Welcome into jag Zam. It's week sixteen.
I'm ka Nannie Stevens, and Brian and John are with me here today as well. We're going to talk a little bit about this game in Las Vegas that's coming up as the Jaguars get ready for their final three games of the season. So let's start out with big thing number one, which is time.
There are three.
Remaining games in this regular season, and because there's no playoff contention for this team, it is time to focus on the younger players.
From a coaching perspective, gives you an idea of the type of player that you drafted and you brought on your team. And then for the player, it gives him confidence going into you know.
The offseason.
I look back to what Buster did his rookie year and then the chances he got to play early on how that catapulted him into this season, you know.
And and and so that's a that's a great.
Example, right and and then even looking ahead, like the confidence that you see in Tank and the confidence you see in Brenton. And you know, Anton's been a day one starter, but the young players that have played Antonio Johnson's playing more this year and the more or the better. I should say that they play in these last couple of games will give them the confidence I think moving forward.
Frian, we've been talking a lot about this. Now we're actually seeing it come to fruition.
And any of those names stick out to you.
Yeah, a lot of them do.
The one though, that he mentioned later in the interview was Trey Prince. And and here's why that's important. Right, Prince came in as a guy from Old miss He's got all the trades. He's he's got height, he's got length, he's got speed, he's got an attitude too. He's still pissed off that he was drafted in the fifth round. But he's a guy that's got the traits that can
be a player for you. You want to find out what he's got because when you go into the the draft process now next year, do you know if he is a guy that you can count on? Do you think he's a guy you can count on or do you not know anything about it? Well, you'd like to have some idea because at the top of the draft next year, or a couple of cornerbacks that you might be interested in. So knowing exactly what you've got is critically important at this time of year.
So listen.
Ronald Darby, ten year veteran, helps you win games, not important right now. I got to see Trey Prince. I've got to know if he's a guy can go forward. I kind of know what monterk Brown is. Christian Braswell's another guy. I'm just using the cornerback position because I know it's one that people are focused on as an area.
The Jaguars got to get better.
John.
Yeah, you'd like to see a little bit of Jefferson and Prince.
Javon Foster is tempting, but it's awfully hard just to throw offensive linemen in there if they're not ready. It's so much cohesion and you don't want to have the offense not be functional because of one guy. Look, there's all the draft position versus winning and what matters and all that, but to me, in the last three games, really take it for the last five. If they win a few and they screw up their draft position, forget
the draft position for a second. If they win a few and you'll love what Prince did, or you'll love what Mason Smith did, and those guys feel like they're standing in the locker room and saying I mattered in this one.
I'm part of this. I feel confident going forward.
If you have nine or ten young guys who get that feeling of we lifted it, then I think the draft position losing it is okay. Frank, I'm not gonna pick on Ronald Darby, but if Ronald Darby's staying in the azine with a pick six and they won the game because of that and he's not here next year, then you sort of wonder was it worth it?
Sure, let's go to our second big thing, which is spark. We've talked a lot about Mac Jones and the energy he brings to the field, but he also hopes that it's spreading to his teammates as well.
So I think we've had some good results here in terms of like moving the ball and and like you said, having fun guys making plays and really not letting one play turn into like a snowball effect. Does that make sense? So just kind of just playing each play one play at a time and keeping it loose. Whether we did something good on the first series or something bad. So you gotta play each play, like I say, always, and
I think it definitely carries over to them. I think that fits the personalities in the room, myself included, and the coaches, and it's not been the best season so far, but we're also still striving for perfection and keeping it fun and loose and trying to win.
John, we talk a lot about the mac Jones experience.
Some mistakes will be made, but the energy's always there and it's always entertaining.
Yeah, after the game the other day, I've watched the Jets, I walked into the house and my wife would watched the game and she said, you know that mac Jones is cocky. There we go, and she said, but I kind of wanted him to win. So I think that's sort of the mac Jones experience in a nutshell. Yeah, he's cocky and he does some weird stuff with the hand stuff, but he cares about it and he's going after it, and you get the idea of a guy who's having fun playing.
So it's all mixed up into one.
Well, and listen, it helps with some energy in the room, right, I mean, you've got three games left and you're not playing for the playoffs whatsoever, and you need that spark. It can come from a lot of different places. You hope it comes from within, but more importantly, when you've got a quarterback guy that can function, right, I mean you look at the situation with the Raiders right now.
