Join jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Al from Jacksonville:
Hey, Vic, I am currently stationed in Camp Arif John (Kuwait). We had a visit from Snoop Dogg and I asked him about you. I must say he had nothing but great things to say.
Vic: We go way back.
Phil from London, UK:
How good could Alualu and Knighton become? The arrow seems to have been pointing up pretty much all season and the thought of them continuing in this vein is exciting.
Vic: Terrance Knighton is playing at a Marcus Stroud, John Henderson-type level, and I'm talking about the level at which Stroud and Henderson were playing when they were in their prime. Tyson Alualu is now starting to chase the ball and make plays in the backfield. Knighton and Alualu are the foundation of the Jaguars' defense for the long-term future. They have the potential, in my opinion, to become the best defensive tackle combination in the league.
Corey from Maxville, FL:
I got clotheslined by one of those wires today. Too funny, right?
Vic: Guy wires should be outlawed.
Bradley from Jacksonville:
Do you think the Jaguars can win the division at 10-6, as long as one of those wins is against Indy?
Vic: The San Diego at Indianapolis game this Sunday is huge. If the Colts should lose that game, I believe the Jaguars could win the division title with 10 wins, provided they win in Indianapolis. If the Colts beat the Chargers, however, I believe it'll take 11 wins to win the AFC South title.
Nick from Toronto, Ontario:
I found some interesting information about roughing-the-passer calls. Last year, Jacksonville (Garrard), Philadelphia (McNabb), Tennessee (Young) and Washington (Campbell) had no roughing-the-passer calls on their QBs. Notice anything about those QBs?
Vic: Yeah, I do, and I think it's obvious. They're all right-handed.
Tom from Staten Island, NY:
Vince Young apologized to Jeff Fisher via text message. Do some players these days have no honor? To me that just makes him look worse. Stop taking the easy/non-confrontational way out and be respectful. Some players seem to be making bad habits with text messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Is this what the future holds for sports?
Vic: What if texting had been possible when Vince Lombardi was coach? Yo, Vince, I'm sorry for dissin' you in the locker room, man. I hope we're still cool. Your main man, Bart.
Spoon from Dundalk, MD:
Why should the traditions of archaic rivalries take priority over the true spirit of competition? Year after year we see the AFC produce a great number of teams that are playoff-ready. This year, by my estimation, there are 10; there may be five (perhaps six) decent teams playing in the NFC. What would it take for the NFL to see that we need to reevaluate the conferences?
Vic: That's crazy talk. Yes, the NFC West appears to be weak, but one weak division isn't reason to create upheaval in how the game has largely been presented since the AFL-NFL merger. These rivalries you want to end are at the core of the game's popularity. A few years ago there was talk about taking automatic byes away from division title winners, which would've effectively rendered division title races meaningless. Fortunately, that didn't happen because we're seeing a perfect example this season of how meaningful and exciting division title races are. Heading into this week's action, we had ties in four of the league's eight divisions and no more than a game separated the top two teams in the other four divisions. We are headed for what appears to be a super-exciting final month of the season. Why would you wanna change anything about how the game is presented? We always have a weak division and often that division's playoff representative jumps up and bites somebody in the playoffs. It's part of the suspense of the postseason.
Moshe from Mexico City, Mexico:
Every time Tom Brady is being hit throwing the ball, he asks for a flag and makes the sign of a thrown flag, trying to convince the officials to penalize the defense. In my opinion, that action is girly and must be penalized for trying to take part in the officials' decisions. That kind of action is why the NFL games have been like pillow fights recently. It must be a tough game for tough guys.
Vic: I wouldn't go so far as to say Brady should be penalized, but if I was a referee and he did that to me, I would kindly ask him to please not bait me or attempt to show me up. If he persisted, I might reinforce my request by letting the defense have a free one, if you know what I mean. I've detected a change in Brady's in-game personality. He's become a little too demonstrative for my taste.
Patrick from Nashville, TN:
Every time I look at a football show they say the Jags will lose the division spot. They don't have faith in the Jags.
Vic: I heard Dan Marino say on Thursday that he expected the Colts to overtake the Jaguars for the AFC South lead, and I can understand that thinking and I would suspect that it's indicative of the majority opinion, but what if the Chargers beat the Colts on Sunday night? Should the Colts lose to the Chargers, the Colts will have lost three of their last four games and they'll still have two games left with Tennessee. Don't count the Titans out. I've seen this before. Jeff Fisher is at his best when his team's back is to the wall. They have the running game and the defense to be tough on the Colts. The Chargers-Colts game, in my opinion, is huge. If the Colts beat the Chargers, then I might agree with Marino because it would leave the Jaguars with a very tall order. Should the Colts lose to the Chargers, however, anything is possible.
Ethan from Wampum, PA:
With the way the Jets, Patriots, Ravens and Steelers stand, I don't see how anyone in the South or West can even think about a wild card spot.
Vic: Let's look at those remaining schedules. The Jets have games left in New England, Pittsburgh and Chicago; they host Miami and Buffalo. The Patriots host the Jets, Green Bay and Miami; they travel to Chicago and Buffalo. The Ravens host Tampa, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Cincinnati; they travel to Houston and Cleveland. The Steelers travel to Buffalo, Baltimore and Cleveland; they host the Bengals, Jets and Panthers. The best shot of a wild card coming out of the AFC South or West would rest with one of the four teams you've mentioned collapsing down the stretch. Given the schedules, that team would probably have to be the Ravens or Steelers.
