February 18, 2025 • 33 mins
Kainani Stevens is back with John and Brian on Jags A.M. to discuss the candidates for General Manager who are moving forward to in person interviews this week. The trio dives into the process and how important it is to get the right guy for years to come and not rush just for the Combine. Boselli, Coen, Waugh and staff are keeping the operations moving including scouting and more. Lastly, recap the three coordinators first media availability and what the crew thinks their schemes will look like.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Welcome to Jagsan today. Kanani Stevens, Brian Sexton, and John
Oser are with me. We've had an eventful offseason so
far and that's going to keep continuing this week and
into the month as well. Pretty excited. We got our
big things for you today. Youth movement is big thing
number one, because we got our coordinators introduced last week
and this is going to be a young team going forward.
But more than that, they're excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I say, you have an energetic staff, for sure, so
maybe that's how I would look at it there. But
in the sense of youth, I think you feel the energy,
the excitement, the passion for football, for coaching, and the
work that goes into making this thing ultimately where we
want it to be. And I think that carries over,
(01:00):
or not only into our interactions with each other so far,
but I think that will show up in our relationships
with the players and the relationships hopefully with everyone else
in the building. So I think the energy there is palpable.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
That's no offensive coordinator Grant and Vinsky, Brian, you asked
him that question, and they're excited to be hearing you.
Steel energy.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
It's a lot.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Different you can't miss it. The thing that stood out
to me was for a young guy. Right when he
walked in the room, It's like, wow, he's young, he's
twenty nine years old, but he checked all the boxes.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
John.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I mean, he had only been here for a few days.
He's just barely immersed in the Jaguars, and yet he
was able to talk about the fundamentals of the game,
right the things that he believes in offensively, about coaching players,
about developing players, about working with the quarterback. Young, Yes, aggressive, Yeah,
it sounds like he is, but more importantly, well schooled
(01:50):
and checks boxes that you hope a much older coach
would be able to check. I think that's the thing
that impressed me the most is he seems incredibly well
prepared for the job.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
Fight his youth, Brian, I have news for you from
here on out, for us, they're all young, and so
I guess the point is that's fine. It struck me
that Liam cohne Cone really wanted guys that he was
comfortable with, regardless of age. And that's fine because once
(02:23):
you get that staff together, these guys are your staff
need to be working with them. From what you hear
about both Yudinsky and Camp and early players relate to them.
They have good relationships with players. Players like playing for
these guys. Let's go with that. Let's start there as
(02:43):
a base, I think is what the coaches are saying,
and build from there. I think players will believe in this,
and I think that's important after last year.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Absolutely think setting the tone early is very important. So
our second big thing today is gonna be in person interviews.
They've got the coaching staff in place. Now it's heads
to the front office. As we're looking at some of
these GM interviewers and John, you've got the GM.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Tracker on the website going.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So tell us a little bit about what's gonna happen
this week.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Well, they had their ten interviews last week virtually. Ethan
Waugh is in the process and is in the final
stage along with five others. They will start the process
of interviewing those on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I expect it to be wrapped up by Friday.
Speaker 5 (03:26):
I think they expect to have a GM in place
late Friday or Saturday ish somewhere around there. Look, Brian,
everybody's I'm gonna lie emails abou Why is the process
taking so long? You're not hiring a GM for February
twenty seventh. You're hiring a GM for the next five
ten years, right, So get it right and then let
(03:47):
everything else take care of itself. I think they like
the process so far. I can't tell you, Brian, that
I know much about each individual candidate, because there's not
much to know about these guys.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
These guys are all young as well. It's gonna be
a young bunch.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
And what I hear they like the candidates so far.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Yeah, listen, I don't know the candidates other than what
I've read, like a lot of people who are watching this,
what you've read, and what matters is that they get
the right guy.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
The reason that they don't have to push the process
along is because they've got Tony Bisselli in place. Right.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
They've had Ethan Waugh who's kept the scouting process, whether
that's the pro side working the free agent board or
the college side working to get the college board ready
and ready for the combine next week.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
They haven't had to force it.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
And of course Tony's here, and all the football operations,
whether it's strength and conditioning or medical training or video
or PR any of that, it's all being maintained. So
that's allowed them to make a good decision, not a hey,
we got to get this done. What's the best decision
for right now? This franchise, in its history, and you
know this, John has always been in a position where
(04:49):
it's made quicker decisions because they needed to get something done.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
This feels right. The pace is there.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Let's make sure that we talked to ten, we whittle
it down to five, and then we get the absolute
person that fits with Liam, that fits with Tony, that
fits with Shad, that fits with the franchise.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
There's no reason to rush it. Even if it went
into next week, this would be okay.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
They don't have to worry about this. Everything is being
taken care of. I just love the pace of it.
It's so different than the way that this franchise is
traditionally operated.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah, and one final thing before we move on.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
I think you know fans that are thinking, well, free
agency is coming up soon. I'm not going to argue
that free agency is coming up soon. And you'd ideally
you would want the GM to have been in place
a while back. They went four and thirteen last year.
This is not an ideal situation. You're trying to get
things right for the long term. If free agency, if
(05:42):
the GM's coming in a little late on that, you
have Liam Cohen, you have Tony Bisselli to operate that,
and you have the information. That is the one thing
you'd rather have. But trumping that, I would rather have
the right GM for the.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Long term, absolutely, right, guy is the most important thing
when it comes to that. Our final big thing today
is going to be off to Indy as we talk
about getting those things in place in the front office,
everybody here's going to be heading to Indianapolis for the
combine next week because the draft is upcoming as well. Brian.
When we look at something like that, when you're talking
about the scouting that's already in place, is how much
different will it be this year with the new coaching
staff and scouting there.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Well, they're gonna have to lean on scouts that they
may not know quite as well, right, I.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Mean, that's the thing.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
You don't change the scouting staff until after the draft,
so they're gonna have to take a deep breath and
look at the board. I would say, by the time
you get to the combine, John, the board is eighty
percent maybe eighty five percent set based on the scouting
of these guys in their junior year and those that
are seniors into their senior year, they kind of know
where it's at. They're going to the Indie combine to
(06:42):
be able to check some boxes is primarily a medical exercise.
Now it's not as much about the timing. They've got
a lot of that stuff down. So again, you'd love
to have the GM in place at this point, but
they do have a scouting staff that's been doing the work,
and Tony knows those guys and Liam Cohen can lean
on those guys until they get this thing in place.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, I'm not sure.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
I think Brian's right, but the board is there in
the sense that the players are on it. I think
what's important to remember, but when the GM's coming in. In
terms of the draft, so far, scouting is largely information gathering.
You want your area of scouts and you want your
next level to have the information in the building. Once
the GM gets in place, once he puts his head
(07:27):
together with the key decision makers, then they can start
taking all this data and sorting it out. It's February
twenty eighth when he gets installed. Say forget the combine,
So much. You still got two and a half months
to set your board, figure out what your draft philosophy is.
I don't think timing on that is a big deal
at all. I think sometimes we overestimate the combine because
(07:50):
we go and it's on TV. It's a piece of
the scouting process.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
But you know.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
Who's there and newness and it's etc. That's not a
huge issue next week. Next week is going to be
more about these guys getting to know each other and
getting their feet wet with the Jaguars.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
And I think if you look at it objectively, the
in person visits. I think a team gets thirty in
person visits here on site, Yeah, on site, those matter
more than the combine does the combine again, medical sum.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Checks here and there.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
But when you get the guys that you're really interested
in your building around, your coaches, on your board, talking
to your people, that really is what matters the most.
