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Ten things for training camp

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

Bruce from Avondale, FL:
Will you wear Jockey underwear now that Tebow will be their spokesperson?

Vic: I'm gonna wait until they're in the "Teal Deals."

James from Orange Park, FL:
If a deal is signed with a player with the terms undisclosed, is that deal undisclosed to the GMs in the league, as well, or just the public?

Vic: Once the contract is reported to the league, its terms and conditions are available for every team in the league to see.

Chuck from Fernandina Beach, FL:
Wasn't Lee Trevino hit by lightning twice?

Vic: That was before he put a one-iron in his bag.

Steve from Orange Park, FL:
Which is the safer bet, the Jaguars will have more sacks in 2010 than they did in 2009, or the Jaguars will give up fewer sacks in 2010 than they did in 2009?

Vic: If the Jaguars aren't significantly better at each, it will be a major disappointment. Hey, when you've spent three of your first four picks last year and your first four picks this year on linemen, the improvement up front on both sides of the ball must be distinct for those picks to be judged a success. That becomes especially true when you factor in the acquisition of Aaron Kampman in free agency. Protecting the quarterback and rushing the quarterback have been the areas of concentration under General Manager Gene Smith.

Jeremy from Jerseyville, IL:
Your video of players reporting to camp had the best voice-over of any piece of video I have ever seen. Your voice was draped in velvet.

Vic: Mel Torme's nickname was the "Velvet Fog." I'd like to be known as the "Velvet Smog."

Andy from Jacksonville:
I'm a 17-year-old Jaguar fan and I think I would cry if the Jaguars won the Super Bowl. Would you, Vic?

Vic: I wouldn't cry but I would feel a strong sense of fulfillment and melancholy. It would certainly be one of the defining moments in my life. The passage of time has a way of enriching our pursuits. I look back with a where-have-the-years-gone? kind of feeling when I think back to 1995. My office walls are filled with the first nine years of "Jaguars Inside Report" cover posters and I often stop and look at a particular cover picture and think back to its corresponding game and what I remember of it and what I wrote. One of the things that attracted me to this job in the beginning was that I would be recording the history of the team from its beginnings. The thought of having that kind of perspective on the team I cover thrilled me. I wanna see a recovery. I wanna see the team get back to a winning roster, which is happening right now, and I wanna see the stadium full and the bond between team and town as it was that day in 1995 when the fans gave the Jaguars a standing ovation as they left the field following a narrow, hard-fought loss to the Chicago Bears. Those are the moments I cherish.

Andy from Jacksonville:
What do you like best about the start of training camp?

Vic: I cover football. It's what I do. The start of training camp begins the countdown to the start of the season. Two weeks from today, I'll be sitting in the press box at "The Linc." I'll see reporters I know and we'll talk football in the press lounge before the game. A month later, I'll be sitting in the EverBank Field press box on opening day, preparing to write the first words of a book entitled, "Jaguars, 2010." That's what I love the most, covering the games, but you can't get there without first going through training camp. Training camp is a rite of passage. The sooner it begins, the sooner it'll end. I'm ready. Let's go.

Jon from Jacksonville:
Since it's opening day for training camp, how about a 10 things for training camp/preseason.

Vic: OK, here are 10 things the Jaguars have to do to have a successful training camp and preseason: 1.Improve the pass-rush. 2. Improve the pass-protection. 3. Tackle better. 4. Sign Tyson Alualu. 5. Develop depth in the receiving corps. 6. Settle on two safeties that can think on their feet. 7. Find the right combination at center and guard. 8. Avoid injury. 9. Prove in the preseason they can move the ball and score points. 10. Learn to use the heat to their advantage.

George from Jacksonville:
The ticket sales update is depressing.

Vic: So much for the July rush.

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