The Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Dolphins may soon have some pro-football competition. Well, sort of.

Orlando has been identified by the new United Football League as a likely site for a founding franchise to play during the league’s 2009 inaugural season. The new league is rumored to be partly backed by billionaire Mark Cuban who is expected to own a Las Vegas team.

Michael Huyghue has been selected as the UFL’s first commissioner. Prior to joining the upstart league, Huyghue was the first Vice-President for personnel for the Jaguars, joining the team in 1994. Huyghue was hired by the Jags primarily for his expertise regarding the salary cap, but he was also the first African American to be placed in charge of personnel decisions for any NFL team.

Huyghue left the Jaguars in 2001 to start his own business venture, Axcess Sports & Entertainment. Now he’s working overtime to create a viable professional-quality football alternative to the NFL.

And you really can’t say the UFL lacks ambition. The expectation is that they will play during the Fall, with games scheduled on Friday nights. That puts them in direct competition with High School football, and creates yet another football option at a time when fans will already have the NFL and college games to keep up with.

The league has chosen six cities thus far as the target sites for founding teams: New York, LA, San Francisco, Hartford, Orlando, and Las Vegas. That would be followed by expansion teams in places like Salt Lake City and elsewhere. With the exception of New York and San Francisco the UFL is mostly avoiding direct geographic competition with the NFL — at least for now.

This is not Orlando’s first brush with “professional” football. The city most recently hosted a franchise in the short-lived XFL, which folded following its 2001 season. The Orlando Rage went 8-2 in the regular season and then lost a playoff game. The team name has actually been revived in recent years as a minor league football team that plays in a Florida-based league.

Thus far, the UFL seems to be on the right track byhiring people with mainstream football and mass-media experience… and planning to offer fans real football. Hopefully, the new league will meet a bit more success than the wrestling-infused XFL did.

This time looks like it will be a different ballgame. There really isn’t much at stake for the Jaguars. If they win, they end the season with a 6-10 record, which ties the team’s 2000 and 2001 records.

If they lose, the Jags wind up with a 5-11 record that ties the team’s 2003 performance. Which will also mean a tie for the second worst performance ever (the Jags’ 2005 inaugural season went 4-12 for their worst effort).

This year, Quarterback David Garrard has accumulated a career-best 3,493 passing yards this season and he only needs 148 yards to surpass Mark Brunell for second-most passing yards in franchise history.

The Ravens have a lot more at stake.

Baltimore is in a “win and you’re in” playoff scenario against the Jaguars. However, if they stumble, the Ravens can still back into the playoffs if the Patriots lose to the Bills.

With Matt Jones out on suspension, Dennis Northcutt performed well and the Jaguars actually had a passing game for a change. Combine good clock management, a solid run by Garrard right before the 2 minute warning, and an interception by Reggie Nelson… and the Jaguars manage to pull off a late win at home.

That brings the Jags up to 5-9 for season, with two games remaining. Indianapolis will travel to Jacksonville for a Thursday night game this week, and then the Jags will close out the season against Baltimore on December 28. Both of those teams are currently in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card spot.

In the AFC South the Houston Texans upset the Tennessee Titans. That puts the Jaguars 2 games out of third place in the division. The only way the Jags can avoid finishing the season in fourth place would be if the Jags win and the Texans lose all of their remaining games. Thus setting up an unlikely 7-9 tie for third place.

You might say that we’ve had bad years before, and you would be right. And you’d probably say that we’ve had rumors of the team leaving for a bigger city before, and you would be right.

But there’s still real reason to worry.

A rumor swirled at the start of this season that Wayne Weaver had enough of owning an NFL team and was looking to sell. The talk picked up so much steam that Weaver had to come out and calm everyone down. Believe in now, they told us.

At the start of the season did anyone imagine we’d be sitting here with a team at the bottom of the division and a still unnamed stadium? I sure didn’t.