I mean they are down to Desmond Ritter and they could have Carter Bradley, maybe Aidan O'Connell, but I mean they don't have a quarterback that can go out and function at a high level, which is why they've lost
ten games in a row. Now, I'm not going to suggest to you that mac Jones is all of a sudden going to go out and throw for three hundred yards completing seventy percent of his passes, and he hasn't necessarily performed at a super high level, but he's playing better and that gives this offense a chance to function better and perhaps get a win, and it some valuable time with these young players having success. Who out there doesn't want to see Brian Thomas Junior catch more passes
for more yards and more touchdowns. Matt Jones gives you a chance to do that. And the fact that he brings that energy, that spark that fun no good for.
Us, Absolutely definitely good for us. Our final big thing is going to be ball. We do want people that love to play football, and I think Brenton Strange is a perfect example of that. We saw him in his best game career game so far. Without Evan Ingram out there, he's been getting a lot of the targets and just his mentality is good.
For the team.
If the players don't have that mindset, or if I don't have that mindset, it's going to set you back even further. But if you come into it and you embrace it, all right, we know, we know our situation, we got it, we understand that. But I think these next three weeks really can set us up for the future, for the offseason, for next year and how we can build and where we need to add pieces and all
that kind of stuff, the development of our roster. But having guys like Brenton make those comments, I mean, those are the type of players you want, right You want those football players that love being here in this building, soaking up football, soaking up ball, love being on the grass. Those are the guys that you can build your team around. And we've one of several, obviously, and many that we.
Have on the team that can do that.
Ryan Renton after the game said he loves football and he doesn't need to find motivation to play in a season where they don't have playoff contention because he loves to play ball.
I love it.
That's the perfect answer.
No, I loved it.
And the question you had been asked of a lot of people, I hadn't heard the answer. And then Doug said he had plenty of guys in that locker room who expressed that, And I guess it makes sense that the Jaguars have kept playing, they've kept fighting.
You haven't seen quit in them. He must.
And so I was working the locker room yesterday and I did find guys that expressed it, some of them on camera, on microphone, some of them off. Trayvon Walker was one who just point blank said, look, we should all come in the building every day as if it's the first day of the season, our first day on the job, because in the NFL, which is not a very long career, you.
Better make the most of every moment.
So I did go looking this week and found plenty of guys in the locker room who expressed the sentiment. And John, to me, that's really important because we talk about culture and it's sort of a word that you can you know, mold to mean whatever you want. But you got to have a locker room full of guys that play because they love the game and because they're professionals.
Yeah, and I think for the most part they do.
I think it's tough this time of year because you're probably playing against a team of other people who have ball.
So.
There's a little bit of a you know, are you trying ninety eight percent or is it one hundred percent?
Every day? Do I love it? Am? I passionate for it?
And I think that can be the difference this time of year, because it's tough to find that hunger when you're three and eleven. But I do think there are guys in this locker room who have it, and I think the last few weeks will be more chance for the decision makers to make sure they have guys you have it.
Enough and for all of those young guys that we mentioned kai off the top to see what a professional football season can be like when it doesn't go well, and to learn and to understand and to actually execute. Despite the record, It's Sunday, I'm the pro. I come and play. That's why the last three weeks are so critically important for this football team.
All right, stay with us here on Jagzam.
We're going to talk a little bit about the Raiders and what that matchup is going to look like on Sunday. Welcome back to jag Zam, brought to you by Field Auto Group, Jacksonville's premiere luxury autogroup.
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It's a great player, good young player. It's just his ability to separate, get open obviously, you know, using him the right way, and just making placeball, you know. And he's a he's a dynamic tight end.
We have a dynamic working on our team and Brian Thomas Junior and now we have a dynamic I would say, a dynamic tight end to be dealing with as well. So when you look at that, Brian, what's something you've seen from Brock Bauers.
It's impressive.
No, I mean just his catch radius. I mean it doesn't seem to matter where the ball is delivered. And I don't know that he's got freakishly long arms. He's just one of those guys who it feels like the ball is connected to him, John when you watch him play. Of course, I saw him plenty when he was at Georgia, and I wasn't quite sure how that was going to translate. Ball. Looks like he might be first team All Pro. He's the best tight end in the game by numbers this year.
Yeah.
He strikes me a little like when Justin was here.
