Episode 14 – Be Who You Are!
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!
Entries by Sam Kouvaris
Jaguars Show Resilience, Beat Jets
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 […]
Can a Whole Town Have a Hangover?
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 […]
Episode 13 – Jaguars, Ryder Cup and Tattoo’s!
Sam, Lonnie and Tom talk about the Jaguars motivation this week, the Ryder Cup and where did those tattoo’s come from?
Episode 12 – Its a Loss, Move On
Sam and Tom look at the loss to Tennessee and calm the Jets game almost a “must.” Tom thinks the Jags win big!
Episode 11 – This is the Game the Players Want
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.
Recovery is the Latest in the NFL
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. […]
Episode 10 – The Jaguars Are The Team To Beat
Sam and Tom believe the Jaguars made a statement against the Patriots. Can they handle the success and the role of favorite?
Marrone Spreads The Credit Around
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 […]
Episode 9 – A Statement Game vs. NE?
Lonnie Marta joins Sam and Tom in Historic Springfield to talk Jags and Patriots. The winner will establish themselves as the AFC favorite.
Football Gambler: A Day in the Life
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 […]
Episode 8 – A Little Lucky But They’re 1-0
Sam and Tom look at the Jaguars win over the Giants with no excuses.
Jaguars: Good Enough to Win
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 […]
Episode 7 – Would a Loss Help?
Sam and Tom disagree about what would work best for the Jaguars Sunday. Would a loss actually help?
Episode 6 – Nike, Kneeling and Kaepernick
Nike’s decision to feature Colin Kaepernick in their latest ad campaign sparked a spirited discussion between Sam and Tom.
Episode 5 – Cut Time in the NFL is Tough
Sam and Tom discuss the NFL process with Tom recounting his experience. Never easy, always emotional either way
Jaguars and Skynyrd a Natural Fit
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 […]
Episode 4 – Injuries Bite in the Preseason
Former NFL QB Matt Robinson sits in on “The Hammer” Podcast after week 3 of the preseason. Matt says exhibition games are just “scary.”
Marrone: Right Guy, Right Time
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 […]
Episode 3 – Change The Rules?
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.
Teams, Players, Reporters and the Truth
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 […]
Episode 2 – Jaguars Camp Drags On
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.
Koepka looks like golf’s future 2018
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 […]
Episode 1 – Jaguars/Saints
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.
I don’t think Tiger will win again
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 […]
The Hammer
Sports Talk with Sam Kouvaris & Tom McManus
Adding London games is fine for Jaguars, as a road team
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 […]
Coughlin culture still permeates Jaguars
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 […]
Authentic Duval shines as 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, […]
David Duval, Best Analyst On TV
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, […]
Only Joke In The Hall Is TO
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 […]
Trabert’s Career Had A Little Of It All
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 […]
Career Transition Happens Fast, And Every Day
Maybe you’ve heard I had a dramatic change in my employment status recently. It can be quite a shock if you’re not prepared, but you make of it what you want. No matter what career you have, you’re always looking forward to the next thing, the next accomplishment. When you’re suddenly not in it any […]
Bandon Dunes: A “Must Play” Golf Experience
Images Provided by Golfible.com So I topped two off the first tee. After weeks of anticipation and preparation for a trip to Bandon Dunes, that’s right, I topped two off the first tee in our first day of play at Bandon Trails. That’s something I haven’t done in probably 30 years. And I hit them […]
No TO, We Don’t Care
It’s rare to sit down and write an article you don’t want to write. 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 […]
Marrone’s Jaguars Year 2 Motivation
As the Jaguars enter their final week of OTA’s (scheduled Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) we’ve seen that they’re noticeably faster, they’re quarterback play is better than expected and they have high expectations of themselves. “We achieved a lot but didn’t check all of the boxes of our goals. How great do we want to […]
AJ Bouye Returns, Sets Jaguars Tone
Back at the OTA’s Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye explained why he missed the first week. “Stuff that happened towards the end of last year kind of motivated me, so I just needed extra time with myself and my family just to work on that,” he said on Tuesday. “I had specific trainers I was working […]
Jaguars Start 2018 “Not Dwelling On The Past”
“To be honest, I told the team it’s always good to learn from the past, but please do not dwell on the past.” And with that, Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone set the theme and the tone for the 2018 workouts for last year’s AFC runner-up.” There’s an excitement in the air, no doubt, when […]
Best “Feel Good” Win At THE PLAYERS
There’s nothing like a feel good story in sports. And in American sports, the comeback, feel good story is always the best. We’ve had all kinds of winners at THE Players Championship. Household names like Jack and Tiger, hometown champions in Mark McCumber and David Duval, and unlikely names on the trophy like Stephen (Ames) […]
Simpson (with Tesori) In Command At THE PLAYERS
It’s a weird thing to talk to athletes about their top accomplishments. People who are motivated, ambitious and energetic have an easier time remembering their failures than whatever success they had. There’s a specific kind of memory that sits close to the surface, protecting them from ever making the same mistake twice. On the other […]
Charity
