JAGUARS Amazing what a difference a win can make on a team and a community. The Jags come off with a nice 26-10 win over Tom Coughlin’s Giants. Their record is now 6-4, and they stand right in the middle of the wild card playoff hunt. And to think if the Jags had beaten the Texans twice, they would now be 8-2 and just one game from the Colts!
Anyway, the boys played some good ball on Monday night, and the score should’ve been a lot worse, like, say, 40-10. They coughed up two TD’s they should’ve had. And so now, after a nice win, fans are happy and relieved, when, a few days ago, it was the end of the world.
In the next two weeks, the Jags go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills, and the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo is a very dangerous team to mess with. They just got done beating the Texans in Houston, and they can play ball with anybody. Last week WR Lee Evans caught 11 passes for 265 yards and two TD’s. They have playmakers and they can win games, so Jacksonville needs to be wary of these guys.
David Garrard is applying solidly at QB. The running game is strong as well. The WR’s are always capable. And the Defense is shutting down other teams. Let’s see if the Jags can beat the Bills in the cold weather of Buffalo.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE While there are five teams in the AFC with a record of 7-3 or better, there is only ONE squad with a record better than 6-4, and that’s the Bears. Chicago won two games in the Meadowlands, and now they head to Foxboro to face a pretty good Patriots team. The Bears will be a stern test for New England, and vice versa. That will be the marquee game of the weekend.
Overall, though, the AFC easily is a better conference than the NFC, which is full of mediocre play. Did anyone realize the 49ers and Falcons were both 5-5? You’d never believe they’d both have equal records, but that’s the case. So far this season, Ben Roethlisberger has SEVENTEEN interceptions! SEVENTEEN! That’s ridiculous! But the guy is still heaving the ball all over the place, and he’s gonna have a tough job on his hands this weekend when the Steelers go to Baltimore to face the upstart 8-2 Ravens. Steve McNair has done a great job there running that offense, and Brian Billick once again is coaching a tough group of players.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL We now know that Ohio State is in the BCS National Championship game, and it’ll be interesting to see who will be their opponent. It could be Southern Cal, who will host Notre Dame this weekend. It could be Michigan again, although there is controversy in talk about that. And then there is the possibility of either Arkansas or Florida getting in, depending on a number of circumstances. Arkansas must beat LSU in Little Rock this weekend, which should be a nice SEC contest.
And, of course the Gators must beat Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday. This game is not as hyped as it has been in the past, for obvious reasons. The Noles aren’t even close to what we are used to seeing on the field. Questions abound as to what Florida State will be like in the future, but for now, they could totally salvage their season with a win over the Gators. I’d say that’s a real reach. Florida is solid in all aspects of their game. The feeling is that Florida should come in and do the ‘Chop’ on the ‘Choppers!
There are a number of other games with a lot riding on the outcome. Maryland will host Wake Forest, with the winner most likely coming here to face Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship. Boston College is also still in the mix. Then you have the state ‘rivalry’ games that always finish off the season, such as Ga. Tech/Georgia, Virginia/Virginia Tech, South Carolina/Clemson, Texas A&M/Texas, and Arizona St./Arizona. It always makes for interesting fare to see who does what and how many fights will ensue from the outcomes.
Tom Weppel talks trash on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. on WIOJ-AM 1010, and on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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