Jaguars insider Mia O'Brien Joins The Show!!

Mioa O'Brien hops on with Wex to break down all things in Week 3 between the two AFC South rivals!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Continuing with our discussion of the enormous game this weekend.
It's the only NFL game the Texas will play this weekend.
Jacksonville hosting the Houston Texans. Last time they were there
was quite the spectacle. And to that end, let's make
our way to Jacksonville and welcome in Mia O'Brien ESPN
Radio hosts. You can also find Mia in the Club
Club nine oh four to be exact podcast you host

(00:26):
covering Jacksonville Sports. A real pleasure to have you here
with us, Mia, And a very simple question that you
and people in Jacksonville that you trust have already tackled,
and I don't have an answer for it. I'm not
sure if you guys have an answer for it, and
we'll start there on your end. What's the deal with
Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Junior not seeming to be

(00:46):
on the same page ever in the two years almost
that they've spent together.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, let's start with this. I think that was the
best intro of all of my new titles. Minus professor
at the University of North Florida. I'm not actually a
professor that I am employed there, So I thank you guys.
For having me on and for that wonderful open no.
And I think the reality is we can crunch all
the numbers we want, and I can spend hours on
the Club nine oh four podcast analyzing that Brian Thomas

(01:13):
Junior ten percent more of his routes run through two
games of the twenty twenty five season, or crossing routes
the idea of is he gun shy from contact in
the middle of the field because of the hit that
he took against the Pittsburgh Steelers in preseason, versus this
idea of maybe it's Trevor Lawrence and he's just not
having any nuanced understanding of what certain routes and especially

(01:35):
choice routes mean in this offensive scheme. Dan Or Lope
did a great job of breaking that down on an
NFL Live on Wednesday. The reality is the only person
who knows what's up and what's wrong with this offense
quite frankly, with regards to that connection is Brian Thomas
Junior and Trevor Lawrence to an extent, and we am
coing to an extent, but ultimately, in terms of Brian
Thomas Junior, if this risk injury actually impacted him last week,

(01:57):
against the Cincinnati Bengals. Were told that it was something
and that's just been bothering him. But he's been playing
through but it progressively got worse during Sunday's game. He
was limited because he was sore on Thursday of Fulberts
spin in practice today, so we'll see. I think that
they spent a lot more time this week, at least
for my conversations around the building in terms of hey,
if I do this, do this? Little nuances like the

(02:20):
one that were lost Key broke down with regards to
in a one on one choice route situation on Sunday
against the Bengals, there was an opportunity for a go
ball route depending on how even with the defender BTJ
was and yet Trevor Lawrence still through the back shoulder
throughout the throw. You know, it's one of those things
that I think it's little details, but at this point
in time, year two of Brian Thomas Junior's career, you

(02:42):
would hope that he and the franchise quarterback had that
sorted out. Unfortunately they did not.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, last year definitely was noticeable, just in the fact
that and we know why Trevor Lawrence wasn't playing at
the end of the season, the numbers for Brian Thomas Junior,
the connections, the targets, everything, it all skyrocketed as soon
as he left the field, and now it's up where
they were. And I'm curious just from kind of in
and around the building. Two games in, they're dangerously close
to being two and oh. Obviously if they close out

(03:08):
the game last week score when they had it, you
know first, and from the twelve after the turnover, any
of those things could have had them at two and oh.
And yet it seems crazy overfilled with drama already just
two weeks in with Liam v Trevor and Trevor and
BTJ and everything going on there is it as dramatic
inside the building and is high intense for just two

(03:29):
weeks into the season, as it seems from afar.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
No, No, it's a national media narrative. Does that answer
your question? I thigre a media narrative one hundred percent.
And that's not just me giving you a cliche answer
being a mouthpiece, like I mean, Brian Thomas Junior is
the chillest person in that building, but additionally he's the
most beloved person in that building. I tell people every
interview I've done like he is the one person who

(03:55):
you could talk to people in nutrition, the Foundation, marketing,
pr and if you were to ask any of them,
who is the player who is most accommodating but also
who goes out of his way to make you feel
like a part of the team and make your family
feel like a part of this team. It's Brian Thomas Junior.
And you wouldn't expect that when you meet him, because
it's not his demeanor. He has a more casual, relaxed demeanor.