And the general manager will be here for that.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Stay with Sara on JAGSZAM coming up after the break,
we're gonna hear from your new coordinators. We'll start out
with the defense after the break.
Speaker 6 (08:51):
My vision for us defensively, you want to be a
tough fast, physical, violent at the point of attack. Team.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
What does that mean?
Speaker 5 (09:02):
All right?
Speaker 6 (09:02):
That means that you've got guys who take pride in
not getting blocked. Everybody talks about running to the ball.
I don't think there's another person in the world who
believes in running to the ball more than I do.
But you can't run to the ball if you don't
get all blocked. And that is something that's gonna be
celebrated in our room. It's gonna be celebrated in the
(09:24):
culture of our team. You know, there's gonna be a
you know, there's a point in every play where somebody
tries to block you. Right, your passion to not stay
blocked is really what makes plays on defense.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Jaguar's a new defensive coordinator, Anthony Campanelli, and we kind
of got to hear from these guys. You guys were
here last week and it feels different. Obviously, we're gonna
learn about these guys that think as things go along,
and you can't win the press conference, so to say,
but it is nice to hear where people's I don't
know if it's allegiances or just what their focus is
on when you talk about a defense. Obviously, everybody wants
(10:00):
to be tough and physical, but violent and whatnot. But
just to the focusing in on specifics for him as
what I found was great to see.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Well, you know, I thought Ryan Nielsen was a really
good communicator, right, but he in hindsight, he didn't communicate
the kind of information that we got in.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Just the first press conference. Sure, he didn't share much
for that, right.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
I mean, so when you hear him talk about violently
shedding blocks, well, I mean, listen, that's the kind of.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Detail that we're looking for.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
If you go back to the Packers defense last year
and the game they played here, both Tony and Jeff
were talking in pregame radio about how aggressive and how
difficult this Packers defense was to compete against, and he
basically explained it right there in that sound bite, which listen,
there's some really good players on that side of the ball.
(10:52):
They should not have been the worst defense in football.
You get the sense he can turn it around pretty quickly.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
Look, there's only so many any talking points that any
offensive and defensive coordinator can have in the first press conference. Right,
You're going to attack, you're gonna be physical, You're going
to try to play fast, I've never been around a
defensive coordinator who wants to be passive and play slow,
So you're gonna hear the same things. As my point,
(11:20):
what coaching is is the ability to have players buy
into whatever simple concept you're trying to get across to them.
I like the fact that Campanelli talks a lot about
being violent at that point of attack and shedding blocks.
He's telling guys, this is what we're going to be about.
You better play this way or you're not gonna fit
(11:41):
in with what we're doing. Beyond any of that, everything
you hear about this guy is players love playing for him.
That tells me whatever that message is that we've all
heard before, I don't care if we've heard it before,
can you get it to the players and can they
buy in? Everything you hear is that this guy can
(12:01):
do that. Beyond that, I don't care what he said.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
I mean, he cares.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
All of what he said doesn't matter. This is a
guy who can get players believing in him.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
This defense needs that well and everywhere he's been I
mean I mentioned it last week. He's a legend.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
He and his brothers in the Catholic League in New
Jersey and everyone you talk to talks about him from
that point through college to the Dolphins to the Packers.
So he's had an impact at every level of football
and everywhere he's been people speak highly of him.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
That matters.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
You are a legend in the Kansas Catholic League, which
is a different level.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Actually Missouri, but yeah, at a very different level. Thank you,
legend for a different reason.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Kimpanelli had a couple interesting points I felt throughout his presser.
We talked a little bit about forcing turnovers. That was
a huge issue for this team last year, but then
two years ago we saw the beginning of the season
they were close to leading the league in turnovers. So
to have that same roster and have that issue, he
talked a little bit about what the focus needs to
be with turnovers.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
I also think that the guys that have great ball
awareness and the guys that strain that as a team,
you know, the units that really strain that. It's you
go back and look at it. How many attempts are
you making on the ball, whether that's punching the ball right,
whether that's violent contact on the ball, how I'm clamping
on a tackle. All those things can factor in to takeaways.
(13:21):
And to me, you have to do a really really
good job studying that and presenting that information visually to
the players. Get as many great visuals for them. Knowing
how people carry the ball, right. Is a guy late
to the tuck after he catches the ball. Does he
carry the ball on his inside arm near sideline? Is
the guy switches the ball in traffic? Is the ball
off his body? Is he an elbow outrunner? Those are
the guys that you want to target, and you want
(13:42):
to target them in specific ways. So that to me,
there is a little bit of a I don't want
to say a science to that, but certainly a technique
and a coaching philosophy to that.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I'm going to get into the weeds a little bit there,
but what I like to hear is talking about us
teaching them the specific ways to go about the Obviously
former regime Ryan Nielson wasn't as descriptive to us, so
maybe he was saying those messages to the players and
just not to us. That's fair, but to also hear
this coming forward and just being aware that they're going
to be focusing in on, you know, doing your job,
so to speak. But it's not necessarily simplified version, it's
(14:16):
it's doing what needs to be done.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Yeah, the turnover thing's key. I mean it's they had
twenty seven and twenty two and twenty seven and twenty three.
They forced they had nine last year, which you almost
have to try to have that few. And so I
liked what he said about this is a defense that's
going to face the quarterback more. Really to me, the
(14:40):
key with turnovers as far as forcing them on defense,
if you're playing disruptive up front, and if you're in
a situation where you have the other team in situations
it doesn't want to be in generally speaking, you're going
to get more turnovers than if you're not playing well
on early downs and not getting them that situation. So
(15:02):
if everything else that he's teaching, if they're disruptive and
the offense isn't liking what it's feeling, then turnovers will happen.
If you're not playing well, they're gonna have nine again.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
You know, we talked about Liam and Grant on the
offensive side, and really the measuring stick being the quarterback.
I couldn't help listening to him and especially talking about turnovers,
thinking that Mason Smith and Jordan Jefferson are those two
players for him on defense getting push in the middle
of the defensive line, which will let your outside rushers,
(15:34):
you know, your josh Heinz Allen and tray Von get
after the quarterback, which will create more turnovers. Those two guys,
and if they added defensive tackling the draft, it's a
good draft for defensive tackles, especially at the top. Getting
that push and this guy's shedding blocks and creating havoc
in the middle of the defense, which we saw from
Green Bay last year. That'll create the turnovers. I mean again,
(15:56):
I don't want to say that it's a quick turnaround,
although to go for twenty seven to nine happened pretty quickly,
so maybe the reverse can be true as well. But
Mason Smith, Jordan Jefferson, and whoever else is in that
defensive tackle group seems to be the lynch pin, the
leverage point for this defense creating more turnovers.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
It's not going to be a complete rebuild with the situation. Obviously,
you're not coming in from the ground floor. There is
stuff here that he's going to be working with. He
said as much when he talked about it, and Campanelli
was in Green Bay last year after spending a lot
of time in Miami, and he talked about going to
a new team and kind of working through that process.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
That kind of happened in Green Bay last year. To
be honest with it, for me, I was in Miami
for a bunch of years and went there and as
Jeff and I were kind of riving it down to
the studs and our defensive staff was building it from
the ground up. You always evaluate what's in the building,
you know what I mean, what do the guys do
well and how does that fit into our scheme? And
I think great coaches always have the ability to be
(16:51):
malleable with the scheme to fit what the players do best.
