The Jacksonville Jaguars

[Wacca Pilatka]

I'm 33 and I see the trends you're seeing...we have a young and enthusiastic fan base, there's a generation of Jaxsons who grew up as Jags fans first who are now gaining the means to buy tickets, and the recent incidents of national bashing of Jacksonville really seem to have inspired a lot of ticket buyers.  I firmly believe we can develop one of the great fan bases in the league and that that trend is beginning.

I was not a Jag fan first and foremost when they came into the league, though I rooted for them casually and generally knew their roster because I've loved Jacksonville all my life.  What triggered it for me was all the bashing of Jacksonville during and after the 2005 Super Bowl, which seemingly had a direct effect on starting the move-to-L.A. speculative stuff (the introduction of tarps coincided with all this, and the misunderstanding of the tarps of course contributed to the false impressions of our fan base).  That got me paying a lot more attention to how Jacksonville and the Jaguars were perceived.  Then I watched the 2006 opener and saw a full house of Jaguar fans doing the move those chains chant and was instantly transfixed, both at visualizing how a football team potentially can unite this community and realizing this was where my loyalties should have been all along.  By 2008 I was a season ticket holder. 

And as much as I hate the LA garbage and other lies about Jacksonville and our fan base, I have to say, I've never had anywhere near as intense of an interest in football as I have since it became more about the city to me than about what happens on the field.  That can be a curse, but it also can be a blessing, because having this level of commitment to it makes all the positive things that happen that much sweeter.  I feel like there's a personal stake in the team's success and like I own my little piece of real estate in Jacksonville for 10 Sundays a year (even though I can't be there for all of them).

And even in the bad seasons, there's still so much value to being a season ticket holder.  It gives me good excuses to go to Jacksonville more often, I love that I have gotten to know so many people in my favorite city who care about the team as much as I do, the games are tremendous fun win or lose (well, maybe not so much debacles like that Arizona game in '09...).  I love watching players with potential develop and getting to know about very likeable personalities on the team who are doing great things in their community.  And this organization is really fantastic in the amount of outreach and openness it has with fans.  The events and access they provide to the players and front office, the conference calls with the coach and GM, my contact in the ticket office is amazing.  When I describe the way the Jaguar organization treats its fans and the access it provides, fans of other teams are taken aback.  (And as the son of a former Redskins season ticket holder, I've seen the omega to the Jaguars' alpha in this regard.)

Just interacting on this board with other people who have passion for Jacksonville and a personal commitment to the Jaguars' future there is tremendously rewarding.  The Jags could lose every game I attend 49-0, and I get treated so nicely by the Jaguar organization and fellow Jag fans that I would never regret a trip.  I get to go to my beloved favorite city and cheer on a team that represents the city, surrounded by nice people who share my interests, and I get to wear a foam cat on my head in public without anyone thinking I'm insane.  What could be more fun?

[Wacca Pilatka]

To be fair, college football ruled Florida long before the pros ever deigned to bless us with their presence. Until 1995 in Jacksonville, the closest pro football we had were the Dolphins (6 hours away) and the Bucs (4 hours away and terrible). The colleges - not just Florida- were a lot closer, often more competitive at their level, and at least two college games were played right here every year. It's not surprising that there's a strong generational loyalty.

Jacksonville still has the largest booster clubs for both Florida and Florida State. We also have the largest Georgia booster club outside of Atlanta, and until not too long ago, had the largest Miami club outside of Miami. Out of all those teams Florida has been the best for the last 10-20 years, so clearly they attract more bandwagon fans right now. This support has taken decades to develop, and I don't think that and Jag-love are mutually exclusive. In fact, our proven support of the college game is what made the NFL look at us in the first place. We're smaller than some other markets, but we go clinically apeshit for gridiron.

I understand what you mean about the generational loyalties, and you're quite right, of course.  Too often I fail to see how anyone could NOT root hardest for the team that represents their city, but I shouldn't be so dismissive of people who have built up many years and generations worth of loyalty to the college teams.  I feel badly that I've come to resent UF football, Tebow, et al. at this point when I know there are many people who are great Jaguar fans as well as great college team fans.

