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Titans patient with Carter

Join Jaguars Inside Report Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.

John from Jacksonville:
I see a lack of talent and leadership in the Jaguars this year. While it may take a couple of years to build up the talent, I don't see the leadership void being filled any time soon. What are your thoughts on the leadership issue?

Vic: Leadership is the result of achievement. As this team develops players of achievement, candidates to become team leaders will emerge. One of the players on this team who has leadership skills is Byron Leftwich, but he must achieve a level of accomplishment before he can begin expressing those leadership skills. I consider him to represent the strongest potential for a leadership role.

Lane from Orlando, FL:
I seem to remember in the 1980s the networks televised a few games without commentators because of constant fan criticism of commentary during the game. Did that really happen or did I just dream that? Also, what were the ratings for those games? I remember it being dreadfully boring without the announcers.

Vic: Yes, it happened, but I can't find anything in the NFL history books about it so I'll have to rely on my memory. I think I recall it involving two late-season games in the mid-'80s. I believe the one I watched was a game in Miami. Yes, it was very boring and hard to watch without the announcers. I don't know what the ratings were, but we have to assume reviews weren't good because it never happened again.

Matt from Daytona Beach, FL:
With the quick turn-arounds that John Fox and Mike Tice have had, do you think it's possible for Jack Del Rio to have the same quick effect on this team, knowing that most new coaches need a few years to get players used to their coaching?

Vic: I think Jack Del Rio might tell you, "That's the plan."

Brian from Dayton, OH:
Hey, Vic, I was wondering when the Jaguars were going to play the Browns and/or Bengals again. Living in Ohio I don't get to see the Jags play very often anymore.

Vic: I miss not going back to the old AFC Central towns every year and I wish the Jaguars were still there. The NFL scheduling format is such that the Browns or Bengals could pop up on the Jaguars schedule at any time, but the AFC South won't play the AFC North again until 2005. The Jaguars will play in Cleveland and the Bengals will play in Jacksonville in that season.

J.T. from Jacksonville:
What does it mean, specifically, to "clear waivers?" Thanks for the column and answers.

Vic: A player "clears waivers" when 24 hours have expired since his release and no team has claimed him.

Chuck from Jacksonville:
Who is the player rep on the Jaguars team.

Vic: There are two players association's representatives on the Jaguars: Kyle Brady and Donovin Darius.

Rob from St. Augustine, FL:
If a team were to go 6-10, winning all its division games, would there be any playoff chance at all?

Vic: If no other team in its division had more than six wins, it would be the division's champion and playoff representative.

Mark from Jacksonville:
Through seven games, Hugh Douglas is 2003's Bryce Paup. How much salary cap damage will the Jags incur when he's let go? Also, would you rate his signing as the biggest offseason blunder?

Vic: You're right, it looks bad right now. One sack is not what the Jaguars had in mind when they gave Hugh Douglas a $6 million signing bonus, but there's nothing the team can do except hope Douglas begins producing. Remember this: Kevin Carter was judged to have been a bust in 2001, when the Titans traded away a first-round pick for Carter and mortgaged whatever future was left in the team's salary cap to sign Carter. He had only two sacks that year. But last season he produced 10 sacks and played the kind of football the Titans envisioned when they traded for him. The Titans are very patient with their players, especially with the development of draft choices, and it often pays off. The Jaguars have no choice but to be patient with Douglas because his remaining amortization makes him "uncuttable" for at least another year.

Thiago from Madrid, Spain:
I've been reading many complaints from coaches about the "Instant Replay" system. Do you think it has worked as it was planned, and if not, will they take it away?

Vic: It'll never go away for long because some official will always blow a call in a big game and the fans will scream about TV showing the wrong call was made and nothing was done to fix it.

Pete from Jacksonville:
With all the heat the "Old Ball Coach" is taking this year after Dan Snyder made so many high-priced free-agent acquisitions and the team continues to struggle, what is Steve Spurrier's chance to come back to Florida?

Vic: I think he should've never left. He had one of the greatest coaching situations in college football history, and he left it for something at which he was doomed to fail. I don't know what the future holds for him but if he's to continue coaching, it'll be back in college football. Florida? Have you ever read Thomas Wolfe?

David from LaCanada, CA:
What are the Ravens' passing, running, pass-defense and run-defense rankings? I know they are better running than they are passing, so shouldn't that help us?

Vic: The Ravens are 21st in total offense (first in rushing and 31st in passing), and fifth in total defense (eighth against the run and 12th against the pass). The Jaguars are sixth against the run, so, you would think the Jaguars match up pretty well in at least one way.

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