Byron Leftwich stood in his team's new uniform and revealed his expectations for the 2004 season, beyond the team's fashion statement.
"My expectation is real high. We expect great things. Everybody's talking about the Super Bowl and that's our number one goal, but I've never seen a team win the Super Bowl without going to the playoffs. We do know the Super Bowl is here in Jacksonville. We do have that in our mind, but there are other things in our mind, too," Leftwich told reporters this morning, after modeling the Jaguars' new-look black pants and white jersey.
Leftwich is the cover player for this new era in Jaguars football, which will begin Part II at the end of next week when the team opens its second training camp under coach Jack Del Rio. Leftwich, the first draft choice of Del Rio and personnel boss James Harris, has been on the cover of several preseason magazines and he is clearly the team's new identity.
"They gotta put someone on the cover of those magazines and they chose me," he said.
His exposure will only increase this summer, as NFL Films will be on hand to produce a television series – "Inside Training Camp: Jaguars Summer" – that will air weekly through August.
"If they thought we were going to be a bad team, they wouldn't be here. It'll give us a lot of exposure. I think we'll handle that great," Leftwich said.
"We know we have a great team on paper. We're ready to get into this thing and improve. I know what I'm getting ready for," said Leftwich, who missed nearly his entire rookie training camp while his contract was being negotiated. "There's no pacing. Coach Del Rio does a great job of maintaining our energy. We have to turn it loose every day."
So, what about the uniforms?
"I think we'll look a whole lot better in black. It matches better and it's a whole lot tougher look," Leftwich said.
