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The Jaguars started their organized team activities (OTA's) this week and they were flying around. The new faces and new coaches have added a lot of spirit to the workouts. New defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson has been very vocal in a good way. Free agent wide receiver Jerry Porter has been impressive catching the ball from quarterback David Garrard in their first two sessions.
Fred Taylor is working out on his own in South Florida, he's expected to be in town next week. Paul Spicer is another story. The defensive end is unhappy with the money he's making and did not show for the voluntary workouts.
The rookies including top draft picks Derrick Harvy and Quentin Groves will be with the team on Friday, but their first workouts won't come until Monday.
Today, the team ended practice with a competitive drill in the sand. The big fellas, mostly linemen, had a relay race between poles to work on agility and footwork. It was fun to watch, but the guys didn't enjoy it as much as we did.
Four more workouts next week, we'll tell you how it goes. Let me know what you think of the new look Jags!
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It was my first PLAYERS Championship and what a blast we had. I wish I could have spent a few hours just watching with a beverage in hand, but hey I'm not complaining about working a golf tournament.
Let's set the record straight -- I picked Jason Bohn to win the tournament, he at least made the cut, but if you read Saturday's blog I did pick Sergio Garcia to win today. I got a mulligan and got it right, kind of like the 17th hole. The drama was awesome around the 17th, but I will say I prefer not to see the tournament come down to that hole on the first playoff hole. I think either 16 or 18 would have been just as good theatre and maybe a bit more fair for Garcia and Goydos, especially with the wind blowing at 40 mph.
I got turned down quite a bit this week (not by girls). Twice Adam Scott refused to answer a couple of questions. It was funny, someone said after it must be tough with all those girls yelling -- they like the young Adam Scott. Today was even worse. Ernie Els is a good guy, very nice all week until this afternoon. I needed a quick little word on the wind, yet after double bogeying the 18th hole Ernie was not happy and told me pretty succinctly. I can't repeat what he said. I'll give him a pass, he's usually better than that.
Still like to get your thoughts on the tournament. Can't wait for next year already -- after a nap of course.
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Wow! Paul Goydos and Kenny Perry hung in there on moving day like the veterans they are. Goydos hurdling 2nd round leader Perry to take a one shot lead to bed tonight.
This was the best day of the week for me -- I loved the atmosphere. I used to work in New York and the Saratoga Race Course was the place to be in the summer. This event reminds me a lot of the big racing days like the Travers.
Sunday could be crazy, not only because of the play, but the weather. We could realistically be looking at a Monday finish at THE PLAYERS.
We'll be there tomorrow- -- who's going to win??? My pick for Sunday??? I'll take Sergio Garcia to shoot 69 to hold off Kenny Perry.
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So much for the flip flopping tee times evening things out on day two of THE PLAYERS Championship. Unlike Thursday, the two best rounds of Friday were carded in the afternoon. Bernhard Langer shot a five under 67 and Stephen Ames shot a four under 68.
Kenny Perry leads the event by a shot over Langer, Paul Goydos and first round leader Sergio Garcia.
We were all over the course on Friday chasing down the leaders and yeah it was hot! My wife's not too happy with the laundry basket because I'm going through at least two shirts a day.
There was much more of a buzz out there today which is common because Friday often has the largest crowd of the event. I don't think the buzz is crazy, unless your at 17, which means there definitely is a Tiger Woods effect this time around. I can't compare it to others since this is my first time at THE PLAYERS, but its noticeable to other observers as well.
There's a lot of cool stories on and off the golf course. We'll chase some of them on Saturday and bring you TPC Extra at 11:15pm. See you at THE PLAYERS this weekend.
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This is my first PLAYERS Championship and today I sat near the famed 17th hole for a little while. What a scene it is out there. You can see the extra focus and concentration the players have, appearing to be intimidated by a short par three. One of the volunteers said only three balls went in the water in the morning, but by Thursday's conclusion of round one 20 balls in all landed in the lake.
The crowd was fantastic around 17, oohing and aahing as soon as the players teed off. You can tell the folks that have seen a lot of shots there because those fans know when a ball is going in. I hear Friday is party day out there, looking forward to it -- I'll be drinking a coke and lots of water!
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What a round one for Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard blistered the course early in the morning and posted a six under 66 to take a two shot lead at THE PLAYERS.
Garcia has played well recently at TPC Sawgrass, finishing 2nd to Phil Mickelson last year. Speaking of lefty, he made an uncharacteristic bad chip on 18 to drop a shot and also bogeyed the first hole (his 10th on the day). Lefty still in good shape at two under.
Check the full leaderboard on www.cbs47.com.
With round one in the books, who do you think will win?
