Jaguars can win over Tebow-ites and stay in town by fielding winner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The man, or idiot depending on your point of view, came to the ticket window at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium the Friday morning after the first round of the NFL Draft with a garbage bag loaded with stuff, Jacksonville Jaguars stuff.

The man knocked on the ticket window and told the person inside that he was leaving his bag of Jaguars clothing.

'I would like to think in time we would compete at the very highest level,' Jags GM Gene Smith says. (Getty Images)

"I've had enough," the man supposedly said. "I'm done."

That story took on a life of its own here last week, people wondering why he did what he did. But did they really have to wonder? Or did they know the reaction stemmed from the Jaguars picking a defensive end from California in the first round, rather than a certain hometown quarterback from nearby University of Florida that some fans in this city think can actually walk across the city's St. Johns River?

That man eventually came forward. His name was Jerry, and he said he did what he did because the team didn't pick Tim Tebow. He said that was the last bit of his frustration. He would no longer be a fan. He wasn't buying tickets, either, even if he never had before.

He wasn't alone in his frustration. In fact, he wasn't alone in dumping stuff off at the stadium.

The split that Tebow has caused between the legion of Gator fans that live in this city and the Jaguars and their fan base is as large as this city itself, which is the biggest in the United States in terms of land area.

Some have even gone so far to say that not drafting Tebow just might be the final thing that drives this team straight to Los Angeles. The Jaguars passed on Tebow, who is from Jacksonville, with the 10th overall pick to take defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, a move considered a reach by most. The Denver Broncos took Tebow with the 25th pick in the first round.

The venom spewed by the pro-Tebow crowd since the draft has been non-stop. The mere mention of his name sets off arguments and, as I can tell you firsthand, it's great for talk radio. Vic Ketchman, the Jaguars.com writer, even went so far as to have a campaign imploring fans to choose: NFL or college.

This is just one excerpt from a letter that ran in The Florida-Times Union this past Saturday:

"This town begged the Jaguars to draft the best example possible of someone who lives like we live and plays like we play. This was a once in a generation opportunity and all of the stars aligned perfectly for the Jaguars to claim the city's pride, and they blew it."

That same type of biting criticism has come hard and fast at the Jaguars from many in the local media, most who wave Gator pom-poms as they do their radio and television work.

"Everyone can have an opinion," Jaguars general manager Gene Smith said Saturday after a mini-camp practice. "That's scouting. Scouts are paid for their opinion, so I'm used to that. I've never been concerned about perception. People who are concerned about perception walk around with doubt every day because they haven't done the work."

Then something funny happened last week. Fans actually purchased tickets. The Jaguars sold 400 tickets the Saturday of draft weekend. They are on pace to sell more new season tickets than any other time in their history, closing in on 10,000.

There is still work to do, but they might actually get some sellouts to put their games back on local television after having just one televised all of last year.

"The biggest thing you think about [with this team] is the fans, that they don't sell out, that they're half empty," said veteran linebacker Kirk Morrison, whom the Jaguars acquired in a trade last week. "Being from Oakland, it was blackout city. I know what that is all about. This is not a team like the New York Giants or the Dallas Cowboys, a team you see on TV every week."

With Tebow in Denver, you would think the craziness would die down. It hasn't. It's hard to imagine it will as long as he's still playing in the NFL.

There was a front-page article in the Times-Union last Wednesday on what Tebow would mean to the religious sect in Colorado. Stores that sell jerseys and things of that sort have moved Denver Broncos stuff to the front of their stores because Tebow jerseys are sure to be a hot seller. And they're already counting down the days until Tebow returns to play with the Broncos in the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

"Just be happy for the Jaguars and be happy for Tim," Smith said.

Since Smith has taken over as the general manager, following the shaky tenure of James Harris, the Jaguars have had a major overhaul of the roster. They had 32 new faces that weren't on the roster in 2008 for their final game of 2009, including 16 rookies. Of the 22 players who started on opening day in 2008, only eight are left on the roster.

Smith, who often arrives at the office at 4:30 a.m. and doesn't leave until midnight, has put his stamp on this team. He has drafted players with good character, including several team captains. That has led to his the nickname "Clean Gene."

Alualu is a devout Christian, who, like Tebow, wore Bible verses on his eye black in college. But that matters little to the Tebow-backers, who are blinded to this fact.

The Jaguars finished 7-9 last season with all their youth. They will be stretching it to get to .500 again this season, mainly because they play in a tough division and they have issues in the passing game, most notably their quarterback, David Garrard.

There is actually some talk that Garrard could be pushed hard by backup Luke McCown. This much is certain: Garrard better do it this year or he will be gone. The 2011 draft is deep with quarterbacks, and the Jaguars will certainly grab one in the first or second round next year.

The other pieces are coming together. Smith drafted two starting offensive tackles in 2009 and added an important defensive tackle in round one this year. He also signed free-agent defensive end Aaron Kampman to help the pass rush that had a paltry 14 sacks last season.

Both lines will be better. The tough part will be fixing the quarterback position, but Smith is said to want a solid team in place before drafting his franchise passer.

"I really believe good drafting is defined by winning on the field," Smith said. "I would like to think in time we would compete at the very highest level."

Playoffs, winning and meaningful games in December are keys to filling up the stadium. It's not who's in the helmet, but rather how those players in the helmet play.

Tebow would have spiked tickets, maybe selling 2,000 or so. But long-term viability for any franchise comes with winning. The Jaguars are no different.

Back in their winning years, they filled 73,000 seats. The stadium was much too big for the market, but they filled it anyway. When the losing started, the tarps went up to make the stadium more in line with the market. It is still bigger than Soldier Field, Lucas Oil Stadium, Paul Brown Stadium and a handful of others, but you'd think they were playing in a high-school stadium and not selling out based on the national perception.

Owner Wayne Weaver had said time and again he would not move the team. But he's also said he can't make it with 40,000 people in the stands. That's why winning in the next couple of years, and by winning I mean getting to a Super Bowl or close to it, is so vital.

"Most people in the NFL know when you win it's good marketing," Smith said. "When you win people will support it. Even in an economy that is difficult. I have a lot of confidence in the people of this city. I think there are tremendous fans, very passionate about football. I think you can support the NFL and college. I grew up in North Central, Ohio. I supported the Cleveland Browns as a diehard fan and I was a diehard Buckeye. I think we have the same kind of fans. We just need to put a better product on the field they can be proud of."

It might be the only way to win over Jerry and that legion of Tebow supporters.