Exploring the Evaluation Process & Jaguars' Expectations | Jaguars Happy Hour: Thursday, March 2

team position Kevin Kaplan. Yes, get his thoughts on you know what happens here in Indianapolis with the team doctors and Sirius XMNFL host Kirk Morrison joining us at about four thirty or so today J P. Shadrick with senior writer On Osier and more senior writer Pete Briscoe of CBS Sports. So, in other words, we have a future mayor and a former mayor of Jacksonville Saints still the mayor. By the way, you don't look like Basselli. That music

reminded me of Joe's introduction. Is that Monday night a game you don't look Likesselli? Better shape and you know more than he does incredible. Here we are Pete Combine time, the big flagpole event of the off season, one of them. But this turned into a massive gathering and twelve hundred credentialed media for this thing. And it's really two different events. I mean, it's the coaching GM part to set the tone for the off season for a lot of organizations.

And then the testing started today. I mean in this place is starting to clear out because they're not worried about that part. Well, and you know, you know me, John, I've never been a big testing guy. You put the tape on, you watch the tape, you find out if a guy can play football. The interviews are good, the medicals good, all that is important, but the actual workout. We've come here for years and seen guys come here and they work out, Oh he's great, and then he

get drafted and they don't play that well. And so I think you got to really evaluate him based on the tape. This thing is enormous, by the way, I think if you have a Draft Buddy leaflet, you're gonna get a credential to this thing. NFL Draft siteeck dot net. So yeah, and look, it's great for the game. It's great for the kids who were doing it. But I wish I had had an opportunity when I was a young kid to be able to do something like that.

But it used to be in the thinking over there, in that hotel room over there, That's where it was. I want to hear your best twenty year old Combine story. I'll tell you mine real quick. First Combine, you were with CBS already. I had just taken over for you at the Times Union. My only interview with Tom Coffin, I'm the main Jaguars beat rider, my only interview with Tom Coffin all week. I chased him down as he was going into the Catholic church over here across the

street at six third or ten minutes for mass. Talked to him for ten minutes formass. He gave me grief because he said, you're putting our salary cap information into paper rosure. But that was where you got the coach. There was no podium, no, there was no car wash, there was no set stage, and I was worried all we going gonna get Tom. And I finally got him on the steps of the Catholic church at five fifty on a Saturday, and I know you were here a couple of years before that, and I were here when

there was nothing and they were trying to throw you out. Basically, Yeah, well you had to interview guys in the lobby of the Crown Plaza right there, That's what it was. And they'd bring it. If you'd asked for a player, they'd bring him down. There'd be like four or five guys would talk to him. Sometimes you were the only guy

talking to him. It was just so much different. My story is that first year I came was the year before, Yeah, the year they were drafted, that first draft pick, and I remember chasing Steve McNair down the road trying to get them because remember there was some talk that they might end up taking Steve McNair. There was that one, then there was I remember one of those early years, it might have been year two, two agents actually got in the fist fight in the lobby of them because

he was accusing his stealing is. Yeah, I thought you were going to tell a different story about the first time you came to the coll And then I think it was ninety six when you called me and there was a mob around Keishan and they remembered the story right, And Jags had the number one pick. I mean I had the number two pick and the Jets had the number one, and Keshan went one and you asked him

about playing for Coffin, he went coach Coffee Cool. Yeah, yeah, but he wasn't gonna play for him though, yeah now and then and then it worked out great because the Hall of Famer waste, so it worked out for them. That's Pete Prisco, John Ozer, J P. Shatick is Jaguars Happy Hour from the NFL Scouting Combine. You know, a lot of positive reaction about the Jaguars run Pete here in Indianapolis this week, right Lea so trimp Balky on the podium on Tuesday and Doug Peterson making the rounds

and you know what, got a quarterback. A lot of things going well, a lot of moves the last week or so to move some money around, and then the news today that they're expected to tag to have an Ingram, so m you know, well, Evan Ingram wasn't going anywhere no matter what they were trying. There's they probably still are trying to get a deal done with him. If they can't get the deal right, if they don't get

the deal done with him. But if they don't get the deal done with him before they even put because they haven't officially put the tag on them yet, there's they're going to do it one way the other. He will be in Jacksonville next year no matter what. But if they get him tagged, um, then maybe what do you do with with You know, Juan Taylor personally, and I said that to them. I would not let Juan Taylor out the door. He's too valuable. This is an

offensive team. You have a franchise quarterback. Make sure the offense is every bit as good as it can be. And by keeping Juwan Taylor there, I think, and Evan Ingram there, and you add Ridley to the equation. And by the way, I hear nothing but good things about his ability to work out. He's supposedly flying around in his workouts. Then all of a sudden, your offense is pretty much set. You need a big banger back, but

aside from that, you're pretty much set there. Well, they were tenth in the league in offense last year and really spent the first seven or eight games trying to figure out where they were, and then they got you know, so I anticipated what you're talking about then being I think it would be a top three or four offense next year based on that, and I agree, I don't think they want to let Juan Taylor out the door.

