there. You're not going to see very many communications breakdowns, and there's some talent. I think that's where the Colts have a chance to sort of stay in this thing. But in terms of winning up there, when they went up there in seventeen, the Cults are basically a broken team.
Andrew Luck was not there.
They shut him out by there twenty eighth.
To uh yeah, that had just sort of happened. So you sort of hope with a new quarterback with Jonathan Taylor nut there that they have that broken feeling.
Our last big thing is going to be state of the line. Because the offensive line was a strong sceon going into training camp. They had some injuries but the starters are still mostly intact. But going up against that cult's defense, which they had trouble with at times, the Forrest Buckner always a force for them. Brian, what are you looking at in terms of how they're gonna be dealing with that?
Well, I mean, Buckner's a game wrecker.
I mean in the middle of the line, he can get his hands up and bat down balls. He legitimately he did not play as well last year. He was dealing with injuries. But he's the kind of guy that you really worry about, and he makes guys around him a lot better. Grover Stewart is a very good you know, I don't know whether there's a nose tackle or a three technique. However, they decided to play him and Quid. He pays a former first drop pick who's got speed
and explosiveness. Well, if you're having to double to Forest Buckner on every play, you're opening up opportunities for their guys.
Again.
To Jaguars line with a rookie starting at right tackle, Walker Little played well last year when he had a chance to play left tackle, but you know, you're still waiting for him to settle in there. I just think it's the offensive line was a storyline in training camp.
Will it still be on Sunday night?
Yeah, Forest Butner is a force.
What you wonder is Shaquille Leonard remember a couple of years ago, was as good as any linebacker in the league. Did not play very much last year. It is dealing with stuff. If he makes it back, then all of a sudden, they've got two elite kind of players on defense, starts turning that defensive unit around. You just kind of feel right now that an interior player to Forrest Buckner, this Jaguars team, as good as it is offensively, should be able to handle that and explode for some points.
It's not that you don't worry about it, but you assume that the Jaguars have enough to overcome that.
Should be under control. All right, coming up, we're gonna get to this or that as we look at the game against Indianapolis coming up on Sunday. Well, here on Jags Am presented by Fields Auto Group, Jacksonville, Step up to Luxury field Atto dot com comparison shopping cash back Coupon's all in one, It's freeze check out price dot com today and we're coming back with you here on jags Am, we're gonna be doing our price dot com this or that. We've got game week this week. So oh,
I love the theme song. All right time, we're gonna start up with you. What's your this or that this week?
Well, here's it's a margin victory, right, So do you think that the Jaguars win the ballgame?
And I'm picking them to win, So I'm assuming yes, Okay, we're going with a way. I got it.
You expect them to win by less than seven points or by more than fourteen points, and I'll throw it out there.
I'm going by more than fourteen.
John, because it's a rookie quarterback in his first start, and just randomly, I went around and looked at first starts by top five quarterbacks through the history of well for the last twenty years.
Of rookie quarterbacks, and most of them start off with at least two interceptions.
So I'm gonna say that the Jaguars win by more than fourteen points because I expect this offense to be able to score and I think that the rookie.
Will give the ball up a couple of times.
I'm gonna go with.
Less than seven, but I believe they're gonna win by ten. And the reason I think that is I think they're gonna lead late and then get a pull away touchdown late because I think they're gonna be leading late and get a turnover, get something that happens and sort of makes the score look better.
But for the purposes of your question, my friend, I'll do lesson.
You think it'd be close all the way and then at the end, Yeah.
I think it's gonna be close because I think I think Richardson will do enough weird stuff to keep them in it and make the fans angry with me.
They're always angry with you. John, What's or this or that?
This week it is.
Do the Juars score more or less than twenty seven points? And JP Shaddrick Arstin Khley got pointed out yesterday that Jedwars have never scored more than twenty seven at Indianapolis. It feels like this team, I think they'll score twenty eight to thirty. So I think they'll score more than that, and I think the days of them not scoring more than that up there.
Are coming to an anger. I think this team's gonna score a lot for a long time.
Yeah, I say they score twenty seven or more. I'm going with thirty one. I think this is a thirty one to seventeen kind of ball game.
All right. I think that's fair. Mine is similar in expectations to what we can expect from the offense as well, because when you're talking about scoring twenty seven or plus out of the gate, that means an offense that's working. Well. Mine's about Calvin Ridley. Everybody's been talking about the new weapon. Are we gonna see him come out of the gate, have one hundred plus yards a touchdown or two and all this right out of the gate? Or is this
something that's gonna build a chemistry with Trevor Lawrence. We're gonna get more of a breakout game later in the year. I'm going with I think it'll be a slow burn. I think that we will see flashes from him, but I don't know if we're going to see that crazy connection right out of everything in game one yet.
