Club 904 | Jacksonville Jaguars are the __ Best Team in the AFC?

Club 904 | Jacksonville Jaguars are the __ Best Team in the AFC?

Heat. Heat. on today’s edition of Club 904. We have NFL on Fox reporter Ben Arthur based in Nashville. He’s going to give us the lowdown on what the heck the Tennessee Titans are doing. He also now is focusing on national NFL storylines, but previously specifically honed in on the AFC South. And so, who better to look at where the Jaguars rank in the AFC landscape than Ben with us as we begin the Jaguars by week. Yes, folks, take a deep breath. We have a little bit of a reprieve from the Jacksonville Jaguars following that 35-7 demolition derby at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams, but we are moving on to Vegas. Perhaps Ben has a thought or two on the Raiders as well. We of course will be answering your questions live after we get done speaking with Ben. So, be sure to leave a comment, leave a question wherever you are listening to Club 904 from. It’s kind of a weird episode because we’re taping this on Monday, but don’t worry, the Q&A will be live afterwards. Stick around. Let’s have some fun. Welcome into a Tuesday edition of Club 904. I am your host Mia O’Brien. We are streaming live on the Action Sports Jacks 247 channel. Whether you’re watching on YouTube, Twitch, X, wherever you are following live from, be sure to number one, like and subscribe to our friends at Action Sports Jacks. We appreciate them dearly and you should check them out as well. We also encourage you to leave a comment, leave a question. Again, I know this is a weird episode because we’re taping part of it. We will be live for some of it at the end, I promise. And so, we will get to those questions, especially following Liam Cohen’s comments Monday night in his loan availability of the by week. But without further ado, let’s get our first guest on this fine Tuesday into the Club 9004. He is Ben Arthur of NFL on Fox. Appreciate you hanging out with us here in Club 904. Ben, how’s it going? And oh boy, uh, are things as bad in Nashville as they seem? I know you get to escape a little bit. You were just up in Detroit. Like, you get to get away from some of the chaos with the Titans. Yeah, it is. Well, first of all, Mia, thanks for having me. It it is as bad as it looks. uh internally and yeah, interim coach now. I mean, they’re just trying to look for some kind of juice. Obviously, that didn’t happen against Mike Vrabel and the Patriots when they came to town, but yeah, they’re they’re they’re just kind of staying afloat right now, trying to figure things out, trying to get Cam Ward going, right? He he has a lot of potential, but hasn’t been able to hit his stride yet. But yeah, things aren’t going so well for them, but uh I mean I’m doing fine. Uh and and yeah, again, thanks for having me, Mia. Excited to kind of get into everything with you. Absolutely. So, we will dive into the Mike McCoy led Tennessee Titans because it’s one of my favorite bits in the NFL right now. Um knowing full well that Mike McCoy was on the street for a little bit there, but happy to see the former Jaguars assistant land in Tennessee and oh well, you look at that, now he’s the interim head coach. What a world that we live in. But we will of course begin with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That is who this podcast is centered around and their place in the AFC landscape. So let’s go 30,000 foot view. Ben, where do the Jaguars rank for you within the AFC South hierarchy and also the AFC? Yeah, I would say Colts are obviously number one right now. And then I would put the Jags at number two for now because I’m not sure how legit the Texans are right now. Obviously, uh they’re coming off two wins, but you look at the defenses they played, the teams they were playing against. I mean, that first win was against the Titans, who we as we know aren’t doing so well uh right now. And then the week after that they had Baltimore which has had just they’ve just been decimated by injuries. So you don’t really uh you’re not really sure how much of that explosion was maybe due to what they were doing versus just what the Ravens were lacking. So I kind of have an asterisk around the Texans for now. And so because of that by default I’m kind of keeping the Jags ahead of the Texans. Uh, we’re obviously recording this before the Texans play the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. So maybe we’ll have a better barometer of how good or not the Texans are, but I I would say for right now, Colts number one, Jags number two, Texans three, and Titans dead last. and mutual friend John Shipley joined this podcast last Thursday and he said to your point, “We will either know quite frankly if the Houston Texans are right back in the mix after Monday night’s game against Seattle or if they are packing it in and Nick Kaye will be a one and done as an OC and potentially other changes in Houston could be a foot as they continue to much like the Jaguars try to surround their young quarterback with the best ecosystem possible.” So, let’s pivot to this, Ben, because again, you cover the NFL now on a landscape level, and you’ve spent some time with some folks in the NFC. Do you believe the Jaguars just finished their most difficult stretch of the season in facing the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks, and the LA Rams back to back to back to back? or did these last two weeks show perhaps more holes in the Jaguars game that even lowly teams like the Las Vegas Raiders coming right out of the by-week, the Tennessee Titans or even the New York Jets could take advantage of in the second half knowing full well that this was always going to be the more difficult part of Jacksonville’s schedule. I think there’s levels to this, Mia. And I I think that the Jags are they’re not a bad team and they’re not I don’t think they’re a great team. I think they’re a good team. They’re somewhat right from where we’ve been. It’s it’s an improvement for sure and yeah, they they played, as you mentioned, they they’ve been through a gauntlet and they’re not on that level yet. Um but um I do think we’ve seen enough positive that you can buy into them a bit. I mean, I do know the offensive issues they have are are very real and that starts with Trevor and and the drops they’ve been having and Brian Thomas Jr. being unable to get going and they need more consistency from Travis Hunter and there there are a lot of things going on and then defensively as good as they are um getting takeaways we just don’t they don’t have a consistent pass rush um that they’re maybe more opport opportunistic than consistent uh from you know series to series and so um again I I do think they have shown us enough that they’re a good team that they’re going to be in the mix in the playoff picture and AFC down the stretch. Um, but I clearly they’re not a great team. I don’t think this is a team that can depend on their offense in critical moments when you look at everything I mentioned. And then a lot of the penalty issues they’ve been having. I