Welcome to jag xam at Kennannie Stevens, Brad Sexton, John Osier with me.
We're coming to you from the Grove.
Hotel outside Watford in England, north of London. We've got a little English tea settled here for you today, John, you brought your own cup though. All right, let's think it's a big thing. You got some stuff to talk about. Team obviously going to be here for the week. They're preparing to take on the Patriots at Winboro Stadium on Sunday. Start up with big Thing number one, which is on
the move. Overnight trade news coming down as Roy Robertson Harris headed to Seattle, a pretty long flight heading from London all the way to Seattle for future draft picks for this team. Brian A bit of a surprise to maybe be doing this in the middle of London week, but then again, when you're one in five, not much of a surprise about anything.
I'm not surprised because Trent Balkey and I had a conversation back during training camp and he wanted to see Mason Smith on the field. He wanted to see young players in the lineup, and Mason's played better the last
couple of weeks and Roy has been okay. And I got the distinct impression, you know, from that last night, that that's Trent saying it's time to move on and get young guys in the lineup, not you know, flushing the season and saying we can't turn this thing around and win some games, but just deciding I'm gonna win with Mason Smith over the long haul more than I'm going to win with Roy Robertson Harris.
Yeah. And if you remember, Roy played a lot in the fourth quarter of preseason games, which is usually a sign that they're trying to figure out something on those lines. Look, he as a second free agent, meaning he signed as a free agent for another team. He was on his second contract here, gave this team what two or three solid years twenty twenty one. They got out from under the rest of the contract. So you know, it's I've got a lot of emails in the day or so
since it happened. Is this a fire sale? You know, Look, if you continue to be one and whatever, Yeah, at some point you started looking at those things, But I don't think it'll make It has to be a trend where all of a sudden everybody's out the door right now.
No, just one memory on Roy as he goes out the door. He had a couple of big tackles at the end of that Chargers playoff game in twenty twenty two that set up the punt that got the ball back to the Jaguars were just over two minutes to play for that game winning field goal drive. So you know, he wasn't a superstar. He's not a Pride of the Jaguars kind of guy. But he made a couple of plays in a very important game, and for that I'm grateful for that.
We'll talk a little bit about what that means for the defense coming up a little bit later on in the show, but we do want to talk second big thing, roster versus team John. We've talked about this roster coming into the season. We felt like individuals spots on the roster were good and solid. But this team isn't playing well right now. So what's the dynamics of that. When we look at maybe positions and feel like things are okay, but then the team isn't really working out.
Well, I kind of wonder. Frankly, I think it's a good roster. I think there are good players on the roster. What they haven't shown this year is are there enough elite players that make big plays and key situations. I think there's a lot of guys who are NFL starters. I don't know or they haven't shown that there are guys who make huge plays at the end of games. I think Brian Thomas Junior is trending that way. I think Trevor Lawrence can be that. I think Josh Allen,
Trayvon Walker are those guys at times. Do they have enough great players on the roster to be better than this? Right now? They don't because they're not better than this. But you know, if you're asking specific spots that can be better, clearly this secondary can be better. It has been very good yet this year, but it's also been beat up. I think you sort of knew that was a concern going in, Brian. I've said since day one, you know where I'm going with it. When there's a
secondary that's questionable, the front has to be huge. And how many times I said during the preseason, if this team is going to be great defensively, the front must be great defensively. If it's not, it's not gonna be very good defensively, I'm not sure the entire front has been good enough yet.
No, it hasn't been as good in the middle, right, I mean, which is why they feel comfortable in saying, all right, well, let's take a six round pick for Roy Robertson Harris and move Mason Smith. By the way, Jordan Jefferson made a couple of big plays.
In the ball game.
He as saying the big meaning, you know, he moved guys physically from one gap to another in the running game and it was impressive to watch. So there's some young talent that they think they can get more from. Get more from John is kind of where I'm at right now. I think it's a good roster too. Is it the best roster that the Jaguars have ever had? No, it's clearly not. If it was, it wouldn't be one and five. But they can get more from this roster.
