Join jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Ameen from Jacksonville:
Monday on your show someone asked you to compare the Jags draft class with others in the league. You said you wished you had heard the question earlier so you could do your homework on it. What are your thoughts now?
Vic: Nobody is getting the contribution out of their draft class the Jaguars are getting out of theirs. Detroit is the closest.
Jeff from Jacksonville:
I'm a very concerned fan, worried about attendance and fan interest, only to log onto jaguars.com and the feature article is your college power rankings. I'm sure if you opened the Gator website the first thing you wouldn't see is a Jaguar on the front page. Why would the jaguars.com senior editor put a college poll on the Jags website and do you think people from Jax will ever realize how fortunate we are to have an NFL franchise? Let me guess, because you're the senior editor and Jax will always be a college town with guys like you influencing the masses.
Vic: I'll bet you're fun at a party.
Jake from Neptune Beach, FL:
Where did you have Brady Quinn on your value board? Should the Browns have checked it first? What were your expectations? Is there still hope for him or do you equate his NFL potential with Jamarcus Russell's?
Vic: I had Quinn high on my value board and advocated the Jaguars selecting him. My expectation for Quinn was that he might not be a star, but he wouldn't be a bust, which is what I had written of Quinn in my value board. Obviously, there's a strong possibility I was wrong about Quinn. I still think he has the potential to make it in this league, but his window in Cleveland could be closing. I never thought Russell had that potential. In my opinion, he lacked quickness of movement and he is not an accurate passer of the football. Yeah, I saw the size and the strong arm, but I saw nothing else.
George from Jacksonville Beach, FL:
What on earth would Rush Limbaugh have to do with whether Garrard played quarterback or not? Why would you have to find a new job? You really should keep your politics out of sportswriting, Vic. As a daily reader, I am very disappointed in you. I think I will take a break until next year. Goodbye, Vic.
Vic: I think that's a good idea, George. I won't be offended at all. In fact, I thank you for expressing your thoughts on this issue because you've given me an opportunity to express mine. Folks, I want this column to loosen up a little bit. It's become way too tight, especially during the season. I wanna get away from perseverating on minor details and I wanna get away from the anger and angst and make this a place where readers go to have fun. That's what the power rankings thing is all about. It's just about fun and I've had a lot of Gator fans write to me saying how much they enjoy what I did, and they should because that's the spirit in which it was done. I think we all have a tendency to take ourselves and sports too seriously and I want this to be a place for those who seek a more lighthearted perspective. I also want it to be a place for people who can punch and take a punch without going off into a rage. What I'm describing is readers of intelligence and emotional stability. This column has them and I want their ranks to grow. What Rush Limbaugh said a few years ago about Donovan McNabb caused Limbaugh to resign his position with ESPN. That's a fact and I see no reason why we can't have a little fun with it.
Stewart from Jacksonville:
What was wrong with the way Torry Holt was blocking on Sunday? He got flagged once for it and the announcer mentioned it again later; something about an illegal pick. What was he talking about? What was illegal about it?
Vic: You can't block a defender as the ball is being thrown. That's pass-interference, commonly known as "picking" off a defender. It's the same call that was made against the Texans the previous week, which nullified what would've been the game-tying touchdown.
Jaime from Jacksonville:
It's funny how everyone is now saying Dirk Koetter is doing an amazing job the last couple of weeks. How come you didn't hear that when he was running those reverses and fake reverses with Reggie Williams?
Vic: Give the worst offensive coordinator in the league the best talent and he's great. Koetter doesn't have anywhere near the best talent in the league, but he's utilizing what he has beautifully, and that's the definition of what a good coordinator does.
Jordan from Kill Buck, NY:
Terrence Cody of Alabama is seen as one of the best nose tackles coming out in next year's draft. On one of the broadcasts of their games the commentator said he is truly special; it's almost impossible to find a two-gapping nose tackle. Why is that so hard to find? You always say the guys up front in a 3-4 need to be able to two-gap.
Vic: They're hard to find because being big enough to hold your ground and defeat blocks and then have the quickness to get into the gap on your left or the gap on your right is a special talent for men who are especially big, powerful and quick. It's also difficult to find those guys because most teams don't two-gap. The flip side is that a lot of defensive tackles who aren't good enough pass-rushers to play in a 4-3 can play end in a 3-4 because they can be developed into a two-gapping system that only requires that they hold the point. Remember, in a 3-4 there are a lot of linebackers to assist the defensive linemen in filling the gaps. What 3-4 ends are usually asked to do is hold the point and keep the blockers off the linebackers. One defensive lineman in a 3-4, however, has to be a true two-gapper. That's the nose tackle. There's no getting around it. To make the 3-4 work, you have to have a guy in the middle that has dominant run-stuffing ability.
Lawrence from Beech Grove, VA:
I guess the final score on Sunday was really 30-17. I just saw Mike Pereira say that Sims-Walker's touchdown catch was really an incomplete pass. I thought three feet equaled a catch.
Vic: That was my understanding, too, per the presentation on rules changes and major emphasis' that was made to reporters in Jacksonville by a crew of officials this past summer. We were told that in the case of a receiver getting two feet down, he had to control the ball through the ground, but when he made that third step, he was in the act of running and that completed his attempt at demonstrating possession. Obviously, that was not correct. I think it's important for Jaguars fans to acknowledge that the team has been the benefactor of a couple of favorable calls the past two weeks. We need to remember that the next time one doesn't go the Jaguars' way.
Jordan from Fayetteville, NC:
I just wanted to say that you and Ryan Robinson do an amazing job for this website. After reading the last article on Mike Sims-Walker's consistency, it hit me that this site includes a tremendous amount more detail and thoroughness than any other site I've been to. Thank you so much for what you guys do. It's amazing what you provide to us fans, Vic.
Vic: Oh, yeah, Ryan does a great job, if you like all that stats stuff. He's real good at that "this is the first time they've scored since the last time they've scored" baloney. Or "that's the first time in the Jack Del Rio era the Jaguars scored on their first possession in a game in the Pacific Time Zone when the temperature was less than 70 degrees." Yeah, great.
Vinny from Saratoga, NY:
It's all about the people you know in the world, huh?
Vic: Especially if you know guys named Rocco and Luca.
John from Bremerton, WA:
I hope you enjoy your stay out here in Seattle, Vic. Indian summer is supposed to continue through the weekend and game day should be gorgeous. I'm really looking forward to supporting the Jags out here in Seattle. Are you planning on spending your extra day in town playing tourist?
Vic: I found a book in the garbage at the first tee of a golf course recently. It's a perfectly good book someone unconscionably threw away. I took it home and it's dried out now and ready to be read. It's a nice thick book, perfect for a long weekend. I'm thinkin' it'll go well with a sweatshirt, a short pier and a long cigar, followed by a fish sandwich and some college football.
Doug from Jacksonville:
Watching the game Sunday, what matchup should I keep an eye on? What do you think is going to be an interesting matchup both offensively and defensively?
Vic: Based on the Seahawks' desperate state at the tackle positions, I would think the key player on defense for the Jags would be Derrick Harvey. They need him to sack the quarterback. On offense for the Jags, the interior linemen have to get middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu blocked. He's the Seahawks' best player, the one guy on defense who can make plays and cause havoc.