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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Orlando has the ball

Join jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.

Bobby from Athens, GA:
What are your feelings about the report that Weaver would consider playing some home games in Orlando? I personally like it. Green Bay used to play games in Milwaukee and while I'm sure many people there would have been Packers fans anyway, I'm sure it helped the Packers build their fan base over the years.

Vic: Absolutely, it did, and playing in Orlando could do the same for the Jaguars in Jacksonville. I covered one game in Milwaukee; it was in 1976 and I think both teams sat on the same sideline. Anyhow, I'm all for the idea of playing some out-of-market games and, of course, Orlando is the most logical option because it's in the Jaguars' market. It's become clear Jacksonville is having difficulty supporting 10 home games. Playing a game out of the market would reduce the price of a season ticket by 10 percent. The value that would be added to the Jaguars franchise by including Orlando as a site for home games would be fantastic, and I have a feeling that would be fine with Jaguars fans in Jacksonville because they'd get what they really want, which is the Jaguars on their TV for free. It's simple stuff: Empty seats benefit no one. If playing games in Orlando will help fill the seats and build the fan base, then I'm all for it.

Charles from Jacksonville:
If the NFL increases the schedule to 18 games, how many do you think the Jaguars might play in Orlando?

Vic: First of all, the total number of home games wouldn't change; it would remain at 10. The number of regular-season home games would increase from eight to nine and the number of preseason home games would decrease from two to one. If that occurs in 2012, as has been speculated, I see the Jaguars playing one regular-season game in Orlando. It would be a test game to see how the market responds to hosting an NFL game. If it goes well, they'd likely do it again and if the demand is there, I would see no reason not to play a couple of games a year there. I think Orlando offers wonderful possibilities. The key element to all of this is the facility in Orlando. As I said a few months ago when a reader proposed this to me, the Citrus Bowl is not up to NFL standards. It would have to undergo a major renovation or a new facility would have to be built. At this point, that's where we are. The ball is in Orlando's court.

Bob from Neptune Beach, FL:
You are the number one team in the country with a Heisman trophy QB. It is the second half of a game against a team with little offense and you're leading the game by 30 points. Your play call is empty the backfield. Come on, Urban, are you kidding me?

Vic: I'm with you all the way on this one. When you empty the backfield, you engrave an invitation to send the house, so to speak, at the quarterback. Does anyone remember the Jaguars' empty backfield in Pittsburgh in 1996? The Jags were going in for a score. A few seconds later, Carnell Lake was running 80 yards for the game-clinching touchdown. With the lead Florida had in that game against Kentucky, Tim Tebow should've been doing nothing more than handing off and killing the clock, but that's not how they play the game in college football. They play for stats. They play for ranking. They play for awards, regardless of the cost. Well here's the cost: When the Gators go to LSU, there'll be blood in the water.

Ryan from Jacksonville:
I just wanted to say thanks for everything and thanks for keeping it in perspective. In the end, it is just a game. It's fun to root and fun to feel like you're emotionally connected, but kind of dumb to let it make or break your week.

Vic: Sports are supposed to be a venue for relieving stress. What I'm seeing is that people are allowing football to add stress to their lives. That's absolutely ridiculous. You have to be emotionally unstable, bored or stupid to let that happen.

John from Orange Park, FL:
Is Orlando also considered to be the Bucs' market? Won't they have something to say about the Jags possibly playing games in Orlando?

Vic: Yes, there's an overlap. Playing games in Orlando would have to be approved by the league, which would include the Bucs' approval. This is where leaguethink would come into play. Should Orlando renovate the Citrus Bowl or build a new stadium, no one said the Bucs couldn't play games there, too, or even the Dolphins, for that matter.

Sean from Arlington, VA:
I was shocked to see the Jaguars' pass-defense is currently ranked dead last in the league. While the Cardinals game certainly skewed the statistics, the performances against Indy and Houston were certainly not worst in the league. Tennessee brings the 20th-ranked passing offense to town. Is this a case where something has to give?

