Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Dallas from Media, PA
You spelled batteries battries. Don’t feel bad, it happens.
Vic: Yinze don’t get it.
John from Springfield, GA
Battries? Nicely done sir.
Vic: You got it.
John from Neptune Beach, FL
Week three of the preseason last year was the turning point for the Jags. That's when Garrard took over.
Vic: You’re right. That’s when it was decided that Byron Leftwich would be cut and David Garrard would be named the starter. That’s a great observation. I have said several times that last year’s preseason was the most noteworthy preseason I have ever covered and it was because of the decision at quarterback that resulted.
Jordan from Vienna, VA
Hey, I'm going to the fourth preseason Jags-Skins game and I'm wondering how long the Jaguars plan on playing their starters. Could you give me a prediction on how long you think Del Rio will put them in?
Vic: Based on the way Jack Del Rio talked on Tuesday, I think the starters will play a quarter.
Courtney from Nashville, TN
What happens to the plastic souvenir cups at the end of the game? Are they thrown away or reused or recycled?
Vic: I pick them up, take them home and fill them with water. Then I put them in a room in the house where I store all of our water and battries.
Stephen from St. Augustine, FL
I am not worried about the team’s performance in the preseason, ticket sales, the team being sold and moved, and certainly not worried about 25 mph winds. My concern is for my fellow Jaguars fans. I can't take it any more; the constant complaining and whining. So let me address some fan issues. 1.) I'm sorry but you cannot act like a jerk at the game. Get over it. Be a decent person already. 2.) It is ridiculous to trade away draft picks for older, more recognizable players that have a year or two left in the league. 3.) Having local college stars won't ever boost ticket sales. The Jaguars’ best player ever is from UF and that didn't stop any blackouts. 4.) Vic is being sarcastic. He doesn't know Snoop, nor does he wear Jags jerseys to the game. As much as some of us don't want to believe it, he's a professional. 5.) You don't have to drink the seven-dollar beer, parking is great compared to every other stadium I've been to, and if you need a band or any other form of entertainment before the game to entice you to buy a ticket, maybe football isn't the game for you.
Vic: You’re ruining it for me.
Fay from Everywhere, FL
I'm coming for you, Vic, and every other naive reader who actually believes you wear a jersey to your job.
Vic: Bring it on, Fay. I got my water and my battries and I’m ready for you. I must protect my house.
Adrian from Jacksonville
I know you don't have the guts to answer this, but what's your favorite movie?
Vic: I like Dr. Strangelove, Christmas Vacation, Slapshot, The Deer Hunter, The Natural, Being There, Field of Dreams, Caddyshack, The Quiet Man, Rocky, The Godfather, Gettysburg and a lot more. I think it’s a tie between Dr. Strangelove and The Deer Hunter for my all-time favorite movie. The scene in Gettysburg when Jeff Daniels holds Little Roundtop is one of my favorite all-time movie scenes. It always gets to me when, after holding the hill, he asks an officer if this place has a name and he’s told, “This is Little Roundtop.” Imagine being at the forefront of history like that. I also love his speech to the deserters. I’d play for that guy. I drive people crazy with my Gettysburg references: Is this good ground? Oh, yes, this is very good ground, sir; lovely ground. Lee’s reaction to Jeb Stuart: There is no time for this. And Pickett: I have no division. I always watch Gettysburg on the Fourth of July, just as I watch Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving.
Mike from Amsterdam, NY
I understand that the men who play professional football are doing it to earn money because it is, in fact, their career choice, but when you say that it's all about the money, it makes me wonder, why does it have to stop being about the love for the game?
Vic: It doesn’t. You have to love this game or you won’t be the best you can be at it. All of the great players I’ve covered have loved the game, but this is also their profession; they play football for money and much of the esteem they achieve in this game is a result of the money they earn. It’s about love for the game but it’s also about the money. I don’t want to disillusion you, but I don’t want to mislead you, either. Much of the charm of professional football is its mercenary quality. It’s for tough guys who agree to sacrifice their bodies for a price. This is a sport for people who like that kind of hard-scrabble charm. The movie “Cinderella Man” is one of my favorite movies, too. Is it about boxing or is about The Great Depression? Is it about love of boxing or about feeding his family? Ultimately, it’s about both and it’s the same in pro football. It’s play for pay and I love that about it. I will never delude myself or my readers. Along the way, we all find our love for it.
Michael from Gainesville, FL
Hoag has looked good and reminds me a bit of a taller, bigger version of Wes Welker.
Vic: Very good; Welker is a guy who “plays along the ground.” Hoag, however, doesn’t have Welker’s quickness. He’s fluid and elusive like Hines Ward, but I doubt that he has Ward’s physical toughness. Hoag has a lot of little things that continue to intrigue teams, but he doesn’t pass the eye test and that’s why he hasn’t been able to catch on. Saturday’s game is real, real big in his career. Maybe this is his team and his time.
Philip from Jacksonville
What’s the odds of trading Harvey for Boldin?
Vic: Why would you trade one guy you haven’t been able to sign for a guy another team can’t sign? I don’t see the gain. Derrick Harvey is the Jaguars’ first-round draft pick. The Jaguars invested a rather significant trade up to acquire him, so Harvey not only represents a first-round pick, he also represents the two third-round picks and the fourth-rounder the Jaguars traded to Baltimore for the pick the Jaguars used to select Harvey. The Jaguars, therefore, have a lot invested in Harvey and that makes him a player they need to sign. They will.
David from Gainesville, FL
What non-divisional opponent are you looking forward to the most this year?
Vic: I always look forward to the games against the Steelers, and the Cleveland and Minnesota games are certainly attractive, but I’m really gunned up for the season-opener at Tennessee and I haven’t turned my attention anywhere else. I think it’s a very tasty season-opener, just as it was last year.