I think there will be a point, you know, as with any number, that it might get too big for him. I don't think you can necessarily say we can't about the door at any price. And that's a matter of how Drew wants to come in, and if Drew really wants to get into free agency, it's gonna be tough. Yeah, it will be tough, and particularly you know, some teams look at it, there's a desperation for offensive lineman, which

might drive up this price. I mean, I did the top one hundred ranking of the lineman and I think he was seventh. Amount of the players, I think I am seventh. That's how much I feel about all players. Yeah, okay, that's how much I feel about his growth this year. I mean, he was that good. I'd find a way to keep them, because if you don't keep them, then what are your options. You're looking for another one, or you're moving one of those guys to right tackle Walker

little proof he couldn't play right tackle. At least it didn't look like he could. So I think that's a problem. So keep this offense. This is an offensive team. Don't weaken it. And if you weak, if you go in, let's just say you keep all those guys. Yeah, you got three tackles. Guys go down in this league too, We've seen that before. And if you don't, one of them maybe can play left guard, and you know, probably

would be waker. Little would play left Guardaniel of a sudden, you have a giant offensive line, big offensive line around that quarterback. So that's what I would do. And and I think they're smart. They realize what they're gonna do. And I think they'd love to keep them and keep it intact and build it around Trevor Lawrence. But we'll see it's hard to do when you have cap problems. Yeah, I think a little would play guard in that scenario. And yeah, to your thought, I'm of the belief. I

think you Jawarys feel this way now too. You don't have two starting tackles anymore, you have three. You have to consider your swing tackle a starter because look at the look at last season. If they only have two guys that can play tackle. Last year they don't make the playoffs. The question becomes, is walk a little a better left tackle than Cam Robbins in this They like the way you play down the step. That's what I mean. There's some big moments in big games. I mean, is

he a better left tackle? And if he is, then can Cam play left guard? Because you know there's always that possibility. I just don't think you take offensive line. Wouldn't it be tough to play Cam and left guard? With that? I mean that, yeah, But if you're paying him anyways's playing where you're gonna feel the best. You got the five best out there and whatever way they

align up. That's that's what I would do. And look, one thing I will say, and we all, I'm guilty as anybody because you know JP, we lit up Trent Balky, Let's be honest. Yeah we did. And I asked him. He was on with us the other day and I asked him, is any part of you? And I admitted I was one of those guys I lit him up. Is he vindicated? And he wouldn't go there a little bit? He wouldn't. He didn't, He wouldn't go there. Has is he a little bit vindicated. You're saying, right, somewhere inside

he has to feel it. He's not. I can admit when when I he did some really good thing. Now, having said that, the defense still looking good. The defense still needs a lot of work, and they spent a lot of money on that defense, so it's not all fixed. But the money they spent was what I would think of as half to Spain. They had to get better somewhere as well as you could in freecy. It wasn't a report card on free agency for this franchise. Is you know, I've covered the league forever. How many free

agent classes have you seen come in? And by the end of the first season there's three of them. You can't wait to get out the door. You had Christian Kirk, Evan Ingram, Zay Jones, Darius Williams arden Key. That's one of the best, most productive free agent classes. I haven't looked at the entire league's history, but there aren't many free agent classes in NFL history who have done that. With that level of consistency, It's hard to get productive

free agency who fit together. Now, I think Doug gets some credit for that in creating a locker room where aybody could come in. But you're talking about core guys. Christian Kirk is all of a sudden a core guy on this team. Evan feels that way. Brandon sure, if we haven't even talked about he was hurt last year, bad but still a big part of what they were.

That was a phenomenal free agent class. And if you're going to criticize gms for their mistakes, you have to give him credit for that, which is why he deserves, you know, accolades for it. And I even asked him, I said the clown emoji, I go, you were well where of it? And he was, he knew all about it. I mean he was. Look, these guys aren't immune to the criticism, and so when they do have success, you're right a little bit, they should, you know, prop up

their feathers. And Bragg I would never say it publicly been driving him absolutely, I would hope for his say absolutely, he smiles a little bit. Absolutely. How they fix the defense, I don't think. I don't think you can fix the defense. So I think, and we've talked about this, go get the offense explosive and they did. Did Kansas City fix their defense last year? No, they had a bunch of kids playing and they played okay, and they were okay

on defense. That's just what they need to be because oay, exactly, you don't need to be great on defense. You need to be just okay. Last year at times they were not just okay. And they still need to rush the passer better, I think. And again, this is something I asked Dug about, and I think they're gonna do more of it. They won't commit it to it fully, but this is what they need to play. Trayvon Walker down, I think he could become Eric Armstead from the forty

nine ers, the far As Buckner um Klais Campbell. That's the kind of ability he has. And I know everybody says, well, they drafted the first overall to become a pass rusher. If he's a really good player getting ten eleven sacks from the inside, is that taint to pick at all? No, absolutely not. And I don't know if he's ever going to be a great pass rusher. And that's the problem. Think about that, you have two top ten picks rushing the passer and you still weren't good rushing the passer.

That's a concern. He we talked about it yesterday. I tend to agree with you on Trayvon, and my thought is if you had picked Klais Campbell number one overall, and you were sitting here right now, you would look at that as a as a really good pick that year. So that's okay. I want to clarify something that you said because I think it's what you're saying, you can't

really fix it. And I agree with you because if what you're looking for is high impact pass rush, I don't know that at twenty four you're gonna find that. And it's really hard to find a free agency and I don't know that as a team they're in a position to go all chips in on a risky free agent pass rusher. So I have a feeling that next year, ten games into the season, fans may be going, well, they didn't look at the pass rush last off season.

