How is that compared to what you thought going into the year?

Yeah, I think that's about... where most people had them optimistically.

I mean, it's, you know, the eternal optimist would have been 6-0, but that was tough.

You remember the teams played the Patriots? It was going to Denver.

You thought that the Eagles-Texans stretch was going to be tough.

I think most people before the season would have said 1-1 in London was about what you hoped for, and they got it.

They got it weirdly, but most stuff in the NFL is weirdly.

What do they do, John? Do they try to get anything for him? Do you go back once again in his baby steps with him? What do you believe there?

experience choosing them.

And that's kind of the way with different businesses.

But toys were that way because we'd come up with 10 ideas.

If I had an idea, one idea, like the spin brush, the analysis would be different because I don't have the option of it being successful and failing.

There's only, you're either successful with it or it fails, or it can be an in-between nothingness.

But And in that case, in analyzing it, from the very beginning of the spin brush, there was no such thing as a powered manual, effectively, toothbrush under $5.

It just didn't, it was unheard of.

Did you expect a deal at that meeting? Was there a different intention you walked in with and then walked out with?

Is he playing the best of any player on defense right now for the Jags?

Well, he might be playing the best of any player on the team.

I mean, he, he's, uh...

I don't know that he's playing better than Parker Washington or, or, you know, Trevor at his, at his peak, but he's, he's as good as anybody on the team right now.

I mean, uh, every time you...

Uh, for two weeks in a row, when I've talked to people I talk to about, hey, how'd they play yesterday, I don't watch film, you do, uh, Devon Hamilton's been the first guy mentioned.

And a- all-pro level has been said with that, that they're an unbelievable run defense, and he's a, and he's the main reason why right now.

John Ozier, how would you vote?

I think

yes, and I think what we're starting to see, and again, the early part of the season is so much let's figure out, okay, we thought we were good here.

Are we really good here? Let's figure out what our strengths are.

This team has a lot of options offensively, and I'm getting to your point of they can go to the middle of the field.

They can also, if they throw a scheme at them that requires them to go deep, Brian Thomas Jr. can go deep.

You know, they have the two tight ends.

They're running the ball well.

Why do I believe that changes in Cincinnati?

Okay, Brian Thomas Jr., is it less snaps? Do they really reel him back there? Do they try to install confidence again as early as this Sunday? Or is it somewhere in between, in your opinion?

Well, I think if you believe that the issues are systemic, meaning sometimes not going up super hard for the ball in situations where you've got to just go make a play, a couple of drops, then I think you may see a little bit more Josh Cameron.

I don't know that it'll be Travis Hunter quickly because it feels like they're still trying to get defensive stuff worked out.

Don't overload him.

They love Josh Cameron.

I mean, he's a big physical guy with good hands.

That wouldn't surprise me.

if the reeds

Just your thoughts on Jacksonville realizing that, understanding that before kickoff.

Yeah, I think a couple of things that Liam said in his presser, and Rick, you and I have talked about it before.

Some head coaches' pressers are just sort of coach speak.

Liam shares with you real stuff.

And I thought when he said, this is a grimy, gutty team, and then he went on to say, maybe a couple questions later, that he never worries about this team when he goes to sleep on Saturday night before a game.

I thought those were two really insightful comments, basically saying, this team listens to its coach and responds to its coach, shows up all the time.

So I don't think...

So your thoughts, John, on what they did last Sunday against Cleveland when it came to rushing the football and what they'll try to do this Sunday when it comes to rushing the football.

What did you get out of it, let's say, compared to a year ago at this time?

Well, I think that's exactly it.

And I mentioned on a podcast I was on for the Jaguars today that that's exactly how I felt from the Saints practice on this year was that it's a team that, you know, I said before in talking to you, and maybe even goes a little further what I said before, they hear Liam's message and know what he's saying when he says it.

Meaning, Liam got on him after the Saints and said, hey, this is not how we are.

And you could tell they responded, and you could tell they had two good practices after that, and that when he flips a lever, they respond to it.

And I think that sort of carries over to today, that this feels like a team that knows it's good.

They also know that what they did last year doesn't matter.

All right, do they bring them around – a little bit at a time, or Sunday, do we see Brian Thomas Jr., do we see the complete package, the tunnel screens, the crossing patterns, or, John, do you think it's more of a deep ball game for him and maybe some outs?

How much did this thing change for you over the course of that month?

Yeah, I think he was the main one.

You sort of felt a little bit of a bubbling of competition with Braswell and Muhammad at corner.

So that feels like it was probably, quote, open.

And they went with Christian because he's got more experience and you know what he is.

