Join jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Dan from London, ON:
I just wanted to inform everyone the Jaguars made the news in Canada about the poor ticket sales. My brother, who is not a football fan, laughed at me about it.
Vic: It's about time the media pays attention to the Jaguars.
Ryan from Cincinnati, OH:
I read last week on Maurice Jones-Drew's Twitter page that he had to shave for a charity event. He said an event would have been the only reason he would ever shave. I just wanted to give some clarity to anyone who was wondering.
Vic: I'm still growing my eyebrows. I'm still all in.
Joe from Atlanta, GA:
Get Garrard out of the game and put in Luke McCown. Our offense stinks because of David Garrard, Vic.
Vic: If that makes you feel better, Joe, then I'm happy you had the opportunity to make that outlandish statement. You're not the only person of that opinion. My inbox is on fire with "kill" the quarterback e-mails. I've come to expect it, but it's just so nonsensical. It bothers me that people are so unable to control their emotions, deal with disappointment, that they think they can completely distort the truth and get away with it. Garrard is to blame for Kurt Warner's 92.3 completion percentage? In 38 years I had never covered a game in which a quarterback completed 92.3 percent of his passes. You know why? Because no one had ever done it until yesterday. Whoever's record Warner broke, I guarantee he won his game, too. You just don't win when the other team's quarterback completes 92.3 percent of his passes. I don't care how well you tackle, allowing 92.3 percent of the passes thrown against you to be completed is not a formula for victory. Neither is allowing 118 yards rushing. Allowing 118 yards rushing and 92.3 percent of the passes to be completed is a bad combination. I'll tell you what else isn't a formula for winning. Allowing an 83-yard touchdown return of a blocked field goal attempt isn't a formula for winning, either. Garrard's to blame for that, too. Even if we blame him for sacking himself four times, do we also blame him for letting a pass go through his hands in the end zone and another one hit him in the head in the end zone on consecutive plays? I understand that he's responsible for pass-blocking for himself, but does he have to throw it and catch it, too?
Ray from Jacksonville Beach, FL:
"Ask Vic" started on March 7, 2001. As of Sept. 18, 2009, that's roughly 1,908 days of "Ask Vic." You have answered roughly 26,712 questions. At an average of three lines per question at an 80-character count, that is roughly 6,410,880 characters. I'm thankful for your time and effort.
Vic: Why stop now? Let's go for 12 million characters.
Greg from Jacksonville:
Why don't the Jaguars hold their training camp in Orlando? Wouldn't this spark interest for our NFL team outside of the Jacksonville area?
Vic: That's something they should explore.
David from Fukuoka, Japan:
Can Tim Tebow make all the throws?
Vic: Based on what I saw on Saturday, I would have to say the answer is no. I wanted to watch that game closely because he was going up against a star NFL defensive coordinator. What I saw was that Monte Kiffin forced Tebow to make throws between defenders and Tebow wisely didn't take the bait. Instead, he turned to the check-down and outlet receivers. I think he lacks confidence in attempting to fit the ball between defenders. I'm talking about "honey hole" throws a quarterback has to make against "cover two," which Tennessee played on Saturday. Tebow's throwing motion makes it easy to time his delivery and break on the ball. You gotta have a gun and a tight, quick delivery to fit the ball into the "honey hole." He's gonna see more of it; I guarantee it. Kiffin provided a template other teams will use. Kiffin took away the easy, over-the-middle stuff and forced Tebow to make the tough throws, which he didn't attempt.
Nick from Toronto, Canada:
What do you think of Jimmy Clausen?
Vic: I like him. I like him and a host of other college quarterbacks. I think the position is loaded for the future. Jake Locker really impressed me. I see big guys who can throw all over the place. The spread hasn't hurt the development of talent at the quarterback position, it's helped it by opening up the field and putting an even greater emphasis on the passing game. I like Matt Grothe, too, and I was sorry to see that his season ended this past weekend on an ACL tear.
John from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL:
Did you see this coming and are the Jaguars this bad?
Vic: First of all, when haven't I said this is rebuilding? Yes, I saw it coming and you know I did. I also see a bright future because the team is hard in the development of young talent. As far as the Jaguars being bad, I think you're ignoring the strength of the Arizona Cardinals. That is a powerful team. They can do it all: throw it, run it, rush it, defend it, stop it. I was listening to a radio talk show on my way to work last week and they were comparing the Jaguars and Cardinals position by position and they made it sound as though the Jaguars had the better roster. When they got to the running backs and it was decided the Jaguars clearly had an edge there, I turned the radio off. That's enough of that nonsense because the Cardinals have one of the best stables of young running backs in the league. To have billed this season as anything but rebuilding was to do an injustice to Jack Del Rio and his coaching staff. They should be facing no expectation other than the development of young talent. By the end of the season, I need to see it. That's my only expectation.
Keith from Jacksonville:
I am a long-time reader and this is my first time writing. Vic, I understand that we need patience because this is a young team. I attended the game yesterday and that was one of the worst performances I have ever witnessed. What do the Jags do about that defensive line? No pressure on the quarterback.
Vic: What do you do? You draft. That's where patience comes in because the next draft isn't until next spring.
J.P. from Fernandina Beach, FL:
What do you think is our bigger problem right now, offense or defense?
Vic: I think defense is the bigger problem because the Jaguars were down 7-0 before the offense even hit the field, and getting down early isn't a formula for winning. Look, we all knew the Jaguars had concerns about their defensive line heading into this season, and then they lost their best defensive end in the season-opener. They're playing 4-3, 3-4 and, frankly, I have seen them in what I consider to be a true 52 from time to time. What's not to understand? Did we really think this team was switching to a 3-4 because its personnel fit that scheme? They're doing everything they can with what they have.
Matt from Bloomington, IN:
A missed call can easily be the difference in a game for young teams. Come on, refs, we need all the help we can get without battling the other team and the officials.
Vic: It was one blown call and there's no guarantee that, had pass-interference been called, it would've produced anything more than what the Jaguars did, attempt a field goal. You can't come unglued when a call goes against you. Kick the field goal, which would've made the score 10-6, and move on. Young teams have to learn to keep their poise.
Brian from Jacksonville:
You're usually the voice of reason for me when it comes to the Jaguars. I just got back from the game and I have to tell you, it didn't look like there was much fight or desire in the Jaguars. I think that was especially visible on the blocked field goal. So, tell me, Vic, what did I see today?
Vic: You saw a football game. You saw a team that was in last season's Super Bowl score a 14-point win over a team that was 5-11 last season. Is that not reasonable?
