Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars TE Thomas: We can be better

You might think this time of year would be tedious for a veteran like Julius Thomas. But after missing last year’s training camp and trying to get involved with the Jaguars offense as the season progressed, he says these OTA’s for the Jaguars are important.

“This is probably the biggest time of the year for growing and learning” he said after the Tuesday practice. “We have so much extra time. We’re able to look at the film, look at some of the things we did last year and figure out why we weren’t executing at a high level.”

Although Thomas had some critical catches for the Jaguars as the season wore on, he admitted he never was really comfortable with what he was doing. His “feel” for what QB Blake Bortles was doing and what he wanted just wasn’t there.

“The timing has definitely improved,” he explained. “I think that me and Blake have a much better relationship, a much better understanding of each other and most importantly getting more reps.”

With Thomas being part of an offense with Bortles, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqis Lee, Marcedes Lewis, Chris Ivory and TJ Yeldon, sounds formidable. Robinson believes having the veteran Tight End for the whole season after last year’s production will be important.

“Extremely important,” he said in the locker room. “I think for the games he got out there last year, he was also important. He made some big plays; some big catches for us, down the stretch. I thought he was important last year.”

And while the Jaguars had some production on offense that turned some heads, Thomas said he saw a lot of missed opportunities to win games.

“[There was] a lot to hang our hats on at the end of that season but also a lot of glaring things that kept us from winning games – ball security, execution, how we executed in the red area, third down. If you want to be an elite team, you have to be good in those categories.”

Coming from a player who’s been on winning teams, that opinion should carry some weight with his teammates. Thomas thinks the Jaguars can get to that elite level. With work.

“We have to pay better attention to detail to hit our spots,” he said talking about the Jaguars issues in certain areas. “You’re not going to get great opportunities all the time but when you get them, you have to take advantage of them. That’s what the great teams do and that’s what we’re trying to build. If we have third and short, let’s make sure we execute.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Hale Irwin at WGV: Winners have the heart of a champion

During his time on the PGA Tour, Hale Irwin had a reputation as a fierce competitor. It helped him to three U.S. Open titles but it also meant he was respected and sometimes feared by his peers.

Irwin shot a final round 69 at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham on Sunday, just a few days short of his 71st birthday. He then made the short trip to St. Augustine and the World Golf Hall of Fame to to see the collection of golf memorabilia and artifacts found in the Museum. The current record holder for Champions Tour victories with 45 had not been to World Golf Village in nearly 20 years.

I reminded him he’s been a member of the Hall of Fame for nearly 25 years and 2017 will mark the 50th anniversary of his win in the NCAA Championship.

“You want to hear those numbers I guess,” he joked. “It’s better than the alternative.”

But you can tell now closer to the end of his career than the beginning, the 20-time winner on the PGA TOUR is appreciative but humbled by the Hall.

“Being a part of the greatest who’ve every played this game is pretty humbling,” he said reverently.

And the World Golf Village has transformed itself in Irwin’s eyes into a “must see” attraction for sports fans.

“It’s interactive, the displays are just fantastic. What people have put in here from their own collections! It’s amazing to see how these people have touched the game of golf or maybe more importantly how the game of golf has touched them.”

I snuck a peek at Irwin’s locker in the Hall where he has one of the first sets of clubs he ever played with as a kid when he was 4 years old.

“Those are very simple. They’re old. Archaic. It’s an old, old bag with cut off clubs I used as a little boy,” he said with a laugh. “But l think you have to get grounded every now and again and it takes me back to my parents, my dad, the little town I grew up in in southeast Kansas and how I got started.”

Those clubs are a far cry from the composite heads and solid golf balls that have changed the game dramatically. But Irwin says the top players of any era could compete across the board.

“Are the players at the top of the game now better than players before? No, they’re just playing in different eras. They have the heart of a champion. There’s more depth in the game but you look at Snead, Hogan, Sarazen, Palmer, Nicklaus, Player. They’d have been able to compete.”

Although Hale did admit when watching a PGA TOUR event these days it’s obvious the players themselves have changed.

“They’re all 6’2″, thin and look young!” he said with a chuckle.

In Irwin’s era on the TOUR players came in all shapes and sizes. But he stayed fit, thinking it was part of playing the game.

“”I’ve been in a lot of sports and I was a college football player and I thought that being in shape was the thing to do. It helped me. I think people now are understanding that when they see golfers they’re not just some guy who jumped up from the bar and went to play. They’re athletes. Most of them are good at something else too.”

On one hand technology has changed how the game is played but Irwin believes the idea hasn’t changed.

“The game is still played with the same idea, it’s just how you go about it. Everything is made to go high and fly far. We watched Jason Day hit that 2-iron (at THE PLAYERS) 308 yards. How is that possible?”

And while the top players are taking advantage of the technology boost in golf, Irwin agreed that the equipment allowing better play for the average player is also good for the game.

“People who are playing the game now might see some more immediate positive results with today’s equipment. That’s what people want to see in today’s society and that’s what you’re going to see.”

While he won three U.S. Opens, none were at Oakmont where this year’s Championship will be contested. Irwin is familiar with the layout and says it’ll take some guile, and brawn to win. I said with all the top players playing well it could be an exciting tournament to watch.

“It will be,” he said emphatically. “I’m going to go out on a branch here and say it’s going to be a veteran who wins this year. You can’t just go out there and bang it willy-nilly at Oakmont. It takes some knowledge of where you can hit it. Not that some of those young guys can’t do it. But I think somebody’s going to step out of the shadows of those young lions to put some heat on them.”

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Jaguars Start OTA’s “Good not great.”

In his fourth year as the Jaguars head coach, Gus Bradley is pretty much done creating a culture.

You could tell from his opening statement after the first OTA of 2016.

“I would say a good start, not a great start,” is how he started. “I thought there were some things, but I kind of like that as far as the first day because the team recognized it. What I saw that I did like is that they’re starting to hold each other accountable from day one.”

Building a roster with a players who have the blend of talent and personality that will fit into Bradley’s culture was a priority for the head coach and General Manager Dave Caldwell. Bradley’s built the core. Now he’s leaving it up to the players.

“We’re not going in and having a team meeting about, ‘Hey, you have to hold each other accountable to a standard.’ Those discussions are over. Those guys know the standard so I like that part of it.”

Much like last year, Bradley was faced with a question about his injured first round draft pick after the first OTA. He didn’t seem overly concerned, relating that he couldn’t tell when Jalen Ramsey was injured during Phase Two of the workouts. ”

“You know what, I’m going to be really honest with you and say it’s hard to see,” Gus recalled. “Both him and I have had conversations about it and you really can’t see anything on tape.”

Ramsey is going to be re-examined this week for a better idea of how much time he’ll miss.

Perhaps the position most in flux for the Jaguars is offensive line. They announced that Luke Bowanko has a hip injury and is awaiting surgery. As expected Brandon Linder lined up at center with Luke Joeckel working at both tackle and guard. Without Kelvin Beachum working in these OTA’s Bradley says he’ll get a good look at several players at several positions. When Beachum returns, (they hope in training camp) that’s when the real competition will begin. But make no mistake, Bradley likes everything about Joeckel.

“He’s another one that I think when you look at Luke compared to the last play of last season to now, I think physically he’s had some changes,” Gus explained when asked about where the former number one pick will play. “He looks stronger, just his attitude and his work ethic, he’s really focused. Seems like a different type of player, not that he wasn’t before, but he’s out on a little bit of a mission it seems like.”

When asked about the difference between guard and tackle Joeckel said, “It’s easier.” And added that he’ll do whatever they ask.

Adapting to the center position has been quicker than expected for Linder according to Bradley. A natural guard, Linder seems to have taken to the nuance of the position in the middle of the line easily.

“I like his leadership. You wonder how long it’s going to take him to get into a routine. It’s not going to take him long from what I’ve seen.”

In an ironic twist, Bradley said if one player has stood out in the last couple of weeks it’s Aaron Colvin. Colvin will be suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s PED policy but can work with the team until then.

It’s no secret that Marqise Lee has fought injuries during his whole time with the Jaguars. That means the team really isn’t counting on him but he would be a real luxury if he can stay healthy. “We haven’t had him in a lot of practices until the end of last year,” Gus said. “Just to see him practice and he can build up and stack up good practice after good practice because he does need some technique work. His issue is not his skillset. His speed is something that we don’t have, and his athleticism. I think just stacking up really good practices.”

Just getting through one practice was considered a victory for 2015 first round pick Dante Fowler. He joked that he completed an entire practice and was glad everybody could stop worrying. The Jaguars are “managing” his time on the field but so far they like what they see.

“Yeah, in phase-two. … It’s all individual drill work,” Gus said when asked about Fowler looking like the player they drafted. “So when you see him go around the hoops and things like that, you see his explosiveness and his skillset. So he’s really done a good job.” And while Bradley would have rather had Fowler on the field last year, he admitted the injury has made the former Gator better.

“Believe me that was tough on him, really tough. I’ve visited with some coaches that say, in the NBA, they draft guys that have gone through some sort of adversity – some sort of injury – to show that they can come back. I don’t know if that’s ideal or not, but I can say with Dante, I think the whole thing has helped him. Helped him to a certain level of maturity.”

“Everybody’s here.” Although these OTA’s are voluntary, the Jaguars head coach was obviously pleased that every player who could be here was present, a rarity when it comes to the NFL.

“Coach called me and said, ‘Gus, don’t take that for granted.” Gus said with a laugh. “You could have 10-15 guys not show up, so I don’t take that for granted, it’s awesome. Our guys are incredible that way. They come, go to work and I appreciate that.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Ramsey Hurt: Jaguars Snake Bit?

About the first dozen people I told that Jalen Ramsey had a tear in his meniscus had the same reaction: “Come on! Really? Are the Jaguars snake bit?”

It’s easy to draw that conclusion after last year’s injury to Dante Fowler and the just plain old bad luck the Jaguars have had in the last 12-15 years. And while I don’t think they’re snake bit, I do think revisiting what they’re asking these players to do early on in training is a smart idea.

Last year Fowler was injured on the first day of rookie mini-camp going one-on-one with another rookie offensive tackle. Since the end of the college football season Fowler had been training for the combine, his pro days, team visits and individual workouts. That ends about two or three weeks before the draft, giving the players a chance to exhale. It also means the first extended time off the field since the previous August. Brining the rookies in the week after the draft means most of them have had a month of rest and not intense workouts. Put them on the field against each other in their first foray into the professional world and you can’t expect them to go at it at anything but 100%. Having had a month off, they’re not ready for that but don’t try and tell a 21-year old that. So injuries happen.

And they don’t just happen to the Jaguars. But I do think working these guys back in a bit slower when it comes to the physical aspect of workouts is advisable. Even just a month off has these players at just below their optimum fitness level and they can pay a price. It might be a fluke that Ramsey got hurt but more likely it’s his body is fine tuned to the point where if one thing is a little out of whack, it’s possible an injury will happen. And don’t forget, he had surgery on the same knee in high school.

Here’s the Jaguars official statement: “Jalen Ramsey sustained a small tear to the meniscus in his right knee during phase two on-field workouts. Ramsey is obtaining a second opinion next week. More information will be available when Head Team Physician Dr. Kevin Kaplan and the Jaguars athletic training staff determine the appropriate medical care.”

I talked with knee specialist and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Shirley today who said, “At his age, if it’s a small tear in his meniscus he’ll be back to 100% in 3-6 weeks and will be able to play without any difficulty for the next 10-12 years.”

Shirley has worked with professional sports teams for more than 40 years and wasn’t surprised by the injury. “He’ll be back ok,” he told me.

So next week we’ll have more information but don’t expect Ramsey to see any action until he’s 100%.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Day Wins THE PLAYERS 2016

It might have looked like a calm “walkabout” but Jason Day said it was anything but before the final round of the 2016 Players.

“I told Ellie earlier this morning, this is probably the most nervous I’ve been before a tournament round,” he recounted after finishing at -15 and recording his seventh victory in his last 17 starts, adding THE PLAYERS in 2016 to his resume.

Entering the final round with a four shot lead, Day played the front nine in two over par, including a bogey from 25 feet on the par 5 ninth. He said making the putt there for bogey was the most important shot of the week and kept him focused on playing well.

“I just kept on saying to myself, just settle yourself down. Don’t do anything too drastic and try and chase pins or do anything stupid out there because, other than 9, for the most part — I didn’t play a great front nine, but once I got to 10, I kind of said to myself, you’re still in the game, you’ve still got the lead.”

Day birdied 10 and followed that with another at 12 and one at 16. He said he was still nervous on 17 hitting his 52 degree wedge “But I was close to hitting it in the bloody water there.”

He said he savored the walk down 18 as much as he could, knowing victory was at hand. But despite the winning percentage and the success he’s had, he’s hungry for more.

“I’m trying to extend that lead, so that I stay on top, because at the end of the day, it’s very stressful being the No. 1 player in the world,” he explained. “You’re in the limelight a lot. You’ve got more things to do when you get to tournaments, more things to do off weeks. But I wouldn’t change it in any way because this is exactly where I want to be, and I want to try and stay here as long as I can while I can, because nothing beats this feeling.”

