General News and Notes

[.Buzz]

1 hour ago, pwny said:

I see this a lot, and yeah I guess a lot of it is stuff that doesn’t hold the team on the hook, but which team has done more to show a commitment to their city?

Weaver was 100% committed to the city and he didn’t do anything even close to the “cheap goodwill gestures” Shad has done until he sold the team, and even that was solely just negotiating a longer lease. The Ford family is 100% committed to Detroit and you don’t see them doing these “cheap goodwill gestures” even though Detroit needs them far more than Jacksonville does.

 

The fact is that Jacksonville is one of the 5 least viable cities right now among those with a professional sports team. Stuff like Lot J and stadium upgrades are absolutely going to be completely necessary to keep the city from being the least viable market in American professional sports and to actually allow the growth both Shad and the NFL as a whole want. The Jaguars growth rate last year was tied with the Chargers for second worst in the league, and the Chargers are in a city that doesn’t even want them there.

Lot J and the like isn’t an obscene ask either. Like even the Chicago Cubs, who play in the most iconic stadium in America have started massive developments over the last few year to make the area around Wrigley more enticing and as a whole a destination, because even they understand that simply selling a game and a long trip back home doesn’t work anymore. It’s the same the Cowboys did with Jerryworld.

People aren’t going to spend a boatload on a ticket to go to a game and then a hefty Uber charge back home anymore when they can instead watch the game on an 80-inch TV in HD. You have to be able to sell the game as an experience in stadium and in the surrounding areas. Going down to the stadium at noon, getting out of the game at 4:30 then heading over to a restaurant at 5 and then going shopping until 8 is a far easier sell than the dump that currently resides around the stadium. You’re not just selling a game anymore, you’re selling an atmosphere everywhere around the stadium. And ultimately, it’s not exactly unreasonable for Lamping to make it clear that the Jaguars need the same viability everywhere else has/is working towards or they need to go somewhere else to make it work.

Yeah, when I went to a Jags game a few years ago the whole vibe down there/downtown in general is bad.

I don't blame Shad for doing this/trying to get things started. We all know Jacksonville is a small market. My main gripe is I wish they'd just be more forthcoming in their views, tell the public what needs to be done, etc. to keep them there. I think most of the public/fans would great appreciate that rather than waiting for the shoe to drop.

I have no ties to JAX, I'll be a fan wherever they go (although if the NFL ok'd London/we ended up making that move it'd test me). But I totally get the tempers flaring up from fans.

[pwny]

1 hour ago, .Buzz said:

Yeah, when I went to a Jags game a few years ago the whole vibe down there/downtown in general is bad.

In 2005, the NFL basically said they were embarrassed with the city because of how bad the experience around the Super Bowl had been, and have blackballed the city from hosting since then. and really, things have gotten worse since then in how Jacksonville’s outside stadium experience compares to other places. Shad seems to understand that can’t stay like that.

People like us, and those people obsessed enough to spend their days arguing over the team on Twitter and here and all the other forums don’t seem to get that just because we’re obsessed enough to do whatever it takes to see the team, the majority of people aren’t.

 

And while I don’t disagree that Shad and Lamping could potentially be more transparent with everyone over what they need, I think a lot of that crap gets caught up in the need to play the political game to actually be able to get the city to fund everything that needs to be funded. Plus the stadium lease isn’t up for a decade. If Shad tells everyone exactly what’s needed now, and 7 years from now the NFL comes back and says “well actually, to agree to it we also want this other thing not included in what was suggested 7 years ago,” you know how local governments can be bitter and trashy about things.

Ultimately, if the team moved to St Louis, I’d legitimately be able to get season tickets, as it’d be just a short drive from Chicago to wherever the stadium ended up. I have no ties to Jacksonville, and the allure of actually going to games would be a huge boon for me. But I haven’t seen anything yet that suggests they’re intending to move, outside of the fan base being insecure and overanalyzing everything. 

[.Buzz]

21 minutes ago, pwny said:

In 2005, the NFL basically said they were embarrassed with the city because of how bad the experience around the Super Bowl had been, and have blackballed the city from hosting since then. and really, things have gotten worse since then in how Jacksonville’s outside stadium experience compares to other places. Shad seems to understand that can’t stay like that.

People like us, and those people obsessed enough to spend their days arguing over the team on Twitter and here and all the other forums don’t seem to get that just because we’re obsessed enough to do whatever it takes to see the team, the majority of people aren’t.

 

And while I don’t disagree that Shad and Lamping could potentially be more transparent with everyone over what they need, I think a lot of that crap gets caught up in the need to play the political game to actually be able to get the city to fund everything that needs to be funded. Plus the stadium lease isn’t up for a decade. If Shad tells everyone exactly what’s needed now, and 7 years from now the NFL comes back and says “well actually, to agree to it we also want this other thing not included in what was suggested 7 years ago,” you know how local governments can be bitter and trashy about things.

Ultimately, if the team moved to St Louis, I’d legitimately be able to get season tickets, as it’d be just a short drive from Chicago to wherever the stadium ended up. I have no ties to Jacksonville, and the allure of actually going to games would be a huge boon for me. But I haven’t seen anything yet that suggests they’re intending to move, outside of the fan base being insecure and overanalyzing everything. 

That's fair. 

Ultimately, if Jacksonville doesn't begin making some big strides as a city the long term stability is always going to be shakey. That city just seems like it's so far behind in so many ways. 

Agreed as far as the STL situation goes. I imagine if they were to it'd be pretty high on Khan's list since he's from/has a lot of ties to the Missouri/Illinois area. I know he wanted to buy the Rams back in the day. (That'd also be my preferred location with it being in the Midwest).

[pwny]

Well there’s the biggest piece of statistical evidence that his success isn’t just scheme. 

[.Buzz]

Would be big for us if guys like Costin, Collin Johnson, Barcoo, etc. can continue playing well and be key depth pieces moving forward. That's something we've always lacked, good depth. 

[.Buzz]

 

[Chops013]

Someone on Reddit just pointed out that Fields and Chark just started following each other on IG lol

[DuvalsKing]

Moved it

Edited December 14, 2020 by DuvalsKing

[LinderFournette]

4 hours ago, .Buzz said:

 

 for comparison Fournette did 1342 scrimmage yards in his last year here which he played 13 games. 

his best was 1674 in 15 games(tho this was 2017 and had Good Game script for the run.

Edited December 14, 2020 by LinderFournette

[KhanYouDigIt]

Mercy

[.Buzz]

 

Yeah...this is some BS. Idc about the pro bowl but this man deserves it. He's been insane.

[pwny]

He’s gonna get the Fred Taylor treatment. 

[.Buzz]

Just now, pwny said:

He’s gonna get the Fred Taylor treatment. 

If we get a franchise QB this will all change imo. It's vital we hit in April.

[.Buzz]

 

[pwny]

1 hour ago, .Buzz said:

If we get a franchise QB this will all change imo. It's vital we hit in April.

We’ll see. We had some big time teams that got a lot of rub and watched guys get snubbed because our market doesn’t win votes. Same with the Hall of Fame bids; both Fred and Tony should be on the border of getting in at worst, and yet neither ever gets any votes come the finalist group.