Vic: The Jaguars' first three opponents are first, fourth and ninth in passing. That's why the Jaguars are dead last. If the first three opponents had been Oakland, Cleveland and Miami, I'm sure the ranking would be much higher. The next three opponents are 20th, 12th and 29th in passing. That should balance the scales. At the bye week, let's take another look at where the Jaguars' pass-defense is ranked. Frankly, I'm more concerned about what's going on up front than I am at what's happening in the back.

Benny from Jacksonville:
If you're a 3-4 team and the best available player at your first-round draft spot is a 4-3 style defensive end and you can't trade the pick, do you have to take him and pay him big bucks to not contribute, or is there a way to utilize him in a 3-4 scheme?

Vic: If you are truly committed to the 3-4, it's unlikely a 4-3 end would be at the top of your board in the first round, unless he had 3-4 skills, too. There are great players that can fit in any scheme, of course, but there's a big difference in style and body type between 3-4 and 4-3 ends.

Carl from Jacksonville:
When you write the 10 things to beat the Titans column on Friday, make sure you put in the 12th man, the fans. We need the fans to use their tickets and be loud. Show the Titans this is our house.

Vic: Carl, there will likely be 20,000 empty seats on Sunday. If I wrote about a 12th man, I'd be laughed out of my profession.

Don from Fruit Cove, FL:
"Playoff-bound teams don't make all the roster moves the Jaguars make every week." This seems like a new trend under the Gene Smith regime. Is it, or wasn't I paying that close attention the last few years? Serious answer requested.

Vic: I've been giving you a serious answer, but apparently you won't accept it. This is rebuilding. That's the answer. It's the answer to everything. GM Gene isn't making these moves because it's fun to do. He's making these moves because he was handed a roster that needed a complete overhaul, and that's what he's doing, he's overhauling the roster. These are moves that are born of necessity. Major voids are necessitating constant attention. This isn't a trend. This is reality.

Amanda from Jacksonville:
I know you enjoy the gameday blog, but what did you do in the press box before blogging was part of your job responsibility and do you miss it being that way?

Vic: I love doing the blog, but there are times I wish I could relax and watch the game and the sideline more closely. Before I did the blog, I spent the game making notes to myself about things I saw on the sideline or away from the action. Those notes assisted me in writing my postgame stories. I have no time for those notes now and I miss them when it comes time to write my stories, but you might also say that I'm still making those notes, it's just that I'm making them in my blog.

Lee from Jacksonville:
Either I am going to burst your bubble or expose how long it has been since you covered baseball. While they still play a doubleheader after a rain-out, you don't get to see both games with that ticket anymore. Game one will be played in the afternoon, then the ballpark is cleared and game two starts in the evening.

Vic: I've been to two major league games in the last 15 years. In both cases I went to see the Pirates play so it might be a stretch to say they were major league games. I've almost completely lost touch with baseball since coming to Jacksonville.

Courtney from Nashville, TN:
Many people think you are too hard on the Jaguars. I think you are pretty objective when it comes to the Jaguars, but when it comes to the Titans, you have too many good things to say about them and it drives me crazy.

Vic: You know what it is? I like that stadium, I like Nashville and I like the people there. I always enjoy covering a game there.

Marcus from Iowa:
What is your opinion of junior QB Russell Wilson from N.C. State?

Vic: I've only seen a little bit of him, but he appears to be Pat White but a better passer.

Kelly from Greensburg, IN:
I remember the Bucs being a horrible football team and pretty much a joke to everyone I knew when growing up. My question is did they have the same type of problems selling tickets that we do or did Tampa support them well?

Vic: The early Bucs had far greater ticket sales problems than the Jaguars have had. Only 39,558 attended their inaugural game in 1976. Their only crowd over 45,000 that whole season was for a game against Miami. Attendance began to increase a couple of years later and peaked in the team's first playoff season, but when losing settled in for the long haul, Bucs attendance went flat and stayed there.

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