On the plus side, this season we haven’t seen the kind of black-outs we did in 2007. But that’s primarily because last year’s team made it to the playoffs and helped spur ticket sales.

With a 4-9 record, I can already see the empty seats come next year.

And it’s unfortunate to say, but Jacksonville fans don’t cut their team a lot of slack. If they’re winning, everyone is a fan. If they’re losing… well, just listen to some of our local sports talk radio.

Now, at a time when our city’s budget is bent almost to the breaking point, the team is asking that more than one-hundred million dollars in improvements to the stadium with no name.

The possibility of another city making a bid for the Jaguars is very real, particularly if Jaguar fans give up on their team.

It’s time to believe in tomorrow. Or at least to hope that there will be a tomorrow for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jaguars

The season is just about over Jags fans, but going out with a bang and playing the spoiler role could be the perfect ending. With the Jaguars next four games against playoff contenders they will have the chance to shake things up and make it harder for those teams to reach the postseason. But the other question is, “Is it time to tank the season for a high pick?“ As of now the Jaguars have a top 6 pick for next year’s draft and if they decide to give up like most teams do this late in season they could find themselves in line for a top 5 award.

To be honest, no one wants to see that. With a slim chance at a .500 record, the Jaguars could choose to turn it on and give us a look at what the team should have played like all season.

This week the Jaguars will be heading to “The Windy City” — their first stop under the “spoiler spotlight.” Both teams are coming off rough loses to division rivals on national TV and will be looking at each other to rebound. The Bears are a game out of first place in a real tight NFC North and have no room for a loss with the Packers right on their tail. The last time these two teams met, the Jaguars had a feast demolishing the Bears 22-3.

Chicago and Jacksonville last year were among the top 8 run stoppers in the NFL and now both find themselves closer to the bottom of the list. Running back Matt Forte is on a tear for a rookie and is leading his team in rushing yards, receptions, reception yards and overall touchdowns. So if the Jaguars thought they had a lot on their hands last week with rookie Steve Slaton, this week they are in for a real scare. Turning the ball over three times last week was the reason why the Jaguars came out with a loss and really were never in the game on Monday.

December is usually a happy time for the Jaguars and with two NFC opponents left David Garrard is looking to add to his 7-1 domination as a starter against the other side of the NFL. Alongside the outstanding record of Garrard Freddy-T becomes a force in December and in six of his last 8 games during this month he has rushed for over 100 yards. So if Freddy plays up to his December potential and MOJO keeps doing what he’s good at, the Jaguars just might be able to upset the Bears making them 1-0 in route to spoiling four out four.

Pfantasy Owners, for most of you this is the last week of the season and a playoff shot could be on the line. If you have either MOJO, Matt Forte, Gregg Olsen or Matt Jones go ahead and plug them into your starting lineup. Also if one of your RB’s is going up against a tough run stop defense, don’t be scared to pull the trigger and play Fred Taylor who is in route for another December breakout.

Dolphins

The season just keeps getting better and a game against the Bills at a neutral site could favor the Phins and put them even closer to a playoff spot. The AFC has four teams jabbing away at the two wild card slots… and at the same time, all are fighting for their division.

In week 8, the Dolphins defeated the Bills by eight which also was Ted Ginn’s coming out party and since then he has really been making a name for himself. The key factor in this game is the fact that it will be played in Canada and if you don’t know its someone’s homecoming.

Yes that’s right; Ricky is going back to the place that gave him his second chance. After being suspended from the NFL, Ricky Williams decided to join the Toronto Argonauts and became a fan favorite instantly.

Last week the Bills put up a whopping 3 points up against the 49ers and suffered an ugly loss. The team did not look in sync in any aspect but with all within three games anything can happen. Chad Pennington is playing the best football of his career and is currently the leader of a young football team with high postseason hopes. Coming off a trip to St. Louis, Chad did not throw a touchdown pass and still lead his team to victory by being smart and using all the weapons available to him.

Ronnie Brown and Chad Pennington are a sure deal to start this week and like I said about Fred Taylor, if you need a running back, turning to Ricky Williams could be a good move because being loved by the fans in Canada could mean he will see lots of carries. One of the sleepers of the week is the young talent of Ted Ginn Jr. who could be the factor because the Bills Defense had trouble putting up with his speed in the first meeting.

Good Luck in the last game of your Fantasy Football Season and hopefully you will have a squad in the playoffs!!!

If Alabama wins, Governor Crist owes Governor Bob Riley a box of Florida oranges. If Florida wins, Crist will enjoy a rack of ribs from Dreamland Barbecue in Tuscaloosa.

“I’m looking forward to Alabama’s 22nd SEC football championship – and to those Florida oranges from my friend Governor Crist,” Riley said. “But seriously, these are two great universities, two outstanding footballs teams and two incredible head coaches. It is going to be amazing to watch these teams compete this year. Roll tide!”

Governor Riley may be taking this a bit more personally, as he’s a graduate from Alabama. Governor Crist, on the other hand, graduated from FSU. Despite the fact that the Gators ate the Seminoles for lunch last week, Crist is pulling for a Florida win…

“I am proud of how far UF Coach Urban Meyer and his team have come through a season of hard-fought, well-deserved victories,” Crist said. “I join Gator fans across the Sunshine State in rooting for them, and I am honored that Governor Riley has agreed to this friendly wager. Go Gators!”

On behalf of all of us with JaxDaily we wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for all of our readers and the support you provide.

Under the lights it’s a whole different fight, with nothing on the line it could be the Jaguars time, it’s been a crazy season overall… and it was so hard to watch them fall.

“Holiday Season Is Coming”

First off Pfantasy Pfriends, I would like to apologize for not posting a video like I said I would and hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. This week the Jaguars will be playing on Monday night in Houston, and if you can remember back in week 4 the Jags squeaked one out and kicked a game winning field goal in overtime.

With both teams out of playoff contention both teams will be playing for respect and pride. Last week the Jaguars put themselves in a hole real early and could never get out. On the first play of the game the snap was fumbled and brought back to the house — the Vikings never looked back. Besides the fumble, David Garrard also threw two interceptions and, facing such a big lead, was unable to manage the running game which was held to a whopping 35 yards.

David did have a 300 yard passing game and Matt Jones had 117 yards receiving. With those numbers you would think the Jaguars won. But it was a real tough day and once again, the offense turnovers put the defense in tough positions.

Another challenge is coming under the lights this week and he could be hard to stop once he gets going — Steve Slaton. Slanton is in his rookie season and is playing like a “vet”, running hard and wild and with a good passing game He puts the explanation point on the Texans offense.

Besides Slaton, the Jaguars will have to deal with the second leading receiver in the league Andre Johnson who started the season shaky but now is on a tear.

This game will be a high scoring one because both defenses struggle and their offensives are explosive. Matt Jones and MoJo vs. Slaton and Johnson will be the fantasy matchup of the day. Both groups are leading their teams in Pfantasy points. In a game with mediocre defenses they will likely put up huge numbers.

Speaking of Pfantasy, I think it’s about time the Jaguars fulfill their fans’ Pfantasies and come up with a mind-blowing win that really proves a point.

Miami Dolphins

After a three game home stand the Dolphins are on their way to St. Louis to take on the 2-9 Rams. Both teams are coming off beat downs and will be looking to take out their frustration and rebound from last week. The Dolphins are fighting for a playoff spot and with the AFC even tighter this week, they can’t afford to lose anymore. A game out of a wild card spot could be the incentive they need to come out with a win this week and with the Rams banged up it could come easy.

