FOLIOby Tom Weppel
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind…
JAGUARS
My, my, my…what a difference a week (and a 59-yard FG) can make!
Last week, fans were throwing the Jags under the bus, running them over after two ugly losses. Now, thanks to Josh Scobee’s right leg, it seems all is well for pro football in the River City! After a fairly impressive win, the Jaguars I’m sure have gathered a little momentum, feeling as if they have ‘something to build on’, to use a cliché’ term.
And so the Jags are at 2-2, along with 12 other NFL teams. There are plenty of attitudes you can take when teams go 2-2. St. Louis fans I’m sure are stoked about their Rams surge, while fans in Miami (Dolphins) and Arizona (Cardinals) are not too happy with their respective teams and their play the last few weeks.
That being said, going winless…0-4, to be exact…can be a total bitch! All the talk in the respective markets/cities goes negative. Finger-pointing runs high, in wondering what is going wrong and why, and how to fix it.
On Sunday, the Jags will be in Buffalo to play one of those 0-4 teams…the Bills. Last week the Bills hosted the Jets and got their ass beat by 24 points. They’ve got a first-year Head Coach (Chan Gailey) and an Ivy League QB (Ryan Fitzpatrick) trying to make things work up there, so that should tell you enough!
There are a number of players on both rosters who used to play on the opposing squad. For Buffalo, Drayton Florence played CB in 2008 for the Jags…Akin Ayodele was a LB here from 2002-5, and of course, DT Marcus Stroud was a main cog on the Jags line for most of this decade before getting traded to Buffalo.
Then you have former Bills QB Trent Edwards, who was picked up via waivers by Jacksonville last week. Edwards started for Buffalo the last few years, including the beginning of this season. There’s no question he’ll be able to provide even the slightest bit of insight for Jack Del Rio and the staff as to what the Bills are all about!
Buffalo has not been very productive or successful, to say the least, in 2010. They rank last in the NFL in passing offense and total offense. They also are last in rushing defense! They’ve only scored SIX touchdowns this season, while giving up a whopping FIFTEEN!NO WONDER they’re 0-4!
Still, the Vegas bookies think the winless Bills will beat Jacksonville, making them a one-point favorite to beat the Jags! Obviously, there must be a slight lack of respect for the Jaguars by the boys making the lines!
These teams have played each other often in recent years, including the last four straight. Most of the games have been close. We’ll see how this one plays out for each. Obviously, the Bills want their first ‘W’, while the Jaguars want to get over the .500 mark. Should be intriguing…
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
After getting a strong reality check in their loss to the Crimson Tide, the Florida Gators now come home to host the LSU Tigers, a squad that barely survived a potential upset by beating the Tennessee Vols on the last play of the game. The Gators wouldn’t like a second consecutive SEC loss, by any means. LSU has been a tough opponent and still packs a punch. The Tigers want to do something strong to make up for their embarrassment of last week. This should be a good one…
Meanwhile, FSU heads downstate to play the Miami Hurricanes in a pivotal ACC scrap. The ‘Noles are playing solid football so far this season, with their only loss being out in Oklahoma to the Sooners. Last week they punished the Virginia Cavaliers with an effective running game and some great defense. Now, they go to take on a Miami club that has played good ball, after beating up the Clemson Tigers. After a three-game road schedule, they come back to South Florida.
This should be an interesting, yet entertaining contest. Miami is a seven-point favorite, but I think it can and will be a tighter game than that.
Then, we have the very subpar, 1-4 Georgia Bulldogs hosting the Tennessee Vols. Last week, while the Bulldogs lost on the road to Colorado, the Vols almost pulled off a huge upset at LSU, before messing up on the final play (as mentioned).
Of course, everyone is ranting about the homecoming, of sorts, of Vols coach Derek Dooley, to the place where he grew up while his daddy, Vince, led the Bulldogs to glory for years! In the meantime, Georgia has been simply awful this season, having lost their last four games! The heat on ‘Dogs coach Mark Richt is working…a loss to the Vols would be huge, in vast respects, for both schools!
Georgia is a ten-point favorite in this game, and I find that line a little strong. We’ll see how things shake out up in Athens…
In other games, Alabama travels to Columbia, SC for an SEC matchup with Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks. I’m sure the South Carolina fans will be jacked-up beyond belief for this one! The ‘Cocks (3-1, 1-1) would love nothing more than to upset the Tide, and probably feel they have the ability to do so, even though they are currently eight-point underdogs. My guess, though, is that Alabama can handle these guys in all facets. Let’s see what kind of magic and trickery Spurrier has in store for ‘Bama…
Out West, the USC Trojans come off a tough loss at home to the Washington Huskies, and now go upstate to face the Stanford Cardinal…a team coming off a punishing loss in their own right to the Oregon Ducks. This game should be pivotal to both PAC 10 schools, giving us a strong idea as to what they can handle now, and for the rest of the season…
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
The Divisional playoffs kicked off on Wednesday. While there will certainly be some entertaining games and series in the next few weeks, my feeling is anyone other than the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies making it to the World Series would be a surprise! Both teams have been there and done that the last few years, and they both have solid rosters very capable of taking care of the business at hand to get to the Championship.
In the meantime, we’ll get to see some intrigue and suspense in the next couple of weeks, as these playoffs evolve. Of course, teams like the Padres, Cardinals, and Red Sox are now left to wonder what they didn’t do to still be playing! San Diego especially is kicking themselves, after leading the NL West for so much of the regular season.
So we shall see how these games play out. Should be fun…
FINAL WORD
After being involved earlier this week in Jury selection and almost-duty, I can offer a few comments…
First off, the Bailiff and morning Judge try WAYYY too hard to be funny! They were making jokes in attempting to explain to us what the deal was for us being there, and they weren’t doing a good job!
This is not Comedy Central, people! I was there to do it and get it over with. Unfortunately, we ran into a couple of guys wanting to be David Letterman…
Second, the citizens called in for potential selection have ridiculous, negative, and limited attitudes throughout the entire day! If you are ever involved in a trial that requires a jury, DO NOT think for a minute you’ll get a sharp, fair-minded group of people. It isn’t going to happen…I promise!
Overall, the whole scene is not fun, and it certainly isn’t entertaining or enjoyable! The best line I heard while there to describe the day was from a guy who suggested it was nothing more than a ‘cattle call’! Maybe one day someone can come up with a better, more effective way to handle the situation…
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