Sam’s Commentary

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Are The Jaguars ‘Hoping” For Success

“I’m not a big fan of hope,” former Jaguars linebacker Tom McManus once said to me during an analysis of a game. Hope is a funny word when it comes to professional sports. On one hand fans can hope things go well. On the other, hope shouldn’t be a part of a coaching staff’s decision […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Know Bengals Effort Won’t Fly

I was surprised by Gus Bradley’s upbeat mood after the game Sunday night against Cincinnati. Sure, the second and third teams were competitive and won the game in the end but the starters looked miserable in the first half. Bradley is a very positive coach, so I asked him if it might be a good […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Wake Up Call For Jaguars Vs. Bengals

If nothing else, the first half against the Bengals should have served as a giant wake up call for everybody associated with the Jaguars. “We played pretty bad at every position. When you play bad, you don’t score a lot of points,” quarterback Blake Bortles said in the second half. Players, coaches, front office people […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Arrow Up On Jaguars

Looking at the Jaguars through two preseason games and three weeks of training camp some things about the team are starting to take shape. 1) A year under his belt in the offensive system has helped Blake Bortles take command and get comfortable. They time spent in the offseason throwing to Allen Hurns and Allen […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

South End Zone Project: Khan Wants To Get It Right

In February of this year when the Jaguars made a big splash unveiling their Shipyards project vision; Jaguars Owner Shad Khan said a renovation of the South End Zone could be completed before the 2016 football season began. While the project went through various design stages and permitting processes, that timeline got pushed back with […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars vs. SD: Nothing To Like

Whatever we watched last week against the Packers we watched the opposite this week against the Chargers. From the opening snap, Phillip Rivers and San Diego did whatever they wanted against the Jaguars on offense and defense, looking dominant in a 38-7 rout. For all of the tenacity last week against the Packers, the Jaguars […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Will Gus Bradley’s Coaching Experiment Work?

Just about all the talk, all the prep and all of they hype are behind them now. The re-tooled Jaguars will take the field on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers with new expectations. Last February I asked Owner Shad Khan what his expectation level would be for 2016 and he said, “Better than 5-11 […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Bortles Better, Defense Better

He’s a third year pro but perhaps more importantly, it’s Blake Bortles’ second year in the same offensive system. It’s allowed the Jaguars quarterback to be more in command and take a bigger leadership role. “Yeah, I think so, definitely. If I wasn’t then it would be pretty disappointing,” he said after Tuesday’s practice in […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Stadium Improvements March On

As the focus for the Jaguars concentrates on their improvement on the field, the backdrop at the stadium continues to be hammering and building as workers race against the calendar to have improvements done before the season starts. “That extra week in August because our first preseason game is on the road is a big […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

FSU/Boise St. To Play Here In 2019

As they continue to work toward bringing in “neutral site” college football games. JaxSports has found a willing partner in Florida State University. FSU is scheduled to play Boise State in a home-and-home series in 2019 and 2020 but talks are progressing to bring that game to Jacksonville to open the season. “Florida State is […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Air2G2 Local Company Making Good

As a concept, it seems pretty simple: All living things need air to grow. But for Glen Black, it was a brainstorm in college that led to a growing business based on that concept. Black is the President of Air2G2 by GT Air Inject, a Jacksonville company with connections all around the world. While a […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars “Fact Finding” vs. Bengals

It might have been a “game week” of preparation but even as hard as they try, the players and coaches admit the third preseason game is different than the rest but still nothing like the regular season. “Fact finding” is how Head Coach Gus Bradley characterized his goal for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati. The Jaguars, […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Time for Jimmy Smith in The Pride

There’s never been a question about Jimmy Smith’s on-field greatness. Smith is one of just three players to play more than ten seasons for the Jaguars, from 1995-2005, and still owns 11 team records 10 years after his retirement in 2006. But how to you honor a player during his much-publicized struggle with drug addition […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Smith “Grateful and excited” to be in The Pride

“It’s not the end, but it’s a new beginning.” It was with that statement that former Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith summed up his thoughts about being the latest player to be invited to join The Pride of the Jaguars. Smith’s statistics are gaudy by any measure of wide receivers in the NFL and outsized when […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Khan On 2016 Roster: “Scary Good”

When the owner says it’s time to win, it’s time to win. And while he didn’t use those specific words today, Jaguars Owner Shad Khan clearly has high expectations for his team in 2016. “Absolutely, I can’t wait,” Khan said when I asked him if he was excited about the start of training camp next […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Ready To Win Says Malik Jackson

It’s been a pretty dramatic transformation in the Jaguars locker room over the last four years. As much as General Manager Dave Caldwell has been looking for talent as he builds the roster, he’s been vetting players’ personalities as well. There’s a certain type of player that can work inside a team with Head Coach […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Cryotherapy: The latest in “Sam’s Big Comeback”

For those of you who have followed by journey since my stem-cell surgery in November, first I want to say thank you. Somebody asks me about my knee, the procedure, the braces I wore or my rehab everyday, and I appreciate it. Since the stem-cell procedure is so new in the US, the experts are […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

MJD on Jaguars: “They can win the South”

He’s certainly no stranger to the stadium but it took an assignment from the NFL Network to get former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones Drew back on the Jaguars practice field. “Getting a feel for the team,” Jones Drew responded when asked what brought him to town. The network wants him to have a good […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Foley To Leave Florida In A Good Spot

When he first arrived on the University of Florida campus in 1976, Jeremy Foley thought he had made a mistake. “I drove down here from New Hampshire with my dad and got out of the car,” he said in Gainesville on Tuesday formally announcing his retirement as Athletic Director effective October 1st. “It was 4000 […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Marks Returns Optimistic

Looking for that blend of veterans and youth going into the 2016 season, the Jaguars are counting on Sen’Derrick Marks to return from injury, back to his Pro Bowl form. Marks returned for the final OTA on Friday, a little ahead of schedule. “That is what is good about our staff,” Marks said after practice. […]