think as of recording, they’re number one or number two in field penalties. And so, uh, that they just don’t the the little things they’re not very good at. and uh Trevor Lawrence just hasn’t had that level of consistency you want in a quarterback, especially one getting paid as as much as he is. Um and yeah, I I and and then the pass rush, like I said, I don’t think it’s super consistent yet, even though they do have some talent um at the edge spots in in particular. But but yeah, so to to kind of go back to your initial question, I do think this is um a good team. This is going to be a team in the playoff mix. I I think for the whole year, but uh there’s levels to this and and I just don’t think they’re going to be competing at the highest levels of the AFC, right? And against the NFC for that matter because I I keep saying it, Ben, and like you tell me because you’ve been traveling covering a bunch of teams nationally. Like, do the Seattle Seahawks get the credit that they deserve? Like I feel like people in Jacksonville were like, “Well, we need to beat Seattle or you need to beat the Rams because they don’t have Puka.” Like those are two teams that even without those big significant pieces in the secondary for Seattle and at the wide receiver position and right tackle for LA that like they’re really good rosters like top five top 10 rosters in the league. Like I know that getting thumped 35 to7 stinks, but I don’t think there’s shame in the game when you’re going up against some of the best teams in the National Football League. And it’s okay to say that those two are. Yeah, I I think it’s okay to going off that point. I think it’s okay to take the more macro view when you could get I think if you’re on the ground or you’re a fan of this team watching this team week to week you can maybe be devastated about like what happened in London against the Rams and falling short against Seattle all the issues they they had in that game. Um but this is a massive step up from where they were a year ago with with Doug Peterson and to be already where they’re at what through seven games of the season. I do think there is a lot to build on even if they don’t look like an elite team. Like I said, that they are a good team. And teams like Seattle, I mean, the the these are teams that are just operating at a different level right now. They’re so much more consistent on both both sides of the ball. Um I mean, the Jags just can’t match that right now. Um, and and I I think that’s okay because I think again looking at the macro picture, you you do see a a team um that’s on the right track and and yes, they need to kind of clean up on some of these little things, the things that are going to take them from good to great. Um, but yeah, I I don’t think there there’s really reason to be down in in the dumps right now because it is still very early with with Liam Cohen and um I do think this team’s on a positive trajectory. Ben Arthur from Fox Sports hanging out with us here on a Tuesday edition of Club 904. Ben, you’ve spent a lot of time in addition to focusing on your local beat in the Tennessee Titans, but in the NFC North. And I think that for better or worse, the Ben Johnson Liam Cohen hires will always run parallel to each other because both of those coaches were the apple of so many in both of those markets eyes. And I think that after a bit of a bumpy start, it appears that the by-week was very, very good to the Chicago Bears. And ultimately, they know they they went against the New Orleans Saints who may be in the running for the number one overall pick come April. And so that certainly helps. But their run game in particular looks so much better. And they obviously play in a division that prides itself on its run game. Liam Cohen was able to take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run rushing offense from 31st in the National Football League to fourth. It looked like he was on the same trajectory with Jacksonville. Is it as simple as he’s just been going away from the run too much or are there things that you think they could change from what you’ve learned from those NFC NFC North teams that maybe can behoove them here in the second half of the season? Yeah, I I think it would it would be good to kind of lean on on the run more. Uh and and and again, I think it’s a balance, too, right? because I I think it’s not like, you know, Trevor and the pass catchers, it’s not like they’re not capable. Um, but I think it’s just kind of a matter of building that confidence back up because a lot of the plays they’re kind of missing on um I mean we know that they can hit those and so I but I think while that’s kind of happening behind the scenes I mean you give them opportunities in games but you know we’ve seen even early in the season what they can do on the ground and and relying on uh like Travis and Um I I don’t and I mean you go down the list. I mean Travis ETN is averaging five yards a carry still even though the fact that they only had 13 designed running back runs on Sunday which exactly and I said it on the postgame show on Sunday Ben like and I agree with your point like if you want to hide some of the warts that are currently ongoing in the passing game as you’re continuing to get that part of your offense up to speed maybe run the ball because that that does seem to be working and maybe it’s going to keep you ahead of the 62. Although to your point, the penalties have obviously been um you know a constant reason that the Jaguars have been operating in second and long, first and long, third and long. Everything’s long. Everything’s long. And and I and I do think too like that the more you can lean on on that run game, um it will take more pressure off of kind of the these receivers and Trevor and in the pass game and create easier opportunities when uh the the opposing defenses have to lock in on kind of what Travis or or what whatever is going on um in the backfield for for Jacksonville. Um, I do think that’s something you could work with if if you’re Liam Cohen and and and look and then when you do take your shots in the pass game, uh, maybe Brian Thomas Jr. is feeling less pressure to make make a play. Maybe Parker Washington is feeling less pressure to make a play. Maybe Deami Brown, Travis Hunter, uh, or uh, yeah, all these guys are maybe feeling less pressure to make a play when you can kind of lean on that run game more. So, um, yeah, I I I do think that would be beneficial as they kind of look to to clean up the kinks there. So, since you were in Detroit this weekend, last one on the Jags before we also quick look at the Raiders, who the Jaguars will play next week, fresh off of their buy. I feel like, and I don’t want to make a blanketed statement, but Trevor Lawrence is not the generational prospect that many people believed him to be, and that’s okay. Yeah. Because I do think he can be Jared Goff. Do you believe so? Or when you were up in Detroit, what you heard, what you’ve seen, does there suggest to be this different level of golf at this juncture may be different than when he first