Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
The Jaguars are in on full-throttle with Training Camp, as they prepare for exhibition games, and of course, the regular season in September. Let me ask you, the reader…if Wayne Weaver sold the Jaguars and they were moved to, say, Los Angeles, how would you feel about that? It certainly is a possibility, given the fact the franchise continues to struggle to sell their season tickets in this market. It was reported Weaver turned down an offer for at least $750 million not even a year ago for the franchise, and there’s no question there is a huge void for professional football in the Los Angeles market. The Jaguars would fit almost perfectly into that area.
To me, there are two things working here. On the one side, you have the population of the area, of which most are indeed football fans to some degree. A lot of those people are also college football fans, and they are 100% used to seeing their team win games, as the Gators, Seminoles, and Bulldogs do each and every year.
But the NFL is not like College Football. Things are much different, and it I believe fans are spoiled by their college teams and their winning ways, and they EXPECT that out of the Jaguars. That has not been the case, as we have seen. You also have the franchise itself, which feels like they DESERVE to have all the football fans flock to the stadium and bow down to the Jaguars simply for BEING in this city! I believe the Jaguars haven’t done the greatest job of connecting with the public in Northeast Florida. The Jaguars, as an organization, feels as if they should be endowed by the people of this area to support them wholeheartedly, giving everything they’ve got to the franchise, as they continue to build a reputation and an identity, both locally and around the NFL.
With all this said, I think its time both sides eased up and gave in and realized what’s going on here. While the Gators, ‘Noles, and ‘Dogs continue to have winning seasons, fans in this area should also realize that it takes an awful lot of hard work, signing of players, and theright group of people, to pump out a winning season in the National Football League. The Jags were damn lucky in their first five season, to be able to play some great football and get into the playoffs as they did. Obviously, in hitting these lean times, some fans have stayed awayfrom the stadium. They need to come back and support this franchise, before they do indeed give serious consideration to possibly moving out.
And the Jags organization needs to be more proactive in reaching out to the various communities and become more visible in parts of town where they’ve barely made an impact. They need to let people know they are HERE, and they want YOU to come to THEIR games!I say this because I have a feeling of slight rumblings downtown that Los Angeles always looks mighty tasty as a possible home to go play some pro football. You never know.
This year, there wasn’t a lot happening around the trading deadline, which just passed, as opposed to previous seasons. The possible players available to trade away weren’t that great, I guess, and also a lot of teams seemed to be pretty content with what they’ve got, thinking they can go after their goals with the current roster. With that said, there are gonna be some great races in the various Leagues and Divisions.
The National League will show us the Braves and Mets in the East, with the Phillies also possible contenders. The Brewers have the Cubs on their doorstep in the Central, while the West shows us the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Padres all going after first place.
In the American League, the Red Sox are still on top in the East, while the Yankees are close behind. The Tigers and Indians are gonna get nasty in the Central, while the Angels and Mariners scrap it out in the West. So, I just named 14 teams with a shot at the postseason. It will certainly make for some interesting action in the next few months.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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