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You filled my mailbag and the comments section with good stuff in response to my post asking what sort of myths have attached themselves to the Jags and been too hard to shake.

Here's a sampling of what you had to say, with my thoughts interspersed:

Tristan: This myth that Jacksonville doesn't sell out the stadium. We have had only 3 blackouts in the last 5 years. When we came into the league we were the 2nd to the last smallest market. Now we are the 4th to the last. We jumped Buffalo and New Orleans. Projections show that we will jump another 3 spots by 2015. Two counties in the Jacksonville metro area are listed in the top 10 fastest growing counties in America (St. Johns, Flagler counties)

Jeff in Jacksonville: paul the biggest myth about the jags is the lack of fan support. I am not sure if you have ever offered anything to move this myth forward but it is the biggest one. National Media always believe that Jag fans dont support the team when in fact we have one of the largest ratio's of ticket holders to city population. Jacksonville problem isnt support its people (Bodies) I dont think you will find many cities that have such a strong love and support for its team. Last year our team went 5-11 and every game had enough ticket sales to be televised. That is a huge accomplishment for a city and an organization that doesnt have any major corporate sponsorship (No stadium Name) and is in the smallest market in a recession. Again jacksonville will probably continue to have to work twice as hard as most teams to sell tickets I just think it should be mentioned that it is because of market size and population and not fan support.

Tim in Jacksonville: Hey Paul, I think the biggest myth about the Jaguars is that we can't sell out our stadium because the city or the fans don't support the team. It's just not true. This city loves it's Jaguars. Even recently after a 5-11 season, the mini-camps that were open to the public were so packed that many couldn't get a seat in the bleachers and had to stand. The reason we have a hard time selling out every game is because we have one of the largest stadiums in the NFL for one of it's smallest markets. The only reason for that being to have enough room for the annual Florida-Georgia game. People need to stop mentioning the Jaguars and L.A. in the same sentence. We will fight until the bitter end to keep our team.

Ted in St. Augustine, FL: The most annoying myth about the Jaguars is that they don't have any fans. The myth is that people in north Florida are only interested in college Football. All you have to do is compare the Jags TV ratings to either Gators or Noles games. There is no comparison. The Jaguars games blow college games away in the ratings. I lived in Tampa and was a season ticket holder when they were orange and Hugh Culverhouse expected Vinnie Testaverde to be a one man team. I lived in Indiana, and was a season ticket holder when Jim Harbaugh was finishing his career, and during the first 2 Manning years. I was at the Indy Colts 1st home playoff game against the Titans, and was disgusted by the fact that 35-40% of the crowd were Titans fans. Listening to Colts fans constant crowing these days, you would never know that just a few years ago they booked a free Leanne Rimes concert after one of the games to get people to please buy tickets in the dome. The point is, Jacksonville is an expansion team in a small market. I've been a season ticket holder for 5 years and have to say the fans are just great here. I guess the media likes to pound on Jacksonville because they don't have the corporate support that most NFL teams enjoy. What I mean by that is you never see a sold out Jacksonville game with a very noticeable amount of empty seats like you have in cities like Atlanta, and Phoenix. It's working stiffs paying for the seats themselves, and we show up. The Jags may be losing money, but it's not because they don't have any fan support.

Rob in Orange Park, FL: Paul, the lasting myth of the Jags that I think needs to be dispelled is that the Jags' don't have a decent fanbase. Granted, we've had some issues with ticket sales & blackouts a few years ago (and maybe again, but I hope not), but this is a growing fanbase that is just about to turn the corner. Everybody needs to know that the stadium was built to host the FL/GA game and Gator Bowl. That the city required it be built to it's capacity and that the tarps bring the stadium more in line for a NFL franchise. Last season we had no blackouts, even though the wheels fell off on our expected playoff caliber season. We've got 67,000 fans there on Sundays. I sent an e-mail to Jason Cole at AP after he said "all 4 Jag fans" and he replied that he did it to agitate. I sent an e-mail to Mike Florio at Sporting News questioning him after he made a shot at the Jags and he replied to me that J-ville doesn't deserve a NFL franchise. I think sportswriters should try to educate, not agitate. This town is doing a good job. A little bit of winning would certainly help, but we've only got 15 years of history & it's starting to turn the corner. This is an up-and-coming franchise. We've just got to hold on a little longer til everybody else sees it (and another team moves to L.A.) I appreciate this issue being put on the blog.

Dan in Neptune Beach, FL: The biggest myth about the Jaguars actually has to do with the fans. the myth is that this is a college football town. While college football is a big part of this city, television ratings say it's an NFL town. Jaguar games consistently beat out Gator, Seminole, and Georgia games in the ratings department. On Sundays there's a definite buzz. It's not like Saturdays. On Sundays, the city is painted teal. We love our Jags here in Jacksonville. Don't let anyone else say otherwise.

brian in jacksonville, fl: I would love to find some obscure myth, expound upon it and make everyone take a second read of such an impressive evalution of the Jaguars. Unfortunately the most obvious one warrants the answer: That the Jaguars have to cover their seats because of their poor fan base. Sadly the facts have been noted ad infinitum but the myth still remains. Stadium size vs. population? Ranking of average attendance? Game day experience? Comparison's to other teams with low attendance (Dolphins anyone?). Maybe this isn't a myth at all and just a way to get in the craw of Jag Fan or to occupy space for some journalist to meet a deadline. For those who have experienced a Jaguar\Steelers, Jaguar\Colts, Jaguar\Titans game, the stadium is electric and the fans are rabid.

