Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Nate from Jacksonville
In your opinion, does Maurice Jones-Drew have what it takes to be the featured back on this team or is he destined to be a combo/backup forever?
Vic: Because of his smaller stature and because he shared carries at UCLA, the consensus of opinion was that Jones-Drew would have to be used the same way in the NFL. I once referred to him as a “complementary back” and he let me know about it. He wants to be a feature back and that means carrying the football 200, 250, 300 times a year. That’s what a feature back does; he carries the ball game after game after game and he never wears down. I don’t know if he can do that, but I have seen no evidence that leads me to believe he can’t do that. I’ll tell you this, though: The way he’s been used by the Jaguars in his first two years sure has been good for the team.
Chris from Jacksonville
Seems to me the best way for the NFL to get rid of all of the salary cap shenanigans (dummy years, etc.) is to require guaranteed contracts. If teams know they'll be on the hook for what they offer, they'll be more prudent. Do you think that will ever happen?
Vic: No, I don’t. The way to get rid of all of the salary cap shenanigans is to go to a hard cap. When the whole cap concept was introduced, the owners could’ve elected to do that. I think the players union would’ve been agreeable to a hard cap back then, but not now. A hard cap would’ve kept salaries in check. It would’ve kept teams from spending recklessly because they wouldn’t have had the room to do it. Now that the players union has seen how a lot of teams will push money out and drive reckless spending, it would never agree to a hard cap. The horse is out of the barn or the hay is in the barn or whatever that saying is about it’s too late now to do anything about it. Way back in 1993, the owners made a big mistake. They should’ve gone to a hard cap. If they had, I don’t think the whole cap concept would be in jeopardy of extinction now.
Jason from Jacksonville
From 2003-2006, the Jaguars drafted heavily on the offensive side of the ball. Although the results are really starting to show, the defense began to show decline last year and I believe it is attributed to the Jaguars not addressing defense in the draft for so long. Do you think the Jaguars are setting themselves up for offensive decline in a few years? It's not as though the Jaguars offense is that young anymore.
Vic: It’s a game of replacement, not maintenance. Players on both sides of the ball must be replaced on a yearly basis. Rosters require constant attention. I don’t believe in addressing one side of the ball and then the other. I believe in drafting the best available player regardless of position. Over the long haul, you will probably have accumulated enough talent on both sides of the ball to have addressed each. To answer your question directly, I don’t hear any alarm bells on the offensive side of the ball for the Jaguars.
Don from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
This team is not built for a one-year run at a Super Bowl. This team will be good for years to come. They have done things the right way.
Vic: I agree.
Will from Fort Worth, TX
Following up on the defensive dot question, do you really believe it's a good thing to have telecommunications gear involved in a team sport?
Vic: Not inside the helmet; I don’t mind communications from the press box to the sideline, but I think it should stop there. I like creativity. I like the messenger guard. I like hand signals. I like finding out who the people are that would steal hand signals. I don’t like the idea of things replacing people.
Justin from Jacksonville
In your opinion, who can the Jaguars least afford to lose to injury?
Vic: David Garrard is that player, of course. It’s the same for any team with a good quarterback. Who can the Colts least afford to lose? The Patriots? The Steelers?
Scott from Crossville, TN
Why did the Jags ever hold training camp up north (Wisconsin, I think)?
Vic: Tom Coughlin wanted to get his team into a captive environment. It was their first-ever camp and Coughlin wanted to make a strong statement. There were a lot of reasons and one of those was the heat. He wanted to get his team out of the Jacksonville heat. I suppose it was because he knew he was going to work them especially hard. So what happened? The upper Midwest experienced a record-setting heat wave. Temperatures hit 106 degrees and cattle were dying in the field. My dorm room had no air-conditioning and the only time the air moved was when someone sneezed. That was the end of the training camps in Wisconsin.
Jake from Harrisonburg, VA
Who are some of the other great backs throughout history who were big-plays-at-big-times guys?
Vic: There are lots of them: Jim Brown, Paul Hornung, Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, John Riggins; the list is too long to name them all.
Mark from Jacksonville
Will there be more seating for the Oklahoma drill? I was there last year and the place was packed.
Vic: I don’t know where they could add seating. Just get there as early as you can.
Jason from Anastasia Island, FL
I give up, Vic. I ask good, solid questions and you post one about a dog. Unbelievable! Well, I won't stop reading but I'll stop wasting my time asking Vic.
Vic: I’ll miss you.
Ray from Jacksonville
Do you think that Jimmy Smith will get into the Jaguars ring of honor?
Vic: Yes.
Justin from Jacksonville
Which rookie do you expect to have the biggest impact for the Jags this season?
Vic: If it isn’t Derrick Harvey, it better be Quentin Groves.
Jamie from Charlotte, NC
The local sports stations here continue to talk (as national outlets as well) about the passion for the Jags isn't there and that Los Angeles will be inheriting the Jags within a few years. As a diehard Jags fan, this puts knots in my gut. Please tell the fans there to support the team and buy tickets.
Vic: Support the team and buy tickets.
Manuel from Jacksonville
Would you play over 100 golf rounds per year with your knees hurting during 10-12 years?
Vic: Yes.
Daniel from Jacksonville
What do you think is the most impressive stat out of the fact list given yesterday?
Vic: The Jaguars lead the NFL with 4,932 rushing yards in the last two seasons.
The next “Ask Vic” column will appear on Tue., July 8.