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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
For about 30 years or so computers have been in dugouts in Major League Baseball. Images of Tony Larussa scanning through matchups and statistics on a laptop in the dugout sent purists howling saying it signaled the end of the America’s Pastime. Now, every team employs an analytics expert, with some ascending to the General […]
While Jacksonville is a growing city, growing pains are part of the process. The way we live, work and play are important parts of the city’s culture as well as the weather and environment. So when the Florida Department of Transportation held an open house on Tuesday to talk about the repaving of parts of […]
After just two seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Head Coach Lovie Smith Wednesday night. Smith took the Bucs job after a successful tenure in Chicago where he took the Bears to the Super Bowl but missed the playoffs five of the last six seasons he coached there. Smith was 84-66 in Chicago and 8-24 […]
Looking to have a Florida based NBA Development League affiliate, the Orlando Magic sent requests for proposals to eight locations in the state yesterday to host the team. Jacksonville is the only North Florida location to receive the request. Daytona Beach, Kissimmee, two locations in Orlando, Lakeland, Estero and Ft. Myers have also been invited […]
During his three-year tenure as the Jaguars Head Coach, Gus Bradley has redefined what ‘victory’ means. He was always looking for improvement, getting better, playing your best. But with Owner Shad Khan’s expectations that the team be ahead of where they were at the conclusion of the 2015 season, I asked Gus today whether he […]
After meeting with the ownership, Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin was asked to step down from his position today. Coughlin won two Super Bowls with the Giants but just finished his third consecutive year without a winning season. Coughlin informed his staff that the Giants were making a change this afternoon. After leading Boston College […]
In the week that Jaguars Owner Shad Khan announced that Gus Bradley would be back for 2016 as the Head Coach, the organization’s focus was split between playing Houston and what to expect next year. “If they’re cleared, they’ll play,” Bradley said when asked about putting players in the game Sunday. Neither Telvin Smith nor […]
Having been in Shad Khan’s box during a game, I know what a fan he is. When they showed him in the box at Houston during the first half a couple of guys were chatting him up with Mark Lamping’s wife sitting in front of him smiling and watching the game. CBS never did go […]
I don’t think you can call Jaguars Owner Shad Khan’s statement today a vote of confidence for Head Coach Gus Bradley but I don’t think it’s an ultimatum either. The message though is very clear: Win next year. With 12 wins in three years, the expectations are that in year four, Bradley and General Manager […]
It’s the only time I’ve ever seen Gus Bradley short with an answer in a press conference situation. When he’s asked about his job security, it’s a question he doesn’t want to hear or address. So when he was asked on Monday if he’d rather know his future in Jacksonville before coaching in the final […]
I ran into a well-respected media member this week in Jacksonville who greeted me with a smile and a handshake saying, “I’m ready for it to be over.” Everybody gets to that point during the season, and although the Jaguars were technically still in the playoff hunt, my colleague had seen enough. At some points […]
Sunday AM Update: Reports this morning say Drew Brees will play for the Saints despite only practicing on a limited basis Friday. Brees has a heel problem with a torn plantar fascia but apparently will start. “It hurts to walk. It has its challenges,” Brees said earlier this week. “But we’ve come up with a […]
Much like he did earlier in the season when the Jaguars were struggling in the red zone, Head Coach Gus Bradley has spent some extra time in practice on third down this week. On both offense and defense. “I just think again it’ll be an area of emphasis,” Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson said at his […]
In his comments right after the loss to the Falcons on Sunday, Head Coach Gus Bradley said “this stings” and “we’ll look at it but there are a lot of plays we left out there.” After looking at it, Bradley thought the same thing. Lots of opportunities lost. “Right now all that is on my […]
Having not thrown an interception in two games and nearly two quarters, Blake Bortles throw at the end of the first half against the Falcons dashed the Jaguars hopes to get back in the game. It turned out to be the one mistake the Jaguars made in a one possession game that cost them a […]
You couldn’t have picked an almost perfect team for the Jaguars to play this week besides the Atlanta Falcons. Coming off their big 51-16 win over their division rival Indianapolis, the Jaguars are favored against an Atlanta team that has struggled, losing 7 of 8 games and six straight. But it doesn’t mean they’re a […]
Still serving a suspension for using a banned substance, Gators quarterback Will Grier has decided to transfer from the University of Florida for what Head Coach Jim McElwain calls a “fresh start.” Here’s the official comment from McElwain. “Will came to me about exploring his options to transfer. We will support him and help him […]
One thing that’s changed with the Jaguars offense is the production from Julius Thomas at tight end. Thomas’ injury in the preseason slowed what the Jaguars were hoping he could provide to Blake Bortles and the offensive production but in the second half of the season it’s been just what they hoped for. “I think […]
In his nearly three full seasons as the Jaguars Head Coach, Gus Bradley has talked about “how it looks” and “playing together,” “keeping it tight” and “finishing.” Against the Colts on Sunday, it must have looked right to Bradley because the Jaguars did all of those things and more. A 51-16 victory was some validation […]
Scoring on offense, defense and special teams for the first time since 2011, the Jaguars routed the Indianapolis Colts 51-16 at home for their 5th win of the year on Sunday. The 51 points is a regular season team record behind the 62 scored in the playoffs against Miami in 2000. For 28 minutes, the […]
“Our goal is to be at our best. We weren’t at our best today.” That’s a comment we’ve heard from Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley a half a dozen times this year as his team has bounced around to a 4-8 record. Three-quarters of the season is gone and the Jaguars have been a different […]
In the week following the loss to Tennessee, Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley was searching for answers just like anybody else. Having acknowledged that his team is having trouble getting to the quarterback no matter what they’ve tried with different packages, Bradley says they’re taking things back to the beginning. “I think that you do […]
“It’s a combination of things,” Jeremy Easterly said when asked about hitting the golf ball a long way. But the simplest answer: Swing fast. Easterly was clear about the distinction between “swing hard” and “swing fast” and he’s all about the speed of the swing. At 6’3″ and 255 pounds, Easterly looks the part of […]
In their continuing struggle to find some kind of consistency, the Jaguars are hit or miss when it comes to which side of the ball will show up each week. While building a strong run defense, one of the best in the league in yards per carry, the Titans took advantage of the short passing […]
Perhaps the most frustrating things for Jaguars fans and maybe even the coaching staff is they don’t know which team will show up on any given Sunday. Young, developing teams need to have a personality and build it. The Jaguars have never done that consistently. For most of this year they could count on the […]
While thankfully talk of the post-season has faded since last week’s loss to the Chargers, the Jaguars five remaining games will give them a glimpse to the future and a chance to put some numbers up that show they’re an improving team. Facing the Titans today, they have a chance to win their 4th game […]
It was a bit of a different Friday for the Jaguars as they finish up their preparations to play the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Sunday. Usually Friday is a walk-thru, instructional and very coach oriented. Instead, Head Coach Gus Bradley said the team addressed some specific things they saw in the game against San […]
If you want to consider most everything else on both teams being equal, it could come down to quarterback play this week for the Jaguars against the Titans. As the number two pick out of Oregon, Marcus Mariota is a true rookie. Blake Bortles is in the middle of his second year in the league. […]
At JU, the dynamic wasn’t working between Head Football Coach Kerwin Bell and the current university president Tim Cost. Bell had been hired by the previous administration and was asked to build the program with a long-term eye on stepping it up into a different conference and offering scholarships. He approached his job every day […]
It was a cold morning in Chicago , November 30, 1993. I had watched ABC News Nightline the previous evening with Wayne Weaver, then of 9 West shoe fame, and now the new face of Touchdown Jacksonville! Nightline spent a segment on NFL expansion, outlining how Charlotte had secured a franchise in October and how […]
