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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Facts and opinions change

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

Paul from Stockbridge, GA:
Did you hear the comments Mike Singletary made about Matt Stafford's reaction to a line of questioning regarding his parents' divorce? Apparently, Stafford took offense to several questions being asked during his interview with the 49ers and Singletary basically called him soft for not being able to handle the questions thrown at him. Do you think there's a line between appropriate and inappropriate questioning when it comes to the interviewing of draft eligible players?

Vic: What does divorce have to do with football?

Ken from London, KY:
You referred to Beanie Wells and T.J. Duckett as types of backs that could run you over in the open field but get swallowed up in traffic. Do you think this is more a physical or mental strength issue?

Vic: It's not about strength, it's about quickness. Holes open and close. You have to be able to bounce from one hole to another. If you don't have the quick feet that allow you to change direction at an instant, then you're going to get swallowed up in a hole that's suddenly closing. Wells is a fast and powerful runner, but does he have the quick feet necessary to bounce from one hole to another without stopping and starting? Everyone thinks it was power that made Jerome Bettis a great back, but it was really his feet that did it. Bettis had the best feet of any big back I've ever seen. Knowshon Moreno may not possess top-end sustained speed, but he has great feet and that's why I have him so high on my value board; the top-ranked running back.

Michael from Fruit Cove, FL:
What do you think about a possible 17-game schedule with every team playing one international game?

Vic: I would not be in favor of that immediately. I would prefer to ease onto the international scene instead of diving into it. I think there are obvious security concerns that have to be satisfied. A little bit here and little bit there would be, in my opinion, a healthier approach. Much needs to be learned about playing football internationally before a total commitment is made.

Jonathan from Fort Benning, GA:
"And what not to do when you find the windshield of a car in a snow-covered yard." You have to tell this story.

Vic: I thought you'd never ask. It goes like this: Noticing the windshield of a car lying in the snow, I stepped on it and quickly discovered how slippery glass is when it has snow on it. Immediately, the wheels began to turn. After it got dark, a friend and I sneaked into the yard and stole the windshield. There's no other way to say it. We stole it. Yeah, it was discarded, but it didn't belong to us and we stole it. We ran with it to a nearby place where we did our sled-riding. It was one of those big windshields from before the days of safety glass. We were flying down the hill at unprecedented speeds when I saw a bump in the terrain just ahead. The shattering of glass made a terrible sound. It didn't feel good, either. Now I had two problems: explaining the shards of glass in my, well, you know, and where I got the windshield.

Ray from Jacksonville Beach, FL:
What is your opinion of Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner being able to continue what they did last year at their age?

Vic: The league's obsession for rules changes that protect quarterbacks is likely to lengthen their careers, which is something I think the Hall of Fame committee will have to take into consideration in the future when considering quarterbacks for induction. Collins and Warner will no doubt benefit from the league's protections.

Patrick from Jacksonville:
Going on what you said about Staubach, I just wanted to ask if you knew he's the only Heisman-winning QB that is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Maybe that adds a little to you argument that he was the best football player to come out of college.

Vic: I didn't know that and, yes, that really does say something about Staubach's greatness, especially when you consider that his pro career was delayed by his military commitment.

Scott from Ormond Beach, FL:
You were the class nerd, weren't you?

Vic: I don't think I was, though it wouldn't really matter if I was, but if it makes you feel good to think I was, then, by all means, do it.

Bruce from St. Simons Island, GA:
In reference to your comments on the Wonderlic test results for Stafford and Sanchez and only requiring a QB that was "smart enough," what was the Wonderlic score for Terry Bradshaw?

Vic: I don't know but, obviously, it was good enough, and he called his own plays.

James from London, Ontario:
"I have Mark Sanchez higher on my board than Michael Crabtree, so, if Sanchez was the highest-rated player available, he'd be my pick. That's if the draft was today." If the draft was in a few weeks, are you saying it would be different?

Vic: It could be different. Opinions change as information changes. Depression-era economist John Maynard Keynes said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"

Wally from Lloyd, FL:
What about kicker? Why is it not the easiest position to transition from college to the NFL?

Vic: Because if you miss too many kicks in the NFL, they don't let you go to the beer blast.

Conrad from Richland Center, WI:
I wonder if the decline of newspapers is directly related by our government allowing control of said media into the hands of an elite few? I still read papers, just not the mainstream version, opting instead for sources such as "The Liberty Voice."

Vic: Gee, sounds like my kind of a publication. Are you allowed to subscribe or is it by secret membership only?

Justin from Jacksonville:
Why is it that so many players are not wearing knee/thigh/hip pads anymore?

Vic: They don't wear them because the game is played above the waist now. The league was obsessed with the knee for a long time. Now it's the head. The way I see it, the belly is next.

William from Jacksonville:
Staubach as number one is a good pick. Where would you put Tony Dorsett and Earl Campbell?

Vic: Whenever I hear someone use the term "thunder and lightning" in reference to running backs who complement each other, I think of Campbell and Dorsett. They are the two backs I consider to be the definition of thunder and lightning. Can you imagine them in a split-backs formation? They're both favorites of mine. I have special memories of them.

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