The Jock

by Tom Weppel

JAGUARS
I think its very possible the Jaguars could be without GM James Harris and DC Gregg Williams when the season is over. While Harris said in a T-U interview that all players are chosen by a group (as opposed to him making the final decision, like almost all GM’s in other franchises do), I still think his input has not been what the team needs in order to bring the right players to have as part of the team.
Meanwhile, Williams simply hasn’t gotten much done at all. Whether its his inability to utilize the talent on the field, or not having the right players to fit his style of defense, the bottom line is his work hasn’t gotten the job done.
And those two may not be the only people that work OFF the field that won’t be around in the near future. I believe Jack Del Rio will sit down with Wayne Weaver and they’ll discuss personnel in full. It should be interesting…
Meanwhile, this season has lost purpose and some degree of meaning, without question. It seemed like things simply fell apart, and there was nothing anybody did…or could do…about it.
The one guy who certainly has to think about a lot is WR Jerry Porter. He came in on a great contract, but everything simply did not work out, starting with the hamstring injury. For a guy who had shown so much talent and success in Oakland, its amazing how it all simply dried up. But he got his money. And now, the boys downtown certainly want him to make up for it next season. We’ll see.
Drayton Florence is another player of issue, and I’ll be curious to see what the Jags do about the CB from San Diego.
No matter what, there will definitely be a much different roster to observe going into the ’09 season.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
There are a number of games and teams that are working to stay in the playoff hunt, and it should be quite interesting to see how it all pans out.
The Steelers go to Nashville to face the Titans. Tennessee will be playing without Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth. Both teams are already in the playoffs, so it should be a good contest. The same situation is present in New York, where he giants will host the Panthers. Carolina has been on a nice roll, while the Giants have hit a few bumps in their road.
The Ravens go to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Saturday night. Both teams need wins to get into the wildcard slots in their respective Conferences. We all know about the crap going on in Dallas with Romo, Witten, and Terrell Owens. I’m sick of hearing any more. I actually think the Ravens can go in there and beat Dallas. If they do, it will set the Cowboys back considerably.
The 0-14 Detroit Lions will host the New Orleans Saints. There is no way the Saints want to be known as they only team the Lions beat, so they will work extra-hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. On the other side, the Lions don’t want to set a record for most losses, either. We’ll see…

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Bowl season begins this weekend, and I could care less…nothing more to say.