Sam’s Commentary

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

It’s The Quarterback

It’s about the quarterback. Always will be. It’s the most important position in sports. The only other one in the discussion is starting pitcher and they only get the ball every four or five days. The QB touches the ball on every offensive play, is the leader and the manager and has to be among […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

It’s Football Season? Already?

For years, my friend Keith has said, “When July 4th comes around, summer is over.” I always laughed at that, because when we were kids, the 4th of July marked the beginning of summer! But alas, now he’s right, as seasons have expanded, once the holiday is finished, it seems all eyes turn to football. […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Our “Hometown”

This summer will mark my 30th year of working and living in Jacksonville. Having also worked in Charleston, S.C., going to school in Washington, D.C. and growing up in Baltimore, I’ve had a taste of all different city sizes and lifestyles. Baltimore is a city that’s really a big town. In fact, Jacksonville is similar […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Wanna Play!

Nobody lives in North Florida or South Georgia because they have to. Nobody has to stay here because they owe money to the company store. So why is it that our civic leaders, elected and otherwise, can’t figure out that’s the frame of reference they should be using for every decision? Is it right that […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Lots of Golf Here

There aren’t too many better places to play golf in the world than here in North Florida and South Georgia. We can play year-‘round and some of the most desirable golf courses in the country are in our backyard. No matter where you look, north to Sea Island or Amelia, any one of the courses […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Its a Big Deal

What’s a big deal anymore? Jacksonville has grown from a town of 200,00 in 1980 to a sprawling city of nearly 1.4 million in the last 30 years. Yet, it’s hard to pin down just what is a big deal to the people who live here. Is it because we’re so diverse? Westsiders almost never […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

The “New” Media

In Daytona for Speedweeks there was a lot of talk about the quality of racing, the two by two and what was going to happen when the Daytona 500 rolled around. Regardless of what you thought of all of those ideas, it got me thinking that we were at least talking about the actual “sport.” […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Weaver Keeps Del Rio

It was awkward at first. Wayne Weaver walked into the room filled with reporters to give his year-end assessment as well as his plan going forward for the Jaguars. (BTW, he showed up a couple of minutes early. We were planning on showing the entire press conference live but he walked in during a commercial […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Lose To Colts (Playoffs?)

The question all week was “Can we beat the Colts.” The answer was easy. “If they play like they have been, they can win.” The problem is, they didn’t play anything like they’re capable of playing. Indianapolis had been struggling on both offense and defense. Peyton Manning didn’t have all of his regulars and even […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Jaguars Beat Raiders

It was a pretty upbeat and loose locker room after the Jaguars beat Oakland 38-31 Sunday. I was trying to interview Don Carey and Derrick Cox kept interrupting. In a fun way. Rashad Jennings has his locker cordoned off and Montel Owens was giving him grief for being messy. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Urban’s Decision

There have been successful coaches and athletes who have figured out the balance necessary to also have a positive family life. Jack Nicklaus used to fly home on Friday nights in the middle of a golf tournament to see his sons play H.S. Football. Don Shula won World Championships and is the winningest coach of […]

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Where From Here? Florida vs. South Carolina

I kept looking over to the South Carolina sideline to make sure Steve Spurrier was still there. The Gamecocks opened the game by handing it to Marcus Lattimore. A lot. And again. And again. In the end, Lattimore carried the ball 40 times for more than 200 yards. With Steve Spurrier as the head coach. […]

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Florida/Georgia Recap

We had Buck Belue on the radio show this week and he brought up a good theory on the Florida/Georgia game: “It’s the ‘here we go again’ game,” is how Buck put it. He was double right. Not a “here we go again,” game but actually two “here we go again halves.” Georgia did everything […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Lance Armstrong and a Bump On The Head

I like to ride my bike. I’ve ridden for years. I have some friends who got me into it nearly 30 years ago, teaching me some of the nuances of the “sport.” It’s not just jumping on the bike and riding. The clothes you wear and why, the rules of the road and how to […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Onboard the USS George H.W. Bush

I knew I wouldn’t get much sleep, but I was excited about the trip so 2 ½ hours didn’t seem that bad. An early morning flight to Norfolk was necessary because I had been offered a chance to actually fly out to the George H.W. Bush, the newest aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. […]

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Tebow’s Quest

I’m not surprised at all of the interest in Tim Tebow at the Senior Bowl in Mobile. Tebow has made a splash with the media since he was in high school and it continued in college. Winning the Heisman as a sophomore only extended his notoriety across the country. So when he announced he’d make […]

Jacksonville Sports News, Sam Kouvaris - SamSportsline.com

Wayne and Jack’s Gamble

“Accountability” was the theme Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver brought to the press conference this week. He rarely sits down in front of the media and cameras and answer questions “en masse” but Weaver thought it was important to do so after all of the speculation regarding his Head Coach Jack Del Rio. Don’t get me […]

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Del Rio’s Future (For Now!)

It’s always quick when coaching changes take place. Pete Carroll said the offer from the Seattle Seahawks “came out of nowhere.” I’m sure Jim Mora Jr. thought the same thing when he was fired a week after the season concluded. Carroll didn’t have much success in the NFL the last time around, but times change […]

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Urban Meyer’s “Fix”

I was sitting on the set at the anchor desk watching the Urban Meyer press conference from New Orleans when a lot of answers flooded into my head. Not necessarily the right answers, but answers nonetheless. I had read the Sports Illustrated article at the beginning of December that profiled the Florida coach in great […]

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Changes at Florida

I got the text from Kevin: “Meyer quits UF.” I don’t jump up very often but in the middle of a “Rock Band” session with my kids, I dropped the drumsticks and jumped up with the phone already to my ear. “It’s true and all over the place,” Kevin said as he answered the phone. […]