Jeff Lageman

I use the term in a video this week, resilient.

Because, you know, you had a couple players that had some struggles in that game that came back and made big plays towards the end of that game.

Tyson got beat on the double move for a 50-yarder.

Brian had a couple drops and then has a big play at the end of the ball game.

You know, so, I mean, that's the kind of players you want to have, right?

I mean, for a football team, guys that are resilient, they can bounce back.

Now you like to not have them make mistakes earlier in the ballgame.

But if they do, that's the trait you want to have.

That was a good call.

So, James, you didn't have to go through the pain last year, okay, with this defense.

But there was a lot of struggles in the back end.

And when you got here, you used the term often intangibly rich.

I'm watching the way that your back end is communicating now with Wingard, who was a guy that was already here but really didn't have the opp.

or opportunity, Eric Murray, who you brought in, and Jordan Lewis, who is probably the modern-day Calais Campbell when it comes to leadership for this organization.

I mean, that's just been, I think, a big part of where this defense is at and why they were able to do what they did in that game and in the first two games.

Where would you rank that environment amongst other road places?

You've been there more than we have.

Oh, the fog horn.

Correct.

Just be glad Seattle's not on the road this year.

Yesterday was smoking now.

The one thing, too, about traveling to San Francisco, everybody wants to talk about is do you travel on Friday or do you travel on Saturday?

And I used to hate going on Friday.

Me too.

Because it was like, you know, all you're going to do is just have guys fart around and just waste time and find something to get in trouble with.

One way to say it.

Or to get distracted, you know, with family and everything else.

But one of the coolest memories I ever had, and Tony will see if he can remember this.

Preseason, we went to San Francisco, which was, you never went to West Coast for preseason, but we did for some reason.

1997.

Okay.

Dave Thomas absolutely laid out Jerry Rice in the game on a hit that had Jerry Rice doing the dead roach in the air.

I'll never forget that hit for as long as I live.

In a preseason, Jerry Rice and Dave Thomas, who wore number 41 for us, the Jaguars, had a hit on him that was just unbelievable.

And Jerry Rice got up angry.

Preseason.

You can't hit me in the preseason like that.

Ridiculous.

Now, he was drafted by the 49ers.

By the way, the stories that we could tell about Brant Boyer, our special teams coordinator.

one of the best one of the great all-time Jaguars he's he was the special teams leading tackler when he left here I was telling this earlier when he left in 2000 lasted for a long time for many years until the fullback

I just mentioned his name earlier.

Montell Owens.

Montell Owens eventually became the Jaguars special teams all-time leading tackler.

So cool stuff.

But James, I wanted to ask you because with the injury to Bosa, Michael Williams, who is the rookie defensive end from Georgia, is going to be getting probably more of a role.

Maybe it changes.

I don't know exactly.

What were your thoughts on him in the draft?

Because another defensive end from Georgia.

Yeah, I love listening to your thoughts on some guys.

I mean, it's Upton Stout, the nickelback.

A third-round pick out of western Kentucky, and he's not a big fella.

We're not having dinner before the game with any of these people we know, right?

Okay?

It's game day, right?

We're not having a social dinner with Gus Bradley and Brant Boyer.

John Lynch and all that, right?

A lot of people might think you guys would do something like that, but no, man.

It's after the game.

It's work, but it's not.

It's not work.

It's work, but it's... You pay for it, but it ain't work.

I think there's a little bit.

I remember the first time that I ever was a player in facing the 49ers, and this is going back to when they had Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and John Taylor and all the great players on that 49er team and Bill Walsh.

You know what I mean?

Sure.

So there was almost an aura that kind of surrounded them.

And it lasted for many years, obviously, because they won so many different Super Bowls.

And then, obviously, Steve Young took over defensively.

They had, you know, Fagan and Holt.

I mean, two defensive tackles that were monsters.

Charles Haley, Ronnie Lott, who was a teammate of mine for a year.

I mean, just some great players, Hall of Fame players.

So when they came to town or when you went there, it was a moment that you had to kind of just say, okay, they're a team.

They put on their stuff the same way we do.

Let's go.

But I think a lot of times when you have a successful organization like that, and nowadays comparison would probably be the Kansas City Chiefs, which will be coming into town on Monday night next week.

You can't get in awe of the logo or the colors or the Patrick Mahomes is or whoever or Chris McCaffrey's.

I think that's part of it when you travel to a place like that, and it is going to be a great environment.

They do a good job out there in San Francisco of watching their football team, and they're into it.

I don't think there's any question about it, and especially when it comes to the most important position in the game, which is quarterback, which is a huge question mark.

They elevated a quarterback, and I can't remember what his name was, but they elevated him the last two weeks for each game.

And so my expectation is that maybe they elevate him again, even if Purdy is available.

And who knows if Purdy is going to be available.

Yeah, it was Adrian Martinez who's on their practice squad.

I got a feeling that if there was any issue whatsoever with –

One of those two quarterbacks, they would sign somebody else quickly.

