No, I'm not holding my breath, but I am getting my teeth scraped....

Yesterday morning I went to the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning visit. I'm not real keen on the teeth scraping exercise, but I see it as a necessary evil if I want to keep them working for a long time.

I'm not real smart about my dentist. He (like me) is from Pennsylvania. He (unlike me) went to Pitt dental school. He (unlike me) is a rabid Steeler fan. I make a habit of reminding him of how the Jaguars seem to manhandle his Steelers more often than not when the two meet. He sticks some sharp thing in my mouth and reminds me who won the Super Bowl this year. Chalk one up for him. Still, I have a Jaguar tie I'll wear next time we meet, which will be after this year's Monday night game, where I really like our chances...so far. Then I'll again brace for the sharp thing in my mouth.

In any case, the conversation (as much as there is one when he's shoving sharp things in my mouth) again turned to the upcoming football season. He expressed his optimism about Pittsburgh's chances to repeat as league champions. I expressed my pain and told him to watch what he does with the sharp thing. No, seriously, I expressed my optimism about the local boys, to which he replied, "Yeah, don't hold your breath."

No, I'm not holding my breath, but I am very optimistic. I think we have a chance at a pretty special season if people can stay healthy. Apparently I'm not alone. Things are looking up and while a lot of it is based on the dreaded "potential" word, and the schedule this year is brutal, I'm telling you with a straight face...J'ville just might be playing next February. You heard it here last.