So yeah, that's part of it. And then as you
go for sure, like as your roster changes, you know,
sometimes it affords you the opportunity to do a little
bit more so or less.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
John, we heard from the head coach a lot of
players not plays right. And when you talk about when
he's talking about building his scheme here, he wants to
utilize what he has at his availability, but also being
flexible right when you play certain teams, maybe adjuster style.
It's not being rigid and saying we're going to do
this no matter what. And having that adaptability, I think
it would be really big for this defense to not
just be doing one thing no matter what if that
(17:28):
doesn't call for.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
That, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
And talking to him a couple of weeks ago, I
asked him about the scheme and any kind of laugh
and I started laughing. To me, he said, look, I
understand what you're asking. I understand fans win a new scheme.
The reality is they play some four to three, they
play some three four. Within that, everything's hybrid. To me,
(17:54):
how do you use Trayvon? How do you use Eric Armstead?
Can you move those guys inside a little bit? It
sounds like Armstell, We're back inside. Yes, it's players, not plays.
How you use those guys matters very much. I think
the thing I'm optimistic about is with run defense, which
I think is the key. You have to get the
(18:15):
run stop first. He's really good at that. He was
the run game coordinator. If you can get that stopped,
then you can get out of that thirty two range
they were in. If you get out of thirty two,
then you're marginally better. And this team lost a bunch
of games by seven points or less. So getting a
little better at something the coach maybe can have a
(18:36):
huge influence on I'm optimistic about that small detail of that, Brian.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
So just theoretically where the Checkers are drafting, there could
be a defensive tackle right, the kid from Michigan, Mason Graham.
I don't think it's likely anymore because I think a duel.
Carter's performance in the College Playoff lifted him way above five.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
But those are two players.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
You think, well, we just drafted a couple of pass
rusher if we just drafted a couple of defensive tackles,
I'll be really interested to see just how multiple right,
because that's a coaching word, multiple, they will be if
one of those two guys is there for them, because
you can never have enough great defensive front guys, and
they're going to change things up. Last year we saw
(19:19):
Trayvon with his hand on the ground and another really
good season from him. They're willing, it sounds like, to
take a player and it doesn't matter whether they've got
three defensive tackles. If this guy's really good and he's
a three technique, or you can put him, you know,
in an inside gap, sup take him. They are calling
to put a scheme together players over plays, it doesn't matter. Well,
(19:40):
we already have a defensive tackle. Well, who doesn't need
a great defensive tackle?
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Absolutely can always have more.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Well, yeah, it's the same thing with them to do
a Carter right. I mean, you have two great pass
russes on the outside.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Who doesn't need a third?
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Old story about the Patriots and the Giants in that
Super Bowl back in two thousand and eight.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
So yeah, there's no position on this roster out really
outside along snow and punter where you can't improve a
position group with a Pro Bowl player like Brian Thomas
junior Trevan Walker.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I love those guys. If you add one.
Speaker 5 (20:09):
More player to their group that are really good, you
can find a spot form on the field. So it's
wide open on the draft on that front.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
All right, we talk defense, We're going to switch the
offensive side of football coming up after the break. Here
in jags Am, Move the Freight, Move the Freight. Magellan
Transport voted the coolest office space in Jacksonvilla. Play online
at www dot Magellan Logistics dot com. Going back into
(20:37):
jags am as, we got to hear from the coordinators
for the first time. Last week we talked about defensive
side of Football's talk about the offensive side of football,
because that has been the focus for much of this offseason.
You got your offensive head coach, and now you've got
a pretty young guy, Grant Edinsky, twenty nine years old,
taken over as your offensive coordinator for the first time.
So he talked a little bit about what is going
to be the main project, which is not project, but
(20:58):
the main point of his job is going to be
working with Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
The physical talent you can see and you guys probably
have had more time watching it than even me over
the course of the past couple of years. The most
exciting thing for me is the guy and the person
as I've started to form this relationship, because, like I said,
the quarterback position is still played by a person. It's
still human being back there who's got to stand back
(21:23):
there and navigate tight pockets and hits and escape and
deal with eleven, you know, ten other guys in the
all eleven on defense and make those decisions and snap judgment.
So the person that we're getting to deal with and
work with on a day to day basis is super
exciting for me because listen, if we're up here spending
as much time as we do trying to pour ourselves
(21:44):
into somebody, He's the type of guy that you want
to invest time in.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
John. We've talked before about when this job came open,
there was a lot of football people that want and
work with Trevor Lawrence like they see him as you know,
the talent that we've seen from him and what he's
possibly capable of getting to with the right scheme around him,
the right people around him. And it feels like he
now has the right people around him that want to
work with him like that.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Yep, it does.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
And I think the team that was around him before
had his best interest and developed him in spots. It's
tough because again we've heard frankly too many intro pressers
around here, right, so we have experience listening you're looking
for something real to hang on to, and fans right
(22:29):
me all the time, Well they're saying the same things
over and over again. Well, yes, they say.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
The same things over and over again.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
I think with Yudinsky, what was impressive is not so
much what he said, but his track record in Minnesota.
When you read about him, his relationship with around blink.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
JJ McCarthy was very close.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
It's the sort of thing that a quarterback can develop
trust and lean on. He's going to be all in
with Trevor all of those things. Brian. I don't know
how it plays out because we haven't seen it, but
it does sound like this guy has the football knowledge,
the diligence, the passion to be Trevor's guy and to
(23:10):
bring him along in terms of always being there, always
not advocate, but always being a source of information. Does
he have the ability to translate it into a way
that Trevor easily understands and can take onto the field.
I think that's what we'll find out.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
A couple thoughts.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
You know, for all the analytics that and numbers that
play into professional football, it's about relationships, Yeah, I mean,
it's about people.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
And it sounds as if Grant has the.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Ability to form great relationships with people for a young guy.
That's important. You love that with a young quarterback that
you have here. Also the experience that he has. You know,
last year, Sam Darnold, a high pick, top five pick
by the Jets, discarded that you know, went to the Panthers,
went to the Niners. Had bounced around, was in his
fourth spot in six years, and they got the best
(24:01):
out of him right in a desperate situation because remember,
you know, their quarterback, the guy that they drafted all
of a sudden can't play and they don't know that
they can count on Sam Darnold. So he was part
of Kevin O'Connell and that crew on the offensive side,
getting the most out of a guy who had potential
but who hadn't to that point shown it. Well, I mean,
(24:23):
he's perfect to come here and to work with Trevor Lawrence.
At least, it seems like he's perfect. I'll go back
to what I said at the beginning. He forms good relationships.
That's the thing I've been told about him. That's the
thing that he has shown people. If that's the case,
I think he's off to a good start already.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
And frankly, we're talking about somebody who's twenty nine and
has been in the league four or five years, So
there's not much for us to analyze based on what
has happened already. All we have is what we've heard
about it and why he has been brought in. Everything
I have seen and heard from him I like very much.
