FOLIO
by Tom Weppel
JAGUARS
The Jacksonville Jaguars continue working through their preseason, trying their best to gear up for a regular season that begins at home Sept. 12th against Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. (I have to phrase it that way, since Tim Tebow is such a superstar in these parts!)
With only a few weeks left until the start of the season, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty as to what this team is all about. People are obviously wondering how good the Jags will be. Fans are curious as to whether David Garrard will lead the offense effectively.
In fact, the only player on the team people can identify and have faith in right now is RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Otherwise, the rest of the roster is nothing but a crap shoot. It’s sad to suggest that, but its also the truth.
And THAT, my friends, is why the Jaguars are having a bitch of a time selling their regular season tickets for their games! Nobody knows what this team is all about! Football fans are in total wonderment as to who is playing, who is
Even Jack Del Rio and GM Gene Smith are not completely comfortable with the all the guys they have on the field right now. If they were, they wouldn’t be signing ‘stragglers’ like LB’s Rod Wilson and Tony Gilbert in the last week or so.
With Garrard, there has been no flash or dash, no leading interviews or talk, and no real leadership, on or off the field. I’m again sorry to suggest that, but it is very real.
I will say this…if Tim Tebow or even Michael Vick were in the Jaguars Training Camp right now, there would be so much talk and discussion as to what either one of them were doing or how they were progressing, it would be crazy! There would be a tremendous buzz going on all over town….EASILY! And I GUARANTEE YOU season ticket sales would be so much stronger than they are currently, it would be a beautiful thing for the management and sales staff.
But the simple fact is that, while David Garrard is a great guy and a serviceable Quarterback, he hasn’t really generated any excitement or interest in what the Jags are doing, or are gonna do.
So there you have it. If there is one operative word here, it would be ‘uncertainty’. Seems what we’ve got to root for is a guy who is not very personable running the team (Del Rio), coaching what essentially amounts to a bunch of ‘nobodys’, at least from a fans perception.
We shall see what happens in the coming weeks. The Jags are hoping they are putting together a team that can be entertaining and talented, all in order to catch the local football fans’ interest…
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
So, Brett Favre is back to play with the Minnesota Vikings once again, after a tumultuous and wild past few weeks. I’m guessing he once again thought he’d be bored in Mississippi if he didn’t play, and he’s also be giving up a pretty nice stash of cash the Vikes had for him to play this season.
Now, he probably feels good, having evaded the grueling Training Camp practices, and will probably walk in as they #1 Quarterback.
And I will say this…I do not want to be Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels right now. They are the other two QB’s on the Vikings depth chart, and they have been putting in their time and effort, with the possibility of getting a lot of playing time this season, but also with the whole Favre cloud hanging over them the whole time. Now that Favre is back, they certainly get shoved back to back-up status.
Of course now everyone seems to be excited that Favre is back! The buzz is fervent, as if Brett will automatically lead the team to the Super Bowl.
But I can PROMISE you that is not a given. At Favre’s age, he can be much more susceptible to injury. There should still be uncertainty as to what kind of shape the guy is in. Even he might not know!
Nonetheless, the media are gushing over his every move, and Viking fans are totally excited, now that #4 is wearing the purple uniform…
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