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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Don't you hurt those raccoons

Join jaguars.com senior editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.

Todd from Jacksonville:
Let me be the next to chime in that it's Luca Brasi. May your foist child be a masculine child.

Vic: Lou Cabrazzi sold "life" insurance in my old neighborhood. It's a little-known fact that Cabrazzi was the inspiration to the Luca Brasi role in "The Godfather." When Cabrazzi found out a movie was being made in which he was cast as a hit man, he complained to Francis Ford Coppola about it, but Coppola didn't change the spelling until he woke up one morning with a horse's head in his bed. That's how they got the idea for that scene.

Jeff from Durham, NC:
Of the rookie RBs, who do you think has the best chance to make a splash this year? Is it McFadden or is it someone else?

Vic: It's difficult to imagine anyone making a splash with the Raiders, without being thrown into a pool. Given the circumstances, the other Arkansas running back, Felix Jones, might have a better chance of making a splash.

Andrew from Jacksonville:
Have you done any steps to be environmentally friendly?

Vic: I fed two raccoons my Granola bar at the fifth tee of the TPC Stadium Course recently. They were the cutest things. I think they were brother and sister. As soon as they saw the golf cart pulling up to the tee, they ran right up to me. I think I heard one of them say, "They're here," right before they came out of the weeds. Gee, I hope I just didn't get them in trouble with Carl the groundskeeper. Maybe it was the sixth tee or the ninth tee, or maybe it was another golf course.

Will from Orlando, FL:
No one has really even talked about how much of an impact Drayton Florence will really be to our defense. What does he bring to the table for the Jags?

Vic: Florence has the ability to be a difference-maker for the Jaguars this season for this reason: If he can take the right cornerback job and hold it, he will allow Brian Williams to permanently move to strong safety, which would, as Florence said, "Kill two birds with one stone." I'm not taking anything away from Gerald Sensabaugh, but I see Williams as a natural strong safety, a guy who can excel at that position and be the missing link in the Jaguars defense.

Derek from Jacksonville:
I know this is a college question, but has there ever been a player that has gotten the Heisman Trophy in back to back years?

Vic: Archie Griffin is the only one. Griffin won in 1974-75.

Travis from Jacksonville:
Even if the teams don't charge admission, what keeps a scout away? They could still take mental notes and show up incognito.

Vic: Think about that. Do you think that's something you wanna risk on the heels of Spygate? Players, scouts and coaches switch teams a lot in this league. Word gets around pretty quickly. What do you think the fine would be if you got caught? Do you think I might put an asterisk next to that team's name in my all-important power rankings?

Doug from Jacksonville:
As a Jacksonvilliain, can I take it upon myself to apologize to you and all the educated, civilized people who read "Ask Vic" for some insight and entertainment for Steve from Jacksonville's must-protect-this-house type question yesterday?

Vic: You'd have to apologize for him and a lot of others, too, because I get a whole lot of those questions.

Rajesh from Jacksonville:
What do you like to analyze the most in training camp?

Vic: I like to analyze overall roster strength. I like to look out over the whole field and decide how deep the team is, how much team speed and young depth it has.

Kyle from Rochester, NY:
Who was your biggest influence?

Vic: Obviously, it was my father, but I was a kid who liked to read and watch. I've always been someone who absorbed a lot of information, picking and choosing which information I would retain and which I would discard. Coaches were big influences. I had a coach who once said that if you dog it on the field, you'll regret it the rest of your life. He was right. I had a trainer who, while wrapping my knee one day, looked me in the eye and said softly that football was a game for big guys. He was right. I'm someone who remembers a lot, and I remember who said it and why they said it. The people who've influenced me in big ways are too many to name. Every coach I've ever covered has influenced me. Sometimes readers influence me.

Gary from Centerville, OH:
I was in the Indianapolis area the other day (and, of course, wore my Jaguars gear with great pride), and I noticed a change in the intelligence of Colts fans. They didn't seem to be as arrogant and stupid as they have been in previous visits to the area. Once I got over the shock, I realized why. It's because of your column and all the Colts fans who read it, so keep up the great work. Now if we can only get the other 30 teams fans to read it as well.

Vic: I'm sure the Colts fans will be overjoyed by your kind remarks.

Brandon from Palatka, FL:
Have you heard of the new offensive formation called A-11? What's your take on it?

Vic: It's just another version of a spread offense. It spreads the field a little wider and introduces a few more options. It would be a very difficult offense to defense in high school, because of limited practice time, coaches and players who have the speed and athletic ability to play in that kind of space. It's the same in college. The whole idea of the spread offense is to create a mismatch in numbers. In a high school or college spread offense, the quarterback is a running back, which means the offense often has a one-man advantage in "The Box." The reason you don't see the spread used in pro football is because the quarterback is not usually employed as a running back.

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