I had a long conversation with Bucky Brooks in the post game after the post game at Tottenham the other day, and you know, his enduring thought was, they've got a whittle it down to what they can do what they do well, and not try to think about how you can build on things until you get back to being
productive and effective with what you do well. And that's both sides of the ball, right, whether it's the the underneath stuff that worked so well against the Colts and getting back to that, or whether it's not rotating as much on the defensive side and keeping guys on the field more. Because that rotation has been a storyline so far through the first six games of the season. It's about getting more from the roster from this point forward.
I want to catch the balls too.
Yeah, I did mention that the other day.
I mean it's a thought, clearly. I mean, approach is one thing, just making plays when they're there, which seems like a refrain. We've gone over and over this year as an us to make the darn play well.
And I want to be clear on this. Getting more from the roster isn't just on the coach is simplifying, right, It's guys getting the most out of their talent, catching the ball, making the tackle and.
Making silly mistakes when you do make it exactly. Our final big thing today is going to be about streaks. Streaky this team has been, especially under Doug Peterson, started poorly in twenty twenty two, ended well, started well, last year, ended poorly, started poorly here. This team tends to when they're good, they're good, and when they're not doing well, they slide. How Brian, do you work around that and try to get yourself out of this so this doesn't turn into another multi game thing.
I think it's important to point out because we both just said that the roster is a pretty good roster. There isn't any reason why they can't turn it on on Sunday. And I get it. The Patriots have a rookie quarterback, they've lost five straight games, they've got a brand new coach. So if the Jaguars come out and put a number on the Patriots on Sunday, people and go, well, yeah,
they beat the Patriots. But there isn't any reason why they can't create some momentum here, start playing good football, which they haven't yet this year, and try to turn that side a bit around. I mean, what's a strong finish? I mean they started strong last year and then it just went on hill and it's started at the bottom of the hill and it's gone down a little lower. Do they have to go eat in three? You probably have to go eight in three for it to be a strong.
Yeah, I would say eight and three, you still got to be over five hundred, and eight and three would get them over five hundred. That seems a distant dream right now the way they're playing. But think about it. I was look at this season like this. So far, you've had two awful games. The rest of them, you've had a chance. The Houston Texans might be as good as anything in the league right now save a couple of teams at the top, and the Jaguar should have
beaten them. So can this team get to that point where it has a chance at the end of games against good teams, Yes, clearly it can't. Can they make those key plays at the end of those games against good teams? They have to show that. But if they do it, it's there. But I can't predict that right now the way they've played. Well, you know, it was the Cowboys got clobbered at home of what was that forty seven or nine. I mean, they got beat badly
by the Detroit Lions. And Mike McCarthy came out the next day and he's been under they're three and three, and he said, I relish the chance to turn this thing around.
Well, what else is he supposed to say. I mean, he's getting mocked in the media about that, but you know they've got they've got eleven games left to play as well. I kind of like to see Doug Peterson or the players step up and kind of say that thing. Maybe they're they're thinking it, but you make that line in the sand and go, we can turn this around, and we want to turn it around, and we're going to turn it around something along those lines, because at
this point you got to go and prove it. You've got to go and get it done. And I guarantee you kuy they believe that they can win Sunday, and they believe they can win the next Sunday. They they don't lack in a confidence perspective from their ability to go out on the field on Sunday and think enough of themselves to go win.