(25:02):
I can see how Trevor could relate to this, So
I think it'll be a positive. Now he's got to
go prove that, yes, can't.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Be the up and coming guy without you know, being
the up and coming guy.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
First.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
We also heard him talk a little bit. You know,
he's talking about working with all the players on the team,
but obviously Brian Thomas Junior had a breakout rookie season
and just what he's looking forward to with working with.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Him, Like like we talked about with the players and
the opportunity to work with these guys. He's one of
the guys where you watch the tape and you're it's
hard to stay seated watching his tape just in terms
of the excitement and the tools and the ability that
he has and the potential there for you saw the
results this year, but the potential for growth beyond this year,
(25:41):
and the different ways you can use him to attack
defenses in a multitude of ways.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
I mean, if your eyes don't light up when you
think about Brian Thomas Junior, is probably something wrong with you.
But I'm excited for maybe the creativity that they can use.
When you talk about, you know, getting some of these
younger offensive lines it's just how they utilize the talent
that they have. Obviously, Brian Thomas Junior is a huge
talent and going into a second year, what they can.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Be able to do with him.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
Listen, the thing that stands out the most about Thomas
is is that he makes defensive coordinators restless. They don't
sleep very well the night before the game because you know,
he is an explosive playmaker. We had many of those
around here, and to have a guy like that, if
you come into the offensive coordinator, that has to give
you incredible confidence.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
Yeah, and all Jaguars fans, the most Jaguars fans are
familiar with Brian Thomas Junior. Well, you know, Liam Cohen
and Yudinsky, they had their own stuff to do last year, right,
So they get here and they've probably seen some highlights
of BTJ. But I can sort of imagine Yudinsky sitting
there and like going through the highlight reel and at
(26:46):
times just kind of going.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
That's pretty cool. Yeah, oh all right, we can do that.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
So for me a football standpoint, what BTJ brings this
team that it hasn't had very much in his friends history.
Defenses can game plan all they want and once the game.
He can still do something that you can't game plan for.
(27:11):
That's what wins games in the NFL. Now it's become
a league of above the x's and oh's playmakers. He
can do that, and I'm sure this coaching staff sort
of watches him and every every now and then it's like, hey, cool.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
All right, let's go go do your thing, which is fine.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
I mean that's not really football one oh one stuff,
but that's the kind of stuff that's gonna win you
two or three games a year. Build around that, and
I can't be more excited to watch Brian Thomas Junior
in the future.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
Listen, you, when you show up and you've got a
promising young quarterback with a Lamborghini at his disposal in
Brian Thomas Junior, I mean, put him in the car
and let him go. There's a lot of things that
you can do. And there's other pieces on the offense
as well, and of course they'll add to that. But
the quarterback and receiver combination, I mean, you saw all
those years in the ending with with Peyton and Marvin
(28:04):
and Reggie.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
When you've got that, everything else is possible.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
When Leam Colin came in, he said he's going to
be the one calling the plays. Does that matter at
all with the first time coordinator. Does it help him
because he can focus on some other things or do
you think it'll just be collaborative altogether?
Speaker 5 (28:18):
Oh? I think it certainly seems like you know, Cohen
will have the final say play call. He's the real coordinator, right,
so it certainly gives Grant Yudinsky a chance to grow
within that everything you hear. I don't think it's any
(28:41):
question this guy is on the fast track. He's going
to be a head coach someday. So does it matter.
Sure it matters because it matters who calls plays, But
I don't think it necessarily diminishes Edinsky's value to it.
It will mean his roles different in some coordinators on
game day.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
And I'd be interested to see how this one.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
Obviously we've all, you know, kind of watched it around
here the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
But you've got a first time head.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Coach who is accustomed to calling plays, but he's also
the head coach. Right There's the defense, there's special teams,
there's a lot of elements. So I'm gonna be interested
to see just how much he delegates to Yudinsky as
he goes through the process. It's to be determined because
we don't have anything to base it on.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Maybe a find one to watch though, and hopefully goes
very very well.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Stay with us here.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
We will tell you a little bit about what's coming
up next week at the combine. Jeg XAM brought to
you by Fresh from Florida. It is always in season.
Speaker 7 (29:43):
The cons the organization made it very clear they wanted
me here and that was a big part of where
we are going forward. And so I had that going
I did get some interest, but ultimately we wanted to
be here. The organization wanted us here, and so it
was it was a clear cut deal for my family
(30:05):
and I. This was the best situation. Blend in with
this new crowd of staff and and and make the
best of it here and let's get let's.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Let's do this.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
See that's a familiar face. He'd far a well special
teams coordinator. He's going to be staying here. And I mean,
you got a couple of pro bowlers on. I think
that's fair. Yeah, and drafted one of the best kickers,
h absolutely, so he'll be sticking around, which is great.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
You know Rick Oscelin, who was a longtime writer for
the Dallas Morning News, used to it was a labor
of love for him. He compiled and created his own
rating for special teams. I'm not sure anybody does it
now that he's retired, But I was talking to some
guys in Dallas and they were talking about it, and
they were kind of putting their own system together, and
they thought that the Jaguars special teams would be top
(30:48):
five based on their performances, whether you're talking about the kicker,
the punter, the return against I mean, can you remember
an appreciable punt return against this team?
Speaker 3 (30:58):
There wasn't.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
You can look at PFF and some of these different
rating sources, but the bottom line is is that people
who know special teams around the league look at the
job that he farwell did and think he's one of
the better coaches in the league.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
Yeah, there are some coaches, it's rare in this league
now that sort of transcend staff and wind up staying
with a franchise for a long time. He's farwell on
special teams around here. Seems like that guy now, I
think he might be a coach someday. Like he's that
kind of guy who can reach, he can lead special
(31:33):
teams coaches Harbaugh and you know what came out of
that area. So he may have a brighter future beyond
just being a special teams guy. But he also might
be a guy who's in one place for a long time.
I know the Jaguars love him, and as they should.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
There's a lot to love about him. He really is.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
He can explain it. He's very involved in it. Was
very involved in the kickoff transition last year. Is that
process again this year? Just well respected arountally.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Absolutely so. Things are moving quickly now, felt like the
back end of the season is very slow. Now. We
got a lot of things coming at once. The gim
interviews this week combine next week. John, would you say
twenty something years you've been going, So what are we
looking forward to next week?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (32:15):
My first one was oh one, and I guess we
missed one during COVID, which is sort of a blur. Yeah,
Liam Cohen and I believe the new general manager, if
he's in place, may speak. I don't know on the
last part. And it's a good chance to talk to
(32:36):
Liam Cohen about the new coordinators, the direction. We haven't
really talked to him in about two or three weeks.
Sometimes the Combine can feel a bit stale because you've
already talked to the head coach.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
There's that much change.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
This year for me, the highlight will be talking to
Liam about everything that's going on right now and the direction,
because it's moving fast.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
And if it feels fast now, hold on, it's going
to feel a whole lot faster because you get back
from the Combine and you're just a week or two
away from the start of the new league year, which
is free agency, and then it is just downhill all
the way to the draft.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Absolutely right.