arrived? Because people forget when he first arrived, he was supposed to be the bridge to Henden Hooker who’s no longer on the roster. And so that’s where I look at it and I say, knowing what he was when he arrived. I think Trevor Lawrence is right there. And if he receives the right ecosystem and coaching, he could get to a Jared Goff type level. But maybe I’m overestimating since I know a lot of folks are questioning number 16’s football IQ at this point. I I agree with you actually. I I do think he could be a Jared Goff type, right? Like not maybe not that generational kind of guy who who you as you alluded to like as he was kind of touted coming out of Clemson, but a very good like great like having some elite moments. uh can lead a good team with a good offensive line, good weapons to throw to, uh you know, a back or two that you can hand the ball to and and and you know that they’re going to get positive yards. Um, I do think he can be that kind of player and I do think that’s kind of where Liam Cohen, this offensive staff is thinking with Trevor, like, okay, how can we cultivate the best chance like like the best environment possible for him to where he’s maybe not thinking as much, maybe simplifying things for him. um you know, simp simplifying some of those um th those progressions and using opportunities to use his legs because we we we know how dynamic of an athlete that he could be too. Like I I think of that Chiefs game from a couple weeks ago, too. Like, okay, how can we maybe sprinkle some runs, sc whatever it is in there, too? Yep. Uh so, so yeah, I do think uh that he can be that kind of player. Um, it’s going to take some time though and and the Lions I mean the the Lions are such I I mean that offense is just incredible. I mean they scored 50 points earlier this season. I think they’re still number one in the league in scoring like higher than they were when Ben Johnson was the OC by the way. Yeah. Uh yeah. and and Jacksonville has nowhere close to that around Trevor as I mean they do have talent of course but I mean that’s a whole another gear of talent. So, I I do think that’s going to take some time and it’s just going to be a matter of okay, can you know, are they going to have the patience in time for him to to really hit that groove, right? Like, and he’s going to have to show progress here, right? because it feels like over the last couple years um you know since that year you know that they went on that run to the what was it the divisional round and everything like he hasn’t taken that step it feels like kind of two steps forward three steps back and it’s kind of been in that same pattern for a for a for a while now and um but but yes I do think potential wise he can be that um but it but it is going to take some time And it’s going to take a lot of patience, too. The Jaguars will travel to Las Vegas to face the Las Vegas Raiders on November 2nd, their first game off of their bye-week. The Raiders against another great team who the Jaguars did get the best of in those Kansas City Chiefs. Ben, uh, had three first downs. What like I I mean, I don’t want to say if you’re Jacksonville like if you can’t beat this team, it’s curtains, but that’s what a lot of people in Duball are saying right now. What do you make of that operation under Pete Carol, Chip Kelly? We thought we’d see this resurgence. They appear to be forgetting that Ashton Genty is even on the roster at multiple points throughout the course of the first seven weeks. Yeah, if you’re Jacksonville, this is a game you you have to win. I mean, we’ve talked about how maybe they’re not on that level of these kind of great teams, but like this is a terrible team. Like, you have to be able to go in and find success against uh this Raiders team, particularly this offense that can’t get anything going. Like you said, they don’t really give Genty the looks that you would that you would think he he should get. It kind of reminds me of how the Falcons misused uh uh Bejon uh during his rookie year and then Gino has just been awful. Uh right. Like it’s not there’s no flow to this offense at all. And if you’re Jacksonville, I mean, if you’re Anthony Campanili, uh, and this defense, like you’re you’re kind of licking your chops a bit, like, okay, we can get the maybe the pass rush going, maybe get some get some more takeaways like we’ve been able to do at a very high clip this year. I think we’re looking at all the you have to be looking at all those things and and giving your offense short fields, making it easier for them, uh, like we’ve talked about, maybe giving, uh, you know, running the ball more, um, taking pressure off of the pass game to like give you, um, you know, some something like just I think this is the perfect kind of get back game if you’re the Jags. Um, but I mean as we know I mean the the NFL is very much a week toe league and you know these games where you think okay this should be maybe a piece of cake like so a lot of times they they don’t tend to be as simple as that but but yeah on paper like this should be this should be a victory. Um but uh they’re going to have to clean up like the procedural stuff that that we talked about, right? like this is a a more talented team than the Raiders clearly, but like you can like if you mess up the little things like they they can compound and you could lose really any game. It doesn’t matter how the the the perceived lack of talent on the other side like if you don’t if you’re not playing clean football you can lose. So, um I think that’s what the Jags have to be looking at. The Raiders are also going to be coming off of their buy. So, it’ll be curious to see if they are able to rectify things, especially on the offensive side of the ball because I think they are deficient on the defensive side of the ball in terms of talent, Ben. And so, you can’t really change that in one week’s time, especially in the situation they find themselves in in terms of wins and losses. Okay, the floor is yours. I I need some tea. I I need to know about these the people outside of Nissan Stadium yesterday with the signs saying that they would cut their you know what off for Mike Vrabel to be the Titans coach again. Like what the heck has happened? Like who are we to blame? I mean Jaguars fans are reing in it. Maybe they need this little happy dose of Club 904 right now because they’re like, “Hey, at least we’re not the Titans.” But like, is there any end in sight to the misery up there? There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight because it it really starts at the highest levels of the organization. It I think this is an ownership issue specifically with uh the primary owner uh Amy Adams Drunk. Um, she the hirings haven’t haven’t been good. Like just from a systemic lens, like it’s been a hiring issue, but then it also seems that she’s kind of been emotional at times in terms of some of the um decisions she’s made, right? Like if you look at a couple years ago when they uh went up to Philly to face AJ Brown for the first time since they traded him to to Philly and uh you know