Jags A.M. Podcast Ep. 111 | Stopping Vikings Offense, Who Will Play QB, Shell Whites & More

Welcome to jag Zam this morning. I'm kind of Annie Stevens, Brian Sexton and John Ozer are with of me. We're gonna talk about the Jaguars Viking game coming up this Sunday, but I'm not entirely sure who's gonna be out on.

The field for the Jaguars at this point.

Let's start out with big thing one, which is QB, who Trevor Lawrence banged up in the game against the Eagles, the team bringing in backup quarterback c Ja Besards to back up the other backup quarterback, Matt Jones. So we heard from Trevor Lawrence earlier this.

Week talking about whether he'd be ready for game TEB.

That's the goal. I'm gonna doing everything I can to be out there, you know, and if I gets in the past, I've gotten banged up in the past, and I just try to do everything I can do and the week concern myself to play Sunday and just pretty much time as possible into that and getting healthy. So that's that's the way my my mind is right now.

Brand We saw Trevor Lawrence battle through a lot of injuries last year. He played without practicing without trying to rest throughout the week. Didn't always go that well for him, especially in that kid. At the end of last season, they brought in mac Jones for this purpose. Are we gonna see Trevor Lawrence?

Do you think?

I don't think so.

Now.

Listen, I assumed on Monday when I made my little hay, I think the Jaguars will win this Sunday prediction. I assumed that Trevor was going to play, So I'm just gonna go the other way and assume that he's not. Although I think the tell there was that's the goal. That's what I'm trying to do. Look, he had a lot of time last year in over six weeks. He learned that it isn't disseasy to do. I mean, your body may say no when your heart and mind say yes.

I just didn't.

Yeah, I think he's gonna try and He's shown that he's willing CJ. Bethard the Mammy Dolphins practice squad to be the backup to Mac Jones, which means you're keeping CJ on the roster for at least three weeks. That tells I think everybody that there's a serious chance to everyone play. So I'm going to lean toward not just because of the.

Tea leaves and something.

We'll keep an eye and see what his availability is in practice as this week goes along.

Our big thing Number two is going to be year three.

We're looking ahead to that matchup with the Vikings this week and Kevin O'Connell, head coach over there in Minnesota.

Is entering his third season.

And when you look at this offense, Brian, when we've seen what they've done with Sam Darnold and this year after drafting a quarterback and then bringing him in, it's been impressive to see on offensive sets football.

Well, he comes from the Sean McVay, you know, Shanahan kind of mold of a young bright offensive mine. But they were sort of grasping when they grabbed Sam Donald. I don't think there's any way that they could have looked and said, well a right. Sam Donald was the fourth pick by the Jets and they let him go, and he went to the Panthers and they let him go when he went to San Francisco for a year. I mean, maybe maybe Shanahan shared some knowledge with him

Yeah, I think you're gonna see Sam Donald type stories more around the league.

You're seeing it with Baker Mayfield.

These guys come in and you know, the more I think about this last couple of weeks as I sort of focused on it, I think the league's broken when it comes to trying to develop young quarterbacks. They have to play too soon, the expectations, then you're out the door. So I think Sam Donald's an example of I think a trend you're gonna see which means nothing to the Jaguars this week. The point is they've got to play this guy. And the Vikings are a lot better than

And this is a solid team.

Right hey, don't forget Jared Goff is a reclamation story of his own and he may have the best football team out there right now with the seven and one Lions. And the guy in Seattle was reclaimed a couple of different times, so it's going to be a hot storyline because the lack of patients in developing these guys, the sense that you've got to go all in right now.

I mean c J.

Stroud, who was so good as a rookie. It's been pretty good this year too. Seems to be the exception to the rule. These guys need some time.

We're seeing with Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young right now as well, so it's be something to keep an eye on for sure. Let's do our final big thing today, which is going to be picked your poison.

We're talking a little.

Bit about the Vikings, who had kind of an inverse season with the Jaguars have been having They've been playing tight games, and they've been finding ways to win. John when we talk about that offense, obviously what they've been able to do with Sam Darnold, but also this defense has been pretty much shut down since Brian Flour.

I've got there.

Well, the defense is good. On offense, justin Jefferson's really good. This is when you looked at this stretch the Jaguars are going into, I guess the filling a lot of people. This was not a game they looked at as maybe the same stretches Detroit or Philly.