(04:16):
He's not an intense guy until he steps in between
the lines of the field. As for the Liam and
Trevor component of it all, I love it because I
truthfully believe truly having known Trevor the last five years,
and I don't think he would argue with me. Although
I don't think he'd throw his high school coach or
Davos Sweeney under the bus. I believe this is the
first time he's actually being coached hard in his career
since he was in high school. And he told us

(04:38):
after the game on Sunday at the podium, he said,
I want a coach that's going to rip into me
the way that Liam is. But in a loving, he
cares about me approach, So there's no drama to be
had there when he's banging on his chest saying put
it on his chest. That's again more of the nuance
the technical aspect of the craft of playing quarterback that
Trevor Lawrence quite frankly, has ever been taught. I've told

(05:01):
people and I will continue to say it. The comp
you need to be looking for for Liam Cohen and
Trevor Lawrence is not Liam Cohen and Baker Mayfield in Tampa.
It is Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan. That duo in
Ryan's first season with Shanahan and Atlanta went seventy and one.
The next year they went to the Super Bowl, and
that first year there was a lot of infighting and
headbutting just because Kyle Shanahan forced Matt Ryan to see

(05:24):
the position differently and redevelop many of the essential traits
that go into becoming a great quarterback.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
In the NFL. I mean, I'll take your word for
it if you want my audience to believe that he
didn't get any coaching while Ervin Meyer was there in
his rookie season, but I'm sure that's true now, I
know what you're saying. It's it's I do love.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
I do love Brian Schottenheimer. I want to make sure
what you begives Shoddy his flowers. Darryl bebbll they tried
their best. It just you know, I was a little
chaotic of a scene, you know, behind the scenes going on.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
The Urban Meyer era was absolutely something for those that
do not know. Brian Schottenheimer was the quarterback coach, passing
in coordinator there during that first season, and Bevill ultimately
became the inner head coach when Ervin Meyer did not
even last one season. As the master of everything, he
had all the power in the organization, which probably ended
up setting them back. Where do you think things are

(06:10):
with Jacksonville. You're into year five with Trevor Lawrence. He's
been given his contract extension, He's now working with another
offensive head coach, obviously Doug Peterson before Liam Cohen, and
his performance from again an outsider is far less than
what I believe it should be. Where does the Jacksonville
Jaguars organization stand with him? And where does Trevor Lawrence

(06:32):
think he is currently and where he's headed?

Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah, I think Trevor would tell you kind of like
when Tiger Woods, if you go back to ninety eight whenever,
after he won his first Masters, if you recall, he
redeveloped his swing with the goal of maybe two steps back.
But this is what's going to allow me to go
for the Tiger Grand Slam and have titles upon titles.
That's I think where Trevor Lawrence is right now. He
understands that this was never going to be a simple

(06:57):
fix of completely redeveloped his footwork tying into progressions in
this Liam Cohen Sean McVay based offense, and so I
think he understands that there are going to be you know,
there's gonna be bumps in the road, there's gonna be
a learning curve. So I think he embraces that challenge
but understands that, well, yes, they want to be competitive
this year. The real goal is to set this up

(07:18):
long term, make this a sustainable offense that will succeed
year in and year out. As far as the vibe
in the building, you know, I'll tell you this, and
it was reiterated to me by multiple players on Wednesday,
like every man in that locker room would take a bullet,
not only for Liam Cohen, but for defense coordinator Anthony Campanila,
and sure, I think there's some frustration again between you know,

(07:39):
Brian Thomas Junior having five catches on nineteen targets to
begin the year. I think there's some frustration for the
corners after what Jamar Chase did to them last week.
But at the same time, I truly believe that every
player in that locker room is brought into what Liam
Cohen is selling, even if some of the you know,
little decisions around it, maybe they have questions about again
the nuanced things that I think the hope is because

(08:01):
Liam has the control of everything on the grass and
that bigger picture, it will eventually sort itself out as
this team continues to come along.