Speaker 5 (33:13):
Until last year was downhill.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I just mad in terms of the speed, just right,
all good stuff.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
JP and John will be with you guys next week
for Jagsam from the Combine. All our shows will be
from the Combine in Indianapolis, So enjoy that coverage from
next week and we'll be back here in studio the
week after that.
Welcome to Jagsan today. Kanani Stevens, Brian Sexton, and John
Oser are with me. We've had an eventful offseason so
far and that's going to keep continuing this week and
into the month as well. Pretty excited. We got our
big things for you today. Youth movement is big thing
number one, because we got our coordinators introduced last week
and this is going to be a young team going forward.
But more than that, they're excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I say, you have an energetic staff, for sure, so
maybe that's how I would look at it there. But
in the sense of youth, I think you feel the energy,
the excitement, the passion for football, for coaching, and the
work that goes into making this thing ultimately where we
want it to be. And I think that carries over,
(01:00):
or not only into our interactions with each other so far,
but I think that will show up in our relationships
with the players and the relationships hopefully with everyone else
in the building. So I think the energy there is palpable.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
That's no offensive coordinator Grant and Vinsky, Brian, you asked
him that question, and they're excited to be hearing you.
Steel energy.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
It's a lot.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Different you can't miss it. The thing that stood out
to me was for a young guy. Right when he
walked in the room, It's like, wow, he's young, he's
twenty nine years old, but he checked all the boxes.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
John.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I mean, he had only been here for a few days.
He's just barely immersed in the Jaguars, and yet he
was able to talk about the fundamentals of the game,
right the things that he believes in offensively, about coaching players,
about developing players, about working with the quarterback. Young, Yes, aggressive, Yeah,
it sounds like he is, but more importantly, well schooled
(01:50):
and checks boxes that you hope a much older coach
would be able to check. I think that's the thing
that impressed me the most is he seems incredibly well
prepared for the job.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
Fight his youth, Brian, I have news for you from
here on out, for us, they're all young, and so
I guess the point is that's fine. It struck me
that Liam cohne Cone really wanted guys that he was
comfortable with, regardless of age. And that's fine because once
(02:23):
you get that staff together, these guys are your staff
need to be working with them. From what you hear
about both Yudinsky and Camp and early players relate to them.
They have good relationships with players. Players like playing for
these guys. Let's go with that. Let's start there as
(02:43):
a base, I think is what the coaches are saying,
and build from there. I think players will believe in this,
and I think that's important after last year.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Absolutely think setting the tone early is very important. So
our second big thing today is gonna be in person interviews.
They've got the coaching staff in place. Now it's heads
to the front office. As we're looking at some of
these GM interviewers and John, you've got the GM.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Tracker on the website going.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So tell us a little bit about what's gonna happen
this week.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Well, they had their ten interviews last week virtually. Ethan
Waugh is in the process and is in the final
stage along with five others. They will start the process
of interviewing those on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I expect it to be wrapped up by Friday.
Speaker 5 (03:26):
I think they expect to have a GM in place
late Friday or Saturday ish somewhere around there. Look, Brian,
everybody's I'm gonna lie emails abou Why is the process
taking so long? You're not hiring a GM for February
twenty seventh. You're hiring a GM for the next five
ten years, right, So get it right and then let
(03:47):
everything else take care of itself. I think they like
the process so far. I can't tell you, Brian, that
I know much about each individual candidate, because there's not
much to know about these guys.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
These guys are all young as well. It's gonna be
a young bunch.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
And what I hear they like the candidates so far.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Yeah, listen, I don't know the candidates other than what
I've read, like a lot of people who are watching this,
what you've read, and what matters is that they get
the right guy.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
The reason that they don't have to push the process
along is because they've got Tony Bisselli in place. Right.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
They've had Ethan Waugh who's kept the scouting process, whether
that's the pro side working the free agent board or
the college side working to get the college board ready
and ready for the combine next week.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
They haven't had to force it.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
And of course Tony's here, and all the football operations,
whether it's strength and conditioning or medical training or video
or PR any of that, it's all being maintained. So
that's allowed them to make a good decision, not a hey,
we got to get this done. What's the best decision
for right now? This franchise, in its history, and you
know this, John has always been in a position where
(04:49):
it's made quicker decisions because they needed to get something done.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
This feels right. The pace is there.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Let's make sure that we talked to ten, we whittle
it down to five, and then we get the absolute
person that fits with Liam, that fits with Tony, that
fits with Shad, that fits with the franchise.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
There's no reason to rush it. Even if it went
into next week, this would be okay.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
They don't have to worry about this. Everything is being
taken care of. I just love the pace of it.
It's so different than the way that this franchise is
traditionally operated.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah, and one final thing before we move on.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
I think you know fans that are thinking, well, free
agency is coming up soon. I'm not going to argue
that free agency is coming up soon. And you'd ideally
you would want the GM to have been in place
a while back. They went four and thirteen last year.
This is not an ideal situation. You're trying to get
things right for the long term. If free agency, if
(05:42):
the GM's coming in a little late on that, you
have Liam Cohen, you have Tony Bisselli to operate that,
and you have the information. That is the one thing
you'd rather have. But trumping that, I would rather have
the right GM for the.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Long term, absolutely, right, guy is the most important thing
when it comes to that. Our final big thing today
is going to be off to Indy as we talk
about getting those things in place in the front office,
everybody here's going to be heading to Indianapolis for the
combine next week because the draft is upcoming as well. Brian.
When we look at something like that, when you're talking
about the scouting that's already in place, is how much
different will it be this year with the new coaching
staff and scouting there.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Well, they're gonna have to lean on scouts that they
may not know quite as well, right, I.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Mean, that's the thing.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
You don't change the scouting staff until after the draft,
so they're gonna have to take a deep breath and
look at the board. I would say, by the time
you get to the combine, John, the board is eighty
percent maybe eighty five percent set based on the scouting
of these guys in their junior year and those that
are seniors into their senior year, they kind of know
where it's at. They're going to the Indie combine to
(06:42):
be able to check some boxes is primarily a medical exercise.
Now it's not as much about the timing. They've got
a lot of that stuff down. So again, you'd love
to have the GM in place at this point, but
they do have a scouting staff that's been doing the work,
and Tony knows those guys and Liam Cohen can lean
on those guys until they get this thing in place.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, I'm not sure.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
I think Brian's right, but the board is there in
the sense that the players are on it. I think
what's important to remember, but when the GM's coming in. In
terms of the draft, so far, scouting is largely information gathering.
You want your area of scouts and you want your
next level to have the information in the building. Once
the GM gets in place, once he puts his head
(07:27):
together with the key decision makers, then they can start
taking all this data and sorting it out. It's February
twenty eighth when he gets installed. Say forget the combine,
So much. You still got two and a half months
to set your board, figure out what your draft philosophy is.
I don't think timing on that is a big deal
at all. I think sometimes we overestimate the combine because
(07:50):
we go and it's on TV. It's a piece of
the scouting process.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
But you know.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
Who's there and newness and it's etc. That's not a
huge issue next week. Next week is going to be
more about these guys getting to know each other and
getting their feet wet with the Jaguars.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
And I think if you look at it objectively, the
in person visits. I think a team gets thirty in
person visits here on site, Yeah, on site, those matter
more than the combine does the combine again, medical sum.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Checks here and there.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
But when you get the guys that you're really interested
in your building around, your coaches, on your board, talking
to your people, that really is what matters the most.