So I think one nighth difficult for him is when you've lost ten of twelve. Yeah, I know after games, if I'm a player, I am a little self conscious about saying the same thing I said before, which is that we can get it turned around. So I know they're feeling that. I kind of get why the players are hesitant. Even Trevor said the other day, I can't sit up here and say everything. I'm paraphrasing, but he said, I can't sit up here and say everything's great or
pound the table because you've heard that before. So there's a little bit of a hesitancy on that. But I get the feeling. I do get to feeling, and I'm saying, you don't have to pound the table, just say we can turn it around. It starts on Sunday. We got to turn it around. We believe we can turn it around. There's not a lot of energy for this team in the fan base, and nobody was surprised by that. The way to turn it around is to go win the
next one. Go win the next one. You remember they lost those five games in a row in twenty twenty two after starting two and one, and they were all one score games at the end, and the question was every week, Doug, what's it going to take for your team to get over the top. Doug, how do you win a close game at the end? You know, Doug what's going on, and he just kept being patient and patient and patient and knew that at some point they get it done. And then they did against the Raiders
and things started to go their way. So maybe they need one of those come from behind games, because I remember they were down seventeen nothing to the Raiders in that game. Maybe they need one of these come from behind to believe enough in themselves to start it. The cool thing kai the NFL is always nice enough to give you another opportunity.
Absolutely eleven more. All right, stay with this here on jackson We're going to talk about what we might see as far as changes go to the defensive side.
Of the football when we come back.
For eleven 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. Welcome back into Jags Weekend, JAG's Weekend. Jags am here as we're in the UK, I mean a beautiful library, very much different than our normal setting, but I'll take it and clearly forgetting what show I'm hosting, but it is nice to be here and be able to talk a little bit about what the defense is going to be doing. We talked about some of the changes we might see. Obviously they allowed the Bears to score at thirty five points, so we're gonna see changes regardless.
We have seen Tyson Campbell on the practice field. He's going to practice this week. His practice window has opened. We don't know if he will be playing yet, but that's something to consider, especially with what we've seen from the secondary. John.
How helpful is it going to mean to get Tyson back?
Well, my vibe is that he'll be back. Doug didn't say it on Monday, but the way he talked about it, it sort of felt like he'll be back. Look, he's your best player in the secondary, or he better be with the way you paid him, and I think he is. I don't know that he's a takeaway aside of the field guy, Brian, but he is a guy who makes you better at a spot. Certainly he would give you
confidence being back there. Look, I don't think one guy is going to fix everything, but one guy can raise your level and then over time, if you get Dewey back, who is very consistent, Probably not this week, right, I don't know if he's your best athlete in the secondary, but he might be your most instinctive player and your best tackler. So if you can get some guys back, it'll help. But even with those guys, Frankly, I think it's still more about the front not having those guys
under as much pressure. But Tyson would improve it. I don't disagree. The front's got to get it done. However, you know, they were really happy with the way that Tyson was playing in the first half in Miami before he injured that hamstring. And what I think he allows you to do is to move Ronald Darby into a different role and get Monteric Brown over on the other
side of the field. Monterrek has earned the right to think so he's played really, really well, not just in coverage, but up against the run for one hundred and eighty five pounds. I mean, that guy throws himself in there against the run like few cornerbacks you see in the modern game. And that then allows you to get Darby some rest. I mean, he's a ten year veteran, get
him into a different role. You got a couple of other young guys, Trey Prince in particular, that is probably going to see some time on the field over the second half of the season. So maybe you get faster in the second deary and a little bit more athletic. Hopefully that factors into it as well well. And had to bring another position into it, Dewey monterre Ventrel Meller. These guys, you know, just play with energy, right and it just feels like that group. And Tyson does too,
he's more cornerbacks. Is hard to play with it you with energy, but those three guys, it just feels like getting them on the field, you would have a little bit of an emotional lift for a team looking for something right now.
Now that being said, because we talk about young guys, and we've been talking about them a lot, there is an older guy that you might get this week, right to Sean Gibson, who can come back this week if he's cleared by the league, And as of Monday, the coach still hadn't heard, you know, direct verification from the league.
But you're talking about a ten year veteran who was in San Francisco last year and was in Chicago before that, and had spent some time with the Jags, a veteran guy who could give you a lift perhaps at the safety position, which was a little better last week but still not good enough.
Ran When you talk about using Darby in a different role. Is that just not having him on the field as much. Do you see him kind of in a different place in the secondary or how would you do it, because obviously we saw him struggle against the Bears.
