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Labor Day "Ask Vic"

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

Joel from Jacksonville:
Is it just me or was it Moulton who fumbled, not Witherspoon? This from the Times Union: "Trying to make the team as an undrafted free agent, Witherspoon didn't help himself when he fumbled out of bounds after returning a punt seven yards in the first quarter. That's the second time Witherspoon has fumbled in the preseason." I mean, seriously, you are always talking about journalistic integrity and these guys always get the facts wrong and seem to have a negative slant against the Jags. It is ridiculous.

Vic: You think you know, but you don't know. Here's what I mean by that: The press box in Washington is in the end zone and it's low. It's nearly impossible to cover the game when it is being played at the other end of the field, which is where Moulton fielded that punt. The press box has its own public address announcer and he said the punt was returned by Witherspoon. I began to write the same thing in my blog that the T-U wrote in its story. Fortunately, Ryan Robinson detected the error and advised me of it. The T-U's error is a classic case of the result of moving the media away from the 50-yard line so the team might increase revenue. Don't blame this one on the reporter. Blame it on the Redskins.

Chris from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL:
John Clayton said we aren't going to make the playoffs? A man who has never played pro/college football and people believe him? We all might as well work for ESPN and give our opinions.

Vic: What does that have to do with anything? I didn't play college or professional football, either, so why do you read "Ask Vic?" John has been covering the NFL since the mid-1970s. The man is on the telephone constantly, acquiring information no former player who has never played pro/college journalist could obtain. A few weeks ago, I was on the phone with John and I said to him, "Hey, if you hear anything on the Harvey negotiations, let me know." Then he picked up another phone and the next think I heard was, "OK, Fuzzy," and then John came back to me and said, "Nothing new." The guy's resources are fantastic. All right, his opinion doesn't agree with yours, but it that reason to belittle his work because he's not a former player? Tell me what great piece of information you ever got out of a player turned broadcaster.

William from Jacksonville:
Vic had a good offseason. After reviewing everything Vic has done ("Ask Vic," videos, columns, exhibition blogs, radio shows) since the last playoff game, he graded out well. He peaked on draft day, worked overtime during the OTAs and turned in an exceptional Oklahoma drill. The sarcasm has been under wraps in the preseason, but learned readers know Vic doesn't like to show too much in the preseason. All in all, it is clear Vic remains a writer in ascent and deserved to avoid the Turk. But there are concerns heading into the regular season. It was a soft camp, so we don't know if Vic's conditioning will hold up in the fourth quarter of the first few games should the air-conditioner in the press box go on the fritz. How will he react to a brand new environment in Indy? Might Snoop become an unnecessary distraction? What about the increasing pressure and widespread media clamor associated with his power rankings? Technically, he remains a very strong writer. The occasional dangling modifier is more than made up for with brilliant selection of adjectives and prepositional panache. All told, Vic projects to be at an elite level this season. Let's hope the team follows suit. Welcome to the regular season.

Vic: It's time to use my best adjectives and adverbs now.

Tommy from Newark, DE:
How painful was it to watch Rich Rodriguez try to run that spread offense without any weapons?

Vic: There's no such thing as helmet magic. You gotta have the players and Rodriguez doesn't have the players he needs to run the spread. The player he needed the most is playing for Ohio State. I'm talking about Terrelle Pryor. He was the guy around whom Rodriguez wanted to build his program at Michigan. Ohio State's victory in recruiting Pryor may be worth four wins over Michigan.

Brandon from Jacksonville:
Chauncey Washington showed real potential during the preseason. What kind of role can he expect during the regular season and years to come?

Vic: I expect him to become the new LaBrandon Toefield, for now. I expect Washington to be deactivated on most Sundays, unless there is injury at the position. He is officially what I term a "jar on the shelf."

Chris from Jacksonville:
I was watching "Pardon The Interruption" the other day and Tony Kornheiser mentioned about how pathetic it is that the Jaguars have to cover seats in their stadium. Why does Tony hate Jacksonville so much?

Vic: I don't know the answer to that question, but I know that the day it was announced that 10,000 seats would be covered, I immediately thought to myself that the media will "kill" Jacksonville for this. It's just such an easy shot to take. You walk into the press box and look out those big windows and the first thing you see are those big covers. They're like a pie in the face. That's why, when out-of-town writers I know come to Jacksonville for the first time, I try to explain to them that the stadium was too big and the Jaguars had no choice but to downsize the stadium's capacity to fit the market. It usually works, but the covers are still there for anybody who wants to take an easy shot.

Kevin from Jacksonville:
Why was Tywain Myles placed on the injured reserve list? I thought he was just outright waived after his one-day stint with the team.

Vic: Tywain sustained an injury in his practice.

Ben from San Diego, CA:
What does it say about the Colts that they kept all nine of their draft picks along with four undrafted rookies, turning one quarter of their roster over to rookies?

Vic: It says football is a young man's game and smart teams do everything they can to make their roster as young as possible.

J.D. from Orange Park, FL:
Do you think this little incident with Fred Taylor could hurt him in any way for a possible bid for the Hall of Fame?

Vic: No, not in the least. Contrary to reports, Fred was not arrested. He was issued a summons.

Suzette from Jacksonville:
I'm a season ticket holder. I understand the NFL has rules about purchasing tickets by a certain day and time. I also know many people cannot buy their tickets until they get paid on Fridays. Why can't the Jaguars, the city of Jacksonville and the news cover the amount necessary to prevent a blackout? Then once the tickets have sold, they get their money back.

Vic: This is another question I can't answer. I can tell you this about your strategy, it would be a first. Is this your idea of marketing?

Patrick from Killinghall, England:
Every year, we see some great players get cut. Any hope for these recently released players being picked up by another team?

Vic: I don't agree with you. Seldom, in fact, do we see great players get cut. The guys who were cut on Saturday are in the system, so to speak. Every team in the league knows about them. They have access to tape on them and the players have been ranked among the available pro personnel available at their positions. As players are injured and new players are needed, they will move up the ladder.

Scott from Jacksonville:
What happened to George Wrighster? I didn't see his name on the 53-man roster, practice squad or IR.

Vic: Wrighster remains on PUP and must stay there through the first six weeks of the season. He will have a three-week window to be activated between weeks 6-9. If he's not activated by then, he must be put on the injured reserve list.

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