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Day one of the PLAYERS has now had four withdrawals. Trevor Immelman withdrew before teeing off, Jason Gore dropped out after four holes, Hunter Mahan got sick on the course stopping his round after 2 holes and Ryan Armour withdrew after shooting 81.
The best players in the world are scoring well. Sergio Garcia leads with a six under 66. Defending champ Phil Mickelson is four behind after shooting a 70.
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We may not need a cut at this year's PLAYERS Championship. Early this morning, Masters winner Trevor Immelman dropped out of the tournament citing illness. Immelman hasn't played well since winnin the green jacket, he's yet to make a cut in the last month.
Jason Gore is also out for the week, although he was looking at a short stay anyway. Gore made a nine on the par five 2nd hole. He was seven over after four holes and decided enough was enough, withdrawing from the event.
Check back for updates throughout the day and let me know what you think about the tourney, our coverage or your experience at THE PLAYERS.
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THE PLAYERS Championship's first round is hours away. What a day on Wednesday, might get really hot the rest of the way folks. I was a bit surprised how quiet it was at the course today, maybe the lack of Tiger buzzkill is kicking in.
What a pairing for the practice round when Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood played together -- easy autographs in that one.
Ugly costume of the day goes to Henrik Stenson -- he was wearing all purple, it wasn't pretty.
There's a new Jags fan in town -- Ben Curtis wearing Teal and Black this week. Curtis has taken over the Payne Stewart idea of wearing NFL team colors in each respective city.
They tee it up bright and early in round one -- more from TPC on Thursday.
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THE PLAYERS Championship's first round is hours away. What a day on Wednesday, might get really hot the rest of the way folks. I was a bit surprised how quiet it was at the course today, maybe the lack of Tiger buzzkill is kicking in.
What a pairing for the practice round when Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood played together -- easy autographs in that one.
Ugly costume of the day goes to Henrik Stenson -- he was wearing all purple, it wasn't pretty.
There's a new Jags fan in town -- Ben Curtis wearing Teal and Black this week. Curtis has taken over the Payne Stewart idea of wearing NFL team colors in each respective city.
They tee it up bright and early in round one -- more from TPC on Thursday.
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I must admit, when I got the new gig down here in Jacksonville I was really looking forward to THE PLAYERS Championship. Now that it's here, I wish it would last the entire month.
We began our in depth coverage today at TPC Sawgrass. I've now been to the course several times, but what a thing of beauty it is, especially on a day like today.
We're gathering stories for the entire week, but our main target today was the defending champ Phil Mickelson. Lefty looks good (he lost the gut), and he claims to be ready for another title. Mickelson will have a tough time doing it, nobody has ever won back to back at TPC.
If you're looking for autographs, put Mickelson in the good guy category -- he signed for quite a while heading back to the clubhouse. Interestingly, Mickelson is playing another area course on Wednesday to warm up for the tourney. He did say he may come back in the afternoon to work on the greens, but it shows you how relaxed Lefty is during a big week.
If you go to the tournament, check out the Stadium Village. Its a fan area with a replica of the 17th hole. While we were there, a Jacksonville native holed out from 33 yards and won an Ipod Touch. I tried and hit the water three times.
More updates all week long as soon as I have a minute to open up the computer. Love to get your thoughts on THE PLAYERS, our coverage and/or your experience at the event.
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Put the 2008 NFL Draft in the books! The Jags made five selections, but this town is still buzzing about Saturday's top pick. Jacksonville traded up 18 spots to get the Florida Gators Derrick Harvey. I think this pick alone makes Jacksonville's draft a huge success. In addition, Jacksonville added more defensive end help in the second round with Quentin Groves.
It's tough to evaluate the Jags day two picks. Jacksonville selected linebacker Thomas Williams and cornerback Trae Williams in the fifth round, then added running back Chauncey Washington out of USC in the seventh round. When you get this late in the draft, who knows if these guys will even be on the team. I think the Jags just took best player available in these spots and according to some scouts the Washington pick in round seven could be a steal... but that's a big could. The Giants used a seventh rounder last year, running back Ahmad Bradshaw, to help win a Super Bowl you know.
If you look at the draft by position I'm surprised a bit that the Jags didn't draft a safety, they are very thin in this position, but obviously didn't feel the value was there at the time.
Overall, this was my first draft in Jacksonville and I can sense the excitement around the weekend and this team for the fall. It's not an exact science, but on paper Jacksonville should feel really good about the present and future coming out of this year's draft.
Harvey and Groves arrived at the stadium today. You can watch there interviews on the web.
Any thoughts football fans??? Agree or disagree with my draft analysis?
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Everyone was right!!! The Jaguars really did need help on the defensive line, more specifically the defensive end position. Jacksonville making another move trading their 2nd round pick, a 5th rounder Sunday and next year's 7th round selection for Tampa Bay's 2nd round pick, number 52 overall. It was a six spot jump to get Auburn's Quentin Groves. Groves is considered a situational pass rusher and weak against the run. Miami's Calais Campbell had gone two picks prior so obviously the Jags didn't want to lose out on Groves.
