Join *Jaguars Inside Report *Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Robert Cunnyngham from Tallahassee, FL:
I love your thoughts, Vic, and here's my question. If the Jags take a couple of years to rebuild, will Smith, Brunell and Taylor be around for that?
Vic:
You must accept the fact that nothing is forever in this game. Football is a young man's game and personnel is always in a state of turnover. This is not a game of maintenance. It is a game of replacement. Pro football rosters are like checking accounts: There are deposits and there are withdrawals, but you better be putting more money in than you're taking out.
Jason Frank from Waynesville, NC:
I have been a die-hard East Carolina fan for years and the same for the Jaguars, so, naturally I was stoked when David Garrard was drafted by the Jags. I was wondering why the Jags don't feel like he would be a perfect backup to Brunell. With size, speed and talents like Culpepper, why would taking on more cap problems by buying a veteran even be considered?
Vic:
In my opinion, it would be unfair to expect David Garrard to begin the season as the Jaguars' backup quarterback. An affordable veteran will become available, and I believe it would be to the Jaguars' advantage and Garrard's that his development would be natural, instead of forced.
Suzanne Webster from Jacksonville:
With training camp right around the corner, have plans been implemented for another training camp with Jaguars.com? The fans had a great time last year and especially enjoyed hearing you speak and being able to talk with you one-on-one.
Vic:
Plans for such a get-together will be announced as we near the start of training camp.
Don Hilton from Jacksonville:
I realize Mr. Weaver has never wavered in his support of coach Coughlin, but don't you think he knows that if he had hired Steve Spurrier as coach there would be no problem selling tickets?
Vic:
I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. It would be logical to expect that Steve Spurrier would be a big draw in Florida, but the Dolphins expected the same of Jimmy Johnson and, quite frankly, he wasn't. Even in Johnson's first year as Dolphins coach, 1996, the Dolphins' home attendance declined from the previous season. Other than for Red Grange, there is no clear example of any player or coach in NFL history having had a significant impact on attendance. Maybe Spurrier would've been that man. Or maybe we're overrating his impact.
Randy Musselwhite from Lexington, SC:
Obviously the Jaguars and the fans have many areas of concern about the upcoming season. I'm sure one concern I have is probably down the list, but it is a carryover even from the "good old days." Clock management has never been this coaching staff's forte. Every time I think about the end of the first half of last year's Kansas City game, when the Jags had two or three timeouts left but used none as they frittered away a chance to score a touchdown and then missed a field goal, I shake my head in disbelief. Where does improving clock management rank on the coaching staff's priority list and what are the odds it will improve this coming year to no longer being a concern? Vic, please give us your thoughts on this.
Vic:
Criticism of the Jaguars' clock management in last year's loss to Kansas City is legitimate and Tom Coughlin was very accepting of that criticism. I'm going to stop there because you wouldn't like my opinions on late-game clock management, which I consider to be the last resort for desperate teams.
