Sam’s Commentary

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

A Special Day in Town

Saturday was just a validation of who we are. Not how we’re perceived. Not how we’re talked about or thought about or written about or disparaged by people who don’t live here. They’re usually about two years behind what’s actually happening in North Florida. Whether you decided to watch a sailing regatta or a powerboat […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars 1st OTA: Plenty of Questions

Competition is what it’s about for Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley. It doesn’t start at a specific time, and it’s obvious with him, it never ends. “Everything counts,” Bradley said after practice. “Everything. They way they walk on the field, they way you handle yourselves in the huddle, the way you talk to your teammates, […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Rookie Camp: A Look At The Future

It didn’t take long for Jaguars fans to get excited about the draft class of 2014. At the first rookie mini-camp at the practice fields, more than 2,000 showed up to see Blake Bortles, Marqis Lee and the other 7 draft picks take the field for the first time as professionals and for the first […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars “Sustainability” Seems Upward

As the main presenter on Tuesday, Jaguars President Mark Lamping reviewed what the team calls the “sustainability” of the franchise, outlining different ideas to create revenue and not raise ticket prices across the board. Owner Shad Khan admitted they have big ideas in their organization. From the no-reality of the big scoreboards, to the potential […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Kaymer Wins Players: Wins Fans Too

Expecting a shootout between Germany’s Martin Kaymer and the USA’s PGA Tour wunderkind Jordan Spieth, fans surrounded the first hole from tee to green, five deep when the two approached for their 2:35 tee time. Kaymer ripped it 310 yards down the middle. Spieth hit it in the right rough. A chink in the armor? […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

The Players: First Round Update

As predicted, low scores were the rule of the day among the morning players in the first round of The Players. Russell Henley shot 65, seven under par while, eight players, including Lee Westwood, Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are at -5. “It’s playing a little softer,” Woodland said after his […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Players 2014: Will The Greens Be Up To Par?

Tee times for the first two rounds are out fo the 2014 Players. They’ll play in threesomes and start at 7:15 as expected, going off the first and the tenth tee. If you’re a morning player on Thursday, you go in the afternoon on Friday and vice versa. In the morning on Thursday, last week’s […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Players 2014: Who Can Win?

As the PGA Tour progress through the past five decades, some of the old adages have faded away. Fields were smaller and not as deep, meaning you could probably pick the winner any week out of a pool of about 20 players. Jack Fleck beating Ben Hogan was a huge story on tour, given Hogan’s […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Players Preview 2014

For most of it’s existence, The Players signaled the beginning of the golf season for many fans. While the Masters was a sign that spring is here, The Players in March is where golf fans started to focus on the season and the sport. Many of the top players skipped the California swing (private jets […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

The Players : Wide Open

As the last qualifier for The Players, JB Holmes has quite a story. He was a well-known quantity on the PGA Tour. A popular player with galleries and a two-time winner in Phoenix, one of the most raucous stops on the circuit, Holmes embodied the ‘grip it and rip it” bomber style popular on Tour. […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

The Players Update: Monday Afternoon Some greens still closed

For a while it was a murmur, then some idle chatter but the talk about the greens at the Stadium Course for this years Players has grown into a full-blown conversation today. It’s been customary to allow players to practice on the Stadium course starting on the Saturday before the tournament, accommodating those who either […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Pre Draft Jaguars Ramblings

It’s annually called the “Pre-Draft Luncheon” and it qualifies as that because it is before the draft and they do serve lunch. (Great potato chips and nice BBQ sliders this year). It’s mainly a chance to get the powers that be with the Jaguars on the record about their philosophy when it comes to the […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

The Players Field Almost Set

In addition to Tiger Woods, add Jason Day’s name to the list of PGA Tour players not participating in next weeks Players. Day is still recovering from a thumb injury and has decided he needs at least another week of rest before reentering competition. The 26 year old Australian won the Match Play Championships in […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Buzz is Real

It’s been a while since there was this kind of buzz around the Jaguars. While the national media has always considered putting a team in Jacksonville “a mistake” and has always looked at Jacksonville as an outpost, they couldn’t ignore the early success the franchise had particularly in 1996 and 1999. Although they tried. In […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Final Four Bigger in Big “D”

It’s just cliché enough to say “Things are bigger in Texas.” And it’s generally true. Bigger buildings, bigger roads (and lots of them), bigger traffic jams and certainly bigger aspirations. It’s not that bigger is better, but for their first time hosting the Final Four at ATT Stadium, the locals and the NCAA have decided […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Gators in Elite Eight: Want More

As expected, it wasn’t easy. Florida withstood a run by UCLA in the second half with poise and tough defense as they beat the Bruins 79-68 to advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive year. “Done it before,” Will Yeguete said in the post-game locker room. “Go back to the hotel, get some […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Gators vs. UCLA: Toughest Test Yet

It’s like a traveling road show when teams go deep into the NCAA tournament. Like that old saying, this week it’s “If it’s Wednesday this must be Memphis.” Adapting to that kind of travel and schedule, new arena’s, new locker rooms, new environments favor a veteran team in college basketball and certainly the 2014 Gators […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Bradley Looking To Upgrade Team, Self

While looking for a constant upgrade in the draft and through free agency, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley isn’t forgetting what last year was like. The ups and downs, the teaching and the learning and how he can take that and move forward. “I know this sounds bad,” Bradley qualified his statement before going on […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Gators Change Mindset, Beat Pitt

It really is all about defense for the Florida basketball team. And while that’s a given for most teams, the Gators have bought into it.’ “This was about to our standard,” Senior Patric Young said in the post-game locker room after Florida’s 61-45 win over the 9th seeded Pitt Panthers. “We can’t always control whether […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Gators “Survive and Advance”

It’s difficult to be such a favorite in college basketball. A team that shoots well, and executes their game plan, no matter what their talent level, size or speed, can make things difficult. Florida found that out in the first half against the Albany Great Danes in their first game in the NCAA tournament in […]