I don't know what stats we're gonna see from Calvin, but I don't think it's gonna take him long. DIACI made the Trevor Lawrence we saw in training camp. The suddenness and the speed is really impressive out of Calvin Ridley. Maybe the stats don't show up because I think maybe teams know about.
Him and to try to take him away.
But I don't think you're gonna see a feel of Jaguars fans wondering why they got this guy. I just don't know if the numbers are gonna follow it. I think he's gonna be fine out of the gate.
If you're Gus Bradley and you look at the Jaguars offense, who are you saying we've got to.
Stop him at all costs? Right? I mean, I think number one is Calvin.
Ridley, and so I think you'll see them roll their coverages his way, not wanting to give up the big play and thinking that with Shack Leonard in the middle there they can keep things in front of them. I mean, that's kind of the way you play with the cover three. So my guess is, and that's Gus Bradley's based defense.
So my guess is is that Jay Jones is a guy who's gonna have a big day because I think they're gonna be so worried about him and Ingram beating them for the short yardage underneath and what Christian Kirk can do for them at Travis ETN. I think Say Jones is a guy this year who's gonna have a huge year. He's gonna be the beneficiary of defense, is looking at some other things, and he is a guy with deceptive speed and big playability.
So I think the big day on Sunday.
Lots of weapons, lots of options. We'll see what they end up doing on Sunday. Coming up in our next segment, we're gonna do a zone mail bag. John will share his wisdom with us and answer all your questions. He'll stay with us for ten years. Dreamfinders' Homes has been proud to call themselves the official homebuilder of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Visit dreamfinders homes dot com for all of the available inventory and go Jags please.
Podcasts Friday, Oh.
All right, it's your favorite time of the week. John O's You're just gonna share his wisdom with us, answer your most written in questions, what you need to know. So we're gonna start out with one of our uh, one of our viewers, I guess I put it there, one of our readers, one of John's readers. I'll say so. From Omaha bar and Key injury. She says she believes that the Tea will be at least thirteen and four in the regular season. Do you think the win total is too low, too high, or just right?
Well, I think it's too high, and I'm not I'm not trying to criticize Sue here, but thirteen wins in the regular.
Seasons a lot.
I'm with Sue. I mean, let's do this.
For a team they are nine last year.
I think it's a smidge too of I'm going eleven or twelve wins for this team. I think eleven or twelve is a good total for any team in the NFL. So I think it's a touch too high, which doesn't mean I don't think they're good. I just think thirteen you need a lot to go right. You need to play well every week, you need to not have things go against you certain weeks, and you need to be healthy all season.
So I think thirteen is tough.
Yeah, I mean, there's just so many examples of you don't know who's going to be healthy or who's not. I mean, so right now, Kansas City fans say, well, you know we're at home defending champs Thursday, night against the lines. Well, it appears to gonna play without Travis Kelce and Chris Jones.
Has it reported yet We're.
Still so confident about that, right, You just don't know over the course of an entire season and now a seventeen week season, who's going to be there and who's not gonna be there. So saying that we're gonna be thirteen and four is like saying, well, we're gonna be healthy all year. That just feels a little bit off to me. So I was an eleven win team. I mean I thought last year they should have won a
couple more games. And to me it makes sense. You know, eleven twelve wins is about It feels like you could overcome some injuries here and there. By the way, what a Travis Kelce has a knee issue and doesn't play for three or four weeks.
And Chris Jones is a year for week two?
Yep?
Okay, I mean you just don't know. The injury situation is really what drives things in this league.
Yes, that's why we don't like to predict or I like to predict anyway else.
Else speaker, you just did you said, well soon and I.
Are on the same page. We're gonna We're gonna go We're gonna go big or go home. All right, Our next writer slash viewer here is gonna be Bradley from Sparks, Nevada. Do you think the Jags have the most balanced offense when compared with the other AFP elite.
So tough to say that most balanced?
Yeah, he says Nanny's pretty balanced, so it's Buffalo. Yeah, So I don't know if they're significantly more balanced. I'll say this, they're really balanced, the Jags, And I think what's gonna happen. The reason I chose this question. I think they're gonna surprise people and maybe even fans with how well they can run. So it's a fair point they might wind up the end of the season with everybody around the NFL talking about how balanced they are.
So I think they have a chance to be the correct answer to this question.
I just don't know yet.
