Bleacher Report - Articles by Keb

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Great Equalizer

Keb — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:18:09 -0400

It is well known in Jacksonville that you are categorized as one of three things: a Gator, Seminole, or Bulldog. The Canes are just a mere thought this far north. This is college football-land. It is king here. Jacksonville is a city that can’t seem to get 45,000 fans to a NFL game, but has to bring in extra seats for the Florida/Georgia game.

Seems backwards doesn’t it?

The rest of the country seems to think that the people of my hometown don’t like their team very much and could care less that they are here. I am here to tell those people that they are wrong. There is one very important reason that the people of Jacksonville love the Jaguars and the reason that they need to stay.

All my life I have been looking forward to Saturday’s. Specifically, Gator football games. In the 80s, there wasn’t much to look forward to. We left ourselves wondering if we would get to a bowl half the time and the other half we were wondering when the good school in Gainesville was going to get off of probation. The season in 1984 was pretty good but all we heard about is how this school in Tallahassee was coming up and we looked forward to get bludgeoned to death by the Georgia Bulldogs every year. Even when we thought we had them beat, they would find a way to close us out.

Then came the 90s and along with it came Steve Spurrier. The Gators now had a swagger and arrogance about them. We started to win and we were on the map. We started to let all of the other fans in town know when we beat them. We kind of did it loudly and with not much thought of the repercussions. It seemed like over night everyone hated the Gators and we were stapled as the world’s most obnoxious fan.

So in turn all of the Florida State fans and Georgia fans, and to some extent the Miami fans would not let us live it down every time we lost. And if it happened to be to one of the other rivals, it lasted all year. It came to the point to where you either loved Sunday, or you hated it. That was all there was to look forward to. That, and next Saturday, of course.

Then Jacksonville was awarded the Jaguars. I still think that Wayne Weaver is the best salesman ever for pulling this one off. My family was so happy to get a NFL franchise that my father rushed right out and signed a 3-year deal for season tickets knowing that he could probably get them through work. We went 4-12 that first year, but we attended every home game and they were all sold out. It was a NFL game but with a college atmosphere. It was perfect.

After attending the games for a full year, I started to see a change in the people of Jacksonville. We all had one thing to rally around. I remember vividly one Sunday I arrived in my seats at the game, it was the day after the Auburn/Florida game, a huge rivalry in the mid-90s. A gentleman that sat a couple of seats back from us stated, “One Bowden down, one to go.” The crowd around us cheered, but that was all. It was Jaguar time. The Jaguars had transformed this one track minded town into a NFL city. Could this be the work of a marketing genius? To use the love for college football to their advantage.

It seemed to work.

Through the next years the Jaguars were very successful and of course people came out in droves to view the Jaguars, but always before the games was talk of the previous day’s games. Especially in late November when the annual Florida/Florida State game is played. But it always turned to the Jaguars once the game started.

So now with the economy down in Jacksonville, blacked out home games, and attendance down, the future doesn’t look bright for the Jaguars staying in Jacksonville.

But no matter what school you went to, what colors you wear, or what chant you do, we all huddle around and get together to either watch the Jags win or lose on Sunday. I have often made the joke that the Jaguars give me a reason to complain for the week.

But no matter whom I am an enemy with on Saturday: We are all equal in the eyes of the Jags on Sunday. We come together for a common cause. That’s what makes having a NFL franchise special.

Motivation against LSU: TEBOW

Keb — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:12:45 -0400

Remember 2007? All the phone calls and text messages that Tebow received. Well that’s happening again, but to John Brantley as well. I have a question for the faithful of the Bayou: Why would you want to add motivation for a team that is CLEARLY superior to yours?

I have spoken with many LSU fans and Alumni over the past week and it seems that the main argument, outside of the fact that Tebow is concussed, is that Florida hasn’t played anyone. I even received late night text messages from a Miami (FL) fan Saturday saying that Florida didn’t deserve to be number one due to the same fact and that Tennessee exposed the Gators for what they really are, Tebow and nothing else.

Nothing Else?

That fired me up.

Nothing Else?

Tell that to the defense. When all Gator fans started talking about a Perfect season, I was asked if I would jump on that bandwagon and of course I jumped on. I joined in because no matter who plays quarterback the other team still has to score, which is not an easy task against the Gator "D". I could play QB and we would win. Let LSU not forget that this is the same defense that held the greatest scoring offense in the History of Collegiate Football to 14 points. They’re good.

