Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Nate from Macclenny, FL:
I trust you, Vic. You screamed at the roof tops years ago about the salary cap situation. You said it before the bottom fell out, and no one seemed to believe it would happen. You said it at a time when the team was winning. You posted negative comments about the situation and the organization and you still got a paycheck. I have found that your opinions are non-biased and extremely credible. At the same time, when you are faced with something you were wrong about, you were quick to admit it (in the grasp).
Vic: Yeah, I really looked stupid on that "in the grass" comment. You're such an understanding and supportive person. I'm very fortunate to have you as a loyal reader.
Kevin from Indiana, PA:
Forget about all those fair-weather fans you left us for. Come back where people are passionate about football, regardless of the temperature dropping below 70 degrees.
Vic: Oh, no, I couldn't do that. I love it in Jacksonville. These are the best football fans in the whole world.
Gabe from Tallahassee, FL:
Money does the talking to any football owner. They could care less if five people are in the stadium if all the tickets are sold.
Vic: All right, maybe it wasn't cold, but there was a chill in the air. It was a damp kind of chill, too, and you have to be careful about those kinds of conditions because you could get a head cold. I think the fans acted very wisely because this is the flu season and we don't need people sniffling at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Mark from Jacksonville:
I agree with you that Leftwich has been treated unfairly. He can and has shown at times that he can be a great quarterback. I also agree that Garrard possesses qualities that Leftwich can not bring to game. There is a vice versa to that as well. Statistics have proven that their respective pros and cons cancel each other out and we essentially have the same results.
Vic: They're both great quarterbacks and wonderful young men. I just wish Byron would've done something, like wave to the fans when the Jaguars broke the huddle. I think they would've liked him then and that would've been nice. It's nice to be nice.
Vinnie from Jacksonville:
I particularly hate when local journalists say they could care less if this team succeeds or fails. I can fully understand stating that you are not a fan of the team in the traditional sense, but I have to think the success of this team in this city has been a profitable benefit for radio personalities and journalists alike. Am I mistaken in this belief, or could most of them really care less?
Vic: Some journalists just aren't nice. Some reporters don't mind if the team loses because then they don't have to cover the playoffs and they can do other things. I think that is so insensitive. It gives me so much satisfaction to see the fans having a good time. I like to watch.
Dennis from Jacksonville:
Don't you think with Matt Jones' injuries as a wide receiver it would be more appropriate to move him to quarterback?
Vic: Oh, yes, Matt can do so many things that you hate to limit him to just catching passes. I like him on the end around. I'd like to see him get a try at punt-returner, too. He has freakish speed. I can't wait to see him play quarterback. I just think the ball has to be in his hands because he's a play-maker. He has so many great fans from Arkansas, too. I really like them. They're nice people. I hope they think I'm nice.
Sam from Tallahassee, FL:
I want this QB controversy to end and I want Leftwich in Jacksonville and Garrard traded away. Quarterbacks are passers. Leftwich is good at it. He kept the Jags alive in the Redskins game when the Jaguars defense was playing poorly. Garrard gained Del Rio's confidence by handing the ball off in the Eagles game and throwing against a Titans team that couldn't cover squat. I'm not sold on him.
Vic: You're being mean and that makes me sad.
Paul from Gainesville, FL:
No hard feelings, please, but I like mean Vic better. I trust him.
Vic: I hope he never comes back. I should've been nice a long time ago. I feel good inside. I feel peaceful. I just wanna be liked.
John from Atlantic Beach, FL:
Ice in his eyes? That's hilarious. Sixty-nine degree weather is absolutely perfect football weather.
Vic: Well, John, it felt colder than it actually was. I think you're being insensitive. Jacksonville is a great football town. Did you ever think that a lot of guys didn't go to the game because their wives didn't want to get their hair wet, and instead of leaving them at home alone they stayed home with them and watched the game on TV? That's what good husbands do, John.
Jimmy from Jacksonville:
Let me help you out on your nice day. For everybody who only reads "Ask Vic" and doesn't listen to the radio shows or other columns, there is absolutely no reason to question Vic's integrity. There have been many times you have been critical of the organization, when it was necessary. I remember the Wednesday before the AFC Championship game in 1999, on "Jaguars This Week." You stated that we better make it to the Super Bowl because it would be our last chance for a long time due to the salary cap situation. You were right about that assessment. You could have put a positive spin on the situation, but you did not do that.
Vic: That was mean of me. I don't like that person. He made people sad.