So one of those guys I think is going to be ready, and my guess is that Mac Jones will be ready.

Brock Purdy may need another week.

I don't know.

We'll see.

Brock Purdy, man, like late draft pick.

Mr. Irrelevant, not just a late draft pick.

So that's why you always take a flyer on quarterbacks at some point in the draft, whether it's mid-rounds or late rounds.

If you feel like you got one, you still take a flyer.

You try to strike gold because if you do, it can pay off.

And Brock Purdy was the 262nd pick of the draft that year.

That was the pick for Mr. Irrelevant, and this changes every year based on compensatory picks and everything else.

But what a distinction to have and to end up being what they consider to be a franchise quarterback.

I mean, right now you look at his career numbers, better than Trevor Lawrence's, 67.8% completion rate, 66 touchdowns, 29 interceptions, and a 104.5 quarterback rating.

That's pretty good for a Mr. Irrelevant pick.

Well, I think the run offense has had a big impact on protection as well.

Because when you run the ball well, it makes it a little bit easier to protect because it slows down the pass rush a little bit of your opponent.

and the Jaguars have been committed to running the football and I think that's been a big one but you know there has been obviously significant improvement up front from last year and want to give some credit to Anton Harrison I think he has been really good now it's three games in and consistency throughout a season is what he needs to find because that is something that he hasn't found yet

So this year, that's the challenge for him.

But so far, he has been, I think, really good at right tackle.

Really good.

I think the coaches, and I'll put Buscelli in that category, have done a really good job of challenging him.

because that sometimes is all what it takes is just for a guy to be challenged to reach a level that he hasn't done.

That's what coaches are supposed to do.

And give some credit, obviously, to Sean Serrett, the offensive line coach, who's done a really good job.

And obviously, Hainsey in there has had a big impact.

Ezra Cleveland has been playing well.

This past game with the injury wasn't quite to where he was at the first two games.

McCary settled things down at right guard.

Walker Little has been really good in the run game.

Been helping them a little bit in the past game.

But for the challenge for them this week, and I think the challenge for the Jaguars as a team, is to block out all the conversation that people like me and you want to talk about.

Boy, the 49ers are injured, and everybody's on IR and PUP, and they can't barely field a team, and they're not going to be any good.

Well, you know what?

They've won three games and they have lost none.

So you better strap it up.

Let's come back in a moment.

Right?

And JP, I vote for it.

I thought it was cool to see Travis get real physical on that one tackle and then came up on another situation and was real physical.

But look, that's part of the job description.

You know, you got to be able to do both.

And I think there's still a lot of improvement that they can find in the back end.

You know, you got Monteric Brown that's just coming back from an injury.

He had his first game active of the year this past game.

I think he's going to have an opportunity at some point to be able to get on the field and have a role.

The competition between him, Braswell, Jari, and Jones, I think, is pretty intense.

And I'll put Tyson Campbell in that category, too.

I don't think there's any doubt about Travis Hunter being the best cover corner that they have.

There's no doubt about Jordan Lewis being the best, probably, defensive back right now from a grade standpoint.

So the other guys are going to have to earn their time wherever they can find it at.

But that's a big difference than last year on the back end, that's for sure.

And Devin Lloyd, you know, give him credit.

I think that was his best game, I think, by far as a pro.

And I think they're doing a really good job, the coaches –

of allowing him to do the things that he does best, which is going forward.

Forward as a blitzer, attacking the line of scrimmage, and being physical, attacking offensive linemen.

He's attacking offensive linemen this year better than I've ever seen him.

And what that indicates to me is that he knows what he's doing.

So he's on his assignment, and that makes it good because it allows him to play aggressive, and that's

I think the biggest change from years past to where he's at right now, you could make the case that he was the defensive MVP of the game this past game.

That's how good he played.

No, any pressure.

They're using him in the blitz package.

Good.

Was involved with Trayvon Sack, and that's something that he does well.

And, you know, look, I think Devin Lloyd's a great guy, and I'm glad.

I'm happy for him.

Jordan Lewis.

Me, Brent, Martineau, Kai, and myself.

And Jordan Lewis, who has been sensational.

Free agent pickup for the Jaguars defense and definitely a strong leader.

Elected a captain here.

Very, very similar to Calais, right?

But, you know, it's three games in.

It's still a long way to go.

But I think he has been better than expected, I think, for the most part.

It does.

And here's the thing.

In order to do something like that, which is to lead –

you've got to have performance to back up what you're saying.

Because if your performance is not at a high standard, then what you're saying is going to be falling on deaf ears.

So that's the thing I think that allows him to be that leader is because his level of play right now is up here.

For those on radio, I'm putting my hand over my head.

Well, he's very mature, you know, and I think he gives a lot of thought to some of his answers that he gets asked in the locker room.

And I know the interview that he did with John Osher a couple weeks back was strong.

And glad to have him here in Jacksonville, I can tell you that.