You have to remember what's available to you as a franchise, how you build. That's why I agree with you. Okay, Well, you say there may not be the Joey Boasta fix at pass rusher, so you go get stronger somewhere else and make up for what might not be as strong as you want that. And again, if you keep Juwantel and you keep Evan Ingram and you look at the offense, you might draft the back in the fifth round to

help the offense. Might get another tight end at some point in the draft, and who knows, maybe there's a tight end in the first round you really like. You add him to the mix, and all of a sudden, you're really a dynamic offense. But if you don't use that first pick on a tight end, then you go into you look at your defense. You gotta have to get a corner and you have to get a pass rusher. Those are two things you have to get and at some point in this draft or some point in free agency,

because they don't have the corners. Look, Herndon's a nice little play plays hard everything. But when you see him as the nickel corner, he gets exposed. He runs across the field. He can't run with guys. That's a problem. Darius Williams, we talked about it all year. Move him outside. He moved outside. He was better. But is he an elite corner. No. Tyson Campbell's a good player, and they need somebody else. They need a and this is a by the way, this is a great corner draft. There's

a guy. Yeah, you could probably get two and two guys that can come in and compete. So I don't think it's entirely fixable on defense, but it can get better. And that's all if you have the offense that I think they're gonna have, that's all it needs to do is get better. Particularly, let's not forget guys. They play six games against the South, which is not a good division. They played four more against the NFC South. We look at it already. He's locking. I haven't yet, but Selly

locked it until the last show. Did we both locked a division? Next? God? Oh yeah, But of course he's at least you know, yeah he wins. That could be that should be nine right there. Yeah, when lose one of them, because you're guaranteeing nine to win against those teams. Those teams are those teams in the South are ter. Look at the quarterbacks you're gonna be playing. Look at all the seven teams and all they are toughing in all seven teams. Right now, who are the quarterbacks you're playing?

Tanny Hill? Maybe yeah, yeah, there's three young rookie quarterback And then you don't know what's going on. Colts will probably have a rookie quarterback too, And then in the in the NFC South, you have no I think he's coming back, Trash Trask or whoever they go gat. Carolina has no idea that might bring Darnold back. Atlanta has Ritter, who's in this second year, barely played last year. And then so it's a great schedule next year. And plus I'm not going to say that just to say it's

a one year one. This team is here for the next decade because of that quarterback period. End of story. Anything else you do is all about him. It's just like the Chiefs. They let Tyreek hil go, They use the draft picks, they supplement the defense, they bring in some one year hits on the quarterback got him there again and he wanted again. That's what Trevor Lawrence does for this team. He has to be. Yes, you have to never win. It's what they have to eventually be. Pete,

appreciate it. I'll get you a cold one tonight. Absolutely, you got it. Pete Prisco, CBS Sports senior writer with us on Jaguar's Happy Hour in the twenty twenty three season is on the horizon. You don't want to miss it, so lock in your seat to the bank this fall place here, deposit at Jaguars dot com slash tickets. Seat selection is coming soon and the perfect spot is waiting for you. Don't want the Jags become Kings of the Jungle from your couch. Join the AFC South Division champion

Jaguars right now. Coming up at four thirty, it's Kirk Morrison, serious XM, NFL radio host and former NFL linebacker. Up next though Jags head team physician Kevin Kaplan. It's Jaguars Happy Hour on the Jaguars Digital Network. Mike Dempsey at Fat Tony Jaguars Today, All Jaguars, all NFL, all the time, tended new weekdays on ten ten XL. Welcome back its Jaguars Happy Hour and if you're ready to renew your

season tickets, the time is now. Renew move before March eight and you'll have a chance to win a scratch pack prize. Those prizes range from sign merchandise to full on experiences. So lock in your seats today. Welcome back as Jaguars Happy Hour from the NFL Scout in Combine and Annapolis and the Indiana Convention Center. Coming up shortly. Kirk Morrison, former Jaguars linebacker now Sirius XM NFL radio host, now joining us. It's the Jaguars head team position doctor

Kevin Kaplan from Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute and Camp. Here we are at the combine again. Good to see you and thanks for the time. Many glad I got chance a moment. What number combined? Is this for you? This is fourteen assistant for four years and I've been the head guy for ten years. Really like thirty years old, young guy, Sorry, you're sixteen. It's amazing, all right, So everybody says that, Yeah,

ask almost everybody. The most important part of the combine experience for these players is the medical evaluation, and certainly for the teams that want to get exposed to these players and see what's really going on. That's where you and your staff come in. So take us through the process. Is there a room? Are there multiple rooms? Do the players rules? Rude? Do you get to just cherry pick guys? I mean, how does that work for the physician? Yeah?

I mean I'm sure you know this. The way this whole NFL Combine really started was medical, right, doctors are saying, hey, we're bringing guys in. We don't know anything about them, you know, and so can you tell us what their medical risk is? And that's how this whole thing started, and then the running, the jumping, all that kind of followed suit. So the way it works is there are rooms of physicians. It's our room has been the same at least ever since I've been around. It's the same

group of guys. So it's us, the Titans, the Jets, the Chargers, and the Bengals. So you're very familiar with the guys that are in your room. And every single player that's here, you know, the combine comes to that room, and so they'll bring them in one by one. There's a kind of a pre combined screen where they talk to the players, getting an idea of their medical history, and so they gather information from the time they were in high school playing football through I mean even before that.