Justin Blackman that when the ball was in the air, he just caught it and he had bitter hands and he was more powerful than other people. Brock looks like that. I'm with you and watching him at Georgia. I'm always a little hesitant when I see a player in college who dominates physically, because you think, can he dominate physically against grown men as compared to sometimes you're playing boys.
But boy see I did that.
Yeah, I called a transition and it was very well executed.
He's he's really impressive, and he looks like a tight end is a position where there's usually a guy in the league for a stretch, and it looks like he's going to be.
The guy after Kelsey, you know.
I asked, though, Richard kind of player than Kelsey, but he'll be the guy.
I talked to the Jacks tight ends coach Richard and Goolo yesterday Kai and was just asking him about Bowers, and he gave me a good answer, and then he looked at me like, did you not expect that? I mean, the people that evaluated tight ends were just so enamored with him coming out, and all of them were stunned to see him slide because he's a tight end and not a wide receiver. But he's one of those guys that should have been taken much higher.
And we talk about, well, we also, I'm sorry, I'm just gonna say, we talked about what these guys are doing on bad teams as well. The Raiders barely have a quarterback to throw it to him, and he's still with nine hundred sixty eight yards of both here.
Yeah, Bowers is a little bit of a of a cautionary tale because.
And what I mean by that is at the.
Combine last year, he didn't have a great workout, if he even worked out, but there were questions is he a little heavy? Is he perfect specimen coming in? And sometimes when those little things start going onto the combine, you forget that.
The guy can just play.
Yeah.
Right, So, I mean that is another one where I remember Tom Brady's workout picture with that in the Hall of Fame.
So maybe doing with this kid too.
If they have any hope of having success offensively.
Obviously Bowers has to be involved. Don't forget.
They took Michael Mayer, the Notre Dame tight end, the year before in the second route, and he's a very talented kid. So they've got two guys out there that can really move in the middle of the field. Jaguars had Devin Lloyd that crew better have their head straight because those two tight ends can turn you inside out.
We're always fine against.
Yeah, we do really well against tight ends historically, so I'm sure that it'll be just fine.
Let's talk a little bit about this offense. Obviously we're watching it right now, but.
Head coach of the Raiders, Antonio Pierce, said he feels Aidan O'Connell's trending up, so it's likely a game time decision, but he looks like he could play this weekend.
I'm not sure it necessarily matters.
Obviously, Desmond Ridder got the start against the Falcons on Monday Night Football and that was not very pretty. So does it matter who plays or we just trying to.
It matters a little because there are different kinds of players. Ridder is going to run a little more. O'Connell's more in the pocket and talking to Victor Fours with.
The Athletic Covers the Raiders and.
Said, look, they started off the season with a you know well, wanting to run, wanting to throw play action and he said that was an awesome idea when they had Devonte Adams.
Yeah, so.
O'Connor is going to be in the pocket and vig things he'll play. He's gonna be in the pocket. They're gonna know where he is. He's not mobile. Uh so it it's a dramatically different kind of game they're.
Gonna play with O'Connell and it would be rare.
There's who we will get out there. It will be interesting, certainly. Say we let's say we're gonna give you our predictions for tomorrow's headlines today coming up after the break, jag Van brought to you by Suttis Lord's trusted and reliable moving company. Setus is proud to be the official moving company of the Jacksonville Jaguars. To get a guaranteed quote, visit suttist dot com.
Slash Jacks welcome back into jag Van.
We're gonna do our best at predicting what the headlines are gonna be on Monday after this riveting Jaguars Raiders game in Las Vegas this weekend, at least we'll have a nice backdrop. I'm very excited to see Allegiance Stadium. So what do you predict the headlines they're.
Gonna be brand Well, it has not been a very fun season, but Mac Jones has sort of been the theme this week. So you know, he had fun last week, So I say fun in Vegas. Who doesn't have fun in Vegas? And I just I think.
Mac Jones is the differentiator.
I think he'll be able to execute the offense, and we saw last week twenty five points in opening drive touchdown, the kind of things that we didn't think would be storylines when the season started, but some some offense and obviously Brian Thomas Junior just exploding last week. So I think the Jags go out and there aren't many teams that you'd say, well, they're gonna win on the road, not not a team that's only won three games all year, but they've only won two and they've lost ten in
a row. So I say the fun thing comes through with Mac Jones and the Jags have a nice flight home.
