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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Polian points the finger

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

Dave from Brooklyn, NY:
Why is there always a knee-jerk reaction to want to put a player in the Hall of Fame after one or two really good years? I like Drew Brees and he's had a good few years, but I think it's a little premature to call for his induction to the Hall of Fame.

Vic: Brian Sipe comes to mind. Let's give it a few more years.

Chad from Orange Beach, AL:
The no three-point stance rule intrigues me. Would Ndamukong Suh's draft stock be as high if this rule were in place now?

Vic: That's an astute observation and appropriate question. Would the elimination of three and four-point stances diminish the value of defensive linemen? A part of me thinks it would.

Kirk from Jacksonville:
Hands on the ground, hands on the ground, lookin' like a fool with your hands on the ground. I think that about sums it up.

Vic: You must be an American idle.

Nate from Jacksonville:
Hands on the ground, hands on the ground, Goodell is a fool if he bans hands on the ground.

Vic: Paula would love it, but I don't know about Simon.

Vince from Indianapolis, IN:
"I'm not hearing enough about a very weak effort to make the tackle after the interception. This wasn't a preseason game. This was the Super Bowl and this was the defining play in it. Manning needed to make that tackle. Roethlisberger did." Perhaps you should watch the game. Manning was blocked in the back on that play; no penalty was called. Now don't go saying that I said the refs blew the game, because I'm not. Refs don't decide games, players do, however, watch the video and you will see Manning clearly shoved to the ground from the back.

Vic: I watched the video and it is definitely a close call. I asked coaches to look at the video and give me their opinions and they were split down the middle. Half of them said it wasn't a block in the back and half of them said it was. The big issue, as I see it, is to what part of the body was the block initiated. It appears the block began on Manning's right arm and moved to his back as he turned away from the ball carrier. It could've gone either way. The reason I think it wasn't called is due to what I believe was a very weak effort to make the tackle. I'll be interested to hear what the NFL's opinion of the no-call is.

Jeff from Jacksonville:
All I could think of during the Super Bowl was why not us? So, Vic, why not the Jags?

Vic: Because they didn't draft well; the Saints did. If there's one player that defines the Saints' draft success of recent years, it's guard Jahri Evans, a fourth-round pick out of little Bloomsburg. He was an unknown who's blossomed into a dominant run-blocker. Usama Young is another good find. The Saints have done well in the draft under college scouting director Rick Reiprish, who was the Jaguars' personnel director under Tom Coughlin. Signing Drew Brees in free agency brought it all together and put the Saints over the top. Why not the Jags? If the Jags keep drafting the way they did last year, maybe it will be.

Brian from Palm Coast, FL:
I'm surprised not much has been made of Roger Goodell's comments about the attendance at Jags games during his Super Bowl interview. He flat out said if 40,000 people keep showing up we will not be allowed to keep the franchise. If that isn't a clear enough message that the future of this franchise is in jeopardy, I don't know what is.

Vic: You needed to be told that? I didn't think Goodell said anything we didn't already know. This is it. This is save the whale and you only get one chance to save him.

Guy from Hilton Head Island, SC:
We all know Gene is in control of the draft and I believe most of us are all very excited to see what kind of team he will put together over the next few years, but what in heck was going on in the last years that such poor choices were being made? Give us some insight, Vic.

Vic: They were need-picking. It's obvious now. Wayne Weaver even admitted it. I'm not saying need-picking can't work, I'm just saying your strikeout chances increase greatly when you elect to pick from a limited pool of players.

David from Key West, FL:
I thought the kicker was credited with points scored on extra points. Are the points on the two-point conversion not credited to the player that scores them?

Vic: The points are credited, but nothing else. No one gets credit for a pass attempt, a pass reception, yards receiving, a rushing attempt, rushing yards, a fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception, a sack, a pass-defensed, a skinned knee, etc. Other than the point or points, nothing else from that play figures into the team's stats, either.

Wally from Jacksonville, FL:
Do you believe it is a college coach's responsibility to prepare players for the next level or to use his players in whatever capacity he needs to win at the college level?

Vic: Good college coaches, in my opinion, identify the NFL-caliber players they have on their roster and they prepare them for life after college. Isn't that what college is supposed to do? It also aids a coach's recruiting efforts that he is viewed as a guy who breeds successful NFL players.

Michael from Fruit Cove, FL:
You mentioned that Monday was the first day to cut players. When do you think the first round of cuts will happen?

Vic: They've already happened but they can't be made official until all of the parties sign off on the paperwork.

Dave from Orange Park, FL:
Instead of doing away with the three-point stance, wouldn't it be better if the league made it mandatory that players wear the newer, properly-fitted helmets that have been shown to reduce concussions?

Vic: Isn't that what the pumpkin-sized helmets they're currently wearing are supposed to do? As I've said, if you wanna reduce concussions, just take off the facemask.

Jeremy from Jerseyville, IL:
What do you think about Bill Polian blaming the offensive line and special teams for the Super Bowl loss? I can see why he blamed special teams, but Peyton Manning had all day to throw.

Vic: I agree. I was stunned by Polian's comments. Finger-pointing can ruin a team. He certainly knows more about his team's performance than I do, but I thought Manning had a lot of time to throw and I also thought the Colts were gashing the Saints in the running game. Here's what I think the problem was: THEY DIDN'T RUN THE BALL ENOUGH. The Saints were playing nickel the whole game. They were giving the run. The Colts SHOULD'VE RUN THE BALL. Remember the game when the Jaguars used a 3-3-5 against the Colts and it confused Manning? What did the Colts do to win that game? THEY RAN THE BALL.

Alan from Jacksonville:
Speaking of great drafting, can you recall any other draft that yielded four immediate full-season starters in the first four picks and a major contributor in the fifth pick? Unreal.

Vic: Swann, Webster and Stallworth didn't join Lambert in the starting lineup until their second seasons, but they all turned out to be pretty good players.

Chase from Clackamas, OR:
Just as a note, Vic, it will be the Broncos pick at 10 or 11, depending on the pick, not the Bears.

Vic: Yes, it will be, because the Bears traded that pick to the Broncos for Jay Cutler, but it remains the Bears' original pick and it's the Bears' 2009 record that figures into the slotting, not the Broncos'.

Tommy from Fruit Cove, FL:
What do you think about Lavar Arrington's comments? I think it was great to hear someone with such passion for the way men should act and play the game.

Vic: I listened to it and I loved it. Arrington spoke with distinction. He played the game the way it should be played and now he's doing his radio show the way it should be done, with honesty. Clinton Portis just got ear-holed. Victor from Jacksonville:
I am impressed with Ryan's notebook stating that Cox and Knighton started all 16 games, but let's face it, we had nobody better to start at those positions. Although they made strides, they wouldn't have contributed that much if our team had more veteran depth.

Vic: It's most important to remain as negative as possible, even about the most positive circumstances. We are a huge market with undeniable revenue streams and the message must be sent to management and the NFL that if you want to play football in Jacksonville, you better give us a winner and give it to us now.

James from London, Ontario:
Will the Jets be awarded a compensatory pick for Favre retiring and then signing with the Vikings?

Vic: The Jets terminated Brett Favre's contract and waived him in April, therefore, they will not receive compensatory award consideration for the Vikings having signed Favre. It was either trade him or cut him because he still had two years remaining on his Jets contract and retiring doesn't extinguish remaining years on a contract.

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