no pressure games and double edged swords
Warning: If you keep reading here, it will be my goal to turn you into a Jaguars fan. I will do my best to make you love the little engine that could. Even if you're a rabin fan of some other NFL team, I will strive to make the Jaguars your favorite other team. If I succeed, one day you'll blame me for the fact you're in some sports apparel store checking out the Matt Jones and Chad Owens jerseys. Then I can start negotiating with the team for some commission possibilities.
The Jaguars have always been an 'under the radar' team, and probably will be for the forseeable future.
Nobody expects much out of them because nobody knows much about them. They're a small market team with small market press, and that makes them the occasionaly 'sexy' pick when someone wants to look knowledgeable without really being so, because nobody will refute you because they know as much about the team as you do.
And so we head to Indianapolis, (or in the Tom Slick world, Apple-less Indian, where they held the Apple-less Indian 500). Nobody expects the Jaguars to win. They're more than a touchdown road dog. If they go to Indy and lose, no big deal. First road loss. The team's 1 and 1. Still plenty of reasons to think they can make the playoffs. No pressure. The sun still shines...tomorrow.
But
What happens if they win? They can. They've won two of the last three meetings with Indy (OK, yeah, two of the last four, and two of the last five, and two of the last six as well, but I'm trying to make them look good here), and won last year in the dome. The offense really has improved a lot, and I think it's more improved than Indy's defense, but I look at the world through teal colored glasses (and if you look at the current poll on the NFL page at ESPN.com, you'll see I'm in a very small minority, and you're saying 'homer' like it's a bad thing). But let's just say it happens. What then? The local sports talk folks seem to think it'll be monumental. The rest of the world has to sit up and take notice. Only one team has the Colts' number like that, and that's....New England. The best of the best...at least for the last few years. But you go win there two years in a row at their place, and three of the last four overall. What does that say? Do you suddenly become a blip on the radar and people start noticing? Do you see the other side of the double edged sword, and lose that ability to fly under the radar, because now everyone knows you're good. The local sports guys think so, but I'm not so sure. I think the national perception will still be 'fluke', and that's not a bad thing. Maybe if we won the first eight in a row, someone in Bristol would ask the question, "Do you think Jacksonville really has a chance?" I don't expect that to happen though, so the question won't be asked. The longer you can surprise people when you kick their butts the better.
To prove my point, let's say, for a minute, the Jaguars win. (Get off the floor and stop that laughing. I'm telling you. It can happen.) That means someone had to come up big and have a great day. That someone will probably be featured on ESPN's fan poll as one of the big play guys, to be voted on by the "sports nation" for who had the biggest game. The Jaguars guy...will come in last. He always does. This team could win the Super Bowl (maybe...just maybe) and in a national poll for the MVP, the winner would come from the losing team. I don't mind all that. I think it's pretty funny.
and for fun, cuz I know it's not that easy to Google, and even if you do there are misleading answers out there, what was the name of Tom Slick's car? Anybody?
The Jaguars have always been an 'under the radar' team, and probably will be for the forseeable future.
Nobody expects much out of them because nobody knows much about them. They're a small market team with small market press, and that makes them the occasionaly 'sexy' pick when someone wants to look knowledgeable without really being so, because nobody will refute you because they know as much about the team as you do.
And so we head to Indianapolis, (or in the Tom Slick world, Apple-less Indian, where they held the Apple-less Indian 500). Nobody expects the Jaguars to win. They're more than a touchdown road dog. If they go to Indy and lose, no big deal. First road loss. The team's 1 and 1. Still plenty of reasons to think they can make the playoffs. No pressure. The sun still shines...tomorrow.
But
What happens if they win? They can. They've won two of the last three meetings with Indy (OK, yeah, two of the last four, and two of the last five, and two of the last six as well, but I'm trying to make them look good here), and won last year in the dome. The offense really has improved a lot, and I think it's more improved than Indy's defense, but I look at the world through teal colored glasses (and if you look at the current poll on the NFL page at ESPN.com, you'll see I'm in a very small minority, and you're saying 'homer' like it's a bad thing). But let's just say it happens. What then? The local sports talk folks seem to think it'll be monumental. The rest of the world has to sit up and take notice. Only one team has the Colts' number like that, and that's....New England. The best of the best...at least for the last few years. But you go win there two years in a row at their place, and three of the last four overall. What does that say? Do you suddenly become a blip on the radar and people start noticing? Do you see the other side of the double edged sword, and lose that ability to fly under the radar, because now everyone knows you're good. The local sports guys think so, but I'm not so sure. I think the national perception will still be 'fluke', and that's not a bad thing. Maybe if we won the first eight in a row, someone in Bristol would ask the question, "Do you think Jacksonville really has a chance?" I don't expect that to happen though, so the question won't be asked. The longer you can surprise people when you kick their butts the better.
To prove my point, let's say, for a minute, the Jaguars win. (Get off the floor and stop that laughing. I'm telling you. It can happen.) That means someone had to come up big and have a great day. That someone will probably be featured on ESPN's fan poll as one of the big play guys, to be voted on by the "sports nation" for who had the biggest game. The Jaguars guy...will come in last. He always does. This team could win the Super Bowl (maybe...just maybe) and in a national poll for the MVP, the winner would come from the losing team. I don't mind all that. I think it's pretty funny.
and for fun, cuz I know it's not that easy to Google, and even if you do there are misleading answers out there, what was the name of Tom Slick's car? Anybody?
John put this out here at 7:47 AM
2 Comments:
Thunderbolt Greaseslapper!
You know...when you mentioned Tom Slick..at first I thought I had dated him in 1986, but then realized it was Tom Dick.. not Slick...one thing about Tom Dick...he didn't have a great theme song either.
I think they can win this week, John. hope they do, in fact. Remember that NE got to where they are by "flying under the radar" and not having superstars. Sure, some of them are now superstars now...
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