Guys have had injuries when they were five and six years old that are on their injury at every piece of information you can gather is there. So a lot of scans, X rays and i CT scans are done before you can get here. So they bring a player in one by one, they'll be a presentation. The player will be there on the exam table and they'll present the player to us and say, this is what you know, who the player is, these are the injuries he's had.

And then they'll go through the examination and say, you know that in his shoulders stable, his knees got a little swelling to it, his incisions are healed, et cetera, et cetera, and then we're free to get up and feel and get a you know, look, there's certain guys that we're looking at specifically, but you want to have an overall look because you know how it is through the year, they're always working the back into that roster.

So they may not the Jaguars may not be interested in a player today, but that guy may come to you as a free agent, you know, three months from now. So you get a good idea of that player. So you take notes on everybody, or at least I do, and then you know, when it comes time to grading the player, have a grading scale because I want to be able to easily relay the information to Trent and to Dug and to Firg and say this guy is this level of risk, you know, and there's it's a

Every team has a different scale. Vers there's one to five, you know, the ones where the healthiest guys typically are the punters and kickers that come in. It's just the way it works, and fives is a fail and it's very rare to fail someone orthopedically. Those are typically the medical, the heart stuff. So then I go back home, make sure I've reviewed all the MRIs, and then we have a medical meeting where we go through every guy that they're interested on their board as is there a medical

risk there? What is the medical risk if you It's maybe tricky to answer, so I try to phrase it the right way. If you didn't have the combine and you were just kind of going off of the records that you see, if your comfort level is at ten with this process, where would it be without this? I would be almost zero? Okay, I got you. So you have to get your hand on guys, and I guessed as a follow up to that, can you imagine it without a combine if you were trying to get guy?

It's impossible, right, It's essential for this reason you have to, I mean it, otherwise you're going on just assuming what the risk is. There's so many things you pick up on MRIs, whether it's pieces of cartilage missing or little meniscus terrors, or we even pick up guys every year. I mean, we have them this year, but they don't have acls. You know, they didn't know they didn't have

an ACL. That's a you know, some people cope with that, you know, their knees loose, and they may cope with it, but then they need an a CL obviously to play the game. So you know, without this, we wouldn't have any that information. Yeah, where they've never had them, or it's been torns in time and they didn't note that.

The guys in the past had an injury and maybe they wore a brace or strapped it up or you know, but tape on it or you know, taped it and gave themself some sort of stability, you know, but there are subset of people that can cope without an ACL, but you don't wonder how they kind of got by doing that. Maybe that's why it wasn't very good at bat. Maybe I didn't have al al, maybe I was missing something. That's what it does. Doctor Kevin Kaplan with us from

Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute here at the NFL Scouting Combine. So all right, so the time frame of this all happening is it over multiple days? How many days do you have left? Today is Thursday, So what's the rest of your schedule? So it's four days or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. And they break it up. You know, we did the defensive linemen, linebackers first day. Today we did special teams and the defensive backs. So we still got the quarterbacks.

We have the wide receivers, running backs. So they try to break it up for us over for a day. Say it's a lot of guys coming through, and we're talking with three hundred plus guys coming through. You know, most guys get at least one or two MRIs or X rays, and so you're just I mean, next week, I'm gonna be in the mornings. That's all I'm gonna be doing is looking at these MRIs and finishing up the evaluations. So I'm ready for the draft. Have you ever?

I mean, it's got to break your heart fail guys when you do that. I mean it can you know? Or or when you see a guy with an injury, where you thinking, hey, guys, probably gonna be shortly I mean, I guess emotionally, as a doctor, you got to do your job, but your heart has to go out to somebody who who you just know physically is gonna have trouble holding up. Yeah, And the guys that come in and do the presentations that they do a good job

of getting us the information. But I always look at the player when when someone's getting a report like his knee is severely arthritic and it's bone on bone, You know, does that player really know what that means because he you know, does he know does he or his agent know, you know, what that what that does to him? So yeah, I mean these are because this is their dreams, their refer you know, to get into the NFL. But most of all you're doing is present in facts. You're not

passing opinion. But it's still tough. Correct absolutely, And then there's a level of risk. Right there may be a guy that has a bad knee or an arthritic knee and he's a good player and someone's gonna take take him as on a chance you know that he may make it. Will you make it through that first contract to the second contract? You know, the Jaguars this past year use the fewest amount of players in the NFL sixty one players touched the field. That was the fewest

in the regular season. So I mean credit to you and your staff, Jeff Ferguson, the VP of Player Health and Performance, the athletic training staff underneath him, collective effort, yes, to work on the Jaguars roster, but also the Jaguars players for having to do some things on their own as well. It's a it's a full team effort, not just the staff involved. That's a big piece of it. But the players have to buy into that as well. I mean it starts with them. They're taking care of

their bodies. They know what they need to do. And these guys, this team is you know, you guys know, they're just different. They want to be there, they want to get better. And then you have Jeff, you have Ferd that's just does a great job and making sure the players are taking care of and are treated appropriately. What you know, injuries are going to happen, right and not every injury is is going to be cut and dry.