I'll tell you he's not gonna have fun in Vegas any of us because the league. So you know, I've never been to Vegabe on stage and I've never been to Vegas, and apparently I won't even go this week because he can't go to Sama, which I'm fine with. I went a different direction, and I don't I don't even know if I believe my headline, but I was trying to figure out way to do what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. So I said, what happened in
Vegas needs to stay in Vegas. And I don't know if I believe it, but I think there's a chance that the Jags would go out there. It's almost a West Coast trip. It's late in the season. We've all seen sort of some of the things that happened West Coast with this team historically. I don't know I they believe that translate, but you could see a game where
the West Coast trip playoff ramifications. I think they get blown out, but they're flying back and saying we should have won that one and it just didn't happen.
Again.
The headline really is more because I couldn't think of anything else other than what happens in Vegas is something.
Historically speaking, the Jaguars had only ever beaten the Raiders on the West Coast. They never won in San Seattle, they never won in San Francisco, they had never won in San Diego, and then in twenty twenty two they went out and beat the Chargers. So the only team that they've really had sustained success against on the West Coast is the Raiders.
But I agree with Johnny, it could go either way when you got.
These two teams, I think so too.
I am going to air with positivity and go with the Jaguars. But I said jackpot because I feel like both of these teams had the jackpot with their with their picks in the draft this year. Obviously, Raiders very happy with Brock Bowers. We were very happy with Brian Thomas Junior, especially after the last game when the two touchdowns and breaking those rookie records.
Next is to come.
I think there's one more rookie record and then there's a thousand yards receiving and hopefully we'll see as high as we can go in these last three weeks and hopefully they've cracked the formulas getting in their football.
Well, I believe he's tied with for the number of catches. I think he just needs one more catch to break that. And on that one, which one.
Yeah, and even beyond the records, because the Jaguars rookie record it wasn't exactly Babe Ruth seven fourteen ninety eight. But where he's gonna wind up, it looks like he could wind up with eleven hundred and fifty twelve hundred yards and not ten or eleven touchdowns. That's a really good NFL rookie wide receiver season, and it shows you he's not gonna sneak over a thousand yards. He's got a chance to have a good number, and he's he's going to be really really good.
Touchdowns would either tie or break the franchise record for most touchdowns by a receiver in a season. So that hasn't happened very often.
Record books are calling. We'll see what happens. Enjoy the game this weekend. If you're going to Vegas, enjoy the trip, and we'll be back on Monday or Tuesday to talk a little bit about what went down.
Jaguars brought to you by Dreams these Jags fans.
If you want customize Jaguars furniture for your home, check out zipchare dot com to brought all the customizable options. Zip Chair is furniture for fans. Welcome back before we leave, because I've forgot how many blocks of the show we were doing today. We do want to talk a little bit about a special moment for one of our Jaguars legends, Brian Yeah.
Rashie Mathis was honored by being named to the twenty twenty five class for the Black College Football Hall of Fame, which I guess is going to have a wing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Campton. I was texting with him last night and he's the same great guy that he was when he showed up here as a rookie in two thousand and three Englewood High product who came in as a safety and they moved him to corner and he turned out John and I know you were an Indy for most of his career, but
turned out to be just a great football player. Finished with thirty two interceptions, right and he had nine force fumbles you saw that one right there. Five takeaways and fumbles recovered so he has thirty seven career takeaways, and he had so many big ones against Ben Roethlisberger and this Steelers, including this one in a postseason game that gave the Jaguars an early.
Lead that they never relinquished.
Rashee Mathis was truly a great cornerback for the Jaguars. Damn good football player and a really good person. I just I want to follow up with this and tell you how many people run into Rachine and tell me that he's their kids baseball coach, and what a great coach he is. Rashie Mathis a local kid, made good and honored by the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
Couldn't come for a better person than Rachine.
Yeah, I only I think I cover seen two years when I got back in eleven and twelve.
I forget what year he left.
He left in beat team.
So but he's one of the guys from that era that I remember thinking, Boy, I wish I'd been around him longer because he was a great player and I.
Really enjoyed being around him. And congratulations to him.
Class At made lots of big plays and key moments, and Jaguars fans remember that was named the Pro Bowl and went wait.
Sorry.
He was named All Pro one year and much of the Pro Bowl twice. Should have been more, but he didn't play on a lot of great teams.
But a really really really.
Good football player, very well deserved. I'm glad to hear it.
Congratulations to Mashina and his family.
Absolutely all right. Now we are leaving. We hope you enjoy the game this
Week and enjoy Vegas if you're going, and we will be back next week to talk about it.