he he just kind of put belt to the butt on them uh so to speak and John Robinson their GM at the time was fired uh two days later after that game. Then you look at um kind of how things ended in uh in in Tennessee with Mike Vrabel. um that there were rumors about kind of how how how she was upset about how she about how Vable seemed to be like um uh some of the remarks he made at uh I don’t remember the occasion exactly but uh he he went back to Foxboro and and he made some remarks about how uh there not all organizations are like this um and and that seems to piss her off as well. Um, and there seemed to maybe be a bit of an ego clash uh behind the scenes, too. And then he’s gone. Um, and then Ran Carthon barely had a chance to do anything. Um, and then Brian Callahan um, unmitigated disaster or just not ready like Peter Principal is like how I’ve viewed it. Yeah, he I think he is a smart like offensive mind, but when when you think of leader of men, he just never was quite that. and he was awful in situational football, which is something that Vrabel was very good at. And so I bring all that to say the Titans issue is like an ownership issue and it and it’s from like a hiring standpoint. Um like who she’s empowered to like steer the ship from a football perspective, not only from coaching but personnel, but then also it seems like uh she’s made some emotional decisions, some rash decisions. um that um have come back to bite the Titans in the butt. And so um I’m not quite sure how this change. I mean, you you could start to get on the right track with uh kind this head coach hire that that you’re going to have to make after the season. And I I think it’s going to have to be someone who’s more of a CEO type uh leader of men type. honestly someone who’s a lot like Vrael because that’s what they need uh to create that stability. Like a lot of people are talking about what you need around Cam in terms of the offense, the scheme, uh all that stuff, but like it all starts at the highest levels in terms of having someone who could really uh stabilize the culture and have someone that the players are going to respect. uh like kind of like nothing else matters if you don’t have that in place because it can all crumble. And so I I think that’s kind of uh what the Titans need and and what a major issue for them has been. And I think honestly Mike Vrabel during his time here, he was able to like he made it a look a lot better than it actually was at the highest levels. I think that’s probably the best way to say it just because of how much he coached with an iron fist. And I think they’re going to need that because obviously things maybe aren’t going to change at the highest levels of the organization, but they really need to nail this higher, right? Because I mean, you have a number one quarterback, number one overall pick quarterback that you’re cultivating that you want the proper environment uh around him for him to succeed. And if you f this up, then you’re just setting back the franchise another three, four years. And they’ve already been reeling for three, like three years. And so, um, so yeah, that’s kind of a long answer your to your question, but it’s a great one. I mean, I love the sh I love the shout of maybe a lot of this was already going on and Vel was just quite frankly covering it up. not intentionally covering it up to hide something, but covering it up from the ineptitude of people at the top, but because he was able to still find ways to coach and get the best out of this team and get wins, no one really noticed that the owner was acting emotionally and the Chad Brinker of it all and and per and questionable decisions even by J-Rob who Brabel and John Robinson are I didn’t even I didn’t even mention that to like as much as systemically as that that’s been an issue of course, but those last few dra the last few drafts have been like you you look at the end of JR’s tenure. um you know just bust after bust after bust with the at the top of the draft and then Ran Ran’s drafts didn’t haven’t gone that well and so you you combine the systemic issues in terms of leadership in terms of stability in terms of culture on top of the fact that you’re not getting the right young talent in the door then you just have a mix of so many different things that are that just kind of compound to make things as bad as they’ve looked the last couple years. Yes or no question to close on the Titans, Ben, because I know the folks watching on YouTube right now want to know. Is Jeffrey Simmons a Tennessee Titan by December? Yes. Is he a Tennessee Titan by the 2026 season? By the 2026 season, I I want to say yes. Yeah. Okay. All right. Okay. Because a lot of people here think that, you know, he’s he’s going to be traded to Jacksonville. He’s going to be traded somewhere else. Listen, I I I truly believe the reports and the understanding that Jeffrey Simmons and Cam Ward are the two untouchable. The two untouchables. Yeah, those are the two cornerstone guys. I don’t think Yeah. Sorry. Sorry, Jags. Jags fans, go look at Quinn and Williams. Um the Colts I I mean, is there anything we can say like they’re just for real? Is it as simple as that? Or is it the reality, Ben, that only 30% of the teams, I believe that’s the stat right now, 30% of the teams that they faced in the first half of the season have had winning records and they’ve gone against some of the seller dwellers of the 2025 season, perhaps. Are they the beneficiary? Or after seeing what they did against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, do you believe they’re for real? I I do think the Colts are for real. I do. I I mean their their I mean their offense is historically great, right, to start this season. I mean we who who could have imagined, right? Like Daniel Jones being at the center of this, but um I do think there is a lot of power in being in the right situation with the right coaching, a fresh start, and some things I have heard of just been how much in lock step uh Shane Stike and and Daniel Jones are like they’re they seem to be like the same person. um which may not have been the case with with Anthony Richardson. I mean, you have a guy in Daniel Jones who’s able to operate the offense at a high level and he has so much talent around him. I don’t think nationally this offensive cast that the Colts have have has gotten enough credit. Maybe they’re starting to get credit now just because of how dominant they’ve been. Um but they have a guy in Jonathan Taylor who’s been the best running back in football this year. Uh Tyler Warren is uh been a terrific rookie tight end so far this year. It kind of reminds me of what Brock Bowers was able to do last year and they have a lot of depth around them, the offensive line. I think if you look at the quotes like kind of the one thing you’re kind of questioning, the one thing you’re concerned about is the defense and they they they’re quite banged up in the secondary. Uh their number one corner, uh Charvarius Ward, is on IR. I think they have four or five DBs on IR right now. Um they have an an edge