And the general manager will be here for that.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Stay with Sara on JAGSZAM coming up after the break,
we're gonna hear from your new coordinators. We'll start out
with the defense after the break.
Speaker 6 (08:51):
My vision for us defensively, you want to be a
tough fast, physical, violent at the point of attack. Team.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
What does that mean?
Speaker 5 (09:02):
All right?
Speaker 6 (09:02):
That means that you've got guys who take pride in
not getting blocked. Everybody talks about running to the ball.
I don't think there's another person in the world who
believes in running to the ball more than I do.
But you can't run to the ball if you don't
get all blocked. And that is something that's gonna be
celebrated in our room. It's gonna be celebrated in the
(09:24):
culture of our team. You know, there's gonna be a
you know, there's a point in every play where somebody
tries to block you. Right, your passion to not stay
blocked is really what makes plays on defense.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Jaguar's a new defensive coordinator, Anthony Campanelli, and we kind
of got to hear from these guys. You guys were
here last week and it feels different. Obviously, we're gonna
learn about these guys that think as things go along,
and you can't win the press conference, so to say,
but it is nice to hear where people's I don't
know if it's allegiances or just what their focus is
on when you talk about a defense. Obviously, everybody wants
(10:00):
to be tough and physical, but violent and whatnot. But
just to the focusing in on specifics for him as
what I found was great to see.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Well, you know, I thought Ryan Nielsen was a really
good communicator, right, but he in hindsight, he didn't communicate
the kind of information that we got in.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Just the first press conference. Sure, he didn't share much
for that, right.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
I mean, so when you hear him talk about violently
shedding blocks, well, I mean, listen, that's the kind of.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Detail that we're looking for.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
If you go back to the Packers defense last year
and the game they played here, both Tony and Jeff
were talking in pregame radio about how aggressive and how
difficult this Packers defense was to compete against, and he
basically explained it right there in that sound bite, which listen,
there's some really good players on that side of the ball.
(10:52):
They should not have been the worst defense in football.
You get the sense he can turn it around pretty quickly.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
Look, there's only so many any talking points that any
offensive and defensive coordinator can have in the first press conference. Right,
You're going to attack, you're gonna be physical, You're going
to try to play fast, I've never been around a
defensive coordinator who wants to be passive and play slow,
So you're gonna hear the same things. As my point,
(11:20):
what coaching is is the ability to have players buy
into whatever simple concept you're trying to get across to them.
I like the fact that Campanelli talks a lot about
being violent at that point of attack and shedding blocks.
He's telling guys, this is what we're going to be about.
You better play this way or you're not gonna fit
(11:41):
in with what we're doing. Beyond any of that, everything
you hear about this guy is players love playing for him.
That tells me whatever that message is that we've all
heard before, I don't care if we've heard it before,
can you get it to the players and can they
buy in? Everything you hear is that this guy can
(12:01):
do that. Beyond that, I don't care what he said.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
I mean, he cares.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
All of what he said doesn't matter. This is a
guy who can get players believing in him.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
This defense needs that well and everywhere he's been I
mean I mentioned it last week. He's a legend.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
He and his brothers in the Catholic League in New
Jersey and everyone you talk to talks about him from
that point through college to the Dolphins to the Packers.
So he's had an impact at every level of football
and everywhere he's been people speak highly of him.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
That matters.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
You are a legend in the Kansas Catholic League, which
is a different level.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Actually Missouri, but yeah, at a very different level. Thank you,
legend for a different reason.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Kimpanelli had a couple interesting points I felt throughout his presser.
We talked a little bit about forcing turnovers. That was
a huge issue for this team last year, but then
two years ago we saw the beginning of the season
they were close to leading the league in turnovers. So
to have that same roster and have that issue, he
talked a little bit about what the focus needs to
be with turnovers.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
I also think that the guys that have great ball
awareness and the guys that strain that as a team,
you know, the units that really strain that. It's you
go back and look at it. How many attempts are
you making on the ball, whether that's punching the ball right,
whether that's violent contact on the ball, how I'm clamping
on a tackle. All those things can factor in to takeaways.
(13:21):
And to me, you have to do a really really
good job studying that and presenting that information visually to
the players. Get as many great visuals for them. Knowing
how people carry the ball, right. Is a guy late
to the tuck after he catches the ball. Does he
carry the ball on his inside arm near sideline? Is
the guy switches the ball in traffic? Is the ball
off his body? Is he an elbow outrunner? Those are
the guys that you want to target, and you want
(13:42):
to target them in specific ways. So that to me,
there is a little bit of a I don't want
to say a science to that, but certainly a technique
and a coaching philosophy to that.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I'm going to get into the weeds a little bit there,
but what I like to hear is talking about us
teaching them the specific ways to go about the Obviously
former regime Ryan Nielson wasn't as descriptive to us, so
maybe he was saying those messages to the players and
just not to us. That's fair, but to also hear
this coming forward and just being aware that they're going
to be focusing in on, you know, doing your job,
so to speak. But it's not necessarily simplified version, it's
(14:16):
it's doing what needs to be done.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Yeah, the turnover thing's key. I mean it's they had
twenty seven and twenty two and twenty seven and twenty three.
They forced they had nine last year, which you almost
have to try to have that few. And so I
liked what he said about this is a defense that's
going to face the quarterback more. Really to me, the
(14:40):
key with turnovers as far as forcing them on defense,
if you're playing disruptive up front, and if you're in
a situation where you have the other team in situations
it doesn't want to be in generally speaking, you're going
to get more turnovers than if you're not playing well
on early downs and not getting them that situation. So
(15:02):
if everything else that he's teaching, if they're disruptive and
the offense isn't liking what it's feeling, then turnovers will happen.
If you're not playing well, they're gonna have nine again.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
You know, we talked about Liam and Grant on the
offensive side, and really the measuring stick being the quarterback.
I couldn't help listening to him and especially talking about turnovers,
thinking that Mason Smith and Jordan Jefferson are those two
players for him on defense getting push in the middle
of the defensive line, which will let your outside rushers,
(15:34):
you know, your josh Heinz Allen and tray Von get
after the quarterback, which will create more turnovers. Those two guys,
and if they added defensive tackling the draft, it's a
good draft for defensive tackles, especially at the top. Getting
that push and this guy's shedding blocks and creating havoc
in the middle of the defense, which we saw from
Green Bay last year. That'll create the turnovers. I mean again,
(15:56):
I don't want to say that it's a quick turnaround,
although to go for twenty seven to nine happened pretty quickly,
so maybe the reverse can be true as well. But
Mason Smith, Jordan Jefferson, and whoever else is in that
defensive tackle group seems to be the lynch pin, the
leverage point for this defense creating more turnovers.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
It's not going to be a complete rebuild with the situation. Obviously,
you're not coming in from the ground floor. There is
stuff here that he's going to be working with. He
said as much when he talked about it, and Campanelli
was in Green Bay last year after spending a lot
of time in Miami, and he talked about going to
a new team and kind of working through that process.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
That kind of happened in Green Bay last year. To
be honest with it, for me, I was in Miami
for a bunch of years and went there and as
Jeff and I were kind of riving it down to
the studs and our defensive staff was building it from
the ground up. You always evaluate what's in the building,
you know what I mean, what do the guys do
well and how does that fit into our scheme? And
I think great coaches always have the ability to be
(16:51):
malleable with the scheme to fit what the players do best.