Jake from Rutherford, NJ:
Are the Jags wearing special color jerseys against the Texans? Lights-out black, maybe?
Vic: No, they're wearing their battle teal this Sunday, but they're going to wear their beautiful all-black uniforms on Monday night against the Giants. That's going to be so cool. I love those uniforms.
Fred from Philadelphia, PA:
Hey, James, my mom sat through the whole game last Sunday like a real football fan and didn't complain about the weather once.
Vic: Don't pick on James. Your mother is just a very special woman. That doesn't mean that James is a sissy.
Paul from Jacksonville:
What about the Bengals game when it rained and the temperature was in the low 40's? I think that game was either late November or early December.
Vic: That was in early December of 1996. I shivered for a week. Brrr!
Justin from Des Moines, IA:
Do you think another NFL team will give T.O. a chance after he leaves the Cowboys?
Vic: I sure hope so. He's worked so hard and he's such a nice person.
Jake from Macclenny, FL:
Last week you said the "Is Vic an idiot?" poll was just something to get people in the mood to vote, leading up to something very serious on Tuesday. What happened?
Vic: I just think the country woke up in a bad mood on Tuesday and decided to take it out on the poor Republicans. I felt so bad for them because they mean so well. Fortunately, we have a program in this country that provides benefits to the unemployed. Maybe that dear, sweet lady with the San Francisco values will help them.
Patrick from Charleston, SC:
After Sunday's destruction of the Titans, I asked a family member of the Jaguars organization if I could meet "Ol Grumpy One." Immediately after the game, I was led to Vic's office where "Igor" was magically transformed into one of the most cordial and inviting individuals I've ever been acquainted with. He patiently answered all of my questions and promptly extended an open invitation to his office whenever I'm in town. Now I can't say for sure if he turned back into "Shrek" afterwards, but the Vic I met is nothing like the one you guys and gals describe daily in this column.
Vic: It makes me feel so good that people are finally beginning to understand what a caring, kind and sensitive person I am.
John from Washington, DC:
I think Bob simply wanted to know how Byron hurt his ankle. There seems to be a lack of answers for that and we, as fans, would like to know if you know. Perhaps you don't, but perhaps you do and aren't able to divulge this info for whatever reason. I don't think it was a shot at you or your credibility. So did he hurt his foot outside of football?
Vic: I asked Byron and he said he hurt his ankle in the Washington game. I asked coach Del Rio and he said the same thing. I know, I know, you don't believe them. I'm hearing all of the stories, too, about Byron having been abducted by aliens and then falling out of their flying saucer, but my job as a reporter doesn't allow me to advance unsubstantiated fact when it deals with sensitive subject matter such as this. All I can do is ask and report. Jaxson de Ville seems to be the guy to ask. Hey, I'm just a reporter.
Howard from Buford, GA:
I, too, love the Jaguars but I had a pebble in my shoe, my shorts were bunching up and I thought I may have forgot to lock my door, so, I'm sure you would agree that I had to leave the game early?
Vic: Oh, yes, all of those are valid excuses. You know, this would be a good topic for David Letterman. He could do a top 10 reasons why Jaguars fans didn't go to the game last Sunday. Maybe we could do it. I'll start it off with reason number 10: "The fair took my parking space." You know, it really did take my parking space, and I don't think that was very nice.
Joe from Saint Augustine, FL:
You mentioned that Coughlin made Brunell his starting quarterback in 1995, but I remember Steve Beuerlein as the starting quarterback, at least for most of the season.
Vic: Oh, gee, this is a tough one, Joe, because you're going to think I'm a mean person, but you're slightly incorrect and I hope you won't get mad at me for saying that. Mark Brunell came off the bench and rallied the Jaguars to their first-ever win in Houston in week five of the '95 season, then became the Jaguars' official "starting quarterback," which means number one on the depth chart, the following week for the Steelers game. Brunell held that distinction until 2003, when Byron Leftwich became the team's number one quarterback.
Brian from Jacksonville:
Hearing the 49ers will move got me thinking: How many cities around the country that don't have teams are capable of financially supporting an NFL team?
Vic: That's a very good question. I think the answer is one, Los Angeles. I think that's the answer because given the current revenue demands on teams, as a result of the new CBA, there are several markets that currently have teams that may not be capable of financially supporting a franchise. Please understand that the 49ers aren't relocating. Santa Clara is part of the Bay Area and is located in the middle of the Silicon Valley. Isn't that nice?