As the runner-up, Kevin Chappell didn’t get the victory he wanted but gained a lot of confidence. Chappell had nines of 29, 31 and 32 and was at 2 over through 26 holes of the tournament. So even though he had a lot of solid stretches, he knows he still needs a bit of work.

“I’ve got a lot of horsepower,” he said. “This horse can run. Got to get rid of some of the bogeys. I really didn’t scramble that well this week, and I feel like that’s been something I’ve leaned on this whole year. Just look at it as an anomaly, and got to get back to work and get at it again at Colonial.”

Finishing with a flourish, a birdie on 18, Justin Thomas’ 65 in the final round of this year’s Players shot him straight up the leaderboard.

“I love this course,” he said more than two hours before Jason Dan walked up 18. “I’m glad to have shot a good score on a championship venue like this.”

When asked if he thinks about what shots he could have saved Thursday or Friday he laughed and said, “Man, that’s golf. I’m thinking about the once I gave away today!”

Thomas admitted he didn’t think he had a chance to win the golf tournament when he came to the course this morning but would stick around to see what Day would do. “Have to,” he said with a smile.

A closing 68 left Adam Scott at -7 and if not for an eight on 18 on Friday, he admitted he was playing well enough to win.

“It could have been a different story for me over the weekend had I not done that,” the 2004 champion explained. “But that’s one of 72 holes I have to play. I hung in there and had a good finish down the stretch. I go away from the week feeling like I’m playing some good golf.”

Noting that he and Jason have been top 15 players in the world for the past five years, Scott said the state of the game in Australia is good. Standing atop the FedEx rankings, Scott says Day is inspiring kids Down Under to take the game up.

“Jason is going to be inspiring kids like he was inspired by Tiger. That’s really important for the overall makeup of the game down there. It’s nice to see.”

After losing his chance to win the tournament with a nine on 17 yesterday including three balls in the water, local resident Russell Knox called it a “career defining moment” when he came to 17 today.

“I’ve never been so nervous over a shot in my whole life,” the former JU player said. “If I couldn’t get off the tee there today, I was in big trouble. So I was very happy that I hit the green. Even though I three-putted, I beat my score by five yesterday, so pretty solid.” Knox posted a 68 in the final round to finish at five under. Ironically, his only bogey of the day was at 17.

An anticipated run by Rory McIlroy never materialized as he couldn’t ever build on any momentum. At 8 under par after 11 holes the world #3 was looking to make something happen but didn’t convert on any of his chances. He says it’s similar to how he’s played over the last year.

“I’m just not — it’s just not — everything is just not clicking,” he explained. “Hopefully as the summer approaches, everything can start to click and I can go on a run, because I really don’t feel like it’s too far away.

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THE PLAYERS Round 2: Low Scores Again

It was a blistering pace that he couldn’t possibly keep up but it was clear Rory McIlroy brought his ‘A’ game for the second round of THE PLAYERS. Starting on the back nine where he’s had tremendous success, Mcilroy birdied the first four holes and went birdie-eagle at 15 and 16 to shoot 29 on his opening nine holes. That tied the record set just yesterday by Shane Lowry.

“I knew that the course was going to play much easier than it did yesterday afternoon,” he explained in the “flash” interview right after his round. “This course really does play so much differently from morning to afternoon.”

Over the past three years, McIlroy has played the back in 44 under par but is 13 over par on the front. While he didn’t scorch the front, birdies at 2 and 7 put him on the verge of tying or setting the course record. But his lone bogey of the round came at the par five ninth. Rory said he’s carrying at 2-iron this week instead of a 5-wood and that influenced his decision to lay up instead of going for the green in two.

“So I sort of talked myself out of it on the fairway,” he said. “And I laid up and thought, I’ll take my chances from inside a hundred yards from the fairway. I might have left myself a little bit too close. I was trying to get really sort of cute with it, I guess, and I just hit it too easy.”

Coming down the stretch, McIlroy said he was aware he had a chance at the course record and was looking to make a closing birdie to shoot 62. Despite moving back into contention, he admitted his round couldn’t have been lower.

“I’m disappointed, but there’s still two more days to go. But that’s the nice thing; I’m in a good position heading into the weekend. The course will play a little bit tougher this afternoon, but hopefully I’m still not too far behind going into the weekend.”

Starting on the front, Colt Knost moved to the top of the leaderboard with a course record tying 63 in his second round.

“The fairways are running, which kind of makes this place challenging,” he said, “But at the same time it makes it play so short. I’m having so many wedges into greens, obviously I’m one of the shorter hitters out here, but you give us wedges into these greens, you’re going to be able to get aggressive.

Knost shot 31-32 with five consecutive birdies from 5-8 on the front and followed that with four birdies on the back. He came to 18 at ten under but a bogey on the finishing hole cost him the course record. And he knew it.

“Yeah, for sure I knew it. I watch a lot of golf, to be honest,” he explained. “When I birdied 15 to get to 9, I kind of thought, I’m going to have a really good chance at this thing, especially going into 16, and honestly got pretty unlucky on 16 where my second shot ended up, but hit two great shots on 17, and then I knew where I stood on 18, and I also knew I snap-hooked it in the water there yesterday, so that went through the head.”

A driver and a 7-iron left Knost two putts from the record but he couldn’t complete that task.

“It seems like every time you try to two-putt, you leave yourself something a little more than you want. I was nervous over the last putt just because — you know, so many great players have played this golf course and all that, and to be the first one and only one to shoot 10-under would have been really cool.”

Perhaps some familiarity with the course is a bonus as Jax Beach resident Jonas Blixt carded his second straight 67 to finish the first two rounds at -10. Blixt’s 67 included 3 bogeys to go along with eight birdies. It’s not surprising to see Alex Cejka’s name near the top of the leaderboard. Having been the 54-hole leader a few years ago, Cejka is accustomed to going low at the stadium course, backing up his opening 67 with another to finish 54 holes at -10. Bo Weekley continued his solid play following his opening round 66 with a 69 and is at 9 under.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Wilcox Hole In One At 17

For the 13th hole-in-one of his golfing career, PGA TOUR player Will Wilcox picked a high profile spot. A pitching wedge from 147 yards flew straight and true and rolled into the cup at the 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course on Friday. It’s the first ace at 17 in 14 years during THE PLAYERS. Miguel Angel Jiminez made the last in 2002.

Shortly thereafter, a sign was posted in the media dining area in front of the cooler saying Will would like to buy the media a beer to celebrate his hole in one. And to top it off, Wilcox and his caddie came by after his second round 71 (he’s -5 for the tournament) to literally have a beer with the media.

“Eleven years old, 7 iron, 134 yards,” Wilcox said when asked about his first ace. With 13 of them on his resume, he said he really couldn’t remember his last but “I’ll always remember my first.”

When I mentioned to Wilcox that the last guy who had some success on the Stadium Course with a colored golf ball was Jerry Pate, he said, “He’s a ‘Bama guy, sort of.” (Pate attended the University of Alabama.)

Wilcox is from Birmingham and played college golf at UAB before going on the Web.com tour and graduating to the PGA TOUR. Easygoing and friendly, he was honest when asked why he plays a yellow ball.

“Because Srixon likes it,” he said with a smile. “And that’s good enough.”

With the pin position in the back, Wilcox was as surprised as anyone that he made the first hole in one in 6,300 tournament swings at 17.

“When we got there yesterday I said to the guys in my group, ‘Oh with that pin position, (up front) somebody will knock that in,'” he explained. “So with it back today I was just hoping to not chunk it in the water.”

As he and his caddie packed up and headed home for the night he turned to the dozen or so of us left and waved, “Let’s do this again tomorrow.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Play Suspended At THE PLAYERS in Rd. 2

There’s not a hard and fast rule on when to stop play because of weather on the PGA TOUR but they do have parameters. Tournament officials who are on the road each week at the various TOUR stops work with the on-site meteorologist to decided when to stop play.

“It depends on the speed of the storm and the lightning involved,” one TOUR official said when play was suspended at THE PLAYERS at 4:08 EDT on Friday.

“We’re looking at how long it would get the number of fans off the golf course safely as the weather comes in,” he explained.

The TOUR has an evacuation plan in place for the players on course with vans put in place in what they call “Phase Two” of the preparations. They preposition the vans in case the weather does come in quickly so they can get the players off the course quickly and safely.

They’ll play in rain but lightning “in the general area” causes the TOUR to suspend play immediately.

Today was no different as the PGA TOUR posted weather-warning signs throughout the Stadium Course alerting fans that a weather delay was imminent and to take appropriate action.

Once the single horn sounded, players were allowed to mark their ball on the course and were hustled off to the locker room.

Jason Day is -3 today through eight holes and -12 for the tournament. He has a two shot lead over Jonas Blixt, Alex Cejka and Cameron Tringale.

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Spite A Favorite, And Not Just For Golf

As I was walking by the front door of Sawgrass Country Club, I noticed Jordan Spieth sitting in his PGA Tour courtesy car, working on his phone. That’s when former player and current PGA Tour caddie (for Webb Simpson) Paul Tesori came up with his wife Michelle and their son.

“Say hi to Uncle Jordan,” Michelle exclaimed, as she handed the 2-½ year old boy to Spieth.

“He buddy,” Jordan said as he lightly kissed the young Tesori on the cheek.

Spieth was at Sawgrass CC today in support of Tesori’s foundation (Tesori Family Foundation.) With a special needs sister, Jordan was more than glad to help raise the awareness for Tesori, whose son has Down’s Syndrome.

“You’ve all heard of Jordan’s exploits on the course as a golfer,” Tesori said in front of the assembled crowd. “But I want to talk about him as a man,” he continued. “At 22 years old he’s wise beyond his years, compassionate, helpful and here despite having an early tee time tomorrow!”

Tesori’s passion for helping kids and families touched by Down’s Syndrome is evident. Spieth has looked to Tesori for some guidance on Tour.

“Pauly is one of the most special people I know,” Jordan said after finishing with pictures with the participants. “He down to earth, fantastic man. Anything he needs, I’m there for him.”

Spieth’s commitment to his sister has been well documented and he admits the group of people involved in helping special needs children is a tight knit group. “There are a lot of similarities in families that have special needs kids and adults,” he explained. “It’s kinda cool to always meet them and share stories of who we are because it is very different.”

Earlier in the day the two-time major champion played 18 holes in a practice round with Colt Knost, Troy Merritt and Ryan Palmer. It appeared they had a friendly game going where holing out was important.

Not sure who walked away a winner, but Spieth was pleased with the golf course, calling it one of his favorites.

“It’s very pure,” he noted. “This is one of my favorite courses in the world. Pete Dye did a great job here, and I enjoy playing his courses in general. You’ve got to strike the ball extremely well. It plays narrower than it seems.”

While the 22-year old is a favorite almost every time he tees it up, he’s expecially comfortable on the Stadium Course because of the accuracy it demands.

“It’s kind of a spot-to-spot type of golf course that requires working the ball both directions and controlling it in the wind,” he explained. “And obviously the closing stretch takes some nerve.”

As expected there were questions about Spieth letting the Masters slip away last month, something he talked about easily, giving Danny Willett credit for making putts when he had to but also admitting that it was tough playing 18 knowing he’d have to slip the Green Jacket on somebody else.

“I obviously knew that that was going to happen when I was teeing off on 18 tee box,” he added. “So I had that entire hole to play and the time after to kind of figure out my emotions. Just like three years ago, when I watched Bubba get the jacket on the 18th green, it’s motivation for next year.”

Will his failure to close out his second Masters have and effect if he gets into contention again?

I don’t think I have anything to prove,” he said. “I think I’ve already proven what we’re capable of doing when the pressure is on. But yeah, I mean, it’s behind me. I’m ready to move on and work back into contention. After a month off, it felt like a bit of a off-season, so it’s almost like a new year starting this week.”

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Day Early Leader At THE PLAYERS

On a day full of low scores perhaps it’s no surprise that the world’s number one player Jason Day grabbed the first round lead at THE PLAYERS, tying the course record at nine-under 63.

“The temperature was hot, so the ball was going a long way, and when the ball goes a long way, you’re coming in with shorter clubs if you hit the fairways,” he explained right after his round.

Day was so dominant in the opening round that he had a birdie putt on every hole and didn’t have a par putt longer than two feet. (By the way if you play golf, read that sentence again.)

“I can’t really recall the way that I hit the ball as well as I did today and then also putting as well as I did,” he said matter-of-factly.

In the run-up to this year’s tournament a lot of players thought the golf course was softer than in the past and would be receptive to low scores. Day agreed that he believed something significantly under par would lead after the first round.

“We thought the greens were sticking and a lot of guys could attack the pins that we had out there,” he added. “But shooting 63 was great today and there’s a lot of guys at 7-under par right now and a lot of guys that are going off the afternoon tee time that can definitely shoot that score as well.”

That might be the case, but birdies popped up for Day at some critical times, including on 17. The island green hole was playing 124 yards and Day said he was trying to hit it 130 but hit it “a little bit less.”

“And you still get nervous over that shot. Doesn’t matter if you’re hitting a pitching wedge or you’re hitting a sand wedge or lob wedge, it’s still tough to try and hit that shot.”

Although he played the back nine first, the reigning PGA Champion said it’s still exciting, coming to the finishing holes at the Stadium Course

“Especially when you’re coming, playing that back side,” he added. “You come into 16, you start to walk to 16 and you start hearing the crowd, you start getting a little bit nervous on trying to hit that tee shot. But good to get a birdie there.”

Starting his round on the 10th hole, Day birdieing the first three and number seven to make the turn at -4. He birdied one and two, number four and seven to get within one of the course record held by four other players with two holes to play.

His second shot on the par-5 ninth found a greenside bunker but out of the sand Day hit it to 18 inches for a tap-in and a 63. Pretty good for a guy who shot 81 in the second round of THE PLAYERS last year, his last round on the Stadium Course.

“I was really displeased with how I played last year, considering I was coming into that week feeling pretty good about my game and I just didn’t really play great in the second round.” With his current mindset and the confidence he has, the first round leader could put Greg Norman’s tournament record of 24-under in jeopardy.

“I’ve shot scores lower, but I think from tee to green and then on the green and then being patient and everything kind of just clicked today and I shot a good score.”

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First Round Players Notes

Here are some notes from the first round:

Jason Day joins Greg Norman (1994) Fred Couples (1992) Roberto Castro (2013) and Martin Kaymer (2014) as a record holder for lowest round ever at the TPC Stadium Course during THE PLAYERS. Norman and Kaymer won the years they shot 63.

Day’s previous low round at THE PLAYERS was -4 68. His low round on tour is -10 61 at the 2015 BMW Championship where he won.

Norman and Tiger Woods (twice) are the only #1 ranked players in the world to win THE PLAYERS while being world number one.

Six first round leaders have won on the PGA TOUR this year.

Day has held or shared the first round lead 8 times in his career. Twice as the solo leader after 18 holes he’s gone on to victory.

Justin Rose went eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie on 16 -17-18-1-2 to match the streak Fulton Allem set in 1999. Six under on five holes.

Rose’s best finish at THE PLAYERS is T4 in 2014. He’s a seven-time winner on the PGA TOUR.

Cameron Tringale’s -7 is his lowest round ever at TPC Sawgrass. Same with Shane Lowery who also posted a 29 on the back nine. Bill Haas also shot 65, his lowest round in 29 tries at the Stadium Course.

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Formula To Win THE PLAYERS? None

In succession the number one player in the world, last week’s winner on the PGA Tour and the 2016 Masters Champion all stepped up the podium to address this year’s Players Championship.

“This is the toughest field we have all year, It’s a big even and it’s getting bigger and bigger,” said world number one Jason Day.

“To me it’s similar to Augusta, every hole is special. Every hole you can make 10 or make 2,” said last week’s winner in Charlotte James Hahn.

“One,” Masters Champion Danny Willett said when asked how many times he’s played golf since winning at Augusta.

Just ask a question to any of these players, currently among the most recognizable on the PGA Tour, and you’ll get different answers about the course, their state of play and life in general.

Hahn revealed that the five hour drive from Charlotte to Jacksonville was accompanied by a crying baby in the car only to be overshadowed by the number of times he and his wife said, “Two-Time PGA Tour Champion.”

When asked if he’s changed more “nappies” (diapers) or signed more Masters pin flags in the last month, Willett chuckled “I’ve changed a few nappies, but there’s been a lot of signing that’s had to be done.”

And Day explained that his world ranking at number one gives him more confidence than ever being here.

“Yeah, I think it definitely feels different,” Day explained. “Obviously I haven’t had the greatest finishes here at THE PLAYERS Championship, but with that said, I feel a lot more prepared this year than I ever have in my career coming into this event. So I’m hoping that is a little bit of a different result this year.”

And as the top ranked player, Day says getting a Players win is on his list.

“It’s a golf tournament that you really do want to win and have it on your resume at the end of your career because it’s such a huge event. This is one of those tournaments where, if you’re on the border of getting into the Hall of Fame, this could kick it over and get you into the Hall of Fame.”

Wow. THE PLAYERS making the difference of getting into the Hall of Fame or not. That’s a first.

And Hahn says looking at the future and not the past, visualizing success and making it happen helped him overcome eight straight missed cuts and win last week in Charlotte. Even making a 10 on #16 at TPC can be a positive thought. Because the golf course can get in your head.

“I play every hole with a different mindset. I think it’s one of the toughest golf courses that we play all year. There’s not one hole where you can take for granted and say this is an easy par hole or an easy birdie hole. There is trouble everywhere. Hole 16 is very special to me. I had made, I think, a 10 on it last year and it was the best 10 I have ever made. I could have been a lot worse.” Whatever it takes!

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Fowler Still “Likes the Vibe”

You’ve probably seen the commercials for The Players featuring the defending champion Rickie Fowler where he talks about “Jax Beach, Ponte Vedra and going to Taco Lu.” Having spent time with Fowler since the beginning of his career I can tell you he’s authentic when he says stuff like that. His comfort level at the TPC facility is only ramped up by how he likes coming here. As he said, “I like the vibe.”

“It’s definitely special to be back,” Fowler said opening up his press conference this afternoon. “Feels like coming back home. I was here just over a month ago for media day and I got to spend a little time around 16, 17 and 18, and it was fun to go out there and get around the course for the first time since last year.”

In contention last week in Charlotte, Fowler hit two balls in the water coming down the stretch on Sunday to fall a few strokes back. Much different from last year where he played the lights out on the back nine in the final round to force a playoff and then win it.

According to the defending champ, that’s golf.

“If it was an easy game, there would be a lot more people competing at a high level. But I think it’s just like any other professional sport in a way; at the highest level it’s such a fine line between playing great golf and being just off.”

Playing the same golf course for the same championship only happens every year at Augusta at the Masters when it comes to the Majors. Fowler thinks the TPC Stadium Course is demanding and thinks driving the ball accurately is one of the most important parts of posting a low number. World number one Jason Day said he hits a lot of 3-woods off the tee here to try to be accurate. Fowler took us through his thought process standing on each tee:

“Driver 1, 2, 3-wood on 4, driver 5, 3-wood 6, driver 7, driver 9, 3-wood 10, driver 11, 3-wood 12, driver 14, 15, 16, 18. And we shot 67. We’re off to a good start,” he recited going through all 18 holes. “And we shot 67. We’re off to a good start,” he deadpanned to laughter among the assembled media.

Perhaps you remember during last year’s players that a poll was published calling Fowler the “Most overrated” player on the PGA Tour. It was laughable then and winning THE PLAYERS made it look silly. He followed that up with wins in Scotland, Boston and Abu Dhabi, opening the floodgates for success. Is it because he put more pressure on himself to win? Actually it’s a question of being comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.

“I don’t think you put more pressure. I think you have the expectations. I know after this win last year, just I talked about having more confidence and the belief when I was back in kind of in contention at the next events, just how comfortable I felt, and it was a lot more fun being back in that situation because I knew what I was up against. I knew I could take care of business,” he explained.

“It’s fun winning out here. It’s a lot of fun when you get to spend some late Sunday nights in the media center, so I don’t know if it’s any extra pressure, I think it’s just that expectation and you want to get back in that position again.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Mayor Curry To Run Gate River Run

As a politician, Mayor Lenny Curry is used to looking for a way to win. For the Gate River Run on Saturday he’ll have find a new definition for the word victory.

“The streets are lined with people, I remember seeing beer stands last year,” Mr. Curry told me before a training run in his neighborhood this week. “There’s a little it of something for every body. If you want to be competitive you can, if you want to just run and enjoy the day you can do that too.”

It won’t be the first time the Mayor has run the Gate but it’ll be the first time a sitting Mayor of Jacksonville has stepped into the crowd to run after some welcoming remarks. He’s been suitably fast when he’s run the race before but says the hardest part will be remembering his age (45) instead of how old he thinks he is (30).

“We sort of have a little competition going on in the house as to who can finish the fastest,” the Mayor’s wife Molly said as she prepared to join in on the training.”

“You’re just throwing that in there now,” Mr. Curry asked with a laugh. “That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”

This year the Mayor will run with his wife and his son Boyd, so he’s not going to be looking at his watch, but rather enjoying the day, the crowds and the course.

“Last year I pushed myself the first three miles out of the gate and felt like somebody had punched me in the gut,” he recalled.

As Mayor, improving the fitness of Jacksonville’s citizens is one of his goals. He’ll be rolling out a walking and running initiative in the coming months because he believes in the benefits.

“For me it’s like brushing my teeth,” he said. “It’s that important. It’s not only good for the body it’s good for the mind.”

This year is the 39th edition of the Gate River Run with a record number of participants expected. The start is at 8:30 by the stadium with live coverage on News4Jax beginning at 7 AM.

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Furyk Returns Optimistic At PLAYERS

Forced out of action last September with a wrist injury, Ponte Vedra’s Jim Furyk thought he’d be back on the course before the first of the year. But on February 1st, still struggling to get healthy, Furyk announced he’d miss another three months because of surgery on his wrist. “This has been frustrating for me to this point,” he said announcing the surgery, “But I am focusing on an aggressive rehabilitation program.”

Today it was a bit surprising to see him at the Stadium Course after starting his year last week at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte.

“I feel alright,” Jim said this afternoon. “I wish I would have played better last week. I knew I’d be rusty, I’m not quite 100% but the only way to get stronger is to play.”

Although he lives a driver and 5 iron from the TPC at Sawgrass, Furyk’s time on the road doesn’t allow him to be that familiar with the Stadium Course.

“It’s not a place I’ve had a lot of success in the past, I probably enjoyed starting in Charlotte a little better since I’ve won there,” he explained.

But the fact that one of the most significant tournaments of the year is played in his backyard isn’t lost on the 17-time PGA Tour winner. “It’s nice to be at home this week. I’m in familiar surroundings, in my own bed. I’ll practice at my normal facilities the way I normally do.”

At 45 years old, Furyk has a routine he follows each week, so being at the event site on a Monday was quite a bit different for him. “I’m rarely here on Monday,” he said as he headed to the range. “In a perfect world I’d have made the cut in Charlotte, played four rounds and had today as a day off. But having a weekend off I wanted to hit some balls, stay loose and see how the golf course is playing. How are the greens? I haven’t seen the golf course in months so I’m anxious to see how it’s playing.”

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More Players At THE PLAYERS On Monday

For years, Monday was a moneymaking day on the PGA Tour. Not in competition, but rather at corporate outings, appearances and making money for charity. With the amount of money available each week at the regular Tour stops, some of that has disappeared.

Monday’s at major championships are full of practice rounds and arrivals and that’s becoming the norm at the Players.

“Some weeks I am, some weeks I’m not,” Brandt Snedeker said as he made his way to the putting green. “But it’s such a big event for us, I’m out here today, which is something I normally wouldn’t do.

More and more you hear players putting more emphasis on The Players, invoking the dreaded “M-word.”

“I’m treating this like a major championship,” the 8-time PGA Tour winner explained. “I’m going to play some golf today, hit some balls. I’ll amp up for tomorrow, and Wednesday will be kind of a light day to get ready for Thursday. You want to be prepared and give yourself every opportunity to play well.”

While he didn’t call it a major, Jacksonville Beach’s Matt Every said he was here today to get some work in because it’s in his hometown.

“Normally I don’t go to the golf course on Monday. Since I’m here, I might as well come and get some practice in. And it’s a little bit bigger week, this week means a little more so I’m trying to fine tune as much as I can.”

If there’s one thing that raises the profile of The Players, it’s the significance the competitors place on the tournament. Many of them remember watching it on television, fascinated by the golf course.

“Got a lot of family and friends out here,” Every, the former Gator explained. “I remember coming out here as a kid. Brings back a lot of memories so it’s a big week.”

And as far as Snedeker is concerned winning here is a big bump on your golfing resume. He’ll start the competition with Danny Willett and Justin Rose at 8:10 on the 10th tee Thursday.

“This is a huge week for us. It’s our flagship event on the PGA Tour. We view this as a major championship, the best field in golf. The course is in great shape, hopefully it brings out your best golf.”

Also going off the 10th tee Thursday with Webb Simpson and Ernie Else at 7:48, Every, a 2-time winner on tour says the Stadium Course should get your attention immediately.

“Accuracy off the tee is big,” he explained. “Grinding out here is big. If you get caught going through the motions here it can be a long week. Just make sure your brain is turned on all week.”

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Caldwell Takes Jack: “Risk To Be Great”

I ran into Atlanta Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitrioff last year at the NFL owners meeting walking down a hallway to dinner.

“Hey, I work with Dave Caldwell a lot and he said he learned a lot from you,” I said as we shook hands.

“Be careful,” he responded, “He’s really smart.”

Smart. And measured, and knows how the game is played.

While not making a big offer to Josh Norman last week drew some criticism, in retrospect, it was the right move. Sitting and waiting at number five in the first round, the scenario played out so Jalen Ramsey, the player the Jaguars had rated as the best in the draft, fell right to them.

On Thursday, Caldwell and the Jaguars personnel staff had UCLA linebacker Myles Jack listed as the third best defensive player in the draft. With teams shying away from his knee issue and rumors swirling, Jack started to slide down the draft board, into the bottom third of the picks. The Jaguars GM tried to move back into the first round to take Jack, but didn’t want to part with the price: a second and fourth round pick this year.

So, he waited. Smartly.

And then there was some talk in the afternoon of day two of the NFL Draft that if Jack was there with the 38th pick, the Jaguars would take the risk and pick him.

Working the phones and his contacts, Caldwell determined Jack wouldn’t last that long so he started to deal and found a willing partner in the Baltimore Ravens. Instead of a 4th rounder to get back into the first round, Caldwell was willing to part with a 5th rounder to move up a couple of spots and selected Jack with the 36th pick overall.

So from speculation that the Jaguars might take Jack over Ramsey at number five, they end up with both players. How often does a team get two of the top three players on their board in the same draft? Never is the answer.

“Somebody had to believe in me, and I had a feeling it was going to be Jacksonville,” Jack said by phone after his selection. “I knew after my workout for the Jaguars that they’d take me in the second round. I really love coach Bradley. … He earned my trust on that first visit.”

It was a long period of study for Head Coach Gus Bradley when it came to Myles Jack. He wanted to know about his physical ability but also needed information about Jack’s personality, especially if he had to go through another long rehab.

“We’ve had conversations about Myles Jack for many months now, just really intrigued by his skill set and how he plays the game,” Gus explained.”

“It helped that our scouts had a great idea about who he was, Dave, the analysis of the tape, but also (UCLA Head Coach) Jim Mora. I coached with Coach Mora, was with him at Seattle, so I had many conversations with him about the impact he (Myles Jack) had and the type of person he was and type of player he was. Just really excited about having Myles be there for us.”

Perhaps to prove a point, Jack posted a video of him dunking a basketball on his Twitter account today, throwing it down with ease as if to say, “What knee?”

No question it’s a calculated risk for Caldwell and the Jaguars but when asked about the possibility of Jack not working out, Caldwell didn’t flinch.

“We want to be great and to be great sometimes you have to take risks,” he said flatly.

So when the Jaguars take the field in Week One they could have “three first round picks” starting on defense: Ramsey, Fowler and Jack. Add Gipson and Jackson, Marks coming back, Odrick, Amukamara, Smith, Cyp and Poz and all of the sudden the Jaguars defense looks legitimate.

No question that word “potential” will be thrown around a lot when the talk turns to the Jags defense but Bradley thinks the right kind of player are joining the squad.

“These guys that we’re bringing in, too, the mindset, I really like that part of them, how competitive they are. They’re just going to be, that’s one of the things when I talked to Jalen (Ramsey), he said he could feel it just in talking to our guys and when he was here. I think our guys trust that we’re going to bring in guys with like mindsets.”

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Jaguars’ Ramsey: Best Player In The Draft

Sticking to the plan and a little luck put the best player in front of the Jaguars in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Getting Jalen Ramsey with the 5th pick seemed like a pipe dream when the Jaguars did their own mock drafts. A scenario where Ramsey was still on the board was very remote.

“We are very happy and we didn’t think that when this all started picking at five, early on before the quarterback swaps, that he [Jalen Ramsey] would get to us,” General Manager Dave Caldwell said after making the selection. Caldwell thought Ramsey was the best player in the draft. “You know once the quarterback thing started happening we had three defensive players we liked better and he was obviously at the top of the list.”

In fact, the Jaguars were so sure of Ramsey they didn’t even talk about it in their draft room. Before the Cowboy’s finished saying “Ezekiel Elliott” Caldwell was dialing Ramsey’s number. “Right after Dallas’ pick went in, no more than a minute later my phone started ringing,” Ramsey said in Chicago. ” I saw 904 immediately. I picked up the phone so quick, I didn’t even let it get through the first ring.”

As anxious and excited that Ramsey was there, the FSU cornerback was equally anxious to join the Jaguars. He knew it the first time he came to Jacksonville.

“Kind of immediately,” he explained when asked when he knew he’d like to be a Jaguar. “They talked about it on my visit there, ‘if you’re still on the board, we’re going to get you.'”

There have been comparisons across the spectrum with other defensive backs, but Ramsey says he’s pleased to settle in a corner and be the player the Jaguars need.

“I’ve always said that I was a corner who could play those other positions and I’m glad that he (Head Coach Gus Bradley) agrees with me. Being a press corner, I feel like I fit in their (Jaguars) system perfectly.”

When Bradley came to the podium at the stadium he could hardly contain his excitement. When asked what set Ramsey apart, the Jaguars head coach ticked off just about everything you could want in a corner.

“Well, just his rare athleticism, speed, combined with size and range. He is a very good competitor and he fits our style of play. It was an easy decision.”

Potential draft picks are dissected to the point where you can talk yourself out of taking a player but the Jaguars looked at what some analysts considered negatives about Ramsey and saw it differently.

“When you watch him play and you watch, I just partially feel like he was not being challenged when you watch him game in and game out,” Bradley explained “He does a great job of covering and teams did not go at him a lot, and for the most part he covered his man.”

Not only is Ramsey a need pick for the Jaguars, he passes the “eye test” for Bradley as well.

“Obviously I think you know our style; we’re looking for guys that have some length out there. Tremendous athlete, 4.4 (40-yard dash) speed, 40-inch vertical, his arm length that we’re talking about, his ability, his instincts. Overall, just a fantastic player that we feel very fortunate that he fell to us.”

And when it came to actually make the trick, Bradley said they didn’t hesitate.

“I think we looked at it as best player available and at that point, that’s who it was, so I applaud Dave (Caldwell) and all of us for sticking to that plan, and like I said, when he was there for us, it was a no-brainer.”

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Khan On Draft Day: “Don’t Be Impulsive”

It doesn’t take long for Shad Khan to figure out what he likes and doesn’t like when it comes to a business he owns. After his first draft day as owner of the Jaguars, he knew there were some things he didn’t like.

“It wasn’t until the afternoon of the day of the draft that I found out. It was ‘top secret.’ It was like a stone tablet that kind of descended,” he explained in his office two days before the 2016 NFL Draft. “And then it was even like ‘We’ll peek the curtain and let you take a peek, only because you own the team.’ Now it’s much different, it’s inclusive. The scouts, the coaches, led by (GM) Dave Caldwell. You want to be prepared and not be impulsive.”

As the owner, Khan isn’t going to make the decisions on whom the Jaguars should take, but he’ll be in the room when the picks come up to offer counsel. “I feel really good about it. It takes discipline,” he told me when I asked about being on the clock. “Are you going to take the player you want? Are you going to trade the pick? You have to be prepared and then disciplined to be able to execute your plan.”

Memories of his first draft in 2012 are very clear in Khan’s mind, and he doesn’t want to make the same mistakes. “I was new and I was graciously invited to visit some people during some of the draft, so I missed some of the picks. Like taking a punter in the third round. That had a profound effect on me,” he said with a bit of emphasis.

“One thing you learn early on is don’t believe anything anybody is telling you,” Khan said with a laugh regarding the learning process about the draft. “There is a certain amount of gamesmanship. It’s best to maybe not talk to some of your friends because you don’t want to be less than candid about it.” While he’s not making the picks, Khan is involved in the process of compiling information about potential players the Jaguars could be targeting. “I got to know a lot of these young football players up close and personal. They sat in the chair you’re sitting in,” he said with a laugh. “I would not judge them on football talent but I think what kind of team player they might be, what makes them tick, they’re gifted athletically but they’re still very young men.”

While going through this building process, the Jaguars have built what Khan calls “a core” of players who are representative of what the team is looking for when it comes to the on and off-field production. Whether it’s Blake Bortles or Allen Robinson and any number of veterans they’ve acquired, they all have a thread of personality that show’s they’ll fit into the organization.

“Absolutely,” Khan said immediately.

While he’s been successful across the business spectrum, Khan has an expectation to be successful in the NFL as well. Even with the human component of injury as part of the equation, Khan doesn’t see it that much differently.

“I think there are variables in life and in every business. It could be the marketplace, processes, and people getting ill. There are rules in the NFL about players moving but in life there are no rules. You could say “I’m the most valuable employee today, and this afternoon I’m joining the circus,” he said with a huge laugh.

Off the topic of the draft, Khan said he was extremely pleased with what’s going on with the Jaguars and London. When I asked if it was possible that the Jaguars might play a game as an “away” team overseas he smiled and said, “Anything’s possible.”

He likes the progress being made to the stadium improvements saying that he hopes what is happening on the south end zone will be “an iconic representation of Jacksonville.”

He expects the Shipyard project to eventually be completed but added, “We can start east of there until the EPA situation with the city, the state and the federal government gets sorted out.”

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Raising Money, Always Funny, Bill Murray’s In Town

When you go to talk with Bill Murray, you know two things: 1) You don’t know what he’s going to say or talk about and 2) something funny is going to happen. I’ve had a chance to talk with Bill over the years since he’s been holding his annual Murray Brothers Golf Tournament here in North Florida at the World Golf Village. Bill has made himself available to talk at his tournament over the years despite the hordes of people who are following him, watching him play and asking for something. Friday was no different.

Starting on the back nine at the King and the Bear, there’s always a backup on the 14th tee, a combination of finishing a par 5, going to a par three, a bar and a TacoLu truck as a distraction. That’s where we caught up with Bill to talk between bites of his favorite taco and a chat with his brother Ed.

“What are you playing,” I asked, referring to the Callaway irons in his bag.

“Whatever will go on the green,” he said, sizing up the upcoming 147-yard shot.

Murray’s popularity attracts players from all over the country to his tournament. This year over 420 players are participating over three 18-hole flights. For the fourth year in a row they’re raising money for the Firehouse Subs Foundation benefitting first responders in the military, and police and fire departments.

“They really need that stuff,” Murray said while waiting on the tee. “You should see them when they get stuff like the high powered Jet Ski’s. They’re like, ‘Wow, we could have used this last year!”

“When I took him to a meeting with the Governor and some of the first responders receiving some of the things we’ve bought with money raised over the years I could tell that he gets it,” Robin Sorensen, one of the founders of Firehouse Subs and the head of the Firehouse Foundation explained. “We’ve raised over a million dollars in the first four years of being associated with this tournament and Bill knows the money’s being put to good use.”

A big sports fan, Murray was as interested in Jake Arietta’s no-hitter from the night before as he was his golf game.

“How’d you like that?” he asked as any Cubs fan would.

“All it did was make me mad,” I said. “Since I’m an Oriole fan and he was terrible when he played for us.”

“Because you didn’t let him pitch the way he wanted to. You tried to change him. So now we have him,” Murray quickly responded.

That exchanged quickly reminded me of how big a fan he really is, not just paying lip service to keep his popularity.

“I was trying to raise money last night while that (the no-hitter) was going on. I had to leave the stage,” he added. “Then somebody said from the audience, ‘he did it’ and I was like ‘Great, and I missed it.'”

As a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week in LA, Murray was promoting his recent movie the remake of “The Jungle Book.” I happened to see him on there and complimented him on how he and his young co-star performed.

“I couldn’t figure out why he had such a huge dressing room,” Murray revealed about arriving at the Kimmel taping. “But then I realized he had his parents, both sets of grandparents, everybody in his family there. He’s from Long Island and they all came out. Nice kid.”

Somehow our conversation turned to the equipment the first responders’ use and Bill said, “Well, we’re all first responders aren’t we? To take care of ourselves? Unless you can’t,” he added. “Except for me, a bird is just going to come and take me away.”

“Oh really, a big bird?” I asked.

“Yup,” he answered. “It’s just going to come in and grab me and carry me off.”

Like I said, you never know where the conversation is going to go!

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Mcelwain: Gators Much Farther Along

When Jim McElwain took the Florida Gators to the SEC title game last year, he knew it would be a hard act to follow. On Wednesday night in Jacksonville to talk with the Gator faithful, McElwain said recruiting this area is key to continued success.

“We have roughly 15 to 17 players from this neck of the woods,” McElwain said. “The success of those guys, we have three starters from this area.”

With an emphasis on being better in the passing game for 2016, McElwain said some of the onus will fall on the receiving corps, including Kenny’s Ahmad Fullwood.

“We wanted him to be aggressive with the ball in the air,” the Gator Head Coach explained. “He made two plays in the spring game that were great. He’s really been a good mentor for the young guys.”

A lot of the experiences for McElwain, his staff and the players this year are all about just doing it again. In his first year it took a while for everybody to know what they were supposed to be doing. In year two, the expectations are known, and everybody’s adjusted.

“We’re so much farther along. Understanding what we need to do to move forward,” he said. “Our team understanding about how to go about your daily business. The meetings, practice, the weight room.”

That progress showed in the spring game where McElwain was impressed with the process as much as he was with the result. That wasn’t by accident. Spring of 2016 was a whole different experience for everybody in Gainesville.

“I really felt of our 15 full practices where there was only a practice and a half where I said, ‘I’m not sure we got better today.’ And that reflects on the leadership guys are taking.”

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Armada Get 1st Win 2-1 vs. Miami FC

It took nearly an extra week but USA Soccer Hall of Famer Tony Meola has his first win as the head coach of the Jacksonville Armada. In their home opener, the Armada defeated the expansion Miami FC 2-1 at the Baseball Grounds on Friday night.

Earlier in the week, Meola said the Armada needed a fast start. They got that in the 20th minute with Junior Sandoval beating the Miami keeper in the upper 90 to take a 1-nil lead. Six minutes later, Miami tied it on a header from close range and it was 1-1..

Just 10 minutes later a low shot by Pascal Millien from distance didn’t have much on it but keeper Daniel Vega couldn’t control it for a 2-1 Armada lead. The two teams played a scoreless second half.

“We were at home and that was the idea. Nothing short of 3 points. It wasn’t the prettiest but they’re not all pretty,” Meola said on the field after the victory. “We did what we needed to to get the win tonight,”

Taking 17 shots, the Armada didn’t have a problem firing from outside the box, taking 12 long shots in the process. Miami FC took 13 shots but only 5 were on target.

Scoring the first goal of the game, Sandoval said afterwards he called it all week. “We got the win we were looking for, especially at home,” the Armada midfielder said. In his first start he told his teammates all week they were going to win the game and he was going to score a goal. “My teammates knew it, I told them all week.”

With the win the Armada pull to 1-1 and gain three points in the standings. Next Saturday the team faces the Strikers in Ft. Lauderdale. On Wednesday May 4th they’ll be home vs. FC Edmonton at 6:30.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Rashean Retires As A Jaguar

He was a know quantity when it came to football. Speed, reaction, hands, determination and on-field presence. Rashean Mathis’ career at Englewood High and at Bethune-Cookman showed he could play the game. What was unknown was whether Mathis’ physical gifts would translate to the tough world of professional football. As a second round pick of the Jaguars, Mathis was a bit under the radar but not for people close to the game.

Had it not been for a broken leg as a senior in high school, Rashean would have been at Florida State. But after his injury, the Seminoles backed off a bit and Rashean’s mother said he was going to Bethune because they never wavered.

He was the first true “cover corner” the Jaguars ever had. He went about his business, never complained and was always accountable. Over his 13-year career, 10 with the Jaguars, Mathis grabbed more than 30 interceptions and had the ability coaches love: availability. Rashean played in 175 games in his career, starting 129 with the Jaguars.

“I always wanted to leave the game before the game left me. It’s the right time,” he said Wednesday at his retirement press conference hosted by the Jaguars at the stadium. Rashean signed a one-day contract to retire as a Jaguar, saying it was great to be able to do that at home.

“This moment is special. It’s even more special to me as I stand in front of you because I’m not an emotional guy, but it’s touching. This means a lot.” Mathis was joined by most of the Jacksonville media Wednesday afternoon as well as teammates, athletic staff and coaches during the celebration of his career. Teammate Maurice Williams spoke eloquently about Mathis’ career calling him the “ideal teammate.”

As thoughtful as ever, Rashean spoke a lot about being a “man of God” and how being a family man was an important part of “being a man.” He added he enjoyed playing in Jacksonville, close to home at first because he could stay close to his family. But he said it grew into seeing the impact he could have in his home community that really made playing here special.

Perhaps his most poignant statement was about how professional athletes are viewed once they step into that “pay for play” arena.

“We’re not just numbers,” Rashean intoned, speaking without notes. “It wasn’t just a ’27’ on my back. It means a lot to be looked at as a man. A man that might’ve not had much who has come into a lot needs to be guided. He needs to be guided. He can’t be put on the track and told just to run. We need to be guided.” Mathis gave credit to a lot of different people in the Jaguars organization who helped him navigate toward maturity early in his career.

And when it came time to leave the game, he wanted to do it honestly, without hanging on.

“When I sign my name on something,” he said, “I want to be all the way there. I don’t know if it would have been like that this year. I’m still in a competitive mode mentally. I still think I can lace ’em up right now. But I’m not there any more.”

Mathis says the concussion he had last year played a part in his decision but wasn’t the overriding factor.

“I took it seriously. I became educated about it, adding that the concussion issue is real. “We need to embrace it, learn more about it.”

Leaning on his faith and his family, Mathis says he’ll spend his time in Jacksonville still being invested in the community and won’t be a stranger. Plus you’ll probably see him on the golf course on a regular basis. Mathis has worked his game on his own “to about a four handicap” but is currently in a golf academy where they’ve deconstructed his swing and he’s putting it back together. He’ll probably play in some celebrity pro-ams as well.

“It’s a way for me to compete,” he shared with the assembled crowd.

I was shocked and humbled when Rashean finished taking questions and thanked me from the podium saying, “Sam believed in me. He taught me how to be a professional: be on time, be prepared, do it the right way.” I had selected Rashean to be the co-host of our Monday night show “The End Zone” after a couple of years on the roster. He far exceeded any of my expectations. We did talk about how to conduct yourself and about life in general a lot but just like with your kids, you never know when they’re listening. I might have put some ideas in Rashean’s head but he put them into action.

Sometimes you hear things that really make sense when talking about athletic competition that apply just as easily in everyday life. I thought Rashean summed it up perfectly.

“I’d do it all over again. Hopefully I’d find God earlier and do a better job.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Masters Traditions Like No Other

Each year in the run up to the first full week of April, in hushed tones we hear an announcer say, “A tradition like no other, the Masters.” It’s a catchy phrase but it’s actually true. The Masters has a tradition like no other sporting event. Other events have traditions, they drink milk in Victory Lane at the Indy 500 and the winners at Wimbledon get a chance to meet royalty. But at the Masters the traditions start early and continue through the sunset Green Jacket ceremony on Sunday.

I’ve been in Augusta for the Masters each year since 1979. As a young reporter in Charleston, S.C. I was excited to get my first invitation to cover golf’s first Major of the year. I was a little surprised when I arrived at Augusta National and it was tucked into a corner on Washington Road amid fast-food restaurants and discount stores. Just a small sign amongst the trees showed the way to Magnolia Lane. Back then, the media was allowed to come in the main gate, and then directed to the side where one of the practice area was a large expanse of green in front of the clubhouse. A gravel-covered parking lot had a single post near the middle that said “media” with volunteers showing the way. A short walk to the right of the clubhouse was the “media center” a Quonset hut down two wooden stairs with a manual scoreboard in the front and the clatter of portable, manual typewriters filling the air. Tom Place, the PGA Tour’s on-site media coordinator, saw me at the back door, no doubt looking bewildered, and shepherded me through the credentialing process. Not much past my 23rd birthday, I’m sure I was the youngest “reporter” in the building. I met Furman Bisher from Atlanta and Edwin Pope from Miami. Other icons of writing at the time like Herbert Warren Wind (he named “Amen Corner”) were scattered around the “room.” Pre-internet, pre-computers, pre-cell phones, it was a place full of activity. Everything was done manually. The scoring, the announcements, everything.

Being a city kid form Baltimore, I didn’t know much about golf before I went to college and stepping onto the golf course at Augusta National was like being dropped into a dream. From the golf shop the course unfolds in front of you as an expanse of green like I’d never seen. A former nursery, Augusta National had trees and flowers of every variety that were breathtaking.

You often hear the Masters described as “this special week.” Yes the tournament provides the backdrop for that, but the “specialness” comes in the people you see every year under the oak tree at the clubhouse, returning to experience the first elements of spring and renewing old friendships. As a sports fan, there’s no place like the veranda at Augusta National. I’ve seen just about every major sports figure at one time or another, relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere. The members provide part of that, a genteel-ness that can be attributed to the Masters home in Georgia but also to the gentlemanly nature of the game of golf and the traditions the game itself holds.

I’ve smoked a cigar with Sonny Jurgensen sitting on the porch of “The National” and had breakfast with Arnold Palmer in the upstairs dining room that once had a “Gentlemen Only” sign posted at the bottom of the stairs.

At my first Masters, the television station I was working for couldn’t afford a photographer so I enlisted my Dad to point the camera when I was conducting interviews. After Fuzzy Zoeller made the winning putt on 11 in sudden death, a member brought Zoeller back toward the clubhouse in a golf cart, stopping in front of me so I could ask the newest Masters champion a few questions. As he walked toward me I could hear my Dad behind me saying, “I don’t see him, I don’t see him.” A glance over my shoulder showed the viewfinder disconnected from the camera, easily fixed with one turn of the wrist behind my back. “There he is,” my Dad said as I shook hands with Fuzzy. The story line that week was Zoeller playing so well as a rookie at Augusta National and the fact that his wife was back in Indiana about to give birth to their first child. “Are you a dad yet?” I blurted out, putting the microphone under Fuzzy’s chin. “I don’t know,” he said with a laugh, “but after that she’s probably on her way to the hospital!” As I went to ask a second question, out of the dark about twenty microphones identifying media outlets from all over the world were pointed at me as I pulled my own mic back. That’s when I first realized: this is a big deal.

It’s at Augusta National where I’ve played 18 holes with Brent Musberger and caddied for David Duval in the par three contest. It’s where I got to know Pat Summerall and Hall of Famer Frank Chirkinian, the legendary golf producer. It’s there on the patio at lunch with the then-President of CBS Sports Peter Lund where I heard him say, “You know Sam, I got it down to you and Jim (Nantz) and for the life of me I can remember why I picked Jim.” (Yes, crushing) It’s where I encouraged my friend Todd to propose to his girlfriend, saying, “Really? Amen Corner would be the perfect spot.” And it’s where Chirkinian invited me to play one Monday after the Masters and I brought my friend former NFL quarterback Matt Robinson. “What is this the Chirkinian invitational,” the pro said with a laugh followed by, “You guys go over to the 10th tee and start on the back.” A dream come true for any golfer at any level.

It’s a worldwide event that happens close to home as evidenced by the number of languages you hear spoken on the golf course among the patrons and in and around the clubhouse. Two years ago a man making the “strike a match” motion approached me under the oak tree. Once I realized he spoke no English and he recognized that my Spanish was not good, we had a laugh and I gave him a matchbook and an extra cigar I was carrying. He was part of the Argentine Golf Federation, one of dozens invited to Augusta each year to represent the game in their country. The next afternoon while headed inside, my new Argentine friend tracked me down and insisted we share some time, and one of his cigars, under the oak. That doesn’t happen anywhere else.

Over the years I’ve covered every aspect of the tournament allowed from the practice rounds (which used to be open to anyone for a $15 admission) to the Thursday tradition of the ceremonial starters to the final putt dropping on Sunday. Sometimes our news management has sent me there for a week, sometimes for a day, and sometimes, not at all. On those occasions I’ve thought it was important enough to get there on my own and carry on my own tradition of being at The Masters. Because as I found out early on: it’s a big deal.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

NFL Contributes To HS Player Safety

With the continued advancement of coaching, nutrition and overall data in sports the natural progression is to keep up with those advancements with better player care. That’s the goal of Project 17, a public initiative that is dedicated to place full-time certified athletic trainers at all 17 high schools in Duval Country by 2020.

Five high schools, Jackson, Raines, Baldwin, Englewood and Ribault benefitted from the program last year and two more, Parker and Westside will have trainers thanks to Project 17 in the 2016-2017 school year.

“Certified athletic trainers are no longer a luxury; they are a necessity, especially in youth sports,” says Robert Sefcik, executive director of the JSMP. “Heat stroke, cardiac arrest, concussion and complications of sickle cell trait are real dangers in sports. Many sports injuries are preventable, so that is JSMP’s primary goal; however, when injuries do occur, being able to recognize and immediately respond to them is critical. That’s what certified athletic trainers do.”

Certified athletic trainers are licensed health care providers who collaborate with physicians and act as a first line of defense for high school student-athletes. Without certified athletic trainers, injuries may be overlooked or treated inadequately. Project 17 aims to reduce the incidence of sports-related injuries and endorse best practice standards and appropriate care for injuries as they occur.

Last year the Jaguars foundation donated $50,000 to the project and the NFL matched that this year. League Commissioner Roger Goodell was in town to receive the inaugural Leadership in Sports Health, Safety and Research Award on behalf of the league.

At a question and answer session, Goodell revealed he had a concussion playing baseball in high school and his twin daughters rely on their school’s athletic trainers to help get them through the season.

Goodell said of the Project 17 initiative, “It is exciting to see the collaborative approach the Jacksonville community is taking to enhance safety in high school sports by adding comprehensive athletic training programs with the support of the Jaguars and the NFL. Through Project 17, the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program has crafted a proactive, evidence-based approach to getting student-athletes the medical supervision they need and deserve, which can serve as a model for other communities in the U.S.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

USA Soccer To Play Here September 6

Getting a game that counts has always bee on the “to do” list for the city of Jacksonville when it comes to USA Soccer and that will happen for the first time in 2016. Mayor Lenny Curry as well as sports executives from the Jaguars, the Armada and SMG will make the announcement tomorrow morning.

As part of the World Cup qualifying, Jacksonville will host the game on September 6th between the USA and Trinidad and Tobago. It’s the final game of semi-final qualifying and could have huge implications regarding who has a chance to play at the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

In their last two appearances in “friendlies” at the stadium Team USA has attracted over 44,000 against Scotland in 2012 and over 53,000 vs. Nigeria two years later. One of the roadblocks to hosting an official qualifier is distance from the corners of the pitch to the stands, not enough to satisfy international soccer specifications. That will be one of the issues addressed at tomorrow’s press conference.

For the first time in more than 30 years, USA lost to Guatemala last week 2-0 to put the red, white and blue’s chances to qualify at risk. They’ll have a chance to get back on track in the second game of that match tomorrow night in Columbus, OH.

A rich soccer history, dating back to the Tea Men of the NASL in the early ’80’s has allowed Jacksonville to host Team USA as a training base in the ’90’s, recent friendlies and the return of the NASL with the Armada last year.

Tomorrow’s announcement is scheduled at 10AM at the stadium.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

When Watching Tony Kornheiser, Buyer Beware

You might remember before Super Bowl XXXIX here in Jacksonville, then-Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser wrote a scathing review of Jacksonville as the host city. Since Channel 4 at the time was also owned by the Post, I invited Kornheiser to come on the air and explain his distaste for the city. He declined, but the higher-ups in Jacksonville and D.C. got involved and he was on our air the next day, via telephone, during our 6 o’clock news.

Having gone to high school and college in DC, I had read Kornheiser in the Post for years and always found his take pretty interesting. He once published a compilation of his columns and called it “Pumping Irony.” Nonetheless, I was interested to talk to him to find out why he was taking shots at my hometown.

Starting the live interview with a couple of basic questions, it became apparent to me during his answers that he really didn’t know what he was talking about.

“You’ve never been here!” I blurted out in the middle of one of his nonsensical answers.

“Well, I’ve been to the orange juice stand on 95,” he deadpanned.

“Are you at least coming to the game?” I asked.

“I’m sending (Michael) Wilbon to let him handle it,” was his answer.

After exposing the article as a farce, if not a fraudulent attempt at humor, Kornheiser spent the next couple of days on his radio show in DC ripping me, my high school and (short) college athletic career and it eventually went away.

When he was on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee, I used to sit by Mike Wilbon as he and Tony’s “hallway conversations” at the Post eventually led to their current show on ESPN, “PTI.” I don’t agree with much of what Wilbon writes, and we had that conversation several times. But I found him engaging and funny and always opinionated about what Kornheiser had to say.

“It’s about stirring it up,” he said as we left one meeting.

On Wednesday night’s edition of PTI, Kornheiser took the occasion to deride Jacksonville again, saying, tongue in cheek, that the league’s foray in to China was just an opportunity for “Jacksonville to play somewhere in a stadium that doesn’t have half of the seats covered with tarps.”

It’s an old story that’s never been true, but again trotted out by an entertainer who hasn’t done his homework and is just leaning on a perception rather than reality. We know why the stadium was built to the size it is, and by the way, just about every stadium built in the time since Jacksonville was awarded the franchise is in the 65-68,000 seat range.

That’s about the right size for any NFL team.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Khan Still Moving Forward

Over his career before and as the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shad Khan hasn’t been impressed by talk. Action and results are what he’s looking for and gives his employees the tools to be successful. That’s why this week at the NFL Meetings in Boca Raton, Khan heard the positive talk about the Jaguars arrow “pointing up” but was quick to point out: “We haven’t won a game yet.”

Much of the amazement from those around the league is their perception of the patience Khan has shown in the three years with Dave Caldwell as the GM and Gus Bradley as head coach. Khan doesn’t see it as being patient. He sees a process.

“To me, I can see the big picture being close to it,” he explained. “We want to make sure we’re communicating to the fans that they understand what’s going on. They look at it regrettably that it’s something we’ve got to go through to help something that’s sustainable and winning for the long-term.”

Now in his fifth year as an owner in the league, Khan has studied the culture of the NFL and is an active participant in shaping the leagu’es image and future.

“You know the people, you know the agenda and I know what the Jaguars, what we need to do and where we can contribute. So definitely. It’s different in a good way,” he said of his learning process since buying the Jaguars

“This is very much a democratic organization. If your voice is not being heard, it’s up to you. That’s never been an issue for the Jaguars or any other team.”

One place where Khan has led the way is the league’s international expansion. A renewed commitment to London was important to the Jaguars according to Khan, to continue the sustainability in Jacksonville. While he doesn’t expect the Jaguars to be involved in some of the other International series games, he does find it a bit amusing that after his success in London, other teams are lining up. Even the Steelers are looking to play a home game in Mexico.

“Well I think for us, we’ve got a commitment in London. Certainly, I’m delighted. I think it’s the right thing to do,” the Jaguars owner noted. ‘I find this refreshing that this time, three years ago when we were talking about London, it seemed like a crazy idea. Now playing in Mexico, China and Brazil, all of those are very real possibilities. I think it’s great for the league.”

Nearly one-fifth of the Jaguars revenue is derived from their game in London including ticket sales and sponsorships. So its no surprise Khan has staked a claim to the UK’s biggest city.

“Our commitment is London for many, many reasons and I think they’ve been articulated before to supplement what we’re doing in Jacksonville. What’s interesting is there are a lot of volunteers now to play these games which I think is really healthy and awesome. There’s a huge amount of interest.”

Although the Jaguars commitment to London is to play as the home team, don’t be surprised if the team stays either in London or somewhere in Europe in the coming years to play as the visitor. Since they’re already there, staying and playing a second game makes sense. This year’s game is October 2nd against the Colts, the first time the Jaguars will host a division game at Wembley. Next year Khan and Texans owner Bob McNair would like to see their two teams tangle overseas. Revealing that the plans for the South End Zone Amphitheater and practice facility are now finalized, Khan expects construction to begin soon. He said bids are out and a contractor should be selected in the next few days. While he’s looking at completing the project quickly, he added he’s not sure it’ll be finished before the 2016 football season but will be done in stages so the contractor will be able to work on it during the season without disrupting the stadium.

One project that will be done is the revamping of the two club sections. With the new contract in place for the Florida/Georgia game, Khan noted that they’d be tailored to each team.

“You’ll find it interesting that these clubs, that really resonated with Florida and Georgia. How the clubs are done, we’re going to team one for one team and the other one – it’s basically a lot of electronic. A lot of it is you basically hit a switch and they get differentiated areas, premium areas for some of their big supporters.”

While the proposed Shipyards project is still on the drawing board pending the environmental and land changes that need to be fixed, the Jaguars owner said there’s land both east and west of the Shipyards that he’ll be concentrating on while the other is sorted out.

Either way, his mantra of “Moving Forward” stays in place.

“Everything we’re doing at the stadium, we’re looking at it from a Jaguars viewpoint but also Jacksonville. I think that’s very important that we get more events to the city and football, as well as sports, could be one of the engines of growth – economic growth.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Dave Caldwell’s Jaguars Vision

Following and tracking what Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell has said from his first day on the job, he hasn’t wavered. Caldwell is measured in his dealings with the media but honest when he can be. That’s why 2016 will be a bit of a litmus test for what he’s done in the four years he’s been on the job and, if they stay healthy, a validation of his philosophy regarding rebuilding the Jaguars.

Noting that “left tackle, quarterback and pass rusher” where the building blocks of a franchise, Caldwell drafted Luke Joeckel, Blake Bortles and Donte Fowler in consecutive years. While his 2013 draft hasn’t produced the stars he had hoped for, both Caldwell and the Jaguars coaching staff hope the free-agent additions in 2016 will help Joeckel and Safety Jonathan Cyprien reach their full potential. If it’s there.

That’s why the signing of OT Kelvin Beachum, as second-tier and under the radar as it was, could be the lynchpin to everything Caldwell has done to this point. Beachum was a starter in Pittsburgh and would have been considered as one of the premier offensive free agents of the 2016 class had he not torn his ACL last year and missed the final 11 games.

“He’s just a very good technician, very good pass protector,” Caldwell said at the owners meeting this week in Boca Raton. “Great kid, very intelligent and I think his skill set in terms of athleticism, being able to pass protect the speed rushers on the outside.”

As soon as he signed with the Jaguars, Beachum started working with the team’s doctors and trainers to get ready for 2016. Caldwell expects him to be ready sometime in training camp to compete for a spot up front, pushing Joeckel for the left tackle job.

“They’re going to compete and that’s been the central theme of our team since Gus got here, is competition,” Caldwell noted. “Wherever we can find somebody to come in and compete at a reasonable rate, we’ll do that no matter what the position is.”

As focused as the fans are on Joeckel’s failings, the team thinks he has a “very high ceiling.” Former Jaguar Tony Boselli, a Hall of Fame semi-finalist is perhaps Joeckel’s biggest supporter. “He has great footwork, was injured his first year and all he did was rehab,” Boselli has said on numerous occasions. “He’ll be alright.”

What’s interesting is that Caldwell is willing to create some competition with his own draft picks and free agents. He’s not letting his ego get in the way. If a guy isn’t cutting it, he won’t hold on and hurt the team. That’s something unique in the “I’m the smartest guy in the room,” mentality of NFL GM’s.

Offering Prince Amukamara a one-year deal was part of Caldwell’s 2016 plan but if Prince wasn’t interested in one year, Caldwell was prepared to move on.

“He’s a guy that we’ve normally shied away from in terms of the injury history but his injuries haven’t been reoccurring,” Caldwell said, pointing to the research they did on Amukamara while he was with the Giants. “They’ve all been different injuries at points in time of his career; kind of a little freakish to some degree. He just feels like it’s a prove-it deal for him and he’s motivated to play well and the risk for us wasn’t a high risk for a one-year deal.”

So going into his fourth draft as the decision maker, Caldwell isn’t focused on his “left tackle, quarterback, pass rusher” mantra. Instead, he believes with the current players on the roster, including the 2016 free agents, everything is on the table with the Jaguars fifth pick in the draft.

“I think at number five, we can be very flexible. If there are opportunities to trade back, we could do that. If there are opportunities to trade up, we could do that or just select a player at that point.”

That’ll be a different spot for Caldwell and fun for us to watch.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Bradley: Stay to the Plan

At the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, the Jaguars were everybody’s “sleeper pick” to make some noise in the AFC South and contend for a post season berth. But long suffering Jaguars fans probably only heard one phrase uttered by Head Coach Gus Bradley at the annual AFC Coaches Breakfast: “Five year plan.”

Wait. Wasn’t it three, then four and now five? To their credit, the Jaguars brass has never mentioned a number when it came to years to rebuild but now five? Does Owner Shad Khan know that’s the number?

“I’m sure if you talk to Shad, I don’t know if he would say its patience,” Bradley said in front of the assembled media at the breakfast. “I just think he feels like this is the way we’re going to do it. This is the way. We took a big undertaking and we’ve all been on the same page since we’ve started. I think it’s been tremendous support. He’s also a guy that, like Dave, has tremendous expectations. As we build this and get these players in here, that’s part of it. I think we feel like those expectations from day one, but we’ve been very strict to stay to the plan”

There are parts of the plan that never really made sense. Daryl Smith, Montel Owens and several other players the Jaguars parted ways with would have fit just fine into a rebuilding plan. But the new leadership seemed determined to start from scratch. Nobody’s ever done that. Usually it’s rebuild around a veteran QB or bring in a rookie QB on a veteran team. The Jaguars started from scratch on both sides of the equation.

It’s pretty obvious the expectations are high this year, starting with Khan. Asked what “better” translates to, he said, “Better than 5-11.”

That’s why the spending in free agency was saved for this year, putting some veteran faces with the young developing players.

“One of the things in free agency, you’re looking to have flexibility in the draft,” Bradley explained. ” I think it has allowed us to do that. You’d like to go into the draft thinking that you can truly take best available. The player that is best when we pick. I think that’s what free agency has done for us. We have some needs still. We have some areas that we need to concentrate on, but it has allowed us to do that.”

By signing Malik Jackson, arguably the best defensive free agent available, the Jaguars have addressed their biggest pressing need: pass rush. Jackson plays in the interior of the defensive line, similar to Sen’Derrick Marks who’s coming back from injury. They hope to have both of them on the field, often playing together.

“I think for us, if it’s up to us, we’re not going to have a lot of really good players standing on the sidelines. We have to get them on the field. That’s the challenge for us: to get those guys on the field at the same time.”

Adding Tashaun Gipson at safety will make Jonathan Cyprien better and allow him to play closer to the line of scrimmage according to Bradley. He expects James Sample to be a part of the plan as well.

He’s more of a ball hawk.,” Bradley said of Gipson. “That’s what we were looking for. We wanted a guy that can get the ball. He’s shown that with what, 14 interceptions over three years. More of a ball-hawk type free safety.”

While Bradley is a defensive coach, his eyes lit up most when he talked about Chris Ivory. “A violent, violent runner,” is how he described the free agent acquisition from the Jets. He expects Ivory and TJ Yeldon to be the perfect complement at running back.

“It’s a good complement. Nowadays, the ideal is to have two backs. I think there was a game last year that T.J. played over 70 snaps and we just felt like if we changed that up a little bit and give defenses a different style of runner, that’s always important.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

“The Hayt” Tests College Players At Sawgrass CC

With the unpredictable weather in North Florida in late February you wouldn’t think that Ponte Vedra Beach would be a good location for an early-spring college golf tournament. But it’s exactly that unpredictability that has been an attractive part of “The Hayt” for 25 years.

Starting at Queens Harbor Golf Club and eventually moving the Sawgrass Country Club, the tournament has gone through some changes in venue and sponsorship (once known as the Mercedes Championships) but it’s the kind of test early in the year that lets players, coaches and entire teams know where they have their strengths and weaknesses.

“Last year it was cold, windy and rainy,” Lorens Chan, a senior at UCLA said this week. “We don’t get that kind of weather in Southern California and this week it’s really breezy. With those kinds of conditions, you find out very quickly if you have game or not.”

At 15-over par as a team (5 players) in the first round on Friday, Chan’s UCLA teammates saw Sawgrass in all its glory. Chan shot +2 74 to keep his team in contention.

As the host to the Tournament Players Championship before moving to the Stadium Course in 1982, the Country Club took its toll on the best on the PGA Tour in early March for five years. Jack Nicklaus and Mark Hayes won the title at one over par. When Lanny Wadkins won at -5 in 1979 he won by five shots. Breaking 80 wasn’t guaranteed, even for the best players in the world.

Playing in the wind in the spring is nothing new for the golfers on the JU and UNF teams and it showed in the first round. The Ospreys have a six shot lead at +5 led by Phillip Knowles’ two-under 70, tied for the low round of the day. The Dolphins sit in second place, six shots behind with Raul Pereda leading the way with a 71.

“It’s a great test this early in the year and that’s why teams keep coming back,” Scott Schroeder, UNF’s golf coach said from the windy Sawgrass clubhouse porch. Schroeder played for the Ospreys under John Brooks, the tournament’s founder and now as the coach has kept the tournament in the upper echelon of collegiate events. The Ospreys have been the de-facto tournament host from the beginning. “Teams come from all over because of the reputation the tournament has and because of the great golf course,” Scott said. “They’ll find out who can handle tough conditions and who can’t.”

Here are the standings after the first round:

  • UNF … 293 … +5
  • JU … 299
  • Oklahoma St. … 300
  • Louisville … 301
  • North Texas … 302
  • UCLA … 303
  • Coastal Carolina … 303
  • Liberty … 305
  • Tennessee … 305
  • UAB … 308
  • East Carolina … 310
  • Furman … 313
  • Tulsa … 315
  • Army West Point … 315
  • UCF … 321

Without the blessing of the Sawgrass CC membership, and the work by their Director of Golf Greg Lecker and local businessman John Hayt, this tournament might have gone elsewhere or disappeared completely. Hayt lived at Queens Harbor when it started and struck up a conversation with some of the players, saying they were “Outstanding young men. And good players!” Hayt has stayed close to the UNF program over the years and Schroeder says it’s more than just money that put Hayt’s name on the tournament.

“He’ll stop by my office, talk to the players, really give them somebody to lean on. It’s mentoring, it’s real. He’s a part of our program.”

The tournament concludes this weekend.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Earnhardt, Kyle Busch win Duels at Daytona

He knew it was a fast car so it was a little bit of a decision at the end of the first Duel 150 race at Daytona for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“It’s a hard equation,” he said in Victory Lane when I asked him which was his priority, save the car or win the race. “But your instincts take over and you want to win the race”

No question Earnhardt had the fastest car in the race as he was able to hold off Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney for the victory. It’s his fifth Duel victory, the most among active drivers and his second straight.

“We knew it was a real good car. … It’s a great car,” said Earnhardt. “Another win at Daytona for the Earnhardts, adding to our legacy.”

Earnhardt led 28 of the first 30 laps after taking the lead from pole-sitter and teammate Chase Elliott. With six laps to go, Earnhardt got past Hamlin and went into the lead and onto victory. All told, Earnhardt led 43 of 60 laps.

Brining this car to Daytona was the plan all along as “Amelia” as Dale’s ride is nicknamed, was fast right off the truck again. Last year Earnhardt won three races and had a second and a third in five races driving “Amelia.”

“Even if the guys told me we were going to have a fast car and it was a new car, you get comfortable in certain cars and I really like this one,” he explained. “I don’t spend time in the garage but you figure cars become obsolete after about six months for whatever reason. But this car is still fast.”

Today (February 18) was the 15th anniversary of Dale Sr.’s death at Daytona, a fact not lost on his son. “I was daydreaming a little bit,” Earnhardt said in his post-race interview. “I’m guilty of daydreaming a little bit about winning this race tonight because of the day. That was special to me.”

“It’s real special,” Earnhardt admitted. “I was thinking about that. I try not to make too big a deal. I’ve told all you guys in interviews we’ve done how much I like people to remember dad, talk about dad. It really warms my heart to see the stuff on social media and so forth. That’s probably my best way to gauge the reaction to a day like this. You see a lot of people mention him … It’s pretty cool.”

Michael McDowell will advance to the 40-car Daytona 500 field Sunday, while Whitt and Josh Wise will miss the 500.

Race Two of the Duel 150’s was pretty uneventful until the end. Matt Kenseth was on the pole and held the lead until Kyle Bush went to the front and took control. On the final lap, Jimmy Johnson, running third, got pushed sideways coming out of turns one and two starting a chain reaction through the field that ended the race on a caution. Busch cruised to the victory, the second in a Daytona qualifying race for the defending NASCAR champion.

“I feel like we’re on a birdie from last year,” Busch said from Victory Lane. “Winning this race was great and hopefully it is a good sign for Sunday.”

With his victory in the Duel and Kenseth being forced into a backup car because of a crash on the final lap, Busch will now start on the front row in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

“I haven’t had a chance to run this car much in traffic,” Kyle told me after the race. “It’s too scary in practice and I don’t think I was any worse than 2nd in this race. So we’ll keep this car shined up and ready to go for Sunday.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Champions Ride for Safety

When I was invited to ride in the “Champions Ride for Safety” by St. Augustine NASCAR Driver Scott Lagasse I was flattered and a bit intimidated. After looking at the list of cyclists, I knew I’d have my work cut out for me. Sixty miles from the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine to the track at Daytona with legendary pro cyclists like George Hincape and Christian Van de Velde as well as professional racecar drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Lagasse himself. All of these guys ride for fun and fitness and their competitive nature, I knew, would ramp the speed up pretty regularly along the ride.

“No problem Sam” one of the guys in Lagasse’s regular riding group from St. Augustine told me before we left. “We’ll go like 20 or 21, no faster than that.” I know I can sit on anybody’s wheel for 20 or 21 mph all day long, but when it creeps up, I’m going to struggle. I haven’t been able to ride in the last three months because of stem-cell surgery on both knees so I approached with a bit of trepidation.

Nonetheless, early on Wednesday morning about thirty of us departed to the south, headed to the track. After about a five-minute warm up, somebody on the front decided we needed to pick it up a bit and looking at my bike computer we were clicking along at between 25 and 27 miles an hour. I knew, based on my heart rate, I wouldn’t last there long but just tried to tuck in and hang on.

I’ve met most of these guys in their “day jobs” but it was completely different riding along with athletes I’ve covered and admired for their accomplishments in a completely different arena. I learned quickly they all take cycling, and their fitness, very seriously.

“We’ve all been there,” a voice from behind me said as he gently put his hand on my back and helped me back to the group. I was struggling a bit to stay with the main peloton as we approached Daytona and the pace jumped a bit. I laughed to myself when I looked over and saw it was six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson helping me along.

“I’m so much better when I’m fit and that’s why I concentrate on it,” Johnson told me. “I like helping my friends lose weight, stay fit and think about their health.”

All of these guys have hectic lifestyles, traveling constantly but fitness is a part of their daily routine.

“I’ve always liked to exercise,” Indy champion Tony Kanaan said after the ride. “Now it seems the whole racing community has gotten into it.”

“I was on the back end of that,” retired Indy driver and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti told me in Victory lane. “My buddy (Tony) Kanaan had already brought it to our sport so it’s all his fault,” he added with a laugh. Both Franchitti and Kanaan are avid cyclists, driving up from Miami the night before to participate in the Champions ride.

And while fitness was at the forefront of the day, Lagasse is hoping to raise the awareness of how cyclists and motorists can share the road. Scott rides, “as much as I can” in and around St. Augustine when he’s home and is passionate about changing the culture on his home state’s roads.

“I hate it that we’re at the top of the list in pedestrian and cycling fatalities,” he explained. “I want to ‘humanize’ the equation. Drivers need to know that those are real people on bikes and cyclists need to respect the drivers’ rights as well.”

As we cruised through the Tomoka State Preserve near Flagler Beach, I found myself next to George Hincape, the 17-time Tour de France veteran. Yes, a few miles earlier it was a bit of a surreal moment when I tucked into the draft, only to look up and see it was George right in front of me, doing the pulling.

“I challenge my friends to ride just 20 miles,” Hincape said, talking about his daily routine at home in Greenville, S.C. “And if they do it, they’re hooked. They fall in love with cycling and it changes their lives.”

As much time on the road as Hincape spends on his bike, he knows a few things about the interaction between motorists and cyclists. “Everybody just needs to have respect for one another,” he explained. “Cyclists and motorists need to learn how to coexist because there are going to be more bikes and more cars, not fewer.”

Running a cycling friendly hotel in Travelers Rest, S.C., George has stayed close to the sport and still rides beautifully. Getting people on both sides of the issue to see a solution is what he preaches.

“This is a great cause, a great event,” he said standing in Victory Lane at Daytona. “If we can raise the awareness and just have people think about it, that’d be great.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Re-sign Chad Henne

In a move that makes complete sense, which doesn’t happen often in the NFL, the Jaguars re-signed Chad Henne to a contract today. As the backup for Blake Bortles, Henne has played an important role in mentoring Bortles through the beginning of his career. In the process the two have become friends with Bortles saying often how fortunate he’s been to have Henne as a teammate.

“I just really think we study well together,” Henne said after signing his new deal. “We’re always together, whether we’re in the film room or on the field doing foot work. Just bits and pieces. Anything he wants to ask me – defenses, different coverages, reads – we’re a culminating factor together. It’s just a great relationship and that’s why I wanted to be back here.”

Henne, 30, has appeared in 64 games with 53 starts over the past eight NFL seasons and has completed 1,159 of 1,954 passes (59.3 comp. pct.) for 12,931 yards and 58 touchdowns.

Henne, 6-3, 220, joined the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent on March 15, 2012 and signed a two-year extension on March 7, 2014. A second-round draft selection (57th overall) by Miami in 2008, Henne played collegiately at Michigan where he received many honors, including 2008 Capital One Bowl MVP, 2006 Manning Award finalist and 2004 All-American Freshman Team.

Signing with the Jaguars puts him in a situation he’s comfortable with and keeps Henne from going through being a stop-gap starter for another team looking for a long-term quarterback.

Really, there’s not that many opportunities like that out there and those teams that needed a quarterback are most likely going to be in the same situation – draft a quarterback – and then I’d be in that same position again. Why not be here where I feel comfortable and love working with Blake?”

It’s clear that Henne believes in *Bortles as well as the young talent on offense the Jaguars have put together in the past couple of years.

“I think in my mind right now, I see him work each and every day and I feel like I have a good work ethic but this kid really wants to get better and has the drive and has the right attitude. When you work with somebody like that, kind of similar to your work ethic, you want to be around that because you two can tie together and be together all the time.”

“There’s still room to get better as we always say, but we have a lot of great, young talented guys. You’ve seen it this past year with Allen Robinson and Blake’s gotten a lot better. You add T.J. Yeldon. You add tight ends doing a great job. Allen Hurns is always consistent. A lot of young talent which is only going to get better through the years.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

The Players Military Appreciation Day at 17th Hole. Toby Keith concert at 6:30, Tuesday May 10th.

This year’s Military Appreciation Day at The Players will have a new venue, added attractions and a superstar headliner performing. Again, Military Appreciate Day will be on Tuesday of The Players, May 10th, the first day the tournament is welcoming fans. The ceremony will begin at 6, with Toby Keith performing in concert at 6:30. Instead of the traditional location on the back of the clubhouse, this year the ceremony and the concert will be on the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium course famed 17th hole.

“I’m extremely excited to honor the men and women who serve our county by performing at THE PLAYERS Championship,” said Keith, who has performed more than 200 USO shows and entertained more than 250,000 men and women in uniform and their families. In April 2014, Toby Keith was honored with the Spirit of the USO Award. “I have always been a proud supporter of the U.S. Military and can’t wait to rock the stage for our troops and their fans.”

In June 2015, Keith was inducted in to the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City, and he has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association International with its Songwriter/Artist of the Decade distinction. He is a three-time BMI Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year and was named the American Country Awards’ Artist of the Decade. His albums have sold more than 40 million copies, ranking him among the top-selling all-genre artists on Billboard’s Top 200 Artists of the Decade. Keith is also Billboard’s No. 1 Country Artist of the Decade and No. 1 Country Songwriter of the Decade.

“We’re thrilled to have Toby Keith kick off tournament week at the most famous hole in golf,” said Michele McManamon, THE PLAYERS 2016 Volunteer Chairman and co-founder of Tuesday’s Charity of the Day, Operation New Uniform. “The Military Appreciation Day Concert is always a fan favorite, and the new location for 2016 allows us to entertain an even bigger crowd in the incredible, wrap-around atmosphere of 16 and 17. Fans will also have access to the great amenities available in that area – including the Food Court and upgraded restrooms – ensuring a true concert-like experience. With a superstar like Toby Keith on stage, we know the Stadium is going to be rocking.”

Prior to tournament week, THE PLAYERS will welcome active duty, Reserve, retired military, veterans, and military spouses to TPC Sawgrass on Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Birdies for the Brave® Patriots’ Outpost, to participate in its fourth-annual Military Job Fair, in partnership with the Jacksonville Military Veterans Coalition. The Military Job Fair is free and open to military personnel, veterans and military spouses who are seeking employment. There will be approximately 40 companies on hand, all with open hiring opportunities. Free career counseling and resume-writing assistance will be provided, as well as, information on local educational institutions with veterans’ programs.

Previous PLAYERS Military Veterans Job Fairs have seen attendance of more than 500 military job seekers and 40 companies participating. On Sunday, May 8, THE PLAYERS and Birdies for the Brave® will again partner with Operation Shower to host a group baby shower for 40 military moms-to-be whose spouses are deployed members of the U.S. Navy. Scheduled to be held from 12-2 p.m. in the Patriots’ Outpost, the event will be hosted by Jim and Tabitha Furyk and will feature Operation Shower’s signature Shower-In-A-Box, gifts of high-quality products for the moms and babies that have been provided by sponsors and donors.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Hall of Fame Voting: A Process

“Amalgamation of a career”

It’s perhaps an unknown process, but it’s a process nonetheless. To get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame it ultimately takes an 80% yes vote of the selection committee on the Saturday before the Super Bowl. (This year there were 46 members. Thirty-two, one from each NFL team, and, in essence, 14 at-large voters). It’s a collection of media members from around the country with eight representatives of the staff of the PFHOF and two HOF members in the room. So it’s a small group. You can look at each of the other selectors in the eye. And the discourse is usually honest, brutally frank and often contentious. It’s the job of the representative of the corresponding team to make the case for selection to the Hall. (When a player’s career is spread over a couple of teams, both reps will speak.)

It takes most of the year to get the 15 finalists plus the senior and contributor into the room on that Saturday before the Super Bowl. As selectors we’re asked to take the original nominee list, sometimes around 100 players, and cull it down to 25. Once that’s determined, we vote again to cut the list to 15.

Committees are appointed and meet in the summer in Canton, OH to determine the Senior and Contributor candidates. They’re considered separately from what are called the “Modern day players” as they’re presented to the full Selection Committee.

So once we get into the room there are 15 players eligible for five spots. That’s the maximum number allowed to be inducted in any one year. If the Senior and Contributor are elected that would make eight total in any particular class.

So it’s a pretty tough process to get in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That’s why I chuckle in the weeks after the selection process is over for any particular year. The committee is roundly criticized for whom we didn’t put in the Hall. My response to that is always, “Who would you throw out of the current class to get your guy in?”

There are some years I look at the list and honestly believe each of the 15 finalists deserves to be in the Hall. But I can only vote for five. If a player gets to the “room” as one of the 15 finalists they have an 88% chance of eventually being inducted into the Hall.

So is there a formula to get in? There’s a lot of speculation about whose “year” it is to get in when the list of finalists is released. That’s a fallacy. Sometimes there’s a logjam at a position that’s eventually sorted out. Lynn Swann and John Stallworth seemed to cancel each other out until eventually they both were elected. Andre Reed, Chris Carter, Tim Brown and Art Monk all eventually got into the Hall. But in each case, they were evaluated on their own merits. Consequently they all now wear gold jackets.

No player or coach is perfect. All have their ups and downs in a career but as one selector once said it’s the “amalgamation of a career.” I go into the room each year with research behind me and listening to the presentations for the individual accomplishments as part of a team game.

“Edge” players are easy to quantify. That’s why quarterbacks, receivers, tackles, pass rushers and cornerbacks are so well represented in the Hall. Guys in the middle of the field, centers, guards, safeties are tough to quantify so personal research as well as the presentations in the room are an essential part of the process. I’ve had my mind changed several times by the presenters on the day of the meeting. The thoroughness of the presentations is inspiring.

Each year the opening statement by the President of the Hall includes the reminder that as selectors we’ll be “changing men’s lives with our actions today.” And that’s true.

Of the thousands of players who have passed through the NFL, under 300 are in the Hall of Fame.

I’m often asked if Tony Boselli will every get in the Hall of Fame. As a left tackle in the golden age of left tackles, Boselli was the best among his peers. Walter Jones and Jonathan Ogden were selected to the Hall in the past couple years. Orlando Pace will get in. They all admit Boselli was at the top of their list. Nobody questions his ability or even his greatness on the field. The only negative to Tony’s candidacy is the brevity of his career. But the question is often asked: What is a short career? Boselli played in 95 games and was the dominant player in each of those. There are other players with shorter careers in the Hall and making it to the top 25 this year is the first step for Tony. It won’t surprise me if Boselli is considered in the “room” in the very near future.

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Gators Bolster Offense on Signing Day

With a year under his belt and expectations high, Jim McElwain thought the Gators were very competitive on Signing Day. With twelve early enrollees as well as the graduate transfers, Florida had some specific situations they wanted to address through recruiting. But McElwain didn’t want the players already in school to miss out on the celebration of Signing Day.

“We did one with our team down there (in the team room), where we introduced the guys, put them in Gator colors and showed some highlights and had them make a couple comments and that was pretty good,” McElwain explained.

Looking at his class, the Gators head coach said it was plain to see what they were trying to do this year. The class included five wide receivers.

“I think you can kind of tell what we were trying to do in this class. We were trying to kind of restructure some of the rooms, get some new blood in there, get some guys as competition as we move forward.”

While their defense was solid and fast, Florida’s offense sputtered at the end of the year and was part of the plan when coaches in Gainesville focused on the recruiting process.

“I think we addressed some of those position needs. I feel really good at the skill spots. We obviously have some young offensive linemen and we have got a couple that we look forward to adding to that,” McElwain said regarding getting better on offense.

“But when you look at from the receiver, quarterback, running back side, I think we’ve got some really good talent in there. It will be fun to watch them, because the majority of here already. So we’ll get a good feel for that this spring.”

Getting what he calls the “full cycle” paid off for McElwain and he pointed to the biggest name to sign on Wednesday, Tyrie Cleveland, as a player who the Gators were able to “turn” because of his ties to Florida. “He’s a guy that came by this summer and always had a lot of interest in the Gators, right there in Duval County, before he moved to Texas, so he’s not necessarily, you know, stuck and into the Texas part of it,” the head coach said with a smile.

“For him, it’s a little bit of a homecoming. Here is a guy that grew up wanting to be a Gator, playing in the swamp, back with a bunch of guys — a couple guys that he actually grew up playing with. So I’m really happy he’s back in this part of the country.”

As far as the recruiting in the state, McElwain said they can do better and is already looking forward to the next two years.

“We’ve still got a long ways to go, but we’ll continue to work that in all those areas. I’m really, I kind of like how we’ve got some from a lot of the different areas, as far as within the state, not just focused on one central area. That’s something that we still need to get better at. We’ll keep working at it.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

FSU Class Among The Best In The Nation

With eighteen four- and five-star recruits in their signing class of 25, Florida State grabbed what is considered one of the best recruiting classes in the nation for 2016. Continuing it’s national reach, the ‘Noles had 13 players from Florida and nine other states. Seven of their signees are already enrolled in school and will participate In this year’s spring practice.

“Very unique group and if you can go back and look at this class, it’s 25 signees, 13 kids in the state of Florida,” Jimbo Fisher said on Wednesday afternoon. “But we signed kids from 10 different states. So I think the brand of Florida State being able to be out there and people being interested in being part of our culture and what we do here and our winning traditions and championship traditions, I think speaks for itself.”

Perhaps one of the overlooked portions of recruiting is what a player feels like on his official visit. A lot of that falls to the current players on the roster, to make it a good “fit” for an incoming recruit. Fisher pointed that out, saying the top players they recruited chose Florida State because of the guys who were already in Tallahassee.

“Our players did a tremendous job of hosting kids and showing everyone so they felt confident around our players,” Fisher explained. “Even the star players, they were nervous, saying I didn’t know how to be around guys such as Dalvin Cook and DeMarcus Walker, they said coach, they were normal, good old guys just like us. And our players understood the importance of recruiting how many young players have an impact in your program just like a lot of them did when they came in.”

And while FSU’s class includes some of the top players in the country, including Jacksonville’s Andrew Boselli who’s already in school, the Chief Seminole admitted they didn’t get everybody they wanted. Nobody ever does.

Like I said, would you get everybody? You don’t ever get everybody you recruit, but I don’t worry about those. I worry about the ones we’ve got. We’ve got a great group of guys and great group of players.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Stadium Clubs “Reimagined”

In the 21 years since it was torn to the ground and rebuilt, the stadium downtown, now called Everbank Field, has been transformed from a place to go see a game to one of the premier “fan experiences” in the NFL. As part of a $90 million project scheduled in three parts and to be completed before the beginning of the 2016 NFL season, the clubs on the East and West sides of the stadium are being renovated and “reimagined.”

“When you work for Shad Khan, there’s not a lot of standing still,” Jaguars Vice President of Sales Chad Johnson told me during a tour of the construction on Thursday. “A lot of our club members have been here since day one. And while the clubs were still a great space, they haven’t kept up with the technology.”

Sitting in your seat will be a different experience in the clubs with new, wider, padded seats being installed. But you might not want to sit in your seat for long. Whether it’s a trip to the Bud Zone or Fanduelville, the stadium is being set up to enhance the experience going from place to place for the entire game.

“You come in the club and you lose what you’re here for,” Johnson explained. ” We’re taking the field and bringing it into the club. And we’re taking the resources of the club and taking it outside.”

It’s obvious that when you come to the club for the first time in the coming year, it’ll look completely different. As in, you’ll think you’re in a different spot.

“From this spot here,” Johnson said as he pointed to just inside one of the walkways to the club seats, “to the other end of the club, those walls will be all glass, overlooking the field.”

Those glass walls will be 12-14 feet high. All of the concession areas are being ripped out and rebuilt, allowing for more local fare and more flexibility in the kind of food they can prepare.

And it’ll be a very large, open area.

“One thing the clubs lack is a lot of communal space. We have a lot of 4 tops but not a lot of places where 10 or 12 people can gather,” Johnson explained. “In this new club design there will be a lot of long bar rails and places to get together.”

While the number of “Club Seats” will fall from 10,000 to just over 8,200, Johnson says all of the entities that use the stadium, including the Florida/Georgia game and the TaxSlayer Bowl have been in on the renovation.

“Fans love to be outside, with their friends, overlooking the field. We saw that with Fanduelville. So if we can do that here at the 50-yard line it made complete sense.”

Construction is being done in phases, with the lower clubs on the east and west sides part of the initial work. They’ve built some temporary walls to accommodate fans getting to their seats during the upcoming Monster Jam in February. Following that, they’ll start the demolition of the decks outside and move to the upper clubs as well.

Work in the South End Zone for the “Flex Field” and the amphitheater hasn’t started yet but Johnson says it’s all still pointing to being ready at the start of the season.

“It’s a tight timeline, but we’re doing it in phases,” he outlined. “It’s all part of the big project but we, and our construction partner have a good plan.”

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Remembering Rex Morgan

Somewhere along the way in his career, somebody associated with JU decided that Rex Morgan shouldn’t be the head basketball coach at the Arlington school. It’s a bit of a shame, but his loyalty to the Dolphins never wavered. Sunday’s celebration of life for Morgan, who died last week at 67 after a battle with throat cancer, was held in JU’s Historic Swisher Gym, the site of Morgan’s exploits as a player in the late ’60’s and ’70’s.

“We ran a very patient, patterned offense,” Morgan’s coach Joe Williams told the 800 or so at Swisher to pay their respects. “But the first time the ball went to Rex on the wing, he took it to the basket and laid it in. He changed what we thought about coaching. Once we got Artis (Gilmore) and Pembroke (Burroughs), Tom (Wasdin, Williams’ assistant coach) and I just wanted to get up in the stands and watch. It was that good.”

After a loss in his freshman year, Wasdin told the crowd, “Rex got the team together and said, ‘You don’t know what’s going on here. How special it is to be at this school.’ We didn’t have any bad losses after that.”

Recalling the recruitment of Morgan, Wasdin said, “I told Rex we needed him and really wanted him. Rex said, ‘Coach, I’ve never seen a team that needed me more.'”

It was that kind of story told Sunday remembering Morgan as a player and coach of great passion and intensity, a natural leader.

“When he got the ball, he was in charge,” Pembroke Burroughs, a forward on the 1970 team that played in the national championship game recalled. “He wasn’t our point guard, but at 6’6″ when he got the ball on the wing, he took over.”

Morgan’s coaching career took him from an assistant at FSU under Williams to the USBL to Arlington Country Day School where his teams won seven state championships including five in a row. Morgan was known as fun-loving as well. His USBL team hosted boxer Roy Williams as part of a promotion as Williams played pro basketball and got into the ring for a fight the same day.

“He had a passion for basketball and for Jacksonville,” his friend and teammate Artis Gilmore said in front of Swisher. “He was a very good player, got caught up in a numbers game with the (Boston) Celtics. Very aggressive, very passionate about the game. Just a great competitor and a great friend.”

Gilmore might have been the centerpiece of the great JU teams in the early ’70’s but it was Morgan who made it all happen according to his coaches and teammates.

“A great passer but a great friend,” Williams said echoing Gilmore’s sentiment. “He always had the ability to make you think you were the most important person around.”