I am sure that they need extra motivation.

What about the running game you say? Did LSU not pay attention to the three hundred plus rushing yards that the Gators put up against Kentucky? Oh, that’s it…it’s because we played Kentucky! Let me take that argument out right now: You have to play your schedule and they are an SEC team. The worst team in the SEC is a middle team in another conference like the PAC 10. It’s not like we almost lost to Mississippi State or anything.

That brings me to another point. LSU seems to have an issue every time they face a team that is based in the spread offense. Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs should have won that game and I know it’s not the spread, but they got off the hook at Georgia too. Looks like the refs will be watching the calls in this game, so the fans started in on calling and texting the players. Pretty adult, don’t you think? I wonder, did they take the time to text Joe Cox or A.J. Green last week?

Did LSU start calling and texting John Brantley to tell him that he could be a starter on more that half of any of the other schools because of how good he is? This guy is a gold mine. There is more fun in store for Gator fans with John Brantley. He just doesn’t have the experience. I don’t know if Baton Rouge, at night is the best place for him to start, but I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised. Especially when Urban spent all week dusting off the playbook from the 2006 season.

I could go on all day long of why you would not want to annoy the Gators right now but most of all it’s for the emotional bond that this team has with it’s leader, Tim Tebow. I know it’s more than likely going to be a game time decision if he plays at all, but I think that I am leaning towards not wanting him to play.

Now before you throw something at me, let me tell you what I mean.

Besides the fact that I would not want to see him get injured further, I know that the players on this team love Tim Tebow. They respect him as a player, person, and as their leader. So I want to see what this team can do when they come out of the locker room after a, “ Let’s win this one for Tim” speech from Brandon Spikes. Or a “ He’s been doing it for you” speech by Joe Haden. Or a “ He could probably play my position better than me” speech by Major Wright. It could possibly light the biggest fire the Gators have ever seen. It probably won’t be bigger than the promise, but the same outcome may arise.

So X’s and O’s aside, emotion will rule this game, and I can’t think of a better person to win it for.

Florida-Alabama: SEC Championship Rivalry Renewed?

Keb — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:13:41 -0500

I can remember it like it was yesterday.

I was sitting in my parents' game room, screaming at the TV as Shane Matthews and Errict Rhett were handling the No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

The shovel pass from Matthews to Rhett was igniting the offense from the Steve Spurrier led Florida Gators in the inaugural SEC Championship game, then played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Then it happened. Like all good things, the thought that the Gators could knock off the Tide came to an end. Shane Matthews threw an interception to Antonio Langham, of which he returned for a touchdown.

Game Over. Alabama won 28-21.

I instantly hated anything to do with Alabama.

Little did I know that my Gators would see them again in 1993, this time ranked ninth in the country against a well coached No. 16 Gene Stallings led Tide. It didn't work so well for Big Al this time as the Gators cruised to a 28-13 victory; the thought started to emerge that you can't fool Spurrier twice.

Probably one of my favorite games occurred in the 1994 SEC Championship game. The game was moved to Atlanta and played in the Georgia Dome. Florida, No. 6 in the nation, played a very tough third ranked Alabama team.

Many people thought that this was going to be a revenge game; That Stallings was going to show Spurrier that this was Bama's SEC. The Gators won 24-23 and a true rivalry had begun.

The two teams didn't meet again until 1996. Florida, coming off of a tough loss the week before to Florida State, needed to get some momentum back.

They took out No. 11 Alabama 45-30, and went on to rout Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl, winning their first National Title.

In 1999, No. 5 Florida rolled into Atlanta looking to take care of No. 7 Alabama. This time, it didn't work out so well for Spurrier and the Gators. Alabama beat down Florida 34-7 in the championship game, and for the second time that year.

Since 1999, Florida has been to the SEC Championship game twice, while Alabama has not been at all.

The two teams have met up a couple of times in the past few years. In 2005, Urban Meyer took his spread offense into Tuscaloosa and got handed a 31-3 loss at the hands of a Mike Shula led Crimson Tide.

One year later, Bama got to come to the Swamp on a day that the Gators enshrined Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerrfel, among others, into the University of Florida Football Ring of Honor. Florida won convincingly.

Will the hiring of Nick Saban and the revitalization of the Alabama program renew a rivalry that birthed the SEC Championship game?