Well, I'd move Monteric over there. The different role would be he'd be a backup. He'd be a guy who'd come in, you know, when I need to give a guy a break, if a guy's got an injury, you know, he's the break glass in case of emergency, bring the veteran back out on the field. I just think Monterrek Brown is a guy who's been rising the last couple of years, and has been rising since he went into the lineup. And if Tyson Campbell's your one, I mean, who's number two to.
You, well, Monteric. My sense is they may make that transition slowly. I got to feel like the transition's coming. I don't know if it would be immediate, but I just can't see him taking that long because Monterics aren't.
Yeah, he's too bad to take Monteric off the field at this point. I agree.
We talked a little bit about Roy Roberts and Harrison getting Harris getting traded to Seattle, so that opens up a spot. We talked a lot about the subbing that they've done on the defensive side of the football. They were using Roy at times on the edge as well, because they're isn't a ton of edge players on this team. So what do you think, John, are some of the changes we're gonna be seeing now that they have one less player there.
That's a good question because it has frankly been sort of hard to follow and figure out what they're doing upfront because they don't have very many defensive ends. So Trayvon and Josh, I've got to think, and I get the want to rotate those guys. Got to think those guys need to be on the field more. At that point. Eric Armstead is the other guy in the rotation. You'll move somebody out, but I don't want to be like
a cute about it. But I'm not sure who does go out now, because Roy Robinson Harris was one of those four guys out there, Miles Cole will come up. You need a big dose to that. So I think it's Armstead, Cole and the two stalwarts and inside Brian. It's been a lot of guys but not a lot of guys who've distinguished themselves yet, so they're gonna get more of an opportunity.
But two guys that fly both in the last couple of weeks, in particular last week Jordan Jefferson Sure and Mason Smith, and it's time. It is time and listen. Jordan Jefferson's a really big, strong guy and he was moving people when you see that. If you're Ryan Nielsen, you want more of that. He's young, you know he can play more snaps, So you get him in there. You've got to Devon Hamilton. Mason Smith will be in
there and listen. Maybe I'm the only guy. I'm not the only guy that thinks that Eric Armstead should take
some snaps inside as well. He was a Pro Bowl caliber interior pass rusher in a three technique in San Francisco, and what we've heard is he came here to play in but you just don't see the same explosion, the same quick twitch from Eric Armstead kai at end that you see from forty one and forty four, but interior, with his length and his strength, I would think he would be able to give you some snaps in there too.
I couldn't agree more I sort of wonder with the numbers, who you play out there.
If he will play out there. I mean, he looks like it's six, So be interesting to see how that plays out. Let's put it that way for me.
Unless Trayvon or Josh asks off the field, I would want them at this point on the field.
Yeah, I want them on.
It's not entirely unusual. Let's clarify. For that position to do that, it rotates some. They rotate a little more than I've seen before. You have to rotate a little bit on the defensive line because you're past rushing and it takes a lot out of you. So you're not going to see one hundred percent snaps out of those guys. To me, what's interesting is there's an opportunity now in the middle of the defense because nobody's really distinguished themselves there.
There's more of an opportunity than I thought there would be for Mason Smith and Jordan Jefferson to shine this year.
Let's talk a little bit about just the offenside of the football. We heard Travis Etn dealing with an injury now himself, so week to week is how Doug Peterson described it on Monday, so he may be missing some time. With what we've seen from Tank. We've been talking about get Tank more carries, but I noticed that they've been using Dearnest a lot specifically. Still when we talk about Tank in pass coverage. You know whether he can handle that.
He hasn't been trusted with it a lot in the past, and I noticed in this game they really went leaned towards Dearnest, especially late when they had to throw the football. Is that trust still there? Because we talk about the trust and it's fine when you're winning, but then sometimes with games like this, and he also fumbled the ball in this game, is it still there?