Lots of smiles in Jacksonville today. We were at The Landing earlier and everyone seemed fired up about the Harvey trade and selection. The smiles were even wider at the Jaguar Draft headquarters at the stadium. Ted Monachino said "I almost put my hands through the ceiling" when we traded up to get Harvey. I think everyone is pretty satisfied and why not?? The Jags had a major hole to fill and they did. Its nice to stockpile picks and develop depth, but the Jags have plenty of that already.
Jacksonville can sleep in Sunday morning! They only have two picks all day -- both in the fifth round.
Day One tidbits:
*Clemson DE Phillip Merling slipped to 2nd round (Miami) -- curious where the Jags had him on the board compared to Harvey because they possibly could have got Merling without making any trades.
*7,000 people came to The Landing for the Draft Party -- Jags fever is high (Hooters nearby and the ROAR performing didn't hurt)
*No area Jacksonville prospects were selected -- several have a shot on Day Two
*Thanks to the Jags for dinner, can't wait for training camp (free lunch baby).
*Shout out to Pat Kavanagh -- you Jags fans know Pat as our photographer -- he hustled big time today to get everything on the air and on the web.
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Wow -- what an afternoon. Photographer Patrick Kavanagh and I were at the Draft Party at The Jacksonville Landing when word of a trade came down. We were actually interviewing last year's first round pick Reggie Nelson (his reaction "whoah") about a story for our early 6pm show.
The 7,000 on hand loved what the Jags did and I did too. This was a bold move by Jacksonville. They knew what they needed and went and got Derrick Harvey. It sounds like the Jags gave up a bunch with their 26th overall pick, two third rounders and a fourth rounder this year, but I think it speaks volumes to how close the Jags feel they are to winning. I'm not sure Harvey makes the difference in being a Super Bowl winner or not, but he certainly helps now and down the road.
We were at the Gators pro day last month and you could tell the Jags had a keen interest in Harvey. Obviously, its just down the road in Gainesville, but Shack Harris and defensive line coach Ted Monachino were there to workout Harvey. There was a funny moment during the workout when Harvey ran right over Monachino during a drill (there's video on our website). Another interesting note behind this relationship is that Monachino recruited Harvey out of high school (Monachino was at Arizona St). Of course, Harvey became highly recruited and chose to go to Florida.
We talked to Harvey via phone today and he's fired up to be a Jags player like Reggie Nelson a year ago.
Just a thought here, no inside information. Miami took defensive end Phillip Merling with the first pick of the 2nd round. What if this opens the door for the Dolphins to keep shopping Jason Taylor -- could the Jags get in on that game too? Stay tuned.
Continue to follow our draft coverage on the web and on CBS47 all weekend long. We are at Jaguars headquarters right now awaiting Jacksonville's 2nd round selection -- 58th overall.
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First, a warm welcome to my blog. I'm the "new sports guy" in town. That's my unofficial title, officially they call me the Assistant Sports Director. I've been in town for two months now and so far so good --- like the area, like the sports town. You can find more info on me by reading my bio on the web -- here's the link http://www.cbs47.com/content/bios/story.aspx?content_id=75c03a44-8c4b-4f51-b94e-e0294b012c71
Alright, let's talk about today's draft. We've heard a lot about this Jason Taylor trade talk -- pull the trigger baby. I'm a big fan of this trade, if for nothing else there's a good Dancing With The Stars story in training camp. Yeah, Taylor only has a couple of years left, but the Jags are built to win right now. I wouldn't want to give up a first round pick, but I don't understand why folks cry foul when the idea comes up. The 26th pick in the first round is almost a 2nd round pick right? If the value is not there at defensive end or defensive tackle, then who cares if you trade it away to get a guy you know will produce in Taylor. I don't think trading a 26th pick is mortgaging your future -- its filling a void and as the Giants proved last year, pass rushers are a must have in this league.
Who knows if the Taylor thing works, but once again if the value is not there in the 26th pick I would trade and stockpile. The crazy thing about the NFL Draft is there are almost just as many jewels in the 2nd through 4th rounds than there are in the first round (especially after the top ten picks). Let's try this analogy -- two or three years ago people were paying anything for houses because there wasn't much to pick from in neighborhoods. Now look at all the foreclosures. The Jags shouldn't use the 26th pick just because its a first rounder -- if the value isn't there, sell for more smaller investments. Hey, I'm not re-inventing the wheel here, just throwing in my two cents.
I'll be blogging all weekend and hopefully all the time, so let me know your thoughts - I'd love to read them.
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