Well, Well, we look at the AFC, though, John, I mean the Chargers, the Chiefs, We talked about the Bengals and the Bills. What what about the Jets, right, I mean, they've got Dalvin Cook all of a sudden to go with breeze Hall, who's back, and Aaron Rodgers and their defenses we saw last year on that Thursday night before Christmas really good. So I don't think there are any
more balance. But they're right there in the mix for being one of those balanced teams in the AFC, and that's what they needed to be.
And I think the offensive line gives them a little leg up to because youre talking about the Jets. Their offensive line is a mess. So like, I'll give them skill set players, but they're really you know, you count all eleven there and I don't really see a hole at this point. Again, some of that needs to be proven with some of the younger guys like Tank Bigsby or you know, the tight ends if Brenton Stranger is in there on the two tight end sets. But it's there.
We'll just have to wait and see what we actually get out of it, all right. Our final question in the ozone mail bag comes from Nick and he wants to know are we gonna see Gardner Minshew play on Sunday.
I don't, and I understand the question. You've got a rookie quarterback for the Colts, so Minshew usually plays in that situation where things break down. I don't think barring injuried Anthony Richardson. I don't think they'll go away from him and play Minshew in week one. That would surprise me. But Minshew is a presence that if Shane Stykeen is thinking I'm gonna give Richardson a chance in games until I want to see Minshew, that doesn't feel right to me.
So I don't think you'll see it.
Do you know at credit Gardner Minshew, who has never backed down, he seems to have figured out his role here. I mean he said when Anthony was named the starter, I support him.
I think he's going to be starr in the league. Connect the dots.
He came with Shane steik And and Sdyke and had to tell him when he signed him, we're going to draft quarterback at four, so understand your role. And both of them are coached by the same off the field coach, well not off the field budge away from the franchise coach, Danny Thompson, who's a guy who has a facility.
Here in Mandarin.
So you get the sense that Minshee's perspective has been shaped on where he fits. I mean, it doesn't no, I don't think we're going to see him, because I think you're gonna want Richardson to understand, if it's good, here's how we play. If it's bad, here's how we get through it and keep going. There's no point to put Minshew in. If Richardson's going to be your guy,
he's gonna be the guy. And I think for the first time in his career, Minshew looks and says, we Chase Daniel made forty two million bucks as a backup quarterback. I can live a really nice life on that. I'm gonna do that. Mark Brunell played nineteen years right, he made a lot of money as a backup quarterback. I think Gardner looks and says, I'm okay.
It's not the worst job in the world to wear a baseball cap and hold a clipboard.
Once in a while. No, and he's a competitor.
He wants to play, no doubt, but he understands the circumstances in the situation.
So and I do think if we do see Gardner Minshew, it's a bad situations. That means, unfortunately, either Richardson got hurt, because mentally, you don't wanna you're putting your rookie in there. They're putting the faith in him. You don't want to take him out and put someone else in, even if you're down for touchdowns.
Well, you went unpredictable.
Yeah, I mean, Minshew kind of screws with your game plan because he is entirely unpredictable.
Oh maybe it is a game. Well, maybe we will see him.
I don't think we will.
All right, Well, John says nose. And that was and that was who you wrote into and who you wanted the answer from. So that's the final word. Stay with us. We'll be right back, DAGs fans. If you want customized Jaguars furniture for your home, check out zipchair dot com to browse all custom customizable options. Zip chair is furniture for fans. All right, it's finally game week. We're gonna fully preview the matchup against the Colts on Thursday. But
we're gonna hear from Doug today. We're gonna hear for Trevor today. What are you open to hear? You know from them in terms of what they're doing for preparing for week one?
Oh, I think you'll hear what you expect.
They're fired up, they're ready, They know that even though they're favored against the Colts, you got to go up there and do it.
I think you'll see. I think Brian, you'll hear the normal week one stuff.
Yeah, nobody wants to step too four out, you know, on the ladder there and risk falling over and falling flat on your face.
But I think the one thing about.
This quarterback in this coach is their relationship and Trevor's maturity level and leadership ability and just overall mastery of the situation that he's in with Doug and his experience.
I love listening at these.
Guys talk about the different matchups week to week. So I'm excited for this today. I'm excited for tomorrow. I'm excited for Friday. Bring it on, let's go.
Absolutely, r I'm excited.
Let's go.
We're going to talk about the game tomorrow. We've got going across the sidelines if you will, with our Cults Insiders. We preview the matchup for Sunday, so make sure you join us tomorrow on Jack XAM. On Thursday, we'll see then