guy Samson Ebukam who’s dealing with an injury right now. So um this defense kind of has to this is kind of a hurting defense a little bit but if they can do enough I think this offense can um continue to power them through this season. Maybe this bites them a little bit uh against the elite of the elite when you talk late in the playoffs and everything. But I I do think even if you can maybe poke holes at their schedule, who they’ve played and everything, I I I do think the consistency of the dominance uh moves me like it it it really does despite kind of who they’re playing. At the end of the day, you still have to go out and and dominate. Um like they’ve they’re not just squeaking by bad teams, they’re dominating bad teams, and that’s what elite teams should do when they’re doing that. So, so yeah, I’m I’m very high on the Colts. Um, and so, uh, yeah, defensively, like I mentioned that there are maybe a bit of concerns there, but they score so much. They’re they’re in such a great rhythm right now. Confidence is flowing. That offense is looking special. So, I’m I’m riding that wave for sure. And let’s just close out the AFC South. Put a bow on it. Again, we’re recording this on Monday night. So, the Seattle Seahawks Houston Texans game has yet to take place. As I said, as John Shipley said last week, and Ben, I think you’d echo it. We will know more about the Houston Texans after this game. But ultimately, I mean, again, you have to play the games that are on your schedule. You have to focus on yourself and not what’s ahead of you. But when I look at this Texans team, yes, they’re at Seattle Monday night, home against San Francisco, home against Denver, home against Jacksonville. At least they’re all at home. They get Buffalo two weeks later. The Colts in Indie the following week after that. Oh, and then Kansas City on the road. And so that’s where I just look at this team and maybe they do find something post by kind of like what the Chicago Bears have been able to find that’s able to carry them through this pretty tough stretch of well, it’s not even a tough stretch. It’s just a tough schedule in general. But I’m interested to see what the Nick Kaye CJ Strad dynamic looks like after a couple weeks to recalibrate. Yeah, I like we kind of mentioned at the beginning like it’s kind of hard to get like too excited like if you’re a Texans person, right? I I know your your folks are are Jags people, but like from But if you’re a Jags fan looking at the Texans, like it’s okay. You can be excited or not. You know, at this point in time, Jaguars fans, at least a portion of them, Ben, are like, “We’re four and three and the Texans are going to catch fire.” So, I mean, hey, if you say that, too, a lot of them, they’ll appreciate that because they want to be sad. So, yeah. Yeah. like like uh but like I was saying like yes, Seattle is going to be a barometer for them because the two teams they’ve beaten um that they beat entering the the buy like that that’s not that doesn’t really move you right like it’s like oh okay like it’s nice to see them finally get into a rhythm but you know uh at the same time though confidence is a really powerful thing um in the NFL and even even if people league league observers want to poke holes at like who you beat or or how you won or the perception of the team on the other side. Like um a a win is a win and and for those guys in the Texans building to kind of see that success uh that could mean a lot for them moving forward particularly uh for this offense because as much as we’re like deciphering what the Texans are, their defense is Super Bowl caliber. Like I I think they’re still number one in scoring defense, like this is an elite unit on all three levels. So, um I I think at the very least if they’re able to carry this momentum offensively, like they don’t have to look the way they did against the Ravens. I mean, that was unreal. I think they scored 44 points. I mean, CJ would completed like 85% of his passes. like that’s not going to happen every week. But seeing that level of consistency, like that clean football, like getting running the ball more effectively, um having some of these receivers step up, maybe getting rid of the ball quick to take pressure off of an offensive line. I’m still not completely uh bought into um CJ being in in sync with Nick Kaye. I think all those things despite the caliber of opponents they beat like I think those are things that they can draw from as they move forward. So even if they maybe come back to earth a bit and maybe they’re more average I think you you combine that with an elite defense like this is a that that’s a that’s a pretty scary formula. So, um, uh, so yeah, we’re we’re really we’re going to find out really soon what these Texans are, but um I’m kind of holding my thoughts until the Seattle game. Like even if they lose, uh, but but it it’s close and interesting, then I’ll I’ll then my maybe stock arrow will be up for them. But yeah, I I kind of have to see this Seahawks game to really judge where exactly they are in that pecking order. And the Texans are again pre-monite football the number one scoring defense allowing just 12.2 two points per game. The Seattle Seahawks also in the top 10 in that metric. Ben, we appreciate you hanging out with us here in Club 904. Let the folks know where can they find your work. What other exciting stories or local will you be visiting here in the next few weeks? Yeah, well, first of all, Mia, thanks so much for having me. Had a great time. Uh, those listening can find me on foxports.com. Just look up Ben Arthur on the personalities page and you’ll see my videos and my stories that I’ve done. And then on X, Ben Y Arthur B- N Y A R A R T H UR. It’s the same on Instagram. X and Instagram are my two main platforms. So, um, so yeah, that’s where people can find me. Also, the Fox Sports app as well. So, beautiful. Love it. It’s right there, folks. If you’re watching live, if you’re watching on video on demand, Beny Arthur, appreciate you hanging out in Club 904 with us. We’ll have to do it again sometime soon. Sounds good, Mia. Thank you. I told you guys I’d be live at some point in time. Haha. Yes, a wacky Tuesday indeed. Our thanks to Ben Arthur from Fox Sports for recording that episode last or the better part of today’s episode last night. He had a couple of things he had to take care of today, including, I believe, traveling to Detroit again. The NFC North, he’s covering there. He’s covering the Titans national storylines across the National Football League. So, we appreciate Ben hanging out in Club 904. What’s going on everybody? I see your comments on YouTube, your comments on X. We’re going to do live Q&A. We do have to hit a commercial break, so fill up that YouTube comment chat. And we will be right back after this. Club 904 continues on the Action Sports Jacks 247. Welcome inside the Armor Guard exterior and gutter helmet showroom. There’s a lot going on like glass exteriors, replacement windows, and down there we have the retractable screens and awnings, plus hurricane protection. Let’s