But it's good. And if I picked my poison, I.

Think the offense this week, I mean, the Jaguars offense is going to need some above the x's and o's type plays from special players. This is not a defense the Vikings that you're gonna go up and down the field twelve plays. It's my headline later in the show, so won't give it away. But yeah, although I could hear.

It, you're whispering still like that. I'm gonna say the same thing this week that I said last week, and that is if you don't stop Aaron Jones, if you can't make him, if you can't put them in third and long situations, you got no hope of stopping Justin Jefferson.

Anyway.

So this football team last week got a couple of key tackles that Devon Hamilton played so well, made the big tackle that set up the long field goal that they missed to break serve and give the Jaguars offense a chance. The defense has to help the quarterback, no

All right, so far, and Jagzam coming up after the break. We'll talk a little bit more about that Vikings matchup coming on Sunday. Welcome back to Jagzam, brought to you by Fields Auto Group, Jackson Bill's premier luxury auto group. You can head over to Fieldsauto dot com.

Welcome you back in.

The Jaguars are going to take on the Vikings in their Salute to Service game this weekend and as they come to town. You're very talented team. We've been talking about it a little bit, but we're going to look into that a little bit more. One of the players that's coming back, very familiar to Jaguars fans, came Robinson traded there last week. I already played one game, so it's been a couple of weeks since he's been gone, but he's already been impressive in his first performance.

Cam being the first a veteran player with over ninety starts, he knows how to play the game. I thought, for a guy that showed up, and I used the play style term a lot. He probably only heard it about one hundred times, you know, which is a low number most of our players will tell you.

But that showed up.

I mean his physicality in the run game. Maybe the technique might not have been perfect, but his length and strength and able to you know, come off the rock when we needed him to, depending on if we were running to his side or he was on the back side of a run.

That showed up to me.

Ryan, we very familiar with Cam's style and we know he'll be up for this game for sure. What are we going to see from Cam? This might be the best game we see from Cam. Yeah.

I mean we heard the stories that he was animated when he lost his starting job, so you know, there's a little bur under the saddle there, and the fact that the Jaguars traded him he was the longest tenured player here and that they were willing to move on. There wasn't a real cohesive feeling between the organization and came. At least from my third person perspective, it felt like it was a little bit disjointed this year. So I

Yeah.

The end in the NFL is usually not how you feeling. Yeah, because you're leaving. You don't want to leave. Look, Cam's fun. Cam will be up for this, probably some pushing at least some shoving.

As I've said a couple times this.

Week, I fully expect that at some point in the future, Cam will be embraced. Cam will embrace the organization. He was here for eight years. He liked being here.

This is not the weekend for embracing now.

It'll be fun. Cam gets motivated by things like that. He's a street ball type guy. He likes the scrap and I think I'm not saying he's gonna be fights, but you know there's gonna be motivation. And you know what, Brian, this is the kind of storyline makes it fun.

Especially when you go at you and seventeen right, you need a little something to juice it up. I also think that if you're Cam Robinson, you appreciate Kevin O'Connell, you know, praising you, not just in front of your team, but in front of the media. Because he's gonna be a free agent in eight more regular season games. They're a playoff team for sure. This gives him an opportunity to stand up and say, hey, I'm still a quality starting left tackle.

I want some more money.

He's auditioning a little bit himself.

Yeah, all right, let's look at what the Vikings are going to bring to town. Doug Peterson talked a little bit. We mentioned Sam Darnold's kind of his resurgence that he's had in Minnesota. And Doun talked to a little bit about what Sam Donald brings to the game.

I think the talent around him, you know, I mean that helps, right, I mean just having having having the run game, the defense, the way the defense is played, you know, being in coach O'Connell's system and in the way he calls plays, I think is helpful. And and look, he's he's always been. He's always been a solid quarterback and whatever team role he's on, I just think now he's learning, maturing and in showing.

That he's capable of doing it.

And that's what you're seeing on on film, you know, taking care of the football. That's a big part of this thing. And and to yes, Justin Jefferson is a you know, obviously an elite receiver in this league that you know can can recavoc on you.

John ruin this press conference yesterday, I think he laughed when someone asked him about what Sam Donald brings and he just laughed and said, well, Justin Jefferson helped us a lot, and I'm sure it does well.