That passion for football in Jacksonville sure is palpable, and it shows in Jacksonville's extraordinary TV ratings for major football events (whether or not a local team is involved).

[I-10east]

I hear some people (Pete Prisco, people on PFT among others) saying that Jason Hill was interfered with on that pass in the back of the endzone (defender grabbed his arm). I'm gonna hafta retract my earlier comments and give Hill the benefit of the doubt on that one; That pass was too easy for a NFL receiver to drop cleanly.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Excellent posts Wacca Pilatka. To bad we lost, but time to move on, Texans in town.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Excellent posts Wacca Pilatka. To bad we lost, but time to move on, Texans in town.

And if we win no other games this season, I want revenge on the Texans!

(Also a win on the Monday night game since I'll be there for it)
(Also wins in the other four games.  But really, I'm not picky.)

[duvaldude08]

I hear some people (Pete Prisco, people on PFT among others) saying that Jason Hill was interfered with on that pass in the back of the endzone (defender grabbed his arm). I'm gonna hafta retract my earlier comments and give Hill the benefit of the doubt on that one; That pass was too easy for a NFL receiver to drop cleanly.

Thats what I was saying earlier in a post. That ball was clearly interfered with.

[Tacachale]

Yes, terrific posts Wacca. You're as possessed of the true spirit of football fandom as anyone I know. Now, on to them Texans!

[duvaldude08]

Yes, terrific posts Wacca. You're as possessed of the true spirit of football fandom as anyone I know. Now, on to them Texans!

I was just want them dead! LOL I really hope Pot Roast is back in the line up this week. He's a run stopping machine and it was obvious he was not on the field sunday

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Just some useless stats for you guys to see.  I'm sorry that I'm a baseball fan and kind of a number nerd.  Sabermetrics is a hobby.  I keep trying to figure out tendencies from the obscure.  I did some research last night and just wanted to show you guys a comparison that actually says that Gabbert isn't nearly as bad as the stat sheet says.  Actually, he's right in line with all of the other rookies, with the exception of one Andy Dalton, who is out of the grading curve.

We all say that dropped passes are a big problem.  Gabbert has more passes dropped per attempt than any of the other 4 qbs I looked up.  Essentially, our recievers are dropping 8 out of every 100 passes thrown.

• Gabbert - 7.7%
• Dalton - 6.9%
• Tebow - 6.4%
• Ponder - 6.3%
• Newton - 6.0%

Another issue that I keep hearing is about his accuracy.  Well most stat sheets figure that number by Completions/Attempts.  What they don't take into account are drops, throw aways, spikes, etc.  Another mis-leading factor is the fact they use attempts thrown and not the amount of dropbacks.  Their way skews the results for running QBs because when the play breaks down, they're more likely to run instead of pass.  My way is broken down per dropback - the amount of times that they were supposed to throw the ball.

• Dalton - 65.3%
• Newton - 57.7%
• Ponder - 52.2%
• Gabbert - 49.1%
• Tebow - 42.1%

This is one of the ones that I really had to dig for, but it shows that the majority of the mistakes being made are not due to Gabbert specifically.  Everytime a QB drops back, something happens that's that causes a play to go astray, whether it's a sack, just getting hit repeatedly or having to throw the ball in a hurry.  Somtimes it's not the QBs fault when that happens, but it's sort of a judgement call on who's fault, but if you trust the experts....   The numbers below show the percentage of the number of times that QB drops back to pass that he does something that negatively influences the play himself.  Whether it's a rushed throw, or a taking a sack that could have been avoided.  This gives me hope.

• Gabbert - 5.6%
• Newton - 12.3%
• Dalton - 12.8%
• Ponder - 20.8%
• Tebow - 21.3%

What that tells me is for whatever reason, Gabbert only brings it on himself 5.6% of the time, while Ponder is asking for self-inflicted trouble 20.8% of the time or 1 in every 5 times that he drops back to throw the ball. 

Sorry, BTW, none of you will ever get that 3 minutes back after reading this.   

