Working in Charleston I got a chance to come to Jacksonville to cover the Gator Bowl in the late ‘70’s a couple of times. After the 1978 game between Clemson and Ohio State (the one where Woody Hayes famously punched Charlie Bauman on the sidelines) I asked an usher on the way out, “What else […]
Sam, Tom and Lonnie say the Jaguars are good enough. The problem might be they believe it.
It’s pretty simple math. Last year the Jaguars were 3-3 at this point in the season and finished 10-6. That means for the final 10 games of the year they went 7-3 and won the division. But even Head Coach Doug Marrone knows this year is different. “When you look back and we were 3-3 […]
Even though he’s not superstitious, I know I shouldn’t be writing about Josh Lambo and kickers this week. Lambo hasn’t missed since last year, either a PAT or a field goal so if he misses today, it’ll be my fault. Kind of like talking to a pitcher who’s throwing a no-hitter. Nonetheless, Lambo has something […]
Sam and former NFL Quarterback Matt Robinson discuss the Jaguars offensive problems and the stop gap measures they’re taking.
It’s fair to say the Jaguars are a good team looking for answers. Sunday’s loss to Kansas City exposed some of their flaws and gave a blueprint to the rest of the league of the game plan that beats them. Four interceptions usually sinks a team’s chances for winning but when they needed a stop, […]
Sam and Tom lay out a plan for the Jaguars to beat the Chiefs Sunday.
What if over the last couple of years you became really good-looking? You know, you went to your 10-year high school reunion and you looked great! Would you know how to act? People would react differently to you; tell you how good you looked, asking if you’ve been working out or whatever. That’s the situation […]
Sam and Tom outline the strengths the Jaguars need to believe they have and Tom reveals what he’d say to this team right now. Plus a Ryder Cup recap!
There’s something to be said for the resiliency of the Jaguars under Head Coach Doug Marrone. With their 31-12 win over the Jets on Sunday, the Jaguars are 8-1 after a loss with Marrone leading the way. In other words, they’ve only lost back-to-back games once: Last year to Tennessee and San Francisco at the […]
Is it possible for an entire city to have a hangover for a whole week? It sure seemed like it last Sunday when the Jaguars took on the Tennessee Titans at the stadium. The week before, the Jaguars, with huge vocal support from their fans, exorcized the demon Patriots, the only thing standing between them […]
Sam, Lonnie and Tom talk about the Jaguars motivation this week, the Ryder Cup and where did those tattoo’s come from?
Sam and Tom look at the loss to Tennessee and calm the Jets game almost a “must.” Tom thinks the Jags win big!
Lonnnie’s coaching football this week so Sam and Tom look ahead to Sunday’s Tennessee game. The Patriots win was good but It’s the Titans the players really don’t like.
There’s a scene in Godfather II where Vito Corleone is in his dimly lit apartment worried about his son Fredo. Fredo has pneumonia and is being tended to by his mother and a nursemaid using a glass tumbler with a flame underneath. The thought was it would suck the illness out of his tiny body. […]
Sam and Tom believe the Jaguars made a statement against the Patriots. Can they handle the success and the role of favorite?
On the day after the win over the Patriots, Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone was moving forward. While some teams talk about the “24-hour rule” to bask or wallow in the previous day’s result, Marrone was already preparing for the Titans. He’s doing so with a new starter on the offensive line with the loss […]
Lonnie Marta joins Sam and Tom in Historic Springfield to talk Jags and Patriots. The winner will establish themselves as the AFC favorite.
As a boss “Dirty Carl” was nearly the ideal kind of guy to run a bar in DC. Well dressed, older than the staff, he commanded a level of respect because of his age and he knew the business. He’d sit at the end of the bar, stay out of your way and hand out […]
Sam and Tom look at the Jaguars win over the Giants with no excuses.
One of my favorite stories about the vagaries of the NFL comes from the 2010 season. In their 13th game, the Jaguars secured their eighth victory of the year, beating Oakland at home to go 8-5 with three games left. In the same week, the Green Bay Packers were also 8-5, losing to Detroit on […]
Sam and Tom disagree about what would work best for the Jaguars Sunday. Would a loss actually help?