talk more about those gutters. And to do that, we bring in Kevin. He’s the owner. He’s the expert. Why Gutter Helmet? Well, Gutter Helmet is truly the only maintenance-free product. It lets the trash and debris go on the ground. The water wraps around and goes inside. Unlike filters, they sit on top of the gutters. And the trash and debris build up on top of filters, which requires maintenance. With Gutter Helmet, we’re going to keep you off the ladder. The most dangerous thing in your garage. With gutter helmet, you’ll never clean your gutters again. So, get off the ladder and put on the helmet. Gutter Helmet. Get a free estimate at gutterhelmet ofnorth florida.com. You can also call 904-762-7779 or visit the showroom on St. John’s Bluff Road in Jacksonville. Empower a future. Inspire a dream. It’s a bold but simple mission for the Jacksonville Police Athletic League known as Jack’s PAL. help the next generation of kids in Jacksonville shape a brighter future. There afterchool programs, teenage leadership programs, there’s community outreach. This has been just an awesome opportunity to be out here with my colleagues and do something good for the community. It’s really been an interesting opportunity to just see everybody work together in a way that we don’t normally in the office. And there’s sports. 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Be a big winner in your neighborhood with that one painter First Coast on your team. Sun’s out, suits out. That’s right, it’s summertime in Florida, which means it’s time to say goodbye to bulking season and hello to shredding season. But if you’re like me, you’re having a hard time sculpting and shaping those final pounds. That is until I came and saw my friends over at Ponavane and Aesthetics. Right now, everyone is hopping on the Evolve X train, and the only destination is finding your perfect summer body. The technology uses electrical muscle stimulation and radio frequency energy to cause your muscles to contract, all while heating up those deep layers of your skin and tissue to produce collagen and reduce fat. It’s like doing a thousand sit-ups in 30 minutes. No pain, no needles, just results, right? That’s right. So, leave those winter layers back at the station and come look and feel your best with the team here at Ponavane Anesthetics. visit them at one of their two locations either over in Pontavija or on the southside. Welcome back into a sort of live, sort of taped edition of Club 904. I am your host Mia O’Brien. Our thanks again to Ben Arthur of Fox Sports. Be sure to check out his work, not only at Foxports.com and the Fox Sports app, but also at Ben YA Arthur on Instagram and Twitter. You guys have been populating that YouTube chat, the Twitter chat as well with plenty of questions and comments following the Jaguars 35 to7 loss to the Rams and as they begin their bye-week. Let’s get to some of those questions, then we’ll get to some of the comments from Liam Cohen that had a lot of you angry online. Don’t worry, as Brett and Austin were exiting the studio before we got in here, um we had a nice laugh about it because uh yeah, the internet’s a fun place to be right now. than that. If you are a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars, first and foremost, um I have to read this one from our friend DJ Dell. Amy Adams Trunk needs to grab a headset and go on the sideline like Carly Ers Gordon referring to the Tennessee Titans owner and the now co-owner of the Indianapolis Colts. Um I agree, Dell. I I forgot about Mike Brael going up. I believe that was for Robert Craft’s induction or Tom Brady’s induction into the Ring of Honor for the New England Patriots. Or maybe it might have been even for Rabbel himself. and he said that not all organizations are like this. Like are you out here just like like combing through the internet Amy Adams drunk? Like first of all doing a disservice to Amy Adams who’s an amazing actress. Like stop stealing her name because she’s great and I’ve got questions about that woman in particular. Sorry, just the facts. Okay, let’s hit some of your questions on the old YouTube chat. First and foremost, appreciate you guys hanging out with us. I know we recorded with Ben and so some of this wasn’t live, some of it was. Let’s go to Dan. Dan Kilkenny, the insurance Dan, not to be confused with Dan Griffith, our datab bank here on Club 904 at Action Sports. Jacks, Dan, let’s start with uh your question about five years of Trevor Lawrence throwing high. Cohen has him having him throw off of his back foot should help, but I haven’t heard of him working with a throwing coach. Does he not realize that he has a problem? Uh, and some of you had a lot to say about that. Dan continued, “It floored me to hear that Trevor say that he never had a coach tell him not to stare down a target or how to properly work through progressions. It’s like a smart kid that never had to learn how to properly study and gets hit with reality in college.” Dan, you’ve come to the right program because I’ve been saying it for weeks and not just because I also teach at the University of North Florida. Trevor Lawrence has his undergraduate degree. By some accounts, he may even have his masters, but he is swimming to the surface in the PhD program. I say that because Liam Cohen also referred to his experience with Shawn McVey as an assistant as getting his PhD between 2018 and 2020. And that’s what Trevor Lawrence is attempting to do. The warts and all and perhaps being passed along and skated by with A’s throughout his undergraduate degree are coming to the light. That’s the reality. And that is why I will not comp this to Baker Mayfield and Liam Cohen. will not comp this to a Shawn McVey and Matthew Stafford pairing. The comp is Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan. I actually might take some of the by-week and go back and watch that first year in which there was a lot of headbutting, a lot of culture clashing between those two when Shanahan became the offensive coordinator in Atlanta. And mind you, at that point, Matt Ryan had some pelts on the walls, but he he had some stinkers. Couple of years there, too, after being drafted in the top 10 in 2008. Ultimately, the second year of that marriage resulted in a Super Bowl appearance, not a win. Won’t go down that road, Falcons fans. Point being, this was never going to be a one-year fix. And I don’t believe it will be, even if they have it turned around after the buy, which I just saw during the break, that apparently the Jaguars are one and a half point underdogs as of this writing against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 2nd, their first game after the buy. Yikes. Not what you want to see again as we talked to Ben about for a team that had three first downs last time out against yes the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. They will have Brock Bowers back. Pete Carol reported that earlier or excuse me last night. Now I’m getting my days confused because part of the show is taped and part of it is not. Jacobe Meyers expected to be back if he’s