Jaguars QOTD: The Surprising Lessons Hidden in This Year’s Super Bowl Teams Revealed

As the Super Bowl pause stretches out, it’s a perfect moment to take a long, hard look back at the winding roads that led the contenders here — and believe me, those journeys are anything but ordinary. There’s something unique about dissecting how teams and their stars carved their way to this grand stage; it’s like peering into the soul of the game itself. I recently chatted with Mia O’Brien on a podcast about these very twists and turns — a conversation that fired up some fresh insights — but now, I’m itching to hear what you, Jaguars fans especially, make of it all. What’s striking this year isn’t just who’s playing but the shifting lanscape: we’re seeing elite quarterbacks no longer hold a monopoly on Super Bowl dreams. Take Drake Maye and Sam Darnold — two guys who aren’t household MVP names yet, but with the right coaching and schemes, they’re reshaping expectations and making us rethink what really drives winning teams. The old guard of Brady, Manning, Roethlisberger, and Mahomes still looms large, but the tide’s turning. It’s coaches — those forward-thinkers pulling the strings — who might just be the game’s most precious commodity now. So, what’s your take? Dive in, share the musings and let’s hash it all out together! LEARN MORE

One of the nice things about the two-week break leading up to the Super Bowl is that it gives us more time to look back on how we got here. Reflecting on the paths each participant took to reach the championship can be instructive.

Shameless plug — I recently recorded a podcast with Mia O’Brien on this very subject — but we want to hear from you, Jaguars fans!

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What’s your biggest takeaway(s) from this year’s Super Bowl participants?

My answer: Elite passers are no longer a necessity to reach the Super Bowl. Though Drake Maye would’ve had my MVP vote this year, and Sam Darnold has more than proven himself as a franchise quarterback, neither would be where they are without coaches who put them in positions to succeed. Darnold/Seattle has Klint Kubiak, who recently agreed to become the Raiders’ new head coach, and Maye/New England has Josh McDaniels, who has already won six Super Bowls on the Patriots’ staff. Consider that 70% of Super Bowl-winning QBs from 2001-23 had the last name Brady, Manning, Roethlisberger, or Mahomes. Parity has returned in recent years largely because the league is full of forward-thinking offensive coaches who are adept at maximizing skill sets and sequencing play calls. They may have surpassed the quarterback position as the most vital asset an NFL team can have.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!