Well my fellow Jaguars fan, it may have been a rough season, but we made it to the end. Even though it was a disappointing season, we have to look at the bright side, at least we can learn from this year. Here’s just a few things I think we learned in 2o12.

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1. Blaine Gabbert is NOT the answer:

In case you were giving him the benefit of the doubt during his rookie season, I hope you learned your lesson.  While this may be a huge let down… At least everyone is aware of the issue & we can move forward. I better not see him sneak up the depth chart EVER again. While he may be right when he said during his post-season interview that he has not had the easiest time in the NFL considering his two years in the league consistent of an owner & coaching change plus a serious injury. However, in my opinion Gabbert is not starting QB quality.

2. The Jaguars without Maurice Jones Drew is as painful as we imagined:

If there’s one player Jaguars fans NEVER want to see go down, that’s MJD. He is the heart & soul of the Jags. Unfortunately, our worst nightmare came true this season & it was painful. If there was a shining light on the Jacksonville offense, it was MJD. Just one year ago, Mojo was the NFL leading rusher. Without him Jacksonville went from having the 12th ranked rushing game in 2011, to the 30th ranked rushing game in 2012.

3. (2-14) teams still have dedicated fans:

If you don’t believe me, check out the fan base on Twitter…. Or take a look at this picture from EverBank this season. Keep in mind, the Jaguars only won one home game this season.

4. People who hate on Jacksonville’s fan base are simple uneducated:

I hear about it all the time… “Aren’t all the Jaguars game blacked out”… “Are you two the only people in the stands”… “The Jags are going to LA” … Let me tell you how hard I laugh every time .. NOT. Let me shed a little light on this situation… Did you know that in 2012 Jacksonville had an average stadium attendance higher than teams like Pittsburgh, Chicago, & Detroit. In fact the Jaguars finished 20th in the attendance rankings for 2012. That means there’s 12 franchises that had less fans turn out this season than the 2-14 Jaguars.

» Continue reading “What Jaguars Fans Learned In 2012″

When I think of the Ultimate Jaguars fan, only one person comes to my mind. That’s my younger brother Mason Evans.

Being a Jaguars fan is not just something he is during the six months of NFL season; it is a factor in his daily life. From being a season ticket holder to knowing every… and I mean EVERY stat & fact about franchise.

Mason is by no means new to the Jaguars fan base; he’s been a fan since day one. At a young age of 3 years old he fell in love with the team just as their franchise was beginning.

Unfortunately for Mason, being a Jaguars fan didn’t come easy; his mom a Steelers fan, his dad a Broncos fan. Even worse, he was born in Massachusetts; not far from Foxborough.

Luckily for Mason, the Evans family moved to Florida in January 1995. Being the football loving family they were, everyone needed to have a favorite team. There was no hesitation in Mason’s mind that the Jaguars were that team.

From that moment forward Mason has felt the triumphs and heartbreaks that the organization has experienced. In the end he couldn’t be more proud to be a Jaguars fan, even in their roughest times.

Currently Mason is 21, living in Tampa and attending the University of South Florida. Even though he has moved further away from Jacksonville and miles from Raymond James Stadium, his love for the Jaguars has not faded.

Traveling to Jaguars game is a 7-hour drive round trip. However, he still travels to EverBank for every home game. This Jaguars fan is truly ALL IN!Raymond James Stadium, his love for the Jaguars has not faded.

Make sure you vote for Mason by December 19^th, by visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars Facebook Page & “liking” his picture. If you are still unsure if this kid is the Ultimate Jaguars Fan? Then google “Jaguars fan”… his picture is a top result.

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Click here to vote for Mason now!

If yesterday’s Jaguars-Texans game didn’t get your blood pumping, you won’t understand this post. If you didn’t get way too crazy in a local bar, or your living room, to the point you felt like you were at EverBank, you probably won’t understand this optimistic post the day after a Jaguars game. However, if you are like me & scared half your neighborhood due to all the screaming & commotion going on in you house between 1:00- 5:00 pm yesterday, then you will complete identify with the fact the Jaguars made me proud… For the first time, in a long time.

Yesterday’s matchup may have not ended the way Jags fans had hoped, but that’s no reason to be upset. At the end of OT, I couldn’t help but be proud of what the Jaguars had accomplished. Here are the top 5 things I’m most excited about from yesterday… In no particular order:

1. Gabbert Was Replaced:
   Chad Henne… Chad Henne… Chad Henne…He could be half my list. I mean what a phenomenal game from Henne. Anyone remember the last time Gabbert threw 4 TD passes? … I’ll wait. Oh, never? That’s right. Let’s not forget Henne also didn’t throw any interceptions or have any pathetic fumbles, or as I like to call these things “Typ Gabs”… Short for Typical Gabbert’s.
2. First Round Draft Pick Paid Off:
   Justin FREAKING Blackmon ended yesterday’s game with 236 yards, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Where have you been sunshine? Just when critics started calling this first round draft pick a bust, he shows America isn’t not his lack of talent… It’s his lack of a QB. Week 11 was just the beginning of a successful career in Jacksonville. [Gabbert's position on the depth chart pending.] Blackmon proved he is a player maker & can get his job done. 
   
3. We’re A Road Team:
   This team does NOT like to play at home. I don’t know what it is about EverBank that makes them perform terribly. Maybe it’s the lack of fans cheering, step it up DUVAL. Whatever it is, it’s clear the Jaguars would rather be on the road. That’s why they beat the Colts in Indy, just to turn around & be embarrassed at home. Or why they were destroyed in week 2 by the Texans, just to score 37 pts and send the game into OT when in Houston. Who knows why this is happening… But at this rate I’d rather them stay on the road. At least I won’t have to drive 6 hours to watch them lose.
4. Jacksonville Has A Tight End:
   I have a love-hate relationship with Marcedes. Most of the time I’m hating on him, but it’s just because I love him & expect more. Yesterday, that’s what I want out of him EVERY game. 2 TDS, that is what I’m talking about! Now if we could only step up the yardage a little bit, I’d put you on my fantasy team. A girl can dream right?
   