not traded before then. I was stunned to see that line. It fires you up hopefully if you’re a Jaguars fan and it especially better fire you up if you’re a Jaguars player. Not that we’re focused on Vegas, but doubters, chips on your shoulder. I know that’s what a lot of you are debating right now on YouTube. This idea of has Trevor ever had to work for it. I don’t think this is a matter of Trevor Lawrence not being a competitive freak. I’ve seen the man on a ping-pong table. Like, he’s competitive. But I do think that in terms of the little extra something, I know Pete Prrisco and Austin were discussing it on Jaguars happy hour yesterday, but I also think in terms of the nuance understanding like Dan alluded to of looking, staring down your target, the idea of using your eyes as a weapon. I do not believe he was taught that at Clemson. Actually, I know that he certainly wasn’t taught at year one of the National Football League. I think there were lessons taught by the previous regime, but ultimately the frustration with someone who got to your masters or PhD program and was illprepared ultimately got the best of Doug Peterson and that’s why he was hanging out watching the Hunting Channel at 2:00 on a Thursday come December. Let’s get to a couple of your other qu Oh, I wanted to note quick with the the throwing coach uh point from Dan. Uh Trevor has a personal trainer coach, Will Wine Coupoop, who is on the strength and conditioning staff now for the Jaguars, but he’s been on staff since Trevor arrived. But no, he does not have a throwing coach. He did work with Jordan Rogers. No, Jordan Rogers is on TV. Jordan Palmer. Carson Palmer’s brother. There we go. They they all have a brother. he worked with him after he had surgery following his final season at Clemson out in California. But to my knowledge, outside of throwing with the six points guys on the side, um he’s not working with those coaches. They just kind of link up and share receivers and otherwise he’s working with Will. So that’s that’s just been his approach since he got to the National Football League. Maybe that changes here after this season. Let’s get to some more questions. Appreciate you guys hanging out with us. AC Jag, how’s BTJ? Is he going to be ready for the Raiders? Well, my friend, that is the milliondoll question. Little big man adds, “The BTJ debacle can ruin a locker room. Cohen should have benched BT BTJ after week two. Trade him.” We went down this road on Sunday’s postgame show, which of course you can go back and listen to on demand on the Action Sports Jacks YouTube channel or the podcast network. I mean, you’re probably going to get calls. I I think I mean if if any of the other 31 GMs are anything like James Gladstone who just likes to talk to people and just get the pulse of where the rest of the league is headed. I’m curious now this is someone who when Liam Cohen took the job he sat at the podium or stood and he said that the offense will run through Brian Thomas Jr. to give up on him seven weeks into the season, especially when you said you refused to give up on your kicker who has now missed kicks in multiple games this year, I don’t believe would match up. And at the same time, this is a regime that came in and said, “If you are not performing like one of our best 11, then you are not going to see the field.” And right now, Brian Thomas Jr. is not one of your best 11. Do I think that he has no role in this offense? No, I think he has a role. And Austin suggested this on happy hour and on Brett and Austin this morning. So I’ll I’ll cosign on it. Maybe you’ve just got to revamp the off offense to where it’s nothing but outbreaking perimeter routes for Brian Thomas Jr. and you just completely take the middle of the field out of the offense. For what it’s worth, Press Taylor stopped targeting the middle of the field somewhere late in the 2022 season. So, it’s not like it would be foreign to Trevor Lawrence in the offensive operation because they barely addressed that part of the middle of the field after Christian Kirk and Evan Ingram string of injuries over the last two years. So, I think that Brettton Strange coming back will help you readress the middle of the field come November. I know he had a drop against the Rams, but I believe Parker Washington can do some dirty work for you there as well. And Travis Hunter, we talked about it. It was our lead point, our seven points because that’s how many points the Jaguars scored against the Rams that the Jaguars need to address in this bye-week. Our lead point was the offense now needs to run through Travis Hunter. The role that Liam Cohen designed for Brian Thomas Jr. in this offense. The torch needs to be passed. And it’s not to say that Brian Thomas Jr. can’t eventually get back to that point. But it’s problematic. And the O guy on Twitter did a really good job and we we showcased his tweets on Sunday’s show. Like he brought it up. The reason you’re not seeing Travis Hunter featured the way the Jaguars want him to be featured. The reason you are not seeing Trevor Lawrence performing at the level you want him to be performing is because this offensive operation, let’s go back to what Liam said. If it doesn’t have Brian Thomas Jr. performing like a number one wide receiver, it’s not going to operate efficiently. And so that’s where maybe you do need to say to Travis Hunter, “All right, here we go. It’s time.” Like the offense is going to run through you. Matt Harmon over at Yahoo Sports just released some of the numbers. So I want to get these to you guys um with regards to Travis Hunter’s usage. So, Travis Hunter over the last few weeks, let me scroll down. I should have had it saved up. That’s on me. Essentially, as I keep scrolling to find it, he went from obviously this was the the 86% of the wide receiver snaps was the most that he has seen on the offensive side of the ball since he arrived in the National Football League. Here we go. So, route participation. This is also from Dwayne McFarland at MB Fantasy Life. Week three, 63%. 