There's a there's a kind of a gray zone. Can you play with this and what can we do to get you as good as possible without putting you at risk. And then there's a coach, right and the coach has to do a great job and making sure that throughout the season you're not practicing like you were in July, come December and January and hopefully you know farther. And I think Doug is very Maybe it's because he was

a player and he knows the grind. He really took care of the players and that makes our job easier because they're not coming in with their you know, no legs and tired and cramping, and cramping leads to injury, and so you're you hit the nail on the head. It's a it's a group effort in terms of keeping guys healthy on the field. Emphasize that last part for me, if you will, because I've heard from a lot of

people over the years. Certain coaches will run their guys and as much as they want to be a players coach, they just are going to run their guys out there. But the importance of the head coach understanding that these guys have to be rested at the proper times. I've heard from different medical people over the years that that can be everything to keep in a team healthy. I

think it's the most important pact. But because the problem is is you know, as me as a physician or as athletic trainers, and we have a job and we're not there to say, coach this way or run this a certain way. So part of that I think the coach has to know and understand, and I think Doug just gets you know, he really does. And that's it's It's makes our lives a lot easier, you know, hydrating

and eating right. But if you go into a game on Sunday and then you run so hard, and you know, come Monday and Wednesday and Thursday, then you're going to the next week and it's just a cumulative wear on the body. And that's a seasons A full grind, certainly is it's well a full grind really eleven months of the year in the NFL. It kind of continues now. Players are all off, they'll be back the offseason programs right around the corner, and we're here at the Combine,

the big flagpole event of the year. And we appreciate your time. I know you're busy these days and nights and early mornings, and we'll do it again soon. Cap Thank you. I appreciate it guys. Thanks Doctor Kevin Kamplin with us from Jacksonville Orthopedic Institute from Indianapolis. Coming up shortly in just a moment. In fact, it's Kirk Morrison of Sirius XM NFL Radio. Is Jaguars Happy Hour on

the Jaguars Digital Network. When Jaguars news breaks, you will hear about it first on ten ten x OL Home of the Checks in Bille Jaguars Welcome back if Jaguars Happy Hour from the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. Japen, Shadrick, John Osan were on ten ten am Jaguars dot Com. I'm Jaguars Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, the podcast of course on the free iHeartRadio apps search Jacksonville Jaguars and of course hit this up

on Twitter today at JP Shadrick at John Ozer. Our next guest, a host on Sirius XM NFL Radio, former NFL linebacker Kirk Morris and joining us now former Jaguars. Well, Kirk is great to see you, man, what's up? I'm doing great man, grab to join you guys. What a great week this has been so far and now to finally getting the guys out there competing on the field.

This is honestly what we came here for, right, Yeah, I mean well it's actually two different events at pis, right, the coaches and gms early in the week, correct, and then you know, if you're the Jaguars, at least covering the Jaguars picking twenty fourth. I mean yeah, it's hard to kind of pinpoint some things in that stadium. Yeah, you're right, You're right, JP. It's it's a lot because everyone kind of gets the state of the Union address

for each franchise, you know, general manager, head coach. They come out and talk and you're sort of recapping last season because now we have time for everyone to trying to evaluate what happened and now what do we need to look forward to, And everybody says, hey, well, this

is what you guys need to improve on. You guys got to go get a receiver, you gotta go get a running back, a linebacker, defensive vent and so it's always fun to come to INDE and get the sort of the state of the union of where the team is at. They won't tell you who they're going to pick, but obviously how do you feel about certain players? On

your roster as we also get ready to hit free agency. Yeah, there's a little bit too obviously that it's the first time most media has talked to most of these guys since they've been in the bunker and really looked back on what they really did. You know, they look at tape week to week, but they started to do a deep dive with what they need and then they come out,

Kirk and they tell you nothing. Yeah. I mean the stories I write from here are always yeah, there's a pretty good lead, and then they'll say, yeah, we need to get better at X. But then they really never go into very much. But you don't expect that story of the Dog and Pony Show. If he will, Kirk not. Every player he's been with the Jaguars in the last twenty years has great memories. But I know your two thousand and ten seasons he spent with him. Tell me

just the best memory you have in that season. Because there was an underrated season. I think a lot of fans have forgotten how good that team was or almost was. That team was the best team that I've actually played on the National Football League. I played eight years in the league, and that twenty ten team was was one. I still have lifelong friendships for playing one year in Jacksonville,

and I was so upset. I wanted to play a lot, a lot longer because not only did I even being able to embrace the Jacksonville community, the people, the fan base. It was so fun. And David Garrard was an exceptional quarterback. He played outstanding that year. Uh, Josh Scobee sco Scobie Bryant, you know, because he was just automatic that year. Yeah, I think he kicks Homedy in a row. He was outstanding. But Maurice Jones drew a guy who you know, we

grew up in the same area in northern California. Yeah, kid, Yeah, And so to be able to be on a team with him, and to think that Marcedes Lewis in the career that he had a career still playing, He had a career year, you know, a career year Pro Bowl year for him in twenty ten. And the coaches, obviously Jack del Rio, but you see some of the other coaches and what they've been able to do that were on that staff. Corey Unland has been an outstanding coach.