And, you know, there's a knowledge and a familiarity there.

You know, McLeod and Abdullah at linebacker.

Is that... yours if not what is it when I ask the biggest question that you have for this team 10 days before the start of the year

But between the home run hitting of Chutin and some short, tough yardage by Searod, where are you right now with this backfield?

Yeah, I think that's it.

All you can go on with a running back backfield is what you've seen, what you've heard.

Because no matter what we see during preseason, it's just not the same with the running game until you get into week one and you get into the second half and you figure out how much the team's going to stick to the run when they take it seriously.

But with what we can see, Tootin had the practice they'd been waiting for the other day.

He looks like he's getting more comfortable hitting holes more confidently.

His confidence is rising.

Number one, do they believe enough in B.J. Green that they can afford to slide Trayvon Walker inside next to Josh Allen?

How much better was today compared to last week?

Yeah, in terms of intensity and just if you step back and take a 40,000-foot view of it, night and day.

I'm not going to say night and day on every aspect of it, but the energy, just like some bullet points, Seeing them hitting to the ground, seeing Antonio Johnson and Jalen Husky with big hits, seeing Trayvon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen dominate up front.

Obviously, the line played well.

Again, certain stuff wasn't perfect, but I thought it was one of the better practices I've ever seen in terms of knowing going in that the team wanted to accomplish something.

coming out and seeing their energy reaction to it, just very...

I shouldn't say better practice I've ever seen.

First defensive play, Josh Hines-Allen just absolutely blows up Jonathan Brooks, and he went on, in my opinion, to have two sacks over the next five or six plays.

You know, overall today, I guess, and I want to get your words on it, but somewhat of a slow start for Jacksonville right out of the gate, but they certainly did get better throughout the practice here with the Saints.

Yeah, it was a slow start, and I thought Liam sort of put in perspective afterward, and I hadn't really thought about it, but, you know...

The flight was a little delayed yesterday.

It was an early start.

The Saints are, like, practicing at home.

All those little things.

You know, Trevor threw an interception.

I know you wrote about it in your report, but it appeared that Chris Rodriguez Jr. was picking up yards after contact.

But, man, he's really made a believer out of me the last few practices, particularly with what he's able to do in pass coverage.

Well, that is, you know, That's his superpower.

If an undrafted free agent has a superpower.

But that's certainly what he's good at.

I think you're going to see a situation where when they feel like it's a run-heavy team, run-heavy look, playing the run, then Terrell Miller's the guy.

Branson Combs, I think, will be the guy in whatever packages they're playing that they feel like are defending the pass.

Look, he's a really good cover linebacker.

And your two linebackers are Combs and Miller.

What are your expectations for Armstead beginning in about three weeks?

Yeah, I think the hope there is that, you know, somebody asked me about him in the Ozone a couple days ago.

12th year, 32th.

It's hard to argue he's in his prime.

But what he gave you last year when he was healthy was, you know, he's probably not going to stop the run a whole lot.

Meaning he's not going to be the reason you're stopping the run.

He's not bad against the run, but he's not that guy.

don't

And I say that in a positive way.

Yeah, and he's a guy who prepares in the offseason the right way.

Sounds like he put on a little bit of weight.

You know, looks, the part which he always sort of does, I don't know how much better he can look than he usually does.

He's one of the most physically impressive players I don't know, maybe the Jaguars have ever had, you know, so he, he's always been motivated.

He's always been prepared.

So I guess what I'm getting at is if he always looks those things and he's consistent, boy, he must have done something in terms of preparation.

Well,

And all these skill guys are supposed to look good in situations like this, but I certainly thought that was the case for him yesterday.

Yeah, with OTAs and anything that's unpadded, I always sort of hesitate.

Okay, just because I saw something doesn't mean it's a storyline.

But the fact that I thought what was really interesting was Liam talking about after practice about how encouraged he was that Trevor and ETJ seem to be getting on the same page.

They've done a lot of work.

Liam seemed to attach something to it meaningful, which, again, he knows far more about what they're looking for out of unpadded work than the naked eye does.

So the fact that Liam talked about it a lot and Trevor talked about, hey, we've still got three or four weeks to go on the same page, clearly it's a topic.

sort of was

Mm-hmm.

That when you brush your teeth, it's really working, and it's working great.

So it had to satisfy that.

And it took us a year before we got a product that I thought was well beyond the threshold of a far better product than any manual brush.

And at first, we actually came up with a rounded head, and it worked very well.

The problem was, after two weeks, it was splayed and real ugly.

And, uh, [chuckles] I said, "You can't do that.

Mm-hmm