JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
_What training camp position battle are you looking forward to?_
There absolutely will be some key position battles in Jaguars 2026 Training Camp, which is scheduled to begin July 28 at the Miller Electric Center – with quarterbacks and rookies reporting July 25. I expect second-year veteran Wyatt Milum will compete with veteran Patrick Mekari at right guard, with veteran Ventrell Miller competing with multiple players at linebacker. Also watch for second-year veteran Jonah Monheim and Robert Hainsey at center, as well as young players such as B.J. Green, Danny Striggow, Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee at defensive end. Best position battle? Let's go with Mekari and Milum. It's approaching fast.
**_Joe from Living in St Johns, down by the river_**
_Hey, John. I perused the Bills website and focused on the Bills fan forum. Two big differences. One, they have two guys on audio reading and answering questions (very cringe). Two, there is no mention of Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen's decision to go for it on fourth down during the playoff game. It appears they have managed to move on and look towards the future._
Good on you for perusing. As my dear uncle Otto used to say, "Nothing feeds the soul like a good peruse." As for Bills followers not dwelling on a play from their team's 27-24 victory over the Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card Playoff Game this past January … of course they wouldn't. Their team won. It's easy to like what your team did when you win. Winning is cool. Fans like it.
_John, the analytics show going for it on fourth down in many situations is the best strategic and statistical move. It angers us when it doesn't work because it is not what we are used to seeing over the past 20-30-40 years some of us have watched the NFL. But there is an enormous reason for this change: the game and rules are different. The rules have swung so far in favor of the offense being able to score that all the math changed from what we grew up with. Think back to games from the 70s, 80s and 90s. If a team started inside their own 30-yard line with less than two minutes to go and they scored anything, that was big news! Today it seems half the games every week are decided by teams scoring in that exact same scenario. The math (i.e. "reality") almost forces coaches to go for it. Heck, I would almost be willing to bet it has happened more in the past five years than all those decades combined … but like you, I am way too lazy to do that kind of research._
This couldn't be more correct. I don't know that this change toward offense being placed above all else is all positive. Come-from-behind victories, from this view, have become commonplace enough that they have lost some of their charm. I am probably alone in this view. That's fine. I spend a lot of time alone.
**_Rob from the duuuuuuuuuuuuu_**
_Hey, John. We have Trevor Lawrence listed at the No. 62 spot on the all-important NFL Top 100 list. Former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. was in the 90s and I have a suspicion – based on how high Trevor is – that there will be no more Jags on the list. Don't you think No. 62 is pretty high for someone who finished fifth in the Most Valuable Player voting? I am also presuming that defensive end Josh Hines-Allen is not on it at this point. Only two Jags for a team that went 13-4? Talk about disrespect. It always irks me how much higher Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is always ranked over Trevor. This year seems like it will irk me more than ever. Where would you rank Lawrence amongst all players? And will this disrespect help the Jags stay motivated?_
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence indeed was ranked No. 62 in the NFL's Top 100 list. This inevitably will be an irritant to Jaguars fans. I expect the Jaguars will use it as motivation. Loyal O-Zone readers know I pay little attention to these sorts of lists and rankings because rankings and lists don't matter in professional football. What matters is the games and the Jaguars won 13 of those in the 2025 regular season. I assume that's what matters to fans, and I assume Jaguars fans will remember and treasure Lawrence's performance in victories more than they remember where he was ranked in an obscure preseason list.
**_John from St Augustine, FL_**
_Hey, O. Why have all teams abandoned the short-yardage play of the running back taking the handoff and jumping over the linemen? I seem to remember it being pretty effective. James "Little Man" Stewart was very good at for the Jags._
Diving over the line is hard and takes time, and you must have a back who is good at it. It's also comparatively high risk in terms of injury and fumble potential. Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Marcus Allen and Walter Payton were exceptionally good at this skill. Their highlights doing this are memorable and beautiful. It's not as beautiful when players fumble or get injured. This doesn't mean we will never see it again. It probably means you should enjoy it when you see it.
**_JK from Ocala, FL, crossroad of the universe_**
_Sir, O. I saw the question about the team colors. You were young. Well, I was old and here it goes. The league chose the colors for marketing reasons. There was some mumbo jumbo about marketing test and overall appeal. We were so excited to get the team not many cared. But after a few pitchers at Brinkman's we did complain to each other._
_Hello, John. Football – and especially the Jags – are No. 1 for me in the sports world. But futbol (go, Mrs. O) comes second and I really enjoyed the World Cup. In the England-Argentina match, England was up by one goal at half primarily to very aggressive offense. Midway through the second half, the coach goes prevent defense, Argentina immediately subs multiple striker personnel and the momentum takes a 180. Argentina ultimately prevails 2-1. What is your opinion on Prevent Defense (NFL)? Even with a large lead, do you really need it? Also, it seems to immediately change the momentum over to the team that is behind, as well as chunks of yardage, almost a setup for a comeback? Isn't the best defense offense, keep the pedal to the metal?_
While I watched most or all of nearly every World Cup Game, I still know enough about soccer – or, as Mrs. O-Zone calls it, "futbol" – to know I know very little about soccer. I do know enough to know that prevent defense in soccer ("futbol") is a bit different than in football – primarily, perhaps, because soccer ("futbol") substitutions are permanent and therefore make the style and momentum change much harder to control or reverse than is the case in the NFL. That's more theory than fact, but it feels sort of right. As for prevent defense in the NFL … it's tempting to say defenses should always keep the "pedal to the metal" and play aggressively until game's end. I once absolutely believed that. But with the game so geared toward the offense in this era, I've come to see the logic behind prevent defenses. Yes, you're giving some yardage and maybe some points that feel like you're giving momentum away too easily. But you're trying to slow offenses down and get to the end of the game however you can – and "prevent" defense is the best way to "ensure" that you give up yards and points slowly rather than quickly. You might lose a game or two with the strategy, but your percentages of winning rise when using playing "prevent." And it's all percentages these days.
_On Lawrence's last throw in the playoff loss to the Bills, the ball was tipped. Well … there you go. Now, you don't have to answer any more questions on that loss._
**_Kenneth from Jacksonville_**
_Who's the best player in Jaguars history to don No. 78?_
We push nearer to Jaguars 2026 Training Camp – and as we do, we push toward the end of this discussion of best players in Jaguars history to wear specific numbers. Possibilities here include guard Ben Bartch (2020-2023), tackle Jordan Black (2009-2010), tackle Cameron Bradfield (2011-2014), tackle Todd Fordham (1997-2002) and tackle Jeremy Parnell (2015-2018). We shall lean toward Parnell here, then venture onward.
**_Ed from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL_**
_I cannot understand the importance of who was the best wearing a certain number. The evaluation is still subjective regardless of the number. You are nice to respond to this nerdy group._
I am the king of all funk.