Speaker 1 (08:10):
Me Obrien here with us on Sports Talk seven to
ninety talking Jacksonville Jaguars football. I've said it. You tell
me if it's a little much and maybe a little harsh.
The Jacksonville Jaguars lead the NFL and takeaways with six.
All six have come while Jake Browning or Bryce Young
has been on the field against their defense. Is it
a little flukish? Have they made the plays? And I've

(08:31):
seen the plays. We're just curio as your point of
view on what their defense is all about and is
this something they do believe they can continue.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
I'll throw another stat at you. The Jacksonville Jaguars are
two defensive turnovers away from matching their twenty twenty four total. Yep,
how does that sound.

Speaker 1 (08:47):
It sounds like they've turned the corner on being disruptive
a little bit more often and taking the ball away.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yes, because I wouldn't say that. You know, if we
go back down the line of some of the quarterbacks
they faced last year, I e. Will Levis twice. I mean,
I'm trying to even remember some of the backup quarterbacks.
They picked off Stam Darnold three times of those eight
defensive turnovers from a year ago. So yeah, you can
certainly look at those two quarterbacks and say that's perhaps
the reason. But ultimately, this zone, predominantly zone based defense

(09:14):
that Anthony Campanila is running, and of course his influences
and mentors being Vic Fangio, Brian Flores, and Jeff Hapley.
You look at those three defenses right now in Philly, Minnesota,
and Green Bay respectively, and what do all three of
those outfits do. They make plays on the ball, they
finish at the they finish at the point of attack
and surefire tackling, and that's what this oufit wants to be.

(09:34):
And because it's more of a zone based scheme as
opposed to the pressman Ryan Nielsen defense from a year ago,
it's allowed players to make more plays on the ball. Certainly,
it's been a shift, and I can tell you I
talked to a couple of players in the last few
weeks who have said it's it's a grind and they
felt it in training camp and now they do once
the games have really begun, because they went from a
pressman zone where you're just trying to jam up your

(09:56):
opponent one v one too now you're looking to make
plays on the b But for some members of this defense,
that was the cure after a anemic twenty twenty four
defensive season.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
MIA certainly appreciate the time we've run out of it.
There's just enough time for you to tell me who
wins on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah, well, Vegas and my friends at ESPN bets say
the jag So I also told multiple folks when they
were pan x here in Jacksonville about the Jaguars going
to Cincinnati last week that I believe the Jaguars will
be three and one going into Monday Net Football against
the Kansas City Chiefs. Maybe I'll amend that to two
and two, just because to your points, they should have
won the game last week. But I do think the
Jaguars get the dB. I think this is an ugly

(10:34):
one though. I think it's a grinded out game where
the Jags truthfully, in my opinion, will win the game.
If they run the ball and Trevor Lawrence throws twelve
to fifteen passes, it's probably not going to be that
low of a number. But knowing right now, this is
the number one rated rushing attack in the NFL, it
has a three headed monster. Yes, I said three headed monster,
Lequint Allen, remember that name. I think that the Jaguars

(10:55):
will get it done, but it'll be something like twenty
to seventeen to eighteen.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Sounds like a fun game to watch, grind it out,
ugly football in Jacksonville. I think many of us have
seen that before. I really appreciate your time, outstanding insight,
and enjoy your coverage of the Jaguars for another go
around there in the club.

Speaker 2 (11:14):
Happy to hop on with you guys, appreciate it. The
eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety