Jacksonville Jaguars: 2013 Preseason Guide

It’s that time of year again, when enthusiasm for all 32 NFL teams runs high, and every team is still in the race. In a league that often strives for parity--even at the expense of quality of play--the Jacksonville Jaguars are no exception. The dynasty days of our fathers, these are not; last year’s 2-14 dud can be this year’s Wild Card stud that makes a sneaky run at the Super Bowl. Sure, the Jaguars franchise has a lot of questions that need to be answered, but that’s what the preseason is for.

In our Preseason Guide, we’ll take a look at some of the various on and off the field events that occurred while you were away to get you up to speed as well as share some game day tips that will help you optimize your enjoyment of the 2013 Jaguars. Written by  RICHARD DAVID SMITH III / Photos by FRAN RUCHAlSKI




Owner

It all starts at the top for NFL teams, and there is no doubt as to who runs the show in Jacksonville: The Stache. As the first minority owner in NFL history, Shahid Khan has already raised the bar on cool as far as owners go, and his purchase of the team from Wayne Weaver two seasons ago gave the Jaguars instant international street cred…and what other owner can say he has multiple parody Twitter accounts dedicated to his facial hair?

In the off season, some fans got nervous when Khan announced his purchase of the Fulham Football Club of the English Premier League, fearing that this may relate somehow to the rumors that the Jaguars could ultimately move across the pond. It is true Khan has said publicly that he wants to play a “major role” in growing the NFL brand in London--with the Jaguars agreeing to play one game a year there starting with this year’s game vs. the San Francisco 49ers--but this could be a positive for the Jaguars going forward from a merchandise selling/fan base expanding/international branding point of view. In fact, in expanding the Jaguars brand beyond just Northeast Florida, Khan may have actually found a creative way around the many obstacles and disadvantages that this city presents vis a vis a viable NFL city to assure that the Jaguars do remain in Jacksonville (Khan is no business dummy). For what it’s worth, Khan himself has reiterated that he has no intentions of moving the Jaguars to another city and has expressed a full commitment to Jacksonville and its fans…but, of course, what else is he really going to say to his customers?