So much of this league can be circumstance just Jeffson certainly helps. He's a guy who's a you know, we all love to talk about true number one. Well, he's a true number one, and a lot of guys get tagged with that and they're not really This guy can beat double coverage, he can beat defenses that are designed to stop him. Also, Sam Donald a lot of quarterbacking in this league. There are guys who can ascend through

Yeah, Listen, when you've already been a bust, right when you've been shipped out of the door by the team that drafted you in the top five and then a backup in Carolina in San Francisco, what do you care what other people think?

I don't think he does.

When I watch him play, he looks like a guy who is out there just functioning, as John said, in a system was really good football players around him, playing and having fun. I mean, he's learned in six previous seasons how to play the game at this level, and now he's got a legitimate opportunity. Remember he wasn't supposed to necessarily be the starter. The McCarthy kid who was drafted out of Michigan with the knee injury, was supposed

There's a little Kurt Warner to it, right.

If you remember back in the day the Rams signed Trent Green to be their quarterback. He gets hurt in the Rams thought, oh my god, it's all over, and then Kurt Warner steps in and becomes a Hall of Famer. So you know, for him, he's in the perfect situation. And six years now, seven years into his NFL career, he just gets to go play.

Yeah, so much of its maturity. Yeah, six years. He now realizes he said nothing to lose, he can come in. He makes a mistake. Why every thought it was my names? Yeah mistake. Anyways, supposed to be here and I don't have to be a hero. So he's got his dough Now he can.

Go put let's touch to the other side of the football. Brian Flora is now their new defensive coordinator coming in this season has given them a different look and and Doug spoke a little bit about what that defense looks like now.

I think coach Fory has just done a great job with the personnel there. He's found roles for their guys. It's a multiple, multiple front disguise defense. They're going to keep, you know, the lid on it. You know, they're not gonna, you know, let a lot of explosive passages, which I think was a year ago, you know, was was was part of the part of the issue there. But they've done a great job I think just just moving guys around on defense and we got veteran guys in spots

For offense, definitely getting the physicality out of them. I'm familiar with Floors is some of his coaching work in New England John and he talked about it on the podcast there today with Bucky Brooks and just what he's been able to dial up with them and for lack of a better word, basically attacking their opponents and kind of making them making those teams adjust to them.

Well, they're really good. They they they blitz.

Well, they've got I think five or three guys with five or more sacks, so it's hard to identify who you have to double. The key to playing this scheme is you have to be patient and and and you have to be very smart and make good quick decisions in the short passing game.

Uh. I think mac Jones can do that.

I mean it's it's uh, this shapes up to me as a game the Jaguars can stay competitive in if they're smart and patient.

Uh.

I think Matt can do that if he's the guy. Uh if he stays over his feet, so to speak, I try to do too much say in the game plan and not panic, which I think he can do.

Explorer is the most successful coach to leave New England. I mean lots of guys did.

He obviously didn't have success as a head coach when he went to Miami, but I would argue he's one of the better coordinators and what he's been able to do Obviously he was in the Steelers last year as well, and he when we talk about how we want our team to be physical and tackle hard and finish, he always gets that out of players and he's really creative. Obviously, the Malcolm Butler play in the Super Bowl, he was kind of in charge of the secondary at that point

The most of his players.

I think it's also worth noting that they let the Neil Hunter walk in free agency, right and are fine apparently, Yeah, right, which is a great lesson, a great lesson. They knew what they had, they knew what they wanted, and incomes a new defensive coordinator and without the Neil Hunter puts together maybe the best defense in football.

Gotta love it.

He was impressive, very much.

So is all right, say us, we're gonna give you our prediction. That's to what the headlines are gonna be on Monday morning. Jag Zam brought to you in part by Settith, Florida's trusted and reliable moving company setteth it's proud to be the official moving company of the Jacksonville Jaguars. To get a guaranteed quote, you can visit set itth dot com.

Slash Jacks.

Welcome back, and we're going to do our best to predict the future as we look to what the headlines are going to be on Monday morning after this game against the Vikings on Sunday, Brian, what do you think we're going to be talking about?

Well, as Afford too mentioned, I on Monday thought that the Jaguars were close last week and just said finally they pushed through. I predicted a win on Monday, so I'm sticking with it.

I go with white hat Hero.