I would say that they did not trust him as much as they trusted Dearnest that much. It's clear you can say that how much they trust him. We'll have to hear from Doug and Press this week. But he's going to have to be on the field. I mean, he he's a playmaker. The last couple of weeks he's made some plays. You need to try to replicate that. And Dearnest is dependable and can make some plays, but he's he's not Tank bigspeople, so and you don't really have a throw.
He's very reliable in pass protection as a pass receiver. That's not Tank's strengths. So they're trying give them credit for trying to get the best players on the field for a given situation, and that clearly still is not yet Tank in terms of being I'm gonna use the old terminology a third down back. You know, when you look at Tank, you really don't think, hey, this is a guy that we need to be on the field
on third and seven a lot. It'd be better on second and three when you have the option given in the ball. So he if Travis is out for very long, he's gonna need to play that role. But it doesn't feel like they're that comfortable with him in that yet, and they can do some things to help. But Breton Strange has emerged as a really good blocking tight end. They can do some things with him in terms of protection schemes and finding ways to help the quarterback as well.
Stay with us here on Jagsam. Coming up, we'll talk a little bit about what's been going on around the division. Seafield's first Tracksonville's premier luxury auto group. Go to Fieldsauto dot Com. Welcome back into here. Two Jags Am. We are just northwest of London as we're here for the week as team prepares for their game at Wembley Stadium
against the Patriots. We got a little bit of a preview of what we may see this week because the Patriots quarterback Drake May, drafted this year, started his first game for the team, played against the Texans this week and this will be this second week in a row we're gonna see a rooie quarterback. Hopefully it fairs a little bit better than the first time around.
Through three touchdown passes last week so for the game was out of control. But for the Patriots fans who hung around, they got to see the new era in full swing, right, new coach, new quarterback.
Yeah, they like where he's headed. He's making his second start. I think the clarification here is that the Patriots, by any measure as a franchise right now, are not where the Bears are. The Bears felt like they were an ascending team, believe during the season that they were adding a rookie quarterback to a already a certainty. The Patriots very much have a plan for Drake May, and they realize that they are a team that is in the
first year of a build. So I think Jared Mayo said this week as a matter of fact, look, this is not an immediate fix. I'm paraphrasing him, but he made clear that there's a long way to go in their build. Yeah.
The way they've been going about the process as well, choosing not to start him right out of the gate to kind of get him used to things. Their offensive line has more issues than what we've been dealing with, which is impressive at times, and so there will be opportunity there. Obviously we know their record it shows as well, but just a lot of injury for that team.
And Jacoby Brissett through two touchdown passes in the first five games, and then may comes in and throws three. So right away, they're telling you with this kid.
And they have receivers.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I spoke with Mike Rice this week of ESPN, who's as good as on the Patriots as anybody. They fooled some people, he thought by winning their first game and the expectations win. They wayne wins very much. They're's going to be a bill. They won their first game, right said, Oh, it might be further along. He said,
they're not further on than that. This season for the Patriots is about let's see where Drake may is at the end of the year, and if he's good, if they know he's as sending, then they feel like it's a good year. That's not an unusual situation for a bill, but that's where the Patriots are.
Elsewhere in the AFC South, we see the Colts got to win over the Titans as Anthony Richards is still not back atty I think he was the emergency third string quarterback, but still going with Joe Flacco at this point, they're at three and three, the Titans struggling at one in five, and we've seen I did want to mention our old friend Calvin Ridley not happy with the quarterback situation over there, which I mean we saw is he got frustrated at times here as well, but he's definitely
frustrated in Nashville at this point.
Well when he signed with the Titans, I mean, Levice is this big armed quarterback, but he's very inaccurate. And then of course you compound that with Calvin, who didn't really run precise routes. I thought that was going to be a match made in discord from the very beginning. But he took the money right. He wanted the money, he got it. They were willing to design him at Jacksonville and give Hm an opportunity to work with a more proficient quarterback, and he took the money over it.
So Calvin, you get what you signed for.
I did enjoy it, though it was It was interesting.
It'll be fun, it'll be interesting to watch.
