Gus’ Midnight Mailbag: Jaguars vs Bills Week 3 recap

Welcome to the Week 3 edition of the Midnight Mailbag! I’ll be asking for your lingering questions after each Jaguars game on 1010XL’s Facebook and X/Twitter pages, with the submission deadline set for 11:59 p.m. the same day.

Here were your questions following Jacksonville’s 47-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

From Steve Harrison — Many. Like- why does it take idiots 5 years to finally realize what I knew after 3 games?

If you’re referring to Trevor Lawrence, I’ll just say that he has yet to play with a coaching staff that maximizes the strengths of himself and the rest of the roster. I’m holding onto my Lawrence stocks. He’s the first to say that he needs to play better, but is that not also true of the rest of his teammates?

From Ronnie T — Will the jags make any changes? Has Doug lost the team? Why are “good” players playing badly?

I don’t expect the team to make any changes this week bar a change to the starting lineup or personnel packages. Doug Pederson said after the Monday Night Football catastrophe:

“I don’t necessarily think you go in an opposite direction. You’ve invested a lot of time. But there has to be changes, whether it’s play design, personnel, everything is on the table let’s call it, right? … Tonight we had some guys injured. Could be moved that way. Could be performance. It’s all things we have to evaluate as we move forward.”

In other words, there will be changes on the field but not yet off the field.

From Brandon Candow — Why is there such a disconnect between the the offense and coaching 3 years in? #midnightmailbag

The team simply is not bought in to the coaching staff’s messages and motivation. It applies to every unit but the offense is easily the shakiest group. There is a massive, massive trust issue right now. It’s very hard to imagine this ship turning around.

From kchomp82 — Top 3 candidates for head coaching job next year?? What week do we fire Doug?

In no particular order: Bill Belichick, Ben Johnson, Drew Petzing.

I discussed potential head coach candidates with Hays Carlyon on Tuesday’s episode of Duval Rundown. Here’s the skinny. Belichick is an intriguing short term option as a someone who can teach the team to win and turn the franchise around BUT Shad Khan has been burned in the past by turning to big-name coaches (as SI’s Conor Orr wrote about here). I question whether Johnson desires a head coaching gig after turning down opportunities the past two offseasons BUT he’s likely the best “young offensive genius” type to pair with Trevor Lawrence long term. And Petzing is a sleeper who’s quickly rising through coaching ranks and is expected to be a future head coach after being under Kevin Stefanski’s wing then leading the Cardinals’ offense to a hot start this season BUT he’d be a surprise hire as a 37-year-old. Another under-the-radar guy I like is Miami’s Frank Smith.

To answer your second question, I wrote in the last two mailbags that Jaguars ownership will wait until after the London games before letting Pederson (and likely Press Taylor) go. I’ll stick to that prediction for now. If the Jaguars endur another ugly loss on Sunday, though, the eject button could be pressed 😉 soon.

From Boris — How pumped did Cam Robinson’s pre-game speech get you?

I’m afraid to say I didn’t catch it, though I imagine I would’ve been brought to tears. Just like my reaction to the 60 minutes of “football” that ensued.

From Uncle Willy — Questions ??? Oh I got questions!!! Now do I think you or the idiots running the team have the answers ??? Obviously not. This team has more issues than I can count.

Alrighty.

From DawnMarie Turcotte Gray — Are we still in that contract cancellation window for our so called QB??

Lawrence isn’t going anywhere. I assume the fans who are calling for Mac Jones didn’t see his performance against the Bills’ backups on Monday, or the five-year contract extension Lawrence signed this offseason. Sorry to be the one to break it to you but get comfortable with 16 as QB1.

From Anthony Klein — Which year would you say this season is feeling like so far…? I’m gonna go the year after AFC title game when we lost our whole team after a bad start.

From Angela Long Fennewald — Doug is doing to Trevor what he did to Carson Wentz in Philly. Doug breaks quarterbacks.

From Randall Ford — It all starts with the OL. No QB is good without protection. 

I don’t have an argument for any of these points.

Josh Rossie — Why the F**k does Baalke still have a job?

Jaguars ownership tends to give a lot of slack on its leashes. That said, I’m wayyyy more skeptical that Baalke can keep his job than I was a month ago.

Someone close to Khan told the Florida Times-Union’s Demetrius Harvey, “Angrier than I have ever seen Shad. He is usually a reserved, kind gentleman. Not tonight.”

From Matt Long — Starts at the top..Baalke has got to go. He simply refuses to spend on the O line. He takes to many flyers in the draft. Pederson is soft and that mindset is now how the team plays. OC should go with him. I was leaning on the side that Trevor could be good. He’s not. Pretty sure his problem is he never lost until he got to the NFL. I don’t think he knows how to handle adversity. He misses so many throws..This team is a joke. And Shad will do nothing about it, after all it’s a business. He doesn’t care about winning. He’s a bottom line guy. Team making money. He’s happy. The Jaguars are soft.

Alrighty.

From Matthew Dewey — I have nothing to say with this disgusting operated team. 30 years of sadness.

Sending a virtual hug <3 Jaguars fans don’t deserve this.

From Steven Sunstrom — #MidnightMailbag Who do you think is the first to be Fired? Someone needs to be relieved of duty. I’m hoping Doug Peterson and Press Taylor first. Then Shad flys back to Jacksonville and let’s Trent Baalke know he is out after this season. Ryan Neilson Becomes interim HC and we start on a search for a new GM. Because it seems us coach quarterbacks have been saying the same thing and seem to be right. If Shad Kahn doesn’t do something I forever know the new definition for Insanity should be changed in the dictionary to the Jacksonville Jaguars!!!!

As Mia O’Brien pointed out on Monday night’s Duval Rundown, Pederson has taken public ownership of the offense and the team. The first major domino to fall will be the head coach — the question is whether the general manager will immediately follow, if at all.