Jacksonville Sports columnist Gene Frenette's blog - Jacksonville.com and The Florida Times-Union

Gene Frenette: Seminoles defend their right to rise to the top of the ACC

Gene Frenette — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:10:58 +0000

Growth spurts always seem to come out of nowhere. Whether it's a 14-year-old kid adding 5 inches and 20 pounds over one summer, or a relatively unknown stock tripling in value almost overnight, they often catch people by surprise.

In the case of Florida State's basketball team, its sudden rise to the top of the ACC standings is easy to explain, says senior point guard Luke Loucks. The Seminoles started playing up to their experience and talent, not letting opponents dictate the tempo.

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Gene Frenette: Paterno 'wished he had done more,' but oh, he did plenty

Gene Frenette — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:41:07 +0000

A quarter century ago, I was in the press box at Sun Devil Stadium in Phoenix for Joe Paterno's finest coaching hour, an improbable 14-10 Fiesta Bowl win over No. 1 Miami. It resonates with me to this day at how Penn State pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

JoePa taught all coaches, especially future two-time Super Bowl winner Jimmy Johnson, a great lesson: Play to your team's strengths, be patient and make adjustments as needed.

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Posluszny says Paterno's legacy should be for doing things 'the right way'

Gene Frenette — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:54:46 +0000

As reports surface that Penn State football legend Joe Paterno's health is in decline, one of his former players with the Jaguars hopes that his enduring legacy will be of a coach that accomplished great things in his life, not of how his career ended as a result of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

Gene Frenette: Shahid Khan, Jaguars must be ready for bidding war

Gene Frenette — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:21:16 +0000

Jaguars owner Shahid Khan made it clear he wants to be held accountable and that the team will spend up to the salary cap. That's good because when NFL free agency opens up on March 13, the Jaguars should throw big money at several positions craving an upgrade.

Khan and coach Mike Mularkey can talk ad nauseum about renewed enthusiasm. That's nice to hear at a fan rally, but it doesn't mean much without the Jaguars addressing their shortage of playmakers.

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Jaguars should be targeting free agent Cliff Avril

Gene Frenette — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:37:23 +0000

When Cliff Avril returned my phone call Saturday, he seemed very relaxed and in good spirits. It's no wonder because for the first time in his NFL career, the Detroit Lions defensive end and Clay High product has what everybody in his profession wants: freedom and negotiating leverage.

Gene Frenette: Surprising Seminoles need consistency

Gene Frenette — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:44:05 +0000

Trying to figure out Florida State's basketball team is never easy, but one thing you can count on from Leonard Hamilton's squad is it often plays above its resume in big games. That was the case in last week's stunning 90-57 blowout of No. 3-ranked North Carolina.

Who could have surmised the Seminoles, after losing to Princeton and Harvard, could hand UNC its biggest loss of the Roy Williams era? Or that senior guard Deividas Dulkys could erupt for 32 points after scoring the same amount combined in his previous nine games?

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Zook says timing wasn't right for coaching return

Gene Frenette — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:32:50 +0000

By Gene Frenette

gene.frenette@jacksonville.com

Former Ilinois and Florida head football coach Ron Zook, who interviewed for the Jaguars’ special teams coordinator position, said the timing wasn’t right for him to return to coaching and he will likely take a break during the 2012 season.

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Gene Frenette: All hail Tom Coughlin, when he wins

Gene Frenette — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:03:09 +0000

It's almost comical to hear and read so much praise for Tom Coughlin these days, particularly from Jaguars fans, as if the New York Giants boss was commonly accepted as an elite coach for the past decade.

How quickly people forget, especially after Coughlin took the Giants on that magical 2007 run to a Super Bowl crown, how often they wanted him fired. That's the thing about revisionist history. You can erase things from memory and put a fresh coat of paint on anything, including a coach's career.

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Gene Frenette: Egos put aside in Tucker's return to Jaguars

Gene Frenette — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:20:09 +0000

On paper, it appears to have no chance of succeeding. NFL teams generally don't create this kind of work environment because it's, well, too darn uncomfortable.

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Gene Frenette: Wrath over Khan's joke about season-ticket holders overblown

Gene Frenette — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:50:55 +0000

Sometimes, things that get reported about what a public figure says are done so without any context. That can significantly alter the perception of how it is received, which is exactly what happened to Jaguars owner Shahid Khan in the aftermath of coach Mike Mularkey's introductory news conference.

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