by Tom Weppel
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
Last week, we saw a Jaguars squad that played a dominating game in Pittsburgh, for all intents. They did a great job handling the Steelers on both the offensive and defensive lines, and their offense is executing and showing success, scoring 24 points or more in their last eight games. They are an exciting team to watch play and they are playing their best football at the right time, as we head closer to the playoffs.
This weekend, the Jags will host the Oakland Raiders. While this is a franchise that carries great tradition from their personality and their performances in the past, right now they aren't a very good team whatsoever. At 4-10, the Raiders simply don't have what it takes to make things work on the field. They have squeaked out some interesting wins every so often, and they did give the Colts a run for their money last weekend before eventually losing.
Oakland has serious QB issues. JaMarcus Russell has been held back, simply because of his rawness in being able to play. Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper aren't very good. Their defense has given up 17 points or more in their last seven games. The only bright spot has been their running game, as RB Justin Fargas has shown some spark every so often.
The Jags should be able to handle Oakland, and all the Jaguar fans can celebrate Christmas early. Their team will be 11-4.
Let's set the table for the playoffs, shall we?
In the AFC, the Patriots, Colts, and Chargers are in, having won their respective divisions. New England and Indy both have first round byes. The Steelers and Browns are now tied in the AFC North at 9-5. The Jags are a virtual lock for one playoff slot, while the Titans still have a shot with an 8-6 record. Pittsburgh played the Rams Thursday night. The Browns go to Cincy on Sunday, while the Titans host the Jets.
In the NFC, the Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, and Bucs are all Division winners. However, the two wild card slots are totally up for grabs. The Vikings and Giants seem to have the inside track, but the Redskins, Saints, Lions, Cardinals, Eagles, and Panthers all could seek into the playoffs, which show you how weak the NFC truly is. A 7-9 record could still make it in.
As you all know, the Bowl season has cranked up. To me, the entire Bowl season has become a complete joke. There are way too many games, with a lot of them featuring teams with records barely above .500. The names of the games are ridiculous, amounting to nothing more than sponsorship names of companies. Because of the volatility of head coaching changes, there will now be as many as EIGHT teams playing their games with out the same head coach they had during the season.
And the only game that carries any meaning whatsoever is the final game between LSU and Ohio State. Otherwise, the other 31 games carry no weight whatsoever, including the Gator Bowl, played here locally. In addition, almost every city could care less who is playing in the bowl game in their city. Seriously! Does anybody in Hawaii care about East Carolina? Does anybody in Toronto care about Ball State? And, I would bet that most people here in Jacksonville aren't too thrilled about Texas Tech and Virginia.
Let's face it. The College football Bowl games aren't even CLOSE to what they used to be, and they never, ever will be again, unless the NCAA comes up with a decent playoff system, utilizing the games as part of the tournament.
Well, as I figured, the Gator basketball game downtown last Saturday failed to fill the Coliseum, which I think is ridiculous, considering the huge number of so-called die-hard Gator fans there are in this town.
To UF fans, Tim Tebow has become like Hanna Montana is to little teenage girls. If he made an appearance at the Coliseum before the game, the coliseum would've been filled in a heartbeat. But the two-time defending National Champion basketball team can't fill the seats for a game. Pathetic.
As it was, the team barely won, 52-49, while only making 13 baskets the entire GAME! Luckily, Georgia Southern committed 21 fouls, allowing the Gators to make 24 free throws.
Anyway, the bottom line here is it amazes me how selective college sports fans can be for their school.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, Artis Gilmore, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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