The game on December 6th will surely let us know. Here's a game that features a hell of an offense against a hell of a defense. Each side also has strong special teams and both head coaches have won National Titles while coaching in the SEC.

No matter who wins, the SEC is all but assured of a presence in the BCS National Title Game for a third straight year. Meyer and Saban know that the road to Miami runs though Atlanta.

Two great, proven coaches, two huge egos, and two great football teams: This might be enough to rekindle this storied SEC Championship Rivalry.

Tim Tebow: Most Outstanding Leader

Keb — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:19:50 -0500

It is now official. Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, will not win the Davey O'Brien Award, which is given to the best quarterback in College Football.

No matter. Tim has bigger and better things to do.

For one, how about finishing the regular season against No. 20 Florida State in a 45–15 rout? FSU just had their best game of the year by taking out Maryland in convincing fashion. Too bad that no one saw it. The telecast was shown on ESPN against the boring blowout that was Texas Tech against Oklahoma.

It seems to me that the Big 12 is doing what the SEC usually does: Beat each other up.

What usually winds up happening when you have that kind of talent, not only in the same conference but on the same side of the conference, is that the teams usually cancel each other out.

So, when it comes to this secondary award, it makes perfect sense to have the three quarterbacks come from the same side of the Big 12.

Let's see who should win this:

You have Graham Harrell at no name Texas Tech throwing for ungodly amounts of yards week after week and then it just stops.

“Uh oh! Sorry coach, I ran into some kind of a defense and I didn't know what to do. I did beat Texas though, and I sure make that Crabtree guy look awesome always hitting him in the hands and all," Harrell might say.

You have Colt McCoy, the leader of the Longhorns. A Vince Young he will never be. He falls into the Mack Brown style of football: He can't win the big game. It was all there for them; all they had to do was get one more stop and they couldn't handle the pressure.

The only one of these teams that deserves any respect is Oklahoma. They are led by former Florida Gator Defensive Coordinator Bob Stoops, and he has Sam Bradford rolling!

They scored 65 on Texas Tech and put 35 on Texas in a losing effort. It seems that their defense has woken up a little and they are playing great at the right time.

It's a hard choice. I just don't know.

But wait, is there room for a write-in candidate?

It seems to me that there is a quarterback out there that defies the odds every time he hits the field. He's a quarterback that doesn't run away from being hit; he embraces it. He has more rushing touchdowns in his almost three years than Emmitt Smith did at Florida.

If I had a vote, it would be for Tim Tebow. But a test of a leader is not by the awards that he wins, but by the conduct of his character on and off the field. And there is no better leader on the field and in life than Tim Tebow.

Here's a guy that has worked hard all season long with the Heisman weighing heavily on his back.

He led his team to a 10-1 record and a BCS rank of No. 4 through a tough SEC schedule. He led the Gators to wins over such notable opponents as Miami, LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Florida State. With a win over No. 1 ranked Alabama, Tim will take his team to play for a second national title in three years.

What is that you say? He doesn't have the numbers that he had last year? What happened?

He is growing in his role as the leader of this team. He is making sure that all of the play-makers that Florida has, and they have quite a few, get the ball in their hands. His focus game to game has the Gators rolling as the highest powered offense at Florida, ever.

Just look at the numbers: third in the nation in scoring offense and third in the nation in scoring defense. He runs this offense and he is not a finalist.

Like all great leaders, Tim had a setback—a one-point loss at home to Mississippi. This is the best thing that could have happened to the Gators this season. And who was the one that spoke out? Tim did.

Since then, no one quarterback or player has played harder than Tim Tebow. No one player has led his team to more convincing wins over top 10 teams than him either.

Bradford may have done it once, but Tim does it over and over. McCoy took out the Sooners, but didn't get by Tech. Harrell was looking good until Oklahoma.

These players are good quarterbacks in great systems. But if you take them out, the team will keep chugging along. You take Tebow out and, well, that's a different team. No one player has meant more to his program than Tim Tebow.

It begs the question, is it fair that Tebow is not a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award?

Yes, it is fair. In a time when we are witnessing bailouts and talking about spreading the wealth around, isn't it fair to give someone a consolation prize? They will get to go to Orlando and have a good time at Disney World and accept their award live on ESPN.

But will they get to give the same address in New York. I don't think so. That is for the Most Outstanding Player in College Football.

I just don't think that you get more outstanding than Tim Tebow.