Click Here

 
You are Here: Home > Can Del Rio Pull it Off?
Can Del Rio Pull it Off?
By MARLENE D. MALONE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR IN CHIEF
Aug 6, 2005 - 1:38:00 PM

Email this article
Printer friendly page

Hi boys and girls!  I’m going to take a swerve away from my normal fields of coverage and give everyone a taste of Jaguar football from a hometown person’s perspective.  While I love football, I have to admit until this morning I was not very supportive of our home team.  Considering all of the failures of past seasons, who can blame me?

 

Well, before you all jump the wagon and chant “JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS SUCK” let me fill you guys in on a rumor floating around the city.  Apparently it has been reported that Jaguars’ owner Wayne Weaver is so disgusted with the lack of hometown support for his team that he has threatened to move them at the end of his contract.  If memory serves me correct, that would be the end of this season!

 

Now I know Jacksonville is supposed to be so big and all, but trust me pulling the team from here would hurt our economy.  We worked so hard to get an NFL team here, but now we’re so against them the powers in charge have allegedly threatened to yank it away.  Wake up, Jacksonville!  We may not be supportive of the team in past seasons, but it’s time to pull out the hometown pride and show some spirit.

 

My personal opinion is that fans were so disillusioned with Mark Brunnell and coach Tom Coughlin they were expecting Jack Del Rio to make a miracle happen in a single season.  Poor Byron Leftwich, while an outstanding athlete, was a green rookie drafted straight out of college.  Everyone knows there’s an adjustment period between NCAA and the NFL.  I always give it three years.  Oh, let’s not forget Fred Taylor’s injuries and Jimmy Smith’s escapades with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office…

 

I believe with the team Del Rio has nurtured along with the new faces (barring any further injuries or police run-ins) we will have a football team we can be proud of.  I think with proper hometown support our boys can certainly have an outstanding season.  And for those of you reading this in Jacksonville, go buy some tickets to the home games!  Blackouts from television do absolutely nothing for team morale.

 

Tune in next week when I analyze the start of pre-season action for the Big Cats!

 

mdmalone@mopsquad.com

 


Copyright 2007 - MOP Squad Sports

Top of Page