Last week, on the first possession of the game, Mark Bulger was taken down hard and suffered a concussion which lead to Trent Green throwing four interceptions. The Rams also could be without Stephen Jackson for the fifth straight game this season. While we’re on the subject of injury, the Dolphins lost their leading wide receiver, Greg Camarillo, for the year as he suffered a knee injury against the Patriots. The Phins defense has been playing real well but if a team decids to throw the deep ball, the Dolphins are known for going down fast.

The Pfantasy Card says to replace Camarillo, and go ahead and pick up Davone Bess who is expected to fill the void and come out with his biggest game of the year. Also the “wildcat” formation could be used a lot more, allowing Ted Gin to use his speed to separate himself for a big play. The Dolphins should dominate and pick up multiple sacks, interceptions, and touchdowns leading them to a must-win “WIN” and remember whenever the Dolphins have a big game Ronnie Brown does too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jaguars

With the upset alert on last week, the Jaguars almost pulled it off. You would think with an 11 point lead going into halftime the Jags were going to do it, but no!

Not scoring a single point in the second-half lead to a loss to the Titans… knocking themselves out of the division race and getting buried underneath 5 teams fighting for a wild card spot in the AFC. Nothing is impossible in the NFL, but even if the Jags win out they will need help getting into the post season.

This week the Minnesota Vikings are looking to end their vacation in Florida with a win after losing to Tampa in a nail bitter last week. At home, the Jaguars give up a little under 100 yards on the ground which will be tested to the max with the NFL’s leading rusher Adrian Peterson on the field. A-P can be very explosive and coming off a weak performance in Tampa it’s going to be tough to stop him this week.

The Jaguars running game is usually something the team could rely on to win games, but with the average yards per carry down to 2.4 from last year it really is becoming a weakness. If the playoffs are something the Jaguars really want then they need to come together as a whole and form into the team they were last year.

Last week, Jacksonville was without their leading wide receiver and David’s favorite target Matt Jones which really could have helped upset the Titans. With Matt’s status listed as a go for Sunday, the Jaguars will be able to go back to opening up the field and hope to pull out a must-win against the Minnesota Peterson’s.

The Pfantasy line says watch Freddy-T and David Garrard move the ball up the field and have MJD pound the ball in for the touchdowns. Also, with the Vikings defensive line all banged up, expect lots of blitz packages which should allow David to take off for some big quarterback keepers.

It will be a defensive game with big plays waiting to happen.

The season is on the line and David Garrard is facing one of his toughest obstacles — leading the Jaguars to a win could give them the momentum they need to make a playoff push.

Dolphins

Dolphans, before the season you must all admit that six wins looked far out of reach. But don’t look away now because they are tied for a wild card spot and could have sole possession of one of them with a win this week against the Patriots… or they could even take share of first place with a Jets loss.

If you can recall, the Dolphins started the season 0-2 and then in week 3 handed the Patriots their first loss at home in over 20 games in what remains the Phins’ biggest win of the season. Ronnie Brown was the hero of the game scoring five touchdowns and really put the wildcat formation into the playbook.

A lot has changed from the first meeting to now and the biggest one of them all is Matt Cassel’s development and coming off of his best game statistically gives him the push he will need going into this week. We all know that Bill Belichick doesn’t let someone outsmart him twice and with a longer time to prepare this week he focused on his defense getting them ready for all the “wildcat” options they could encounter.

Joey Porter called out the Patriots in the first meeting and since then has followed up on his words and has placed himself onto the list of elite defensive players this year. Leading the league in sacks Joey will be in Matt’s face and mind all day long. Lately the Dolphins have been playing to their opponent’s level so expect a good game and lots of hard hitting because when a playoff spot is on the line anything goes.

In this game, Ronnie Brown will be given the chance to do what he did in week three which should open up the offense for a big game, which is well needed because the Patriots will be right there with them. In order to win the Phins must prevent the deep ball and control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Tony Sparano has done a fantastic job to this point and is shooting for the stars, ready to go all out to win the division.

Patriots can’t fight in the water… so Dolphins it’s your game to win!