5. Their Level of Ability:
   This team may be 1-9, but that has nothing to do with the level they are able to compete on when they actually get it together. We caught a glimpse of what the Jaguars were capable of in week 1 vs Minnesota. Then in week 3 they managed to pull out a win. However, very bright moment seems  to be overshadowed. In week 8 they held the Packers to a 9 point lead, which gave fans hope. Yesterday’s matchup proved they can compete with a 9-1 team, even if there record does not reflect such.

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Three weeks into the season and there already seems to be a trend sweeping through NFL stadiums. No it’s not Tebowing… or something else equally as lame. No, instead it’s something quite less original but definitely comes with a greater consequence. RUSHING THE FIELD.

Two weeks, two field rushers. They may not be the first, but they have definitely gathered the attention of NFL fans everywhere.  Not to mention, stadium security guards across the nation.

Jacksonville fan poses for a picture while trying to avoid EverBank security. Photo compliements of Jon Stone Photography.

The first scenario occurred in week two during the only highlight of the Jaguars – Texans game in Jacksonville. At the beginning of the fourth quarter Chad Dewick decided that this game needed a little more action. Since the Jaguars clearly weren’t going to get that job done, he took it upon himself to rush the field for a little more crowd interaction.

Chad was only expecting to reach the 30 yard line or so; however that was not the case once he reached the field. After dropping into the end zone, he dashed forward to the opposite end of the field… the thirty… the fifty.. OH man did he really just make it all the way to the opposite end zone?

Yes, Chad made it all the way to the opposite end zone before turning around and running ALL the way back to the other end zone…  175 yards!

May I add further than any Jacksonville player all game…?

At this point it was clear he was making a mockery of the security guards. Only one of them even made a half ass attempt to stop him.  Thank goodness, Dwight Lowery came along to stiff arm him right toward security.

Luckily for Jacksonville, Chad was just an innocent football fan trying to spice things up. Could you even imagine if he was trying to do actually harm to the stadium or the people in it?

I’m just applaud by the fact the security guards didn’t notice before he had time to sprint from one end zone to the next and back!!

Sure,  in college football it’s normal for large groups of students to rush on the field after a major win. However, when it’s one person & in the middle of the game, you have to stop to think, HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN WITHOUT NO ONE NOTICING?!

Which brings us to scenario #2… Sunday night during the Ravens-Patriots game, our next rebel took on the security guards at M&T Bank Stadium. Only this time it wasn’t just some guy wearing jorts, he was dressed in full Batman attire.

Logan poses with Chad’s shoes & hat post game. No, Chad did not enter the stadium barefoot. Also, not quite sure why he decided to leave the shoes before his jump onto the field.

The difference between the two scenarios seems to be motive. In Baltimore the fan displayed an anti-bullying message on this body. On the other hand, I’d go with entertainment (and maybe some alcohol) was the motive for our dear friend Chad.

While most assumed Chad was a crazy Jaguars fan, that couldn’t be further from the truth. He simply wanted to add excitement to another wise depressing game for the Jaguars. If my memory serves me correctly, this was in fact his first NFL game.

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen my tweets about being acquaintances with this lovely individual. In fact, we all tailgated together & even sat together until the end of the third quarter. This by no means was a rash decision on Chad’s part, it was definitely planned out way before! I think he actually came into the stadium with the plan to rush the field. It just so happened to be a boring game, which got the ball rolling a little bit more.

When planning this sprint across the field, he only planned to make it to the 30 yard line; by no means did he thought he’d be sprinting 175 yards before having Dwight Lowery take care of the situation. As a result, he was arrest… and I got to enjoy his post-game Publix sub. Win, win… right?!

Unfortunately for Chad, this fourth quarter entertainment lead to him permanently being banned from EverBank stadium, as well as public intoxication charges.

Next time maybe the Jaguars can provide the excitement so fans don’t feel the need to take on that responsibility for them.

Will EverBank stadium get a much-needed makeover this off-season?

According to reports, new owner Shahid Khan wants to do away with those controversial tarps at EverBank.

These tarps will originally added before the 2005 season, as a solution to blackouts in Jacksonville. Due to low ticket sales & one of the largest NFL stadium in the league, Jacksonville struggles to keep their home games from being blacked out in the Duval area.

Removing these tarps would put EverBank stadium at approximately 80,000 seats! When you consider that the Jaguars are already struggling to sell tickets, that seems like a daring move.

Khan hopes to find a way to remove the tarps but he can’t remove the seats entirely. The seat are necessary for EverBank to be the host of the annual Florida-Georgia game which draws a crowd of 80,000+ each fall.

According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal:

New team president, Mark Lamping apparently is looking for ways to more naturally adjust the NFL arrangement, pointing to the fact that the ’90s-era installation of a manual baseball scoreboard at Busch Stadium in St. Louis organically carved 6,000 seats out of the stadium. Thus, the buzzword for the Jaguars has become “resizing.”

These tarps have been debated in Duval for years, probably since they were added in 2005, however Khan seems detrimined to find a solution before the start of the 2012 season.

Will EverBank be getting a makeover? How can the tarps be removed without losing seats for FL – GA?  If these tarps are removed will Jacksonville sell enough tickets to avoid blackouts?

Only time will time, let’s just hope Khan has a solid plan in mind.