The Jock

by Tom Weppel
JAGUARS: Two games, two losses. The Jaguars are 0-2, one of eight teams in the NFL now with that record, as they go into their game this Sunday against the 1-1 Houston Texans.
Last week, Houston went to Nashville and battled the Titans, coming out amazingly with a 34-31 win. Not too many expected that, after seeing the Texans lose their opener to the Jets.
Certainly, things are not the greatest after Sunday, when Kurt Warner and the Cardinals tore up the Jags defense. Add to that the barely half-full stadium, along with a fairly inept offense, and it makes for quite a bit of sour perceptions and opinions of many Jag fans in the area. Meanwhile, the team is shuffling players around every week, pulling guys off practice squads or waivers, trying to fill the roster and play with whoever they can, it seems. Some guys have hit the IR, with Reggie Heyward and Troy Williamson both going down. Its quite obvious the team does not have the best talent in the League, as they look to find whoever they can. And now they will go to Houston to face a Texans offense that was almost all passing. Last week, they rushed for only 62 yards, while QB Matt Schaub threw for 357 yards and four TD’s. His main target is Andre Johnson, who is a beast. He will be very tough to contain.
On the other side, the Houston defense is not that great. Last week, they allowed the Titans to rush for 240 yards! They have given up 55 points in the first two games. Hopefully, the Jags can add to that number.
Jacksonville has not fared well in Houston, losing their games with the Texans there in the last three years. In addition to that fact, realize that this is the third time Del Rio’s teams have started 0-2. The first two times, they finished 5-11! That’s not a good track record. Obviously, Jack Del Rio is a little under the gun to get the boys up and kicking, to see if they can pull out a win. They certainly do NOT want to end up 0-3! We shall see how the Jags fare on Sunday.
JAGS AND TEBOW!?!? Wayne Weaver coming out and saying that he will consider drafting Tim Tebow after this season is an awful disservice to current QB David Garrard! I can understand possibly being interested in Tebow. Hell…he’s won a Heisman and a National Championship! How can you NOT like him!
But that doesn’t mean you come out and share interests only two weeks into this season. While Garrard certainly has not done the best, he is not the ONLY reason the Jags are 0-2. There are many other factors involved with these losses and the current status of the team. Garrard has the ability and talent to do great things for the Jags.
And you can add to that the fact that there are many NFL scouts and former players who feel and think Tebow is not NFL-ready. Consider his two turnovers in each of the last two games. A lot of NFL pundits would certainly consider Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, among others.
Look…there’s no question Tim Tebow would be an incredible draw for the Jaguars. But let’s be fair and see how this season plays out for both the Jags and the Gators, and take it from there.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: No wonder this is considered a COLLEGE football town! Last week the three favorite locals…Florida, Florida State, and Georgia…went 3-0, with pretty good wins!
Let’s start with FSU. After starting the season off in very lackluster form, the Seminoles traveled out West and beat up on the BYU Cougars. Their 54-28 win was essentially a shocker, especially considering their awful win the week before against Jacksonville St. It seems they have some good talent, both on offense and defense. QB Christian Ponder did a good job last week.
On Saturday, the ‘Noles host the 3-0 South Florida Bulls. This could be a toughie. We’ll see how they fare.
Meanwhile, the Florida Gators finally will be going on the road, after winning their first three games at home. We all saw their win against Tennessee. Many fans are stuck with questions as to exactly where this team is headed. Even though they’re #1, curiosity abounds as to what will happen the rest of the season.
And so we’ll see the Gators go up to Kentucky to face the Wildcats, a team and a school that has never really presented fans with a strong football team, having been much more known as a basketball school. Many think Florida will have no problem pulling out a win.
Then you go to Georgia, where the Bulldogs it seems the Bulldogs have established their offense, especially with their passing game. Joe Cox was fantastic in their 52-41 win at Arkansas. They are playing good ball, and now they will come back home to host the 2-0 Arizona St. Sun Devils.
So, three local teams, all playing pretty good football. Should be a fun weekend.