Join Jaguars Inside Report Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.
Amy from Jacksonville:
Do you know what the Jaguars' third-down conversion rate is? It seems like Mark Brunell leads the league in throwing passes short of the first down marker on third down.
Vic: The Jaguars' third-down conversion percentage is 38.9. Their opponents' is 45.1. The average in the league is 39.8 percent.
David from Gainesville, FL:
Presuming Fred Taylor has a second half similar to his first half, what do you think are reasonable terms for a new contract, both in length and dollars. You have said numerous times how salary cap control is so important, but in actual dollars and length of contract, what does that mean when trying to sign an impact player like Fred Taylor? Do you think Taylor would sign an incentive-laden contract at this point (which would protect the Jaguars if he is not the same runner since his groin injury), or do you think he will insist on only guaranteed money?
Vic: Let's start with the fact that Fred Taylor will have one year remaining on his Jaguars contract when this season is complete. I won't attempt to negotiate Fred's next contract; Drew Rosenhaus will do that. In the 2001 season, the average of the top five running backs in the league was $5.6 million; $4.7 million for the top 10. Included in those figures is the yearly average of all money paid to the player, which includes signing bonus.
Jon-Michael from Starke, FL:
Do the owners have committees they are in, like Congress has? If they do, what ones are Mr. Weaver a part of?
Vic: Wayne Weaver is a member of the NFL's Ventures Committee, which involves the handling of NFL Properties.
Mark from Garland, TX:
Do you think taking the bye week so early in the season was a mistake? I don't think that with the current four-game losing streak that we've had time to seriously evaluate what's wrong and let some of our key players recover. I'm curious to know what you think.
Vic: Teams don't schedule their bye weeks; the NFL does.
Mario from Zapata, TX:
Is Wiegert going to be with the Jags next year, or are the Jags going to dump his big salary and bring in a more efficient player?
Vic: Zach Wiegert has been a very efficient player for the Jaguars. He's played every line position except center, and he could do that in an emergency. Let's not forget that he's a natural guard who's been forced to play tackle. He's also played this season with a knee injury that required surgery this week. In my opinion, he's a player you want on your roster, but his scheduled salary for next season will require an offseason decision by the Jaguars to either re-structure that contract or part company with Wiegert. It's too early to make that call.
Kevin from Jacksonville:
I'm tired of all the fire Tom Coughlin talk. I want to know who these closed-minded fans think is available to replace Coughlin. Who's out there? Who's the hot prospect? I just don't see anyone stellar being available to replace him, not only as coach, but as GM, too. Change for change sake isn't always a good thing. What do you think?
Vic: This is a scoreboard business. A coach stands on his record. Nothing more needs to be said.
Mark from Fremont, NE:
I live in Nebraska and saw the Jaguars play for the first time this year. I am a huge Jaguar supporter. I am arguing with my cousin that Fred Taylor is one of the best backs in the NFL. The line just isn't opening up holes like other lines. Injuries and inexperience have made the offensive line the weakest part of the Jaguars. What do you think?
Vic: With a back such as Fred Taylor, it's not that simple. Taylor is a cutback runner. He's a big-play running back. He is not a pounder. Neither was Barry Sanders, whose rushing totals jumped around a lot. With the big-play guys, it's often feast or famine. I've seen occasions when the hole seemed to be open, but Taylor cutback away from it and was tackled. And I've seen occasions when there was nothing there, but Taylor cutback for a big gain. The cutback, big-play runners have to be judged solely on their production. At this point in the season, Taylor is the ninth-leading rusher in the AFC with 690 yards, a 4.3 yards-per-carry average and a long run of 63 yards. Those are impressive numbers. What's the argument?
