Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Josh from Jacksonville
My friend and I are not very fond of the Gators to say the least. My friend has now said he will not be a Jags fan anymore because we have so many ex-Gators on the team. Will you please explain to him and probably others that these guys are Jaguars now and they no longer play college football?
Vic: I’ll leave that to you, but here’s what I have to say: My two favorite players on the Jaguars – yes, sportswriters have favorites – are Fred Taylor and Mike Peterson and they’re ex-Gators. The players we’ve had here from Florida have been good guys.
Ronnie from Jacksonville Beach, FL
I won't argue that Pete Dye wasn't visionary, but the course at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club has had an island green par three since the 1920s or so.
Vic: You’re absolutely right and it’s a wonderful hole. The difference is that it has land around it. It’s not a case of on the green or in the water. There’s a big trap in the back to catch shots that go too long, two traps on the right to catch shots that would roll down the bank and into the water, and chipping areas front and left. Pete Dye built a wall around his green and made it a true “island green,” not just an island with a green.
Rob from Richmond, VA
College football definitely needs a playoff system at the top level. Any excuse other than financial loss for the existing bowls is meaningless. They have a playoff at Division 1-AA and it makes it that much more exciting. The players in the lower divisions are more student athletes than the players at the top level and they don't lose class time.
Vic: Good for you. That’s great commentary. I’m really encouraged by the forward thinking I’ve seen in e-mails on this subject. The way I see it, if the kids at Delaware and Appalachian State can do it, there’s no reason the big boys can’t do it.
Debbie from Indianapolis, IN
I don't think the Jaguars need to win the Super Bowl to get sponsorships, stadium naming rights, sold-out season tickets, etc. They need stars. Look at how the Colts did it. They are a small-market team with stars. Before they won the Super Bowl they built a new stadium, had naming rights to it and sold-out every game because of its stars. The Super Bowl did create a long waiting list for season tickets that did not exist before, but stars can go a long way to the attention a team gets. The Jaguars don't really have nationally known stars at this point and I think that is their main problem.
Vic: The Colts’ greatness is exceeded only by your smugness. It’s ninth down and eight to go.
David from Savannah, GA
College has a playoff (system) and it’s the entire season long.
Vic: Did you fight in the Civil War?
Pat from Orange Park, FL
Requiring college teams to travel outside their region would also eliminate another big problem: regional bias. Most poll-voters are known to vote their region's team ahead of others simply because that is the only team they see for 13 weeks.
Vic: That is so sportswriter-like of you. You’ve made me very proud.
Corry from Apopka, FL
Who can say they are world champs?
Vic: Teams that compete in a worldwide format. Soccer teams?
Kenny from Jacksonville
Pete Dye is the designer, although the idea for the island green on 17 came from his wife, Alice. They needed the fill dirt for other parts of the course and when they were left with this gaping hole, she said, that would be fun.
Vic: Are you kidding me? Is that the truth? I had never heard that before. That’s fantastic.
Max from Rochester, NY
Which position on our roster this season will draw the most attention?
Vic: Defensive end will get the most attention, for the obvious reasons. Safety will be number two. There’s going to be a hot battle at one of the linebacker spots between Clint Ingram and Justin Durant. That’s going to get a lot of attention. Wide receiver will be a hot spot because there will almost certainly have to be a prominent cut or two made at that position.
John from St. Augustine, FL
What is it about the Jaguars that makes you think this team can become a “monster” down the road? Could you elaborate a little?
Vic: I think the franchise can become a “monster” because all of the ingredients are there: A team in the most popular sports league in the world playing in a town that doesn’t have and likely won’t have another major league sports team; a team in a town in a high growth area, which means a lot of kids being born Jaguars fans and taking that allegiance with them wherever they go. All of the signs are there. It hit me one day as I was driving through a neighborhood. I saw kids in Jaguars coats and hats. I saw Jaguars flags and license plates. It’s a community that doesn’t have anything else within its boundaries to rally around. The Jaguars are it. They are the Packers; the only team in town. If you include Milwaukee in the Packers’ market, and I think you must, then Jacksonville is the only city in the NFL that doesn’t have another major league sports team. That is the number one ingredient this franchise has going for it. It is the only game in town and I don’t see that changing. In time, this franchise is going to become a monster. The NFL would be crazy to leave here.
Patrick from Stuttgart, Germany
How would a Super Bowl ring improve Fred Taylor’s chances of making it into the Hall of Fame?
Vic: A Super Bowl ring wouldn’t do much unless he had a big game in the Super Bowl. A Super Bowl MVP might do it because Super Bowl MVP’s seem to trump everything. There are 16 Super Bowl MVP’s in the Hall of Fame, with Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Ray Lewis, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning certain to join their ranks and Hines Ward a candidate, too. In my opinion, Ty Law should’ve been the MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI, which would’ve added another MVP to the Hall of Fame.
Chris from Brevard, NC
Last year, Bill Belichick told Roger Goodell that he was not aware that videotaping signals was not permitted. Goodell essentially implied in yesterday's press conference that he did not believe Belichick and still does not believe him.
Vic: The commissioner should suspend Belichick a year just for telling that outrageous lie. Is the man completely without shame?
Jeff from Jacksonville
If Little League baseball teams can travel from all over the world to compete in Williamsport, Pa., and spend almost two weeks away from home (remember they're students, too) then surely college men can perform one day in the national spotlight outside of their region.
Vic: Oh, this is a prize winner. You truly are da man. So, what you’re saying is that if the Southeast representative in Williamsport is from Florida, then a bunch of 12-year-old kids can play a game across the Mason-Dixon Line but the Florida football team can’t. Take the day off. You deserve it.
Jay from Gainesville, FL
Your assumption that merchandise sales would increase based upon a Super Bowl win may be a bit optimistic. In my opinion, sales of Jaguars gear won't increase significantly until they overhaul the kitty cat logo. It is too intricate. Think about the best sellers: Green Bay, Dallas, Indianapolis. See what I mean?
Vic: The number one merchandise seller has been the Steelers, who have a logo that features three hypocycloids that represent the main ingredients in the manufacture of steel. Yeah, I see what you mean. The Jags need to get rid of the teal tongue.
James from Yulee, FL
How did Brian Williams look at safety on the first days of OTA’s?
Vic: Come on, Brian Williams can play safety in his sleep. It was an underwear practice. I think there were 12 plays in the whole thing. We’re talking about a corner who’s built like a running back. If that doesn’t scream safety, I don’t know what does. This is a lay up.
David from Anderson, SC
Do you think Porter will have the kind of resurgence that Randy Moss had at the Pats?
Vic: No, I don’t think that’s possible because I can’t imagine that Jack Del Rio would allow his offense to become that one-dimensional. I will tell you, however, that Jerry Porter made a nice-looking catch along the sideline yesterday. He went right up over the defender to snag the ball.
Kameron from Lawndale, CA
Why weren't Spicer, Taylor and Fudge at OTA practice?
Vic: I’m assuming Paul Spicer was expressing discontent with his contract. I haven’t asked him directly why he was absent but I think that might be a good guess. Fred Taylor has been a part-time participant the past three years because he believes it favors him to do it that way. I think his coach would prefer Fred to be there for all of the practices, but the coach has graciously accepted the circumstances out of respect to one of the great players in Jaguars history and a team leader. Jamaal Fudge is up in Clemson completing his degree, with permission and plaudits from his coach. In my haste to make it on time to another Jaguars commitment on Tuesday afternoon, I failed to include Fudge in my story. I apologize to our readers and to Jamaal.