If I have learned one thing in life, it is to never get your hopes up. I sat there at halftime of the 1999 AFC Championship game with Super Bowl dreams in my head. We all know how that ended. I've waited patiently year after year for Bobby Bowden to retire, only to see FSU not be able to do what's right for the program. I went out and bought a Matt Jones jersey when they were first available, thinking he would be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I think you can see a pattern here.
I'm amazed at how optimistic this board has become since the draft. I put the over/under at two weeks before someone declares that there should be a 100 ft statue of Gene Smith placed in front of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. I'm taking the under.
I've seen countless posts saying how this might be the best draft the Jaguars have ever had. Am I the only one who remembers all we've seen of the rookies is three underwear practices?
The 2009 Jaguars may have five rookies starting on opening day. Monroe, Britton, and Cox have already been penciled in as starters, while Knighton and Dillard certainly have a chance to be. A best case scenario for this would still mean that the Jaguars have "rookies" at those positions for the first half of the season.
Where am I getting at with all of this? I, like many others, caught Super Bowl fever last year. I drank down the Jonestown flavored Kool-Aid like it was going out of style and I'm not letting that happen again. You can pump up your expectations all you want. I'm just going to sit here and wait to see what happens.
I see a team that went 5-11 last year and is rebuilding. I'll sit here and cheer on the Jaguars, but, I will do it with cautious optimism. As the great Ben Crowshaw said, "If you keep your expectations low, you can never be disappointed."
-John