So yeah, that's part of it. And then as you
go for sure, like as your roster changes, you know,
sometimes it affords you the opportunity to do a little
bit more so or less.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
John, we heard from the head coach a lot of
players not plays right. And when you talk about when
he's talking about building his scheme here, he wants to
utilize what he has at his availability, but also being
flexible right when you play certain teams, maybe adjuster style.
It's not being rigid and saying we're going to do
this no matter what. And having that adaptability, I think
it would be really big for this defense to not
just be doing one thing no matter what if that
(17:28):
doesn't call for.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
That, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
And talking to him a couple of weeks ago, I
asked him about the scheme and any kind of laugh
and I started laughing. To me, he said, look, I
understand what you're asking. I understand fans win a new scheme.
The reality is they play some four to three, they
play some three four. Within that, everything's hybrid. To me,
(17:54):
how do you use Trayvon? How do you use Eric Armstead?
Can you move those guys inside a little bit? It
sounds like Armstell, We're back inside. Yes, it's players, not plays.
How you use those guys matters very much. I think
the thing I'm optimistic about is with run defense, which
I think is the key. You have to get the
(18:15):
run stop first. He's really good at that. He was
the run game coordinator. If you can get that stopped,
then you can get out of that thirty two range
they were in. If you get out of thirty two,
then you're marginally better. And this team lost a bunch
of games by seven points or less. So getting a
little better at something the coach maybe can have a
(18:36):
huge influence on I'm optimistic about that small detail of that, Brian.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
So just theoretically where the Checkers are drafting, there could
be a defensive tackle right, the kid from Michigan, Mason Graham.
I don't think it's likely anymore because I think a duel.
Carter's performance in the College Playoff lifted him way above five.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
But those are two players.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
You think, well, we just drafted a couple of pass
rusher if we just drafted a couple of defensive tackles,
I'll be really interested to see just how multiple right,
because that's a coaching word, multiple, they will be if
one of those two guys is there for them, because
you can never have enough great defensive front guys, and
they're going to change things up. Last year we saw
(19:19):
Trayvon with his hand on the ground and another really
good season from him. They're willing, it sounds like, to
take a player and it doesn't matter whether they've got
three defensive tackles. If this guy's really good and he's
a three technique, or you can put him, you know,
in an inside gap, sup take him. They are calling
to put a scheme together players over plays, it doesn't matter. Well,
(19:40):
we already have a defensive tackle. Well, who doesn't need
a great defensive tackle?
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Absolutely can always have more.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Well, yeah, it's the same thing with them to do
a Carter right. I mean, you have two great pass
russes on the outside.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Who doesn't need a third?
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Old story about the Patriots and the Giants in that
Super Bowl back in two thousand and eight.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
So yeah, there's no position on this roster out really
outside along snow and punter where you can't improve a
position group with a Pro Bowl player like Brian Thomas
junior Trevan Walker.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I love those guys. If you add one.
Speaker 5 (20:09):
More player to their group that are really good, you
can find a spot form on the field. So it's
wide open on the draft on that front.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
All right, we talk defense, We're going to switch the
offensive side of football coming up after the break. Here
in jags Am, Move the Freight, Move the Freight. Magellan
Transport voted the coolest office space in Jacksonvilla. Play online
at www dot Magellan Logistics dot com. Going back into
(20:37):
jags am as, we got to hear from the coordinators
for the first time. Last week we talked about defensive
side of Football's talk about the offensive side of football,
because that has been the focus for much of this offseason.
You got your offensive head coach, and now you've got
a pretty young guy, Grant Edinsky, twenty nine years old,
taken over as your offensive coordinator for the first time.
So he talked a little bit about what is going
to be the main project, which is not project, but
(20:58):
the main point of his job is going to be
working with Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
The physical talent you can see and you guys probably
have had more time watching it than even me over
the course of the past couple of years. The most
exciting thing for me is the guy and the person
as I've started to form this relationship, because, like I said,
the quarterback position is still played by a person. It's
still human being back there who's got to stand back
(21:23):
there and navigate tight pockets and hits and escape and
deal with eleven, you know, ten other guys in the
all eleven on defense and make those decisions and snap judgment.
So the person that we're getting to deal with and
work with on a day to day basis is super
exciting for me because listen, if we're up here spending
as much time as we do trying to pour ourselves
(21:44):
into somebody, He's the type of guy that you want
to invest time in.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
John. We've talked before about when this job came open,
there was a lot of football people that want and
work with Trevor Lawrence like they see him as you know,
the talent that we've seen from him and what he's
possibly capable of getting to with the right scheme around him,
the right people around him. And it feels like he
now has the right people around him that want to
work with him like that.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Yep, it does.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
And I think the team that was around him before
had his best interest and developed him in spots. It's
tough because again we've heard frankly too many intro pressers
around here, right, so we have experience listening you're looking
for something real to hang on to, and fans right
(22:29):
me all the time, Well they're saying the same things
over and over again. Well, yes, they say.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
The same things over and over again.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
I think with Yudinsky, what was impressive is not so
much what he said, but his track record in Minnesota.
When you read about him, his relationship with around blink.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
JJ McCarthy was very close.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
It's the sort of thing that a quarterback can develop
trust and lean on. He's going to be all in
with Trevor all of those things. Brian. I don't know
how it plays out because we haven't seen it, but
it does sound like this guy has the football knowledge,
the diligence, the passion to be Trevor's guy and to
(23:10):
bring him along in terms of always being there, always
not advocate, but always being a source of information. Does
he have the ability to translate it into a way
that Trevor easily understands and can take onto the field.
I think that's what we'll find out.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
A couple thoughts.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
You know, for all the analytics that and numbers that
play into professional football, it's about relationships, Yeah, I mean,
it's about people.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
And it sounds as if Grant has the.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Ability to form great relationships with people for a young guy.
That's important. You love that with a young quarterback that
you have here. Also the experience that he has. You know,
last year, Sam Darnold, a high pick, top five pick
by the Jets, discarded that you know, went to the Panthers,
went to the Niners. Had bounced around, was in his
fourth spot in six years, and they got the best
(24:01):
out of him right in a desperate situation because remember,
you know, their quarterback, the guy that they drafted all
of a sudden can't play and they don't know that
they can count on Sam Darnold. So he was part
of Kevin O'Connell and that crew on the offensive side,
getting the most out of a guy who had potential
but who hadn't to that point shown it. Well, I mean,
(24:23):
he's perfect to come here and to work with Trevor Lawrence.
At least, it seems like he's perfect. I'll go back
to what I said at the beginning. He forms good relationships.
That's the thing I've been told about him. That's the
thing that he has shown people. If that's the case,
I think he's off to a good start already.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
And frankly, we're talking about somebody who's twenty nine and
has been in the league four or five years, So
there's not much for us to analyze based on what
has happened already. All we have is what we've heard
about it and why he has been brought in. Everything
I have seen and heard from him I like very much.