Nike’s decision to feature Colin Kaepernick in their latest ad campaign sparked a spirited discussion between Sam and Tom.
Sam and Tom discuss the NFL process with Tom recounting his experience. Never easy, always emotional either way
Whoever thought of playing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” to kick off the fourth quarter at Jaguars’ home games was a genius. Whoever thought it was a good idea to stop that was something less than a genius. Maybe it didn’t seem “sophisticated” enough to somebody new to town. Or they wanted to be more […]
Former NFL QB Matt Robinson sits in on “The Hammer” Podcast after week 3 of the preseason. Matt says exhibition games are just “scary.”
Even though there’s a bunch of rah-rah and it seems glamorous, a football team is much like any work environment. There’s a boss, some lieutenants and workers. The boss, in this case, the head coach, sets the tone, the policies and the overall structure of what happens. In the Jaguars 23 years they’ve had different […]
It’s the latest “The Hammer” Podcast. Sam and Tom discuss the Jaguars week 2 exhibition game against the Vikings and what guys “on the bubble” are thinking this week. Plus some talk about the new rules.
I was walking through the Jacksonville Bulls locker room in 1985 when running back Mike Rozier started a NSFW tirade toward me about something I had said on TV the night before. In the course of his screaming he threatened to kill me, have me killed, “mess me up” and a variety of other unprintable […]
Lonnie Marts joins Sam and Tom to talk about the jaguars skirmish in camp, the media coverage, the PGA Championship, how golfers have changed and more.
You might have heard Jim Nantz at the end of the CBS telecast of the PGA Championship mention Gary Player’s prediction that “athletes will eventually choose golf and we’ll have players hitting it 400 yards. It’ll be a different game.” Player has said that for a while, but it was especially poignant this week as […]
Sam and Tom talk about the Jaguars 1st preseason game against the Saints. Did they get accomplished what they set out to do? Here’s an update.
Oh, he might take a trophy home from a PGA Tour event where say, 12 of the top 30 players in the world are in the field. But even he won’t count that as a win. He’ll say it feels good, and add it puts him on the right path to his goals. And that’s […]
Sports Talk with Sam Kouvaris & Tom McManus
We haven’t heard much about “the Jaguars are moving” story in the past couple of years. Los Angeles has two teams and a multi-billion dollar stadium being built. But there’s a new, albeit faint drumbeat about more games in London and fewer games in Jacksonville. By now you’ve probably heard what NBC’s Peter King said […]
As the Jaguars gathered this week in Year 2 of the Coughlin/Marrone era, expectations are high. While quick turnarounds are common in the NFL, the Jaguars’ “worst to first” in 2017 seemed to come out of nowhere. Can a management and coaching change make that much difference? There are a lot of moving parts that […]
I’ve always liked David Duval. I know people have said he’s aloof and distant. He’s described himself as “quiet and reserved.” That might have been his personality as a golfer and it worked for him. Not anymore. Working for the Golf Channel, Duval is the best analyst on television. Not just the best golf analyst, […]
I’ve always liked David Duval. I know people have said he’s aloof and distant. He’s described himself as “quiet and reserved.” That might have been his personality as a golfer and it worked for him. Not anymore. Working for the Golf Channel, Duval is the best analyst on television. Not just the best golf analyst, […]
I didn’t want to write this article about Terrell Owens snubbing the Pro Football Hall of Fame because it only feeds his problematic (maybe clinical) need for attention. But not going to the HOF induction is unprecedented, and fans, the Hall and even Owen’s supporters deserve better. Upon being notified by Owens last month, the […]
This year’s Wimbledon champion will receive a winners check for about $3 million. When Tony Trabert won the trophy there in 1955 they gave him a 10-pound note. “Redeemable at Lilly White’s department store in London,” Trabert recalled last week. “But only in the sports section and only on tennis things.” Working the TPC for […]