Paul Kuharsky: I agree with most of the thinking expressed here -- the Jaguars get a bad rap for the covered seats at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and too often the "covered seats story" is unfortunately broadened to illustrate disinterest in the area.

I generally respond to that by citing that capacity is still 67,164, bigger than Soldier Field (61,500) and ask if it's fair to expect the Jaguars to have roughly 16,000 more seats per home game than the Bears do in a far bigger market with far more fans and a much deeper history. I don't believe it is. (See this column from the summer of 2008 for some thoughts then.)

Now, Brian ranks as perhaps this blog's most devoted First Coast reader and contributor, and I respect his opinion a great deal. But I do have to say that while I generally like the atmosphere at Jaguars games and feel like the stadium is largely underrated, I don't get such a stron
g sense when I am there that "the stadium is electric and the fans are rabid."

And ticket sales for the upcoming season are not very good, according to this recent Vito Stellino story. If they don't sell 50,000 tickets per game and are blacked out, Jaguars fans will see a new round of stories about tepid support. Game telecasts are crucial to the product and the maintenance and growth of the fan base.

As for Dan's college vs. pro town response: I think there is a misperception that Gainesville has a Saturday pull on Jacksonville the way Knoxville has a Saturday pull on Nashville. It sure doesn't feel that way to me. I think there is a strong college football following in Jacksonville, but that it's divided among the schools you mention and others. Still, the "definite buzz" you feel for the Jags on Sundays isn't as palpable to me as it is in many other NFL cities for the home team.

Jared Balogh: I've got a bold one for ya... MYTH: David Garrard is not a franchise quarterback. Alright, so many would argue, but I would like to point out a few things for people not familiar with the team. The first problem with judgements are he is too old to be a franchise quarterback. Because he is 31 and had one breakout and one bad season (i'll get to it later), people think it's time to find a new quarterback all of a sudden. While he is 31, keep in mind he really only started playing when he was 29. He still has a very fresh body and mind, so I think it is unfair to judge him on age and categorize him with other quarterbacks his age. Second, look at his season 07-08 season and results were seen. Give him more than a year before anyone starts judging the expectations of Garrard. Second, he had one bad season and it angers me to see everyone jumping to the assumption the Jags need a new quarterback all of a sudden. I mean, I don't know for sure what he will be in 4 years, but we don't know what Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan will be in 4 years. I think the two quarterbacks will be very good in the long term, but while they each had great rookie seasons, look at Garrard's "real rookie season" in 07-08 when he completed his first season as a starter. He put up fairly good numbers and took the Jags to the playoffs only to be knocked off by the undefeated Patriots. What Garrard did last season should be looked at more as a sophomore slump than anything else. Give him more time before all the number crunching. Lastly, to add to the previous note, look at the preseason for the Jags. The offensive line got decapitated with injuries. It seemed like starters were dropping left and right. To get an offensive line on the same page takes a lot of time and when I saw who was starting on week 1 and how much time they had practiced together, I was pretty nervous. Since the Jaguars control their game through running the ball, the poor offensive line forced Fred Taylor's and Maurice Jones-Drew's effectiveness to drop, which corresponded to a drastic additional amount of pressure on Garrard to throw the ball effectively. Coaches were studying Garrard anyways and the preseason implosion on their O-line was a blessing. Thank you for hearing my thoughts.

Nick in Phoenix: The biggest myth that should and will be fixed this year is that Garrard isn't a "franchise" QB. Even you have bought into this, Paul. We didn't have depth on the O-Line like the Steelers last year; and so we couldn't be competitive with the injuries like they were. Garrard had no help. Jags' recievers dropped more balls than a drunk, one-handed juggler! The O-line and lack of running game (again, due to O-line injuries) made him get hit more on each than what-- 29 other QBs?! This year will fix the issue.. and hopefully we here you fixing this myth by mid-season...

Paul Kuharsky: You can call it an opinion you strongly disagree with, but you can't call it a myth. I understand that a good percentage of Jaguars' fans back their quarterback, and that's great. But the jury is out on Garrard. He has not established himself as a franchise quarterback yet, so it can't be a myth that he is not one.

Franchise quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, maybe Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers. I hope and I sense from what you wrote, Jared and Nick, that you and others of like minds can detach a bit when I ask, can you put Garrard in that group based on what he's done so far? Not on what he would have done if he had better protection and receivers last season. What he HAS done. The answer, as both of you touch on in your responses, is at the very least, not yet.

univofchompions: Myth: Players don't want to play in Jacksonville.

True, Jax doesn't have the night life of Miami, the restaurants of S.F., or the potential side-income (TV ads, etc.) of New York and Chicago. The Jags aren't "America's Team".

Yet I