[duvaldude08]

Gabbert is not nearly as bad as the NFL media makes him out to be. He's had the toughest schedule out of every rookie listed. We have face top 10 defenses the marjoity of the season, with that being said, gabbert actually is pretty good in my book. He's getting some experience that none of those other guys are getting. Next season should be a breeze for him.

[wsansewjs]

Just some useless stats for you guys to see.  I'm sorry that I'm a baseball fan and kind of a number nerd.  Sabermetrics is a hobby.  I keep trying to figure out tendencies from the obscure.  I did some research last night and just wanted to show you guys a comparison that actually says that Gabbert isn't nearly as bad as the stat sheet says.  Actually, he's right in line with all of the other rookies, with the exception of one Andy Dalton, who is out of the grading curve.

We all say that dropped passes are a big problem.  Gabbert has more passes dropped per attempt than any of the other 4 qbs I looked up.  Essentially, our recievers are dropping 8 out of every 100 passes thrown.

• Gabbert - 7.7%
• Dalton - 6.9%
• Tebow - 6.4%
• Ponder - 6.3%
• Newton - 6.0%

Another issue that I keep hearing is about his accuracy.  Well most stat sheets figure that number by Completions/Attempts.  What they don't take into account are drops, throw aways, spikes, etc.  Another mis-leading factor is the fact they use attempts thrown and not the amount of dropbacks.  Their way skews the results for running QBs because when the play breaks down, they're more likely to run instead of pass.  My way is broken down per dropback - the amount of times that they were supposed to throw the ball.

• Dalton - 65.3%
• Newton - 57.7%
• Ponder - 52.2%
• Gabbert - 49.1%
• Tebow - 42.1%

This is one of the ones that I really had to dig for, but it shows that the majority of the mistakes being made are not due to Gabbert specifically.  Everytime a QB drops back, something happens that's that causes a play to go astray, whether it's a sack, just getting hit repeatedly or having to throw the ball in a hurry.  Somtimes it's not the QBs fault when that happens, but it's sort of a judgement call on who's fault, but if you trust the experts....   The numbers below show the percentage of the number of times that QB drops back to pass that he does something that negatively influences the play himself.  Whether it's a rushed throw, or a taking a sack that could have been avoided.  This gives me hope.

• Gabbert - 5.6%
• Newton - 12.3%
• Dalton - 12.8%
• Ponder - 20.8%
• Tebow - 21.3%

What that tells me is for whatever reason, Gabbert only brings it on himself 5.6% of the time, while Ponder is asking for self-inflicted trouble 20.8% of the time or 1 in every 5 times that he drops back to throw the ball. 

Sorry, BTW, none of you will ever get that 3 minutes back after reading this.   

This makes me wonder if Gene Smith really use saber metrics before drafting any players...

I wonder...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

-Josh

[Ajax]

Thanks for posting your research, Non-Redneck Westsider.  As an almost blindly loyal Jags fan, I'm looking for anything to hang my hat on. 

[mtraininjax]

Gabbert is a rookie, he is going to make rookie errors. The NFL speed of the game of football is like a 6th gear in a 5-speed, I am willing to concede he is going to make errors, but that ball to Jason Hill in the end zone is all on Hill, the ball hit him in the middle, and he is a terrible receiver, he catches the ball in his gut instead of forming the triangle with his hands and catching the ball away from his body. He is an average receiver for the Jags, and if we had 2 deep threat guys, our 3rd and 4th receivers might be Thomas and Sims-Walker. Hill is a joke, and I don't blame Gabbert for Hill's terrible technique.

Bottom line is that with the 5th best D in the NFL who gave up 14 points on Sunday, we were in the game the whole way, and found so many ways to lose, we did not deserve to win. But this Sunday without Schaub in the lineup for the Texans, I have new hope!

[duvaldude08]

^^correction. Del Rio found a way to lose! Im sick of Del Rio. He is dumb as a brick.

[duvaldude08]

I just read the funniest thing on Bleacher Repot. It said that the Texans are going to beat us this week. And then it went on to say, " Jacksonville hasn’t played very well this year, but that’s about what you’d expect from a franchise that stole its mascot from a Paula Abdul video." Now THAT was funny!