Every weekday, jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman tackles the fans' tough questions.Do you have a question for Vic? Fill out the form to send it to him. Your question could be posted right here on jaguars.com. Shannon from North Little Rock, AR
When you speak of double-chinstrap-pull anger, I am reminded of the first time I saw it. After having won Super Bowl XXVII and a contract holdout the following fall, Emmitt Smith, in Super Bowl XXVIII, would do the double-chin-strap yank and angrily scream something into the camera every time he scored. To this day, I can't figure out what he was so mad about.
Vic: Maybe his chinstrap was too tight.
Jay from Jacksonville
Regarding Jason's pin comments, Mr. Weaver was kind enough to send me two 15-year pins as well as giving me a great night at the stadium with my son. Yes, to some it is just a pin, but the bigger issue is what he has given me and my family over all those years: NFL football at its best. How can I ever repay him for all of the memories he has given me and my family, who have all become loyal Jaguars fans? Thank you for everything, Mr. Weaver, including the great pin. See you at the next 15-year party.
Vic: You and those like you are the lifeblood of this franchise. The Jaguars owe you the thanks, which is what those pins are all about.
William from Jacksonville
In 20-plus years of marriage, my wife has shown little if any interest in football. Then, the morning after the Giants beat the Cowboys, she turns to me and says, “Romo was terrible in the passing game last night.” The shock knocked me out colder than Tebow. After recovering my senses and realizing that an alien had not replaced my wife, I agreed with her. It turns out she was watching the game, as I was doing the same in my office while getting some work done. Nothing has been said about football since beyond acknowledging the Jags win at Houston. So what do I do now? Patience and let it develop? Or do I press the issue?
Vic: Buy a couple of tickets and let her find them on the dresser or nightstand, and then see how she reacts. Will she ask you about them? Will she ask you with whom you’re planning to go to the game? If she does, say, “You, honey.” I see potential in this, William, even beyond the football game.
Thomas from Cambridge, MA
Holding out in suspense, hoping for an archive of “Jaguars Monday,” the best show on the radio. Not a complaint or demand, just a please and to let you know I love what you do. Keep up the great work.
Vic: Monday’s show is on the site. I’ve been thinking about the show. I think it needs a slogan and I’m considering a couple: “Jaguars Monday: So bad it’s good.” Or “Jaguars Monday: So easy even a sportswriter can do it.” Wadda ya think?
Bill from Jacksonville
Run the ball and stop the run. The Titans are second in rush-defense and sixth in rush-offense but they're 0-3. What gives? Schedule? No receivers? Pass-defense?
Vic: I don’t think it’s schedule. Maybe it’s just a fluke. I have a feeling the Titans are a good football team that has just found a way to lose. Or maybe it’s the towel, huh?
Kevin from Jacksonville
Do you think the Jags are beginning to make the full-time switch to the 3-4 defense?
Vic: We won’t know for sure until the offseason. To make a permanent move from the 4-3 to the 3-4, a team has to make a commitment, as I have said in the past. You don’t just change the alignment of your players. You have to change your players, too, because 4-3 ends are very different in body types and style than 3-4 ends, and the same can be said of linebackers. What I know for sure is the Jaguars have a true 3-4 nose tackle in Terrance Knighton. They can re-fit their linebackers, but they’d need a whole lot more of them to play a 3-4.
William from Denver, CO
What are thoughts on the team's rookies and their performances in the first three games?
Vic: They’re all in ascent. They’re playing well and playing better each week. This is rebuilding. This is new growth. This is how you do it.
Pat from Bryceville, FL
In the “Ask Vic” column of 9/28/09, Chris from Jax complimented you for your astute reasoning regarding the Jags' victory over the Texans, but he also asked for another astute observation regarding the upcoming Titans game. You didn't answer that part of his question. Will you do it now?
Vic: It’s kind of a Friday “10 things” thing I do. I like to have the week to accumulate information on the next opponent. That’s why I didn’t answer that question. I don’t want to offer an opinion I might have to retract. At this point in time, what I know about the Titans is that they can still dominate the line of scrimmage, and that’s where my concern is for this game because I don’t know any way to game plan around getting whipped at the line of scrimmage.
Beau from Burlington, NJ
With the next five opponents a combined 1-14, I feel there is no reason the Jaguars can't put themselves into position to make a playoff run going into the second half of the year. Right now, the Jaguars are obviously not among the top teams in the AFC, but I believe their schedule sets up perfectly to let them develop and continue to improve and who knows where it can take them. Your thoughts?
Vic: Easy, Beau, easy. This is exactly what I don’t want to see happen, which is to say a re-ordering of our expectations based on one win against a finesse team. Enjoy the win and entertain the possibility of another one this week, but don’t make plans for the postseason. Playoff-bound teams don’t make all the roster moves the Jaguars make every week.
Tony from Palm Coast, FL
For those who were mad about the no-call pass-interference, are you complaining about the call that went the Jags’ way this week?
Vic: That fumble call on the goal line in Houston was very close. The replay view I saw showed the ball and the knee and I think the thing that saved the Jaguars on that replay is that the picture appeared to be fuzzy. It just wasn’t sharp enough for referee Ron Winter to determine conclusively that the ball wasn’t moving in Chris Brown’s hand as his knee touched down. Winter, in my opinion, made the right decision to not reverse the call, but you never know what another referee might’ve done.
Toad from Orlando, FL
I saw Scobee firing up the bench on several occasions on Sunday and just wondered if any kickers have ever been head coach in this league?
Vic: Are you sure he was firing up the bench and not asking where they hid his kicking tee? I just can’t imagine a kicker trying to fire up his teammates: “Come on, guys, get out there and give it to them good. I’ll stay here and save your seat.” He’s lucky he didn’t get stuffed in the Gatorade bucket face down.
Scott from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
You used to cover baseball at one point in time, so if you have tickets to a rained out game and they decide to play a doubleheader on another day, what happens to your ticket?
Vic: You see two for the price of one. The first baseball game I ever saw included the conclusion of a suspended game. I can remember sitting down in the bleachers and shortly after that Ted Kluszewski hit a home run that ended the game. I was crestfallen because I thought that was it and we had to go home. Then my dad explained that it was the conclusion of a previous game and another game would start soon. I had never felt that kind of joy in my young life.
Michael from Fruit Cove, FL
It's been three weeks and it still looks like a 4-3 defense trying to play 3-4.
Vic: That’s what it is. As I said, you can’t change this overnight. This is going to take time and a major commitment to change.
Tim from Jacksonville
Are games played in other cities, such as Buffalo playing in Toronto, subject to the same blackout rules as regular home games?
Vic: If they are played within the home team’s market, yes, they are subject to the same blackout rules. Orlando is in the Jaguars’ market.