You look at some of the offensive mine, Todd Monkin who was now the offensive coordinator in Baltimore, and he was the receiver's coacher, and so you had all of these I mean, head coach of Michigan State, right was Del Tucker. That was our decourt. So I had all of these offensive minds and people who are around us, and I'm saying, wow, this is unbelievable. But it was such a good season. I wish we could have finished

it off. We went eight and eight. We had an opportunity but still paid Manning was paid Manning, and we had a game that allowed us, if we beat you know, the Indianapolis Colts in a week I believe it was thirteen at the time, we win the division. And we lose that matchup, and we didn't finish the job down the stretch and so we lost. But man, you mentioned it one of the great seasons that I know I've

had a chance to play in my career. And two of the most unreal memories that year job that was the Scobie year, the fifty eight yard against Andy, and it was the Hail Mary so Mary during years yeah against the Texans David Gerrard to Mike Thomas to hell Mary.

Um just unbelievable memory. And I remember also too, I had one memory was that, you know, I was traded from the Oakland Raiders at the time, and then you know, we were down I think at halftime couple scores, and we come back in the second half and David Garrard throws a deep bomb and I believe it was Hagen or so whoever it was, catches it and we went on to route the Raiders in a game that was so close, but it was so fun. Kirk Morrison with

a serious XMFL radio Channel eighty eight. They've got a big set here at the Indiana Convention Center, all right, So the Jaguars organization the last five years, let's just start there. You can go back a little further than that. There's been a lot of ups and downs. Right Division title in twenty seventeen. Doug Brone's a head coach. Blake Bortles is a quarterback at all time defense in Jacksonville

that it disintegrates starting in twenty eighteen. It hits rock bottom with the Urban Meyer regime and everything that happened there. It's quickly starting to ramp back up, obviously with Peterson and Lawrence and the free agent editions last year. It's kind of common ways, but this one feels a little more sustainable, doesn't it. Yeah, sustainable. I mean the errodefinitely is pointing up and I think what happens what happened

in twenty twenty two was a year ahead. I think this football team is a year ahead and where they expected it to be. This was a football team at one point, I believe was it one in six right twenty six, right after the game in London and you're like, okay, you scratch your head a little bit and say, oh, same old Jaguars. And then something clicked, and I think it was because the belief that Doug Peterson has brought.

I think there was from people who I've talked to also within the organization that Trevor Lawrence something happened, Like they like he took over this football team and said, look, it's going to be on me how we finish and how we have a successful season. And everybody bought in.

The talent has always been here, but it was putting everything together and also having that belief, Like having that belief is how you win games against the Dallas Cowboys like the Jaguars this year having belief in games down the stretch that hey, we are a good football team and we can do the things that we expect to. We can be down twenty seven points in a wild card game and find a way to come back. That's what I saw from this football team this year. But

it really started with the quarterback. Everything that you mentioned just about the last five years, I think it changes because you have the guy who you believe in and the guy pulling you know, that's taking the snaps from center, and Trevor Lawrence. He's been outstanding this year and you just think that how he brings the most gets the best out of everybody on this round. He got the

best out of Evan Ingram, right, Christian Kirk. People questioned the offseason acquisition in terms of the money that will spent on Christian Kirk, but you talk about production, he gave your production. And then the offensive line too, right, think about that just how they came along this season.

So to me, this is a team that's a year ahead and they can only imagine what they will do this offseason to create more competition in some safe because and hopefully it's not a long winning answer, but it's it's fun to look at them now because they don't go into an off season of need. You're like were last year, Like it's like, Okay, they need a receiver, they need a playmaking tight end, they need a couple of linebackers to come in and tackle, they need keep going.

There's a long list of need and you got a lot of those needs answered. You went out and grab some corners. You got Foyer, and you know the linebackers who came and played. You got some guys off the edge that are now creating a little bit of havoc. You already had Josh, but now you got some people around him to help him out. You got an offensive line that play outstanding. And oh, by the way, whoever you put in the backfield didn't matter if you got a guy off the streets who just got released or

you got a guy in a trade. Everybody knew their role and they played their role. And that's why I think that the team now was more about adding the depth rather than adding a need. You follow the league from a broader perspective way to so. Doug Peterson talked a lot this year about not only the difference that he expect to see in Trevor in the second year

of his scheme. Yes, but in that entire team, you think about so many new guys last year kerk Ingram on defense Luke, I mean, I would say the entire team was new, but the cores very much came together last year and your experience as a player and then following it, how much better does a team usually get in that second year and everything because they'll be in their second year the defensive scheme, offensive scheme, and these core players playing in it. It strikes me that that's

where the jomp comes from. I've always compared it to that freshman year of high school where you get to school and you're looking around your wide eyed. You can't find your locker, I don't know where I'm gonna sit at for lunch. Ye, I'm trying to find the classes everything. And then after that freshman year, you get till the sophomore year, and then you're now you're an upper classman

and you know what's expected of you. You know where my locker is, I know where I like to eat lunch, and I know everything about the school because I've been around it. It's the same thing in the National Football League that freshman year is one of those years John, in which you're like that rookie year. It's every or that first year together. It's learning, it's understanding what's the expectation.