They're wearing white helmets for the very first time in franchise history. Was weird to be on the practice field to just see those. I'm gonna stick with the assumption that Matt Jones will make his first start in a Jaguars uniform, and I think he makes a play and keeps the Vikings off balance early on, the Jaguars get their offense going and find a way to shock people and beat a really good Vikings team.

Well, much like you, Brian, I'm an eternal optimist, and this prediction of mine is full of hope.

And so I'm I'm predicting a Jaguars a win this Tiger's time. Look at the alteration. I like it, hissed Tiger's.

Time would be better.

But you know, Brian Thomas Junior coming out was sort of like Justin Jefferson in the sense that he was sort of the second LSU receiver in his draft. And I think if the Jaguars are gonna win, they may have to gear the offense more toward BTJ than they've done in the past. So maybe this is when we're sitting there watching NFL Network on Sunday night, when they're talking about Brian Thomas Junior instead of Justin Jefferson.

Wow, that would be something mackwell, and it really would.

You could see that being a storyline. That wouldn't mean BTAJA is better yet, right, but if this is a step toward getting there, I think he can get there and he can be that guy. Maybe this is the week he starts to ascend to that level. He's already a pretty good level.

You were in New England at the time the Jaguars passed on Jordan Jefferson or Justin Jefferson. Jordan Jefferson's in their locker room. Now that didn't pass on him on Justin Jefferson in favor of Caleb on Jason. Imagine if you had both of them.

Well, we're gonna get to see it live and in person.

Yeah, but we got our own LSU wide receiver and after as we mentioned, very talented Mac likes to throw it up too, so we might be able to see some of that if he does.

Get to play. Mine is more of the matchup. We talked a little bit about.

It already, but it means a friendly fire between Josh Heinzeln and Cam Robinson because those two went up against each other in practice for what five six years now, so they know each other quite well. I don't know if any love is gonna be lost, because as I mentioned, Cam's probably gonna be as hype as he's been for a game and quite some time, and I think Josh is taking that on himself, is gonna be going at him most of the day as well. So I don't

All right, stay with us.

We we'll talk a little bit more about this game on Sunday, the Spooch Service matchup and what you can expect.

Sam, Welcome back into Jags Am. Today.

We are brought to you by dream Seats. Jags fans want customized Jaguars furniture for your home. To check out zipchure dot com or bouts all the customizable options.

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Also, this week's game against the Vikings is brought to you by CSX CX CSX how Tomorrow Moves. It's gonna be the Slute to Service game for the Jags and also the first first time ever, as Brian mentioned, they're gonna be wearing white helmets.

People feel very strongly one way or the other on these.

Unfortunately, they cannot wear all white uniforms because you have to wear it with one of your alternate uniforms. So I believe it's going to be white helmets, black jerseys, white pants, white socks, white shoes. Imagine, so everything else except the jersey will be white, is what they're kind.

Of going for. Do you know thirty years I fail yet I'll have to see it with the whole uniform. I don't know how I feel.

Thirty years ago they had a boardroom in the trailers when the stadium was under construction with all sorts of combinations out, and there was no white helmet.

Right.

There was a silver helmet and a black helmet, but no white helmet. So when I turned the corner yesterday, I had no concept of what it was going to look like to see white helmets. And I literally kind of did this and looked back at me. It just looked so strange. I had never contemplated a white helmet.

I kind of like, it's cool.

Yeah, I'd like to see it with all white. I'd like to see it with maybe the teal tops and the teal pants. But you know, when you're talking about uniform combinations in November, it means that your football team is not meeting expectations.

So we can do out there breaking that passes in a white helmet.

It's going to be doing it.

Why not.

It's I mean, I love the black helmet of the Jaguars. I don't think that'll ever go away. You never say never, but this is a cool change up.

Here's the question, do you ever foresee the day when the NFL loosens the.

Rules and you can work fun.

Well, yeah, this thing goes more international, and it's only going to get more international. I think there'll be a day where there can be a team or two that likes the Oregon approach and has four or five different combinations.

They put together.

It's a long time coming.

You know what.

I I don't think so.

I think the international thing is going to drive a lot of innovation in NFL thinking.

Let's just bring the throwbacks back. Let's start with that. I think that's a good place to start.

Jagger's is gonna take on the Vikings on Sunday. We will be back on Monday to recap everything for you.

Enjoy the game. We'll see then