It was interesting because the Titans fans had a lot to say about it when it was happening in Jacksonville.
Now that it's over there, it's it's not a thing anymore.
And a word on the Colts. The Colts have to me done an impressive job early in the season when things have been tricky and rocky, they have managed to keep themselves a full three and three. They feel like they're having the kind of season that I wish the Jaguars had had so far. Mean, he's been rocky. If the Jaguars could have gotten a couple, then they're three and three and you feel like you're so kind of hanging on. The Colts have been able to do that,
so as a result, they're still alive. I'm not sure how great the Colts are, but they have managed to keep themselves in a position where now if they get on a run, they're okay for this franchise. You know, at one to five, I think the Jaggons are capable of a run. Yeah, but the whole early on you gotta do what the Colts have done, which is sort of hang on and scrape and be in position when you do put it together. And that's what's too bad about this thing.
That grit. I mean, they just they they put themselves in a position. And they've got a couple of players. I mean, Jonathan Taylor's a home run shitter when he's healthy. Unfortunately for Hima has been healthy, and I think Michael Pittman's a good receiver. I think the Downs kid has the potential to be really good. And then of course, if they can get a couple of guys back on their defensive front, if they could just hang around Apps, they'll be in the mix. When it's all said and done.
The Jaguars have to climb, Yeah, they really have to climb, and it's got to be a much more dramatic. But when we talk about that's a great example, John, when we talk about, you know, toughness, toughness for a team that's been assured as they are. Here's three and three. That's really to you.
Right away to win at the end, and yeah, nobody cares if you played bad or not.
No find a way say with here on Jagsamon will be right back to tell you exactly what we have going on the rest of the week. Jags fans, do you want customized Jaguars furniture for your home? Check out zipchair dot com for all the customer misable options. Zip chair is furniture for fans.
Hey, you gotta crush the Flogget on them, bro, everybody, everybody mean not the cue me not in a que timbo tibo tembo. I will quit, Oh I will, I will.
That's on you.
Stay to yother, baby, stay to yother.
Strayvon Walker miked up in that game against the Bears trying to corral Caleb Williams.
That was gonna be a great play.
It was gonna be a great play. That's just in my mind. It will always be a great play.
We just unfortunately didn't get the end result we wanted. I do want to take a moment because we celebrated our one hundredth episode last week I did say we were gonna give away some prizes, and we have now our winner of that trivia question, which was how many players have a one hundred yard rushing game in franchise history? Jeremiah for six four? The correct answer is seventeen. Now, Brian, name all of them?
No, I can't, No, No, I can't.
I could probably go through most of the list, but there's a couple of names in there, so Elvis Joseph that s evil would be like who right? I can tell you the first ones Sam Stewart in Saint Louis hundred nineteen yards rushing in October nineteen ninety six, and the most recent, the most regent, was Tanks. Thanks bakes Bank for sure, very good. We didn't make anybody show
their work. So Jeremiah, congratulations. You're gonna get your Fred Taylor throwback jersey, a couple of other odds and ends, a London T shirt and of course jags to riches. If you would like something personalized, John, I'm sure would oblige with a pleasant message in there.
Well, I'll oblige you for the message, a pleasantry.
A pleasantry of some kind. All right, what are you guys up to? This week obviously, we practice here at the Grove north of London for a couple more days and then back at Wembley.
I'm going to catch up with offensive line coach Phil Rauscher for the first time this year. You know, the first three weeks it was rocky for that group, but then they appear to have stabilized and found ground in the quarterback had time to stand up in the pocket. So he's also the run game coordinator for this team, and the running game has been working really well. So we should have a lot to talk about with Phil.
I'm gonna have tea with it's you. You're gonna have tea with Walker, I mean with Cam Little and Mason Smith. Yeah, that'll be fun. I talked about Terrek Brown for thee O Zone podcast. Looking forward to it.
Absolutely all right, stay with us. Will be back on JAGXAM on Thursday. Get you all ready for that game against the Patriots.