Join Jaguars Inside Report Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Neil from Plantation, FL:
Hey, Vic, do you actually read all of these submitted questions? I'm guessing you get a whole lot, so, I suppose you don't get to all of them. Am I correct?
Vic: You are not correct. I read all questions.
Billy from Orange Park, FL:
Great column, Vic. Is there a difference between being named All-Pro and being named to the Pro Bowl? What is the difference in selection criteria?
Vic: When you are named to the Pro Bowl, you have been selected as one of the best players at your position in your conference. When you are named All-Pro, you have been recognized as the best player at your position in the league.
Keith from Miami, FL:
What's the difference between being general manager and head of football operations?
Vic: Different teams identify the same titles differently, so, I can't answer this question without knowing a team's specific definition of the job responsibilities. However, generally speaking, a general manager is judged to have broader authority than a director of football operations. On a team that doesn't use the general manager title, the director of football operations may be in charge of all personnel matters. On teams that use the general manager title, he is usually in charge of personnel matters, but his powers may range into all facets of the organization. As I said, teams define the title, and definitions vary from team to team. But rule of thumb is that on a team that uses both titles, the general manager sits above the director of football operations.
Joe from Jacksonville:
Love your column. The Jags site its doing a survey of how we would rank our first season of the new era. Just wondering what your grade would be. I gave it a "B." Excellent draft last year and with Leftwich getting the reps, it has to help improve him; defense really picked up, and the second half of the season was respectable. I know we still have problems, but I see a team starting to jell and buying into coach Jack Del Rio's program.
Vic: Vic: I would tend to give a "B" grade, too, but that's largely because my expectations record-wise were low. Let's not forget, almost all of the preseason predictions had the Jaguars finishing in the bottom 10 of the league. A 5-11 record is not usually deserving of a "B," but I didn't consider record to be the major issue in 2003. We're talking about a team in the midst of complete change; new staff, new players, new philosophy of operation. As I said prior to the start of the season, I believed the 2003 season to be about everything except the final record. It was about identifying players for the future and developing those players; about establishing a way of doing things. Along those lines, I give the Jaguars high marks for their draft, their in-season moves, having the courage to commit to Byron Leftwich and stick with him, and for the dramatic improvement they made on defense and on their offensive line. The hope that was created for the future is far more important than the final record. Next season, however, my expectations will be much higher.
Mike from St. Augustine, FL:
You said in your previous post that Peyton Manning could end up in a place like Arizona, however, wouldn't the Colts do everything in their power to keep him? I heard the Colts owner on ESPN say they would like to keep him at all costs, even if it meant putting a "franchise" tag on him!
Vic: If they find a way to keep Peyton Manning, it will be at "all costs." But I can't imagine how the Colts could use the "franchise" tag on Manning. The "franchise" rules require that a team pay a player at the average of the top five salaries at his position in the league, or at 120 percent of his previous year's salary cap figure, whichever is greater. In Manning's case, it would be the latter, which would mean a little over $18 million in salary and cap hit next season. That's not going to happen, for the obvious reasons. The simple fact of the matter is the Colts screwed up big-time when they allowed Manning's cap number to exceed $15 million in 2003. That's what I've been "screaming" about all year. In having allowed that to happen, they forbid themselves from threatening to use the "franchise" tag as a negotiating strategy. Whether they do or don't sign him, they've got a problem.
David from LaCanada, CA:
Do you mean Peyton Manning will most likely be a free agent on May 1, 2004? Just want to get the dates right.
Vic: Where did you get May 1? It's March 1.
John from Jacksonville: :
How are players compensated if they are selected (and play) in the Pro Bowl?
Vic: In the upcoming Pro Bowl game, players on the winning team each will receive $35,000 and the losing players get $17,500 each.
Vijay from Montreal, Quebec:
:: Vic, you are killing it with this column. At my university, I saw someone at the Jags site. I got all excited thinking he was a Jags fan, because I think I'm the only Jag fan in Montreal, but he ended up telling me he was a Bills fan who loves to read your column! Anyhow, what is the three-point stance?
Vic: The offensive lineman is judged to have gotten into his "three-point stance" when he puts one hand on the ground. At that point, he is "frozen;" he can't move in such a fashion that would insinuate the start of a play. If he does, he incurs a false-start penalty. A center is judged to have assumed that position when he puts one hand on the ball. It doesn't matter whether it's one hand or two hands down. In either case, he is "frozen" when he puts at least one hand down.
Will from Columbia, SC:
Vic, what is the deal on Maurice Clarett? Will he be in the league next season?
Vic: The most esteemed attorneys can't answer this one for certain, but if you forced me to make a wager on what might happen, I'd probably bet Maurice Clarett will gain entrance to the NFL. The courts are sensitive to the "right to work."
