I’m going to tell you all a story. A story of faith, hope, renewal, salvation, and football. Jaguars football. You see… I wasn’t always the way I am now.

Those who follow me on Twitter or know me in real life may be surprised to know that there was a time in my life when I just didn’t care that much about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

My pops, Dr. Jags_Paul, has had season tickets since like 2001 (We lived elsewhere before that). And he’d take me to games when I was in middle and high school. However, he basically had to drag me to them. I never really wanted to go. Yeah, I’d tailgate and chuck the ol’ pigskin around and all that, but the thing I looked forward to the most was getting one of those Watermelon Chills with the fake seeds in them. Even though there is not a spoon in Everbank Field (Alltel Stadium at the time) that can break the surface of those. That all changed when I went to college.

You see, my teal brethren, I went to a small school outside Charlotte, NC. Everyone around me was a halfway Panthers fan. I say halfway because I have yet to meet a truly passionate Panthers fan.

So there I was, representing Duval County all by my lonesome. That’s when it hit me. NFL fandom is not something to be casual about. No way. In this Jags_Paul’s humble opinion, being from Jacksonville gives one a near-obligation to love the Jaguars. And I do. I committed myself fully to this teal train back in ’09 and I’m never getting off. I’ve sat through these rough years. It’s a one-way ticket to everlasting glory and the Khanductor doesn’t make any stops, ya bish.

Nieces and nephews, we’re all part of the much-heralded Generation J. It’s been written about before, so I don’t need to sum it up here. Now my devotion to this franchise, its owner, GM, coach, and fan community knows no reasonable bounds. I’m Duval ‘Til I Die. I’m Duval on into the afterlife. #Jagterlife. I’ll be proudly waving my figurative—though perhaps one day real—Bold City Brigade banner through our nation’s capital come August. I’ll be watching every single Gus-damn game at my hitherto-unannounced BCB bar. Teal Pride Worldwide, to quote our man AussieJag.

Uncle Chaps sent me.