(25:02):
I can see how Trevor could relate to this, So
I think it'll be a positive. Now he's got to
go prove that, yes, can't.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Be the up and coming guy without you know, being
the up and coming guy.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
First.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
We also heard him talk a little bit. You know,
he's talking about working with all the players on the team,
but obviously Brian Thomas Junior had a breakout rookie season
and just what he's looking forward to with working with.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Him, Like like we talked about with the players and
the opportunity to work with these guys. He's one of
the guys where you watch the tape and you're it's
hard to stay seated watching his tape just in terms
of the excitement and the tools and the ability that
he has and the potential there for you saw the
results this year, but the potential for growth beyond this year,
(25:41):
and the different ways you can use him to attack
defenses in a multitude of ways.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
I mean, if your eyes don't light up when you
think about Brian Thomas Junior, is probably something wrong with you.
But I'm excited for maybe the creativity that they can use.
When you talk about, you know, getting some of these
younger offensive lines it's just how they utilize the talent
that they have. Obviously, Brian Thomas Junior is a huge
talent and going into a second year, what they can.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
Be able to do with him.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
Listen, the thing that stands out the most about Thomas
is is that he makes defensive coordinators restless. They don't
sleep very well the night before the game because you know,
he is an explosive playmaker. We had many of those
around here, and to have a guy like that, if
you come into the offensive coordinator, that has to give
you incredible confidence.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
Yeah, and all Jaguars fans, the most Jaguars fans are
familiar with Brian Thomas Junior. Well, you know, Liam Cohen
and Yudinsky, they had their own stuff to do last year, right,
So they get here and they've probably seen some highlights
of BTJ. But I can sort of imagine Yudinsky sitting
there and like going through the highlight reel and at
(26:46):
times just kind of going.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
That's pretty cool. Yeah, oh all right, we can do that.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
So for me a football standpoint, what BTJ brings this
team that it hasn't had very much in his friends history.
Defenses can game plan all they want and once the game.
He can still do something that you can't game plan for.
(27:11):
That's what wins games in the NFL. Now it's become
a league of above the x's and oh's playmakers. He
can do that, and I'm sure this coaching staff sort
of watches him and every every now and then it's like, hey, cool.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
All right, let's go go do your thing, which is fine.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
I mean that's not really football one oh one stuff,
but that's the kind of stuff that's gonna win you
two or three games a year. Build around that, and
I can't be more excited to watch Brian Thomas Junior
in the future.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
Listen, you, when you show up and you've got a
promising young quarterback with a Lamborghini at his disposal in
Brian Thomas Junior, I mean, put him in the car
and let him go. There's a lot of things that
you can do. And there's other pieces on the offense
as well, and of course they'll add to that. But
the quarterback and receiver combination, I mean, you saw all
those years in the ending with with Peyton and Marvin
(28:04):
and Reggie.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
When you've got that, everything else is possible.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
When Leam Colin came in, he said he's going to
be the one calling the plays. Does that matter at
all with the first time coordinator. Does it help him
because he can focus on some other things or do
you think it'll just be collaborative altogether?
Speaker 5 (28:18):
Oh? I think it certainly seems like you know, Cohen
will have the final say play call. He's the real coordinator, right,
so it certainly gives Grant Yudinsky a chance to grow
within that everything you hear. I don't think it's any
(28:41):
question this guy is on the fast track. He's going
to be a head coach someday. So does it matter.
Sure it matters because it matters who calls plays, But
I don't think it necessarily diminishes Edinsky's value to it.
It will mean his roles different in some coordinators on
game day.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
And I'd be interested to see how this one.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
Obviously we've all, you know, kind of watched it around
here the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
But you've got a first time head.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Coach who is accustomed to calling plays, but he's also
the head coach. Right There's the defense, there's special teams,
there's a lot of elements. So I'm gonna be interested
to see just how much he delegates to Yudinsky as
he goes through the process. It's to be determined because
we don't have anything to base it on.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Maybe a find one to watch though, and hopefully goes
very very well.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Stay with us here.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
We will tell you a little bit about what's coming
up next week at the combine. Jeg XAM brought to
you by Fresh from Florida. It is always in season.
Speaker 7 (29:43):
The cons the organization made it very clear they wanted
me here and that was a big part of where
we are going forward. And so I had that going
I did get some interest, but ultimately we wanted to
be here. The organization wanted us here, and so it
was it was a clear cut deal for my family
(30:05):
and I. This was the best situation. Blend in with
this new crowd of staff and and and make the
best of it here and let's get let's.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Let's do this.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
See that's a familiar face. He'd far a well special
teams coordinator. He's going to be staying here. And I mean,
you got a couple of pro bowlers on. I think
that's fair. Yeah, and drafted one of the best kickers,
h absolutely, so he'll be sticking around, which is great.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
You know Rick Oscelin, who was a longtime writer for
the Dallas Morning News, used to it was a labor
of love for him. He compiled and created his own
rating for special teams. I'm not sure anybody does it
now that he's retired, But I was talking to some
guys in Dallas and they were talking about it, and
they were kind of putting their own system together, and
they thought that the Jaguars special teams would be top
(30:48):
five based on their performances, whether you're talking about the kicker,
the punter, the return against I mean, can you remember
an appreciable punt return against this team?
Speaker 3 (30:58):
There wasn't.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
You can look at PFF and some of these different
rating sources, but the bottom line is is that people
who know special teams around the league look at the
job that he farwell did and think he's one of
the better coaches in the league.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
Yeah, there are some coaches, it's rare in this league
now that sort of transcend staff and wind up staying
with a franchise for a long time. He's farwell on
special teams around here. Seems like that guy now, I
think he might be a coach someday. Like he's that
kind of guy who can reach, he can lead special
(31:33):
teams coaches Harbaugh and you know what came out of
that area. So he may have a brighter future beyond
just being a special teams guy. But he also might
be a guy who's in one place for a long time.
I know the Jaguars love him, and as they should.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
There's a lot to love about him. He really is.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
He can explain it. He's very involved in it. Was
very involved in the kickoff transition last year. Is that
process again this year? Just well respected arountally.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Absolutely so. Things are moving quickly now, felt like the
back end of the season is very slow. Now. We
got a lot of things coming at once. The gim
interviews this week combine next week. John, would you say
twenty something years you've been going, So what are we
looking forward to next week?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (32:15):
My first one was oh one, and I guess we
missed one during COVID, which is sort of a blur. Yeah,
Liam Cohen and I believe the new general manager, if
he's in place, may speak. I don't know on the
last part. And it's a good chance to talk to
(32:36):
Liam Cohen about the new coordinators, the direction. We haven't
really talked to him in about two or three weeks.
Sometimes the Combine can feel a bit stale because you've
already talked to the head coach.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
There's that much change.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
This year for me, the highlight will be talking to
Liam about everything that's going on right now and the direction,
because it's moving fast.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
And if it feels fast now, hold on, it's going
to feel a whole lot faster because you get back
from the Combine and you're just a week or two
away from the start of the new league year, which
is free agency, and then it is just downhill all
the way to the draft.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Absolutely right.
Speaker 5 (33:13):
Until last year was downhill.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I just mad in terms of the speed, just right,
all good stuff.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
JP and John will be with you guys next week
for Jagsam from the Combine. All our shows will be
from the Combine in Indianapolis, So enjoy that coverage from
next week and we'll be back here in studio the
week after that.
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