74% in both weeks four and five, 88% in week six, 90% in week seven, and Matt Harmon noting that 41% of Travis Hunter’s routes were on the outside against the Rams, and 59% in the slot. That’s something we talked about with James Coleman on Tuesday’s episode. You could go back and listen or watch that one if you missed it. Can you teach someone the Z and the X position mid-season on the fly? Because Liam Cohen said they were starting Brian or Travis Hunter, excuse me, at the F position and that the plan was as the years, not the months, as the years went by, they would add more to his plate. It appears from those numbers, either it’s a lot of slot fade, it’s a lot of, hey, it doesn’t matter where he is. We’re going to try to line him up or at least get him to the perimeter from the slot. Or it’s what James suggested, which is Trevor saying, go run to that spot and turn around and come back. and they are just figuring this thing out on the fly. Unless they are teaching him that X and the Z position mid-season, which doesn’t match up with what we were told in the preseason, so maybe they’re thinking the same thing that we are. Couple other questions. Let’s see what we got. Um, okay. I don’t know if I can say these things. Oh. Oh. Oh. Okay. All right. Hef. Uh, Tom House. I’ve never heard of Tom House. Get Trevor to learn and understand kinetic chain. He has a PhD. Owns and runs 3D QB. I don’t I don’t know that one. Okay. Well, hey, he half maybe maybe Trevor’s listening on the off day on the uh the by-week and maybe he goes and checks him out in the off seasonason because yeah, that’s certainly something to look at. You guys were talking about the screenwriters in Vegas. I already addressed the point about I can’t believe one and a half point favorites are the Las Vegas Raiders against your Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s early, but still. I would also like to address Oh, here we go. Dan had one other question. We’re going to get to this because this was the big fallout from Liam Cohen and perhaps we’ll make it the last dance with three minutes to go before we got to hand it off to Talon Talks here on the Action Sports Jacks 247 channel. Dan Mia uh Mia Cam had to learn a new swing for kickoff. Some golfers like Tiger get worse for a while after learning a new swing. Maybe that might be affecting Cam. Good question. Especially because I have compared Trevor Lawrence’s development with this progression offense tied to your footwork. I’ve compared that to Tiger Woods where perhaps it’s a crappy next year and a half like Tiger Woods experienced following his first Masters crown. He didn’t win for two years and then he came back and won the Tiger Slam. And so maybe that’s not not a bad shout. We know Cam’s a golfer. I found the rat poison online after we reported myself and several others from the call with Liam Cohen that he has he he believes in Cam Little and they’re not going to sign another kicker. That’s that’s what you have to say publicly. I know you don’t want to hear that. This is why we’re making it the last dance. I know you don’t want to hear that. You want to hear we got to light a fire under his butt. We got to go sign somebody and upset him. That’s the last thing you want to do with any 22year-old National Football League player, but especially a kicker, a position that is so predicated on your mental, emotional well-being. So, I do not think that saying, “Yep, we’re going to sign a kicker to the practice squad. Cam’s got to make his kicks.” I don’t believe that that’s getting the best out of Cam Little who you are not going to ship out of town. That’s what Liam Cohen was referring to. Yes, you drafted him on day three, but you saw what he did a year ago. You believe in the potential that is. So why would you give up on that now only to watch him four or five years from now be a great kicker somewhere else? Not even four or five years from now, maybe two, three months from now. The Los Angeles Chargers left Josh Lambo for dead back in 2017. And the man turned around and was a Colt hero in this town for the next three years and one of the most accurate kickers in the National Football League, making more than 90% of all field goals and extra points combined. So that’s where I would not give up on Cam Little this early. I think people need to relax. I appreciate Liam Cohen, if only in the public eye, saying all the right things with regards to his young kicker, who I do not think they should give up on. With that said, I will leave you with this. If this regime, as we talked about on Sunday night, if this regime is going to talk about if you’re not one of the best 11, you’re not going to play. If you don’t embrace competition, you’re not going to play. That is what they’ve talked about since they arrived in January, February. They talked about it throughout training camp. Let’s see the action. Let’s see. Are you going to bring Wyatt Milm into the starting lineup? Is he one of your best starting five offensive linemen? Is he going to replace Patrick McCarthy and his nine pressures on the right side of that offensive line against the Rams? Are you going to see Rayon Lane or Antonio Johnson get more run in lie of Dwey Wingard given what’s happened the last two weeks? It’s not to say, and Prrisco said this too on happy hour, and he’s absolutely right. Dwey Wingard is one of the more improved players in the National Football League through the first four weeks of the season, but guess what? He he didn’t change his athletic prototype. He can’t change that. He is who he is, and teams are now scheming against it. And so, how will you counter that? I think he could still be on the field as a third safety. Will we see change? Because if you’re not playing up to a standard and you’re not holding players accountable to a standard now, you are setting the tone for however long Liam Cohen, James Gladstone, and Tony Belli are running this football operation. It’s exactly what they’re experiencing in Miami right now. Mike McDaniel allowed some players to slip past the standard. They had different standards and he is paying the price now. Don’t end up like Mike McDaniel, Liam Cohen, for the love of all things holy. We are off on Thursday and Sunday because of the Jaguars by week. Trayvon Walker and Robert Haney met with reporters this morning. The Jaguars will be posting if they haven’t already that interview. And so if you’re catching this later in the week, we hope you have a happy Jaguars by week because we will be back next Tuesday to preview and let’s hope the line has moved out there in Vegas. We will be back to preview the Jaguars and Raiders next Tuesday and Thursday, 1 pm Eastern Standard Time, and then of course back for a Sunday postgame at 9:04 p.m. Until then, we’ll catch you later. Welcome inside the Armor Guard exterior and gutter helmet showroom. There’s a lot going on like glass exteriors, replacement windows, and down there we have the retractable screens and awnings, plus hurricane protection. Let’s talk more about those gutters. And to do that, we bring in Kevin. He’s the owner. He’s the expert. Why Gutter Helmet? Well, Gutter Helmet is truly the only maintenance-free product. It lets the trash and debris go on the ground. The water wraps around and goes inside. Unlike filters, they sit on top of the gutters. And the trash and debris build up on top of filters, which requires maintenance. With gutter helmet, we’re going to keep you off the ladder. The most dangerous thing in your garage. With gutter helmet, you’ll never clean your gutters again. So, get off the ladder and put on the helmet. Gutter helmet. Get a free estimate at gutterhelmet ofnorth florida.com. You can also call 904-762-7779 or visit the showroom on St.

Host Mia O’Brien is joined by FOX Sports’ Ben Arthur (based in Nashville) to assess where the Jaguars rank in the hierarchy of both the AFC South and AFC. Have they just been playing superior teams the last two weeks? Or are they not the playoff team some believed them to be earlier this year? Mia and Ben also check-in on the other three teams on the division as the Jaguars kick off their bye week.