It was difficult for me in my career, very difficult because I played for six head coaches in eight years. Six wow. So every year for me, the plosophy or the culture had to change, and you're learning, Hey, what's the new expectation of a new head coach. So when you have the same head coach for multiple years, and I didn't have that happen honestly until my last part of my career when I got to Buffalo. But I

knew what the expectation was. I knew that what the coach wanted for me, The team knew what the coach wanted, and there was no surprises. You knew how practice was going to be ran, you knew where, how the extra time that you can put in to be a better player,

all of that. And so now when Trevor Lawrence comes to the line of scrimmage, he's got the built in audibles that he maybe didn't have in year one, or on defense, you have the audibles and the things that a great play call from coach, but you know what not none of let's check it. Let's check to a different coverage that gets us in a better situation to get us to the next down. That's what year two in the system, not just offensively but also defensively helps

you out. Now with this Jaguar's team, Kirk Morrison with a serious XM and Fell Radio final thought with you here and thanks again for the time. You know the Bills, the Chiefs. Yes, Jaguars are kind of in that mix obviously. I mean there's a bunch of teams now in the AFC that have top tier quarterbacks, They've got pass rushers. I mean, this is as competitive as I can remember the conference being since I've been in. This will be season twelve. I'm sure there have been other competitive times.

There's other great quarterbacks, but compared to what the NFC has to offer right now, right, AFC is tough. But the Jags are right there in the mix. Obviously, they went toe to toe with the Chiefs in the divisional round. They got a taste of it, right. So every year we always thought the cliche, you win your division, you get to the playoffs. Well, the Jaguars did that last year they won their division, but they got a chance to see the next step that needs to be taken

out to be a true contender in the AFC. They got a chance to go to Kansas City and to be all honor. They played a hell of a football game. There was moments where they could have actually changed the tide of that game, and we wouldn't don't. I wouldn't have been a surprise I had they won because they had that mindset of where underdogs all that. They won't be underdogs anymore. I think because of the way they played this year, they're gonna be a much different team

that people will be looked at. But in two years of Trevor Lawrence, he is the best quarterback in the AFC South right now. Right now, he starts at the top. This division seems to be the Jaguars Division by quarterback already. He is that when you put the matchup of against the Texans or the Colts or the Titans right now, he's the best quarterback. That's the box that you already have. So if you have that piece for you already, that's what makes you excited about getting back to the tournament

next year. And then you know what's expected because you mentioned those other quarterbacks, those other teams that have been in that contention for the last three or four years. But the only thing is what the NFL presents is that one of those teams have to f all because there's always a team on the rise. Cincinnati has been that team the last couple of years that had kind of rolls and they've dropped Buffalo, who's been there the

last couple of years. It's it's been a fun, fun couple of the last four or five years, this new era of quarterbacks. Right, you mentioned Tom Brady leaving out of the league and all of a sudden, this influx

of youth of good quarterbacks. I mean, I just was watching the looking at the AFC Pro Bowl quarterbacks, right, I was in Vegas to uh, you know, doing some interviews down there in the Pro Bowl and talk to Trevor Lawrence and to see and Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, right, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, justin Herbert and think about how far too has been pushed down, right, Yeah, I think this is this is the same conference that has Russell Wilson, and yet he's not even in the top ten in

the in the conference, but Russell Wilson's not even the top ten I think in quarterbacks in the conference. That's how good it is. But I think that's where the Jaguars have put themselves in a position because of the added pieces and weapons for their quarterback. Kirk, great stuff, Thanks again for the time. Glad to see you're doing well, and we'll see you down the line. J P. John At anytime, fellas anytime, Kirk Morrison, sirius XM NFL Radio.

Plenty to come. We'll wrap it up from Endy after this, it's Jaguars Happy Hour on the Jaguars Digital Network, Jacksonville Sports Talk for Jacksonville sports fans ten ten XL, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jaguars Happy Hour continues in The twenty twenty three concert season is here and there's no better time to become a Dailies Place Blue member than

right now. Enjoy the best seats and amenities, premium parking and much more, and you can watch Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Yellow Card and many more acts on the schedule already. For more email ticketing at Bold events dot com or called Nino four six three three, two thousand. Welcome back to Indianapolis. JP Shadwick with John Osiers Jaguar's Happy Hour on this Thursday afternoon. Glad you're long with us. Busy show today Pete Prisco with US doctor Kevin Kaplin joining

us earlier. Kirk Morrison from Sirius XIM. Good to hear from Kirk, former Jaguar for one season at least twenty ten. You made the point a pretty good season until it wasn't the best season. They had some good moments here, but good to see him doing well and doing big things on sirius XM ESPN College football as well. He's all over the place. Yeah, and he was by far the tallest of our three guest today. Kirk more easy, It's easily. Yes. Yeah. I missed covering Kirk by a year.

And I actually I was still in indian twenty ten when he was had his loan Jaguars season and I was doing some work for multiple publications the time. Actually spoke to him on the phone that you're about the Jaguars season, and the story at mid season was what a surprising, unbelievable successful season and had they closed that season out by beating the Colts up in Indianapolis, which they had a chance to do. It would be remembered up there with some of the fondest seasons because of

that Scobie game, the fifty nine yard field goal. People remember the Hail Mary game. They went over to Dallas and blew them out one week I think so, I mean there were some It's like so many teams. Teams have seasons that are sort of forgotten a little bit, and I think that twenty ten season, not having covered it, but having talked to people about it, it's one of those seasons that some people remember fondly, and it was

good to talk to Kirk about that. All right, let's rehash some of the I guess news of the day reports today that the Jags are expected to use the franchise tag on Evan Ingram. That would be just over eleven million dollars, and as you mentioned and we mentioned with Pete, I mean, it feels like that's always kind of bit then the picture, if needed, that might just buy them a little more time to get a long term deal done. I think July fifteenth would be the

deadline if they were to tag him. They haven't officially tagged him yet they were expected to according to reports. We'll see, but this just feels like just extending it out in time to make a deal for Evan Ingram, as Trent Bulky said, they want him. Evan Ingram centered on interviews in the last couple of weeks he wants to be here. He wouldn't mind the franchise tag, he said that himself and one of those just because he would see it as an extension to make a long

term deal. So this one feels like it's just elementary. It's going to happen. Yeah, if there's been a theme of the all seasons so far, We've talked about it, even some of the guests for the Jaguars has been you know, outside of the Roy Robertson Harrison extension, everything feels more clerical, if you will. And when I say clerical, I mean the restructurings. They're moving money around the cap, but it doesn't really affect what the players are making

and it doesn't affect the team. It's keeping it together. So it hasn't been a very newsworthy offseason yet, unless you like following accounting in the NFL. So and I'm not saying as a negative because that's what they wanted. They wanted to keep their guys, they wanted to clear books. So I think Evan Ingram very much fits into that.

Everybody you talk to from Evan after the season, when Trent Balky talked about it at a couple of ponies, and people you talked to on the side, there's never been much of a doubt that one way or the other they were going to keep Evan Ingram. The doubt has been more over Juwan Taylor out of those two.

And I believe based on just feel from talking to Trent, that at some point they'll get a long term deal done with Evan Ingram, because, as I've written many times, and you read it too often for your sake, when sides want to get something done in this league, and when both sides genuinely want something to happen, it usually gets done. And talking to Evan's it certainly feels like he wants to be here long term. It would behoove

him to be here long term and the franchise. My guess is once the Jaguars maybe move le further down the road and figure out exactly what the rest of the cap looks like, then maybe they come back and say, okay, we gotta figure it out. Now we can we know exactly where Evan will fit time to get it done. Maybe it's not that, Maybe it's just a matter of okay, now we can agree on that number. Maybe the John Taylor has something to do with that. Who knows, But

sometimes you get the sense with a franchise tag. I've covered guys A four who've been on the tag, and even if they don't say it, there's a little feeling I don't like this. I don't think you'll have any sort of residual effect from Evan being on the franchise tag. I think it'll just be more logistics. At some point we'll get worked out and if it doesn't, you know, eleven million dollars. I think could be happy with that. It's about what he made last year, and it won't.

It won't go into another season with him, I wouldn't think so. I think at some point he'll be a long term guy. Here. The availabilities from Trent Fawkey and Doug Peterson from Tuesday available now on Jaguars dot Com. Let's rewind to those a little bit here, John, you can check them all out. Of course, there plenty of interviews throughout the week with other guests out here in Radio Row. Top standouts from each Bulky and Peterson in a rewind of Tuesday, Probably the biggest thing with Doug

that struck me was his you know. It was the first thing he said on the podium, and Doug I think thinks about his messaging at times when he speaks, because he knows he's said in a tone for the team. He was very much I want this team to feel and understand the pressure of having to go out there and perform week to week. I think he knows there's going to be higher expectations on a team that won the AFC South. I don't think he has a problem

with that. He was very upfront, you know. He didn't say, Hey, we're gonna own the you know, he didn't say anything the bastic, but he certainly made clear that the understands are gonna be expectations and he doesn't mind that. And I think the way he phrased it kind of goes back to I'm you know, in the first year under him, I think it took the team until the second half of the season to understand what it took to prepare each week and to be ready and to go win games.

I think that's a natural learning curve. I think it bothered him in October because they weren't winning games, but I think once he saw it in the second half the season, thought Okay, that's how it's supposed to look. But there's also an element of and if he didn't talk about this, some players did on the day after the season or on getaway Day, there's also an element of what it takes all season mentally to be a team that goes it goes and wins in the playoffs.

That's what Doug wants, is what the team wants. In that comment, I think that was there too of I expect this team next year to approach the entire season as if we're going to go win that second round game. Plenty of guests coming up, if they haven't posted already on Jaguars dot Com or Jaguars Social media or the podcast network, and the coming days they will, including Peter King,

who you caught up with today NBC Sports. Always fantastic and had a chance to listen in to some of that conversation between you two, and you're gonna love it once you hear that coming up with Charles Davis with Greg Cosell. I think that's coming up tomorrow on the podcast Network. Just to name a few. I mean Morristons, Drew caught up him, Jay and I know it was gonna leave somebody out. Yeah. Morris had some great things to say about Shad Khan, about the team as a whole.

Morris really locked into the team this year. So his insight into what this team is and was doing was really interesting. And I Peter King, you know, a wealth of knowledge and perspective on the combine. And he caught up with Doug Peterson several times for his Monday Morning I get what he calls the Football Mornings in America. He caught up with him several times. So his insight into Doug and this team I found very interesting. John,

well done and enjoyed the week. And we'll talk to you again, I'm sure very soon, probably on the plane tomorrow, Yeah, I guess so, or maybe when we walk out of here. That's John Ozer. Thanks to our special guests today, Pete Frisco of course, Kurt Morris, and doctor Kevin Kaplan. Thanks to our entire crew both here in Indie and back in Jacksonville, and this is Jaguars Happy Hour on the Jaguars Digital Network.