The Jock

by Tom Weppel
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind…
JAGUARS
Well, well, well! Once again, those crazy Jaguars are throwing us some nasty curve balls each and every Sunday! Ya gotta love it!!! Normally, fans like to be able to identify any team as to what they’re all about, no matter what the case, no matter what the sport. Some teams (or players) are real good and have a chance for the postseason. Other teams are not very good at all, and it becomes a ‘wait ’til next year’ scene. But with these Jaguars, there is no identifying them whatsoever. One week you can get a pretty good team that wins, then the next week you get a team that can totally suck ass. Its very, very frustrating, if you are indeed an avid Jaguar fan.
And it doesn’t seem to make a difference who the competition is that weekend. The Jags can only lose by two points to a Colt team that is STILL undefeated, but they can also lose by 17 to a Titan team that hadn’t won a game yet! Its simply amazing, to be honest.
I can’t figure these guys out, and that includes the Head Coach.. Jack Del Rio is one of the most guarded individuals I’ve listened to in press conferences. You would think the guy would show SOME personality, raving about what he wants to do or is GOING to do to get his team in gear.
The Jags are now 3-4. Here’s who they have left to play…Sunday here against the Chiefs, then at New York to face the Jets, here against the Bills, then in San Francisco to play the Niners, here against the Texans, Dolphins, and Colts, then on the road against the Pats and Browns.
With a team buried in complete inconsistency, you would think I could make some sort of guess as to how they will finish. In all honesty, there’s no telling. They could go 10-4 and challenge for a playoff slot, or they could totally tank and finish 6-10. All I can say is, we shall see how it all plays out, starting this weekend, when they host a team that statistically has the one of the worst offenses AND defenses in the NFL. Of course, the game is NOT sold out, so it won’t be on TV. It should be a nice day, though, so if you get a chance, come on out and get entertained, no matter what happens!
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Not too long ago, Georgia and Florida State were great teams, with lots of talent and strong winning records at this time of the year. You look now, and you see that both schools carry mediocre 4-4 records. It seems both programs have slipped a gear or two in their abilities, and its gonna be a push just for them both to get into decent bowl games.
It’s a shame, really. You look at FSU and the first thing you think of is that Bobby Bowden is closing out his fantastic reign as head coach on a very sour note. Fans are wondering how much he has to do with the team being like this, or whether its his staff, or whatever.
Now, Florida State goes to Clemson to face a pretty good Tiger squad. An FSU loss puts them at 4-5, which is wild. We’ll see how it plays out…
Georgia’s next three games are at home…against Tennessee Tech, Auburn, and Kentucky. While the Bulldogs certainly are lacking in certain areas, it does seem possible they can get a few wins. Still its fair to say Georgia is in need of a lift to get back to the prominence they used to enjoy.
And the college football landscape has changed so completely. When you look at the top 25 rankings, you see Boise State, TCU, and even Cincinnati all undefeated and ranked in the top ten, with a pretty good chance of going unbeaten for the season. IF that happens, one and perhaps two of those schools could get BCS bowl invitations, and THAT is almost CRAZY!
To give you even more perspective…not long ago, the Oklahoma/Nebraska game was always a tough, nasty, rivalry contest, with national championship implications. Now, this weekend, we see both teams limping in with 5-3 records. Nebraska lost to Iowa State two weeks ago! Makes you wonder if the Cornhuskers will ever get back to being the power team we knew for so long…
NASCAR
Let’s see…NASCAR President Mike Helton comes out an hour before the race to tell the drivers there will be no bump-drafting!
Last April at Talladega, Carl Edwards went airborne, going up against the catch-fence. So the drivers and the cars parade around the rack for about 450 miles, then try to go all-out. As things get even a little tighter, both Ryan Newman and Mark Martin go upside down in separate car wrecks! Also, cars ran out of gas, which can happen when you only get five miles to the gallon.
And while the boys in Daytona are trying their best to keep things interesting and safe, the bottom line is NASCAR is in bad, bad shape. The races are worth watching until the last ten laps, for all intents. Sponsors and Manufacturers are pulling out of the mix. The ‘chase’ is anything but, with Jimmie Johnson all but crowned the champion, with three races to go.
All that, and then how about A.J. Allmendinger getting a DUI in Charlotte, then NASCAR saying they will give him a blood-alcohol test before the race! Are you kidding me? Next you’ll hear, the drivers will be texting and Twittering during the race!!!
In the coming months, Mike Helton and Brian France have a lot of talking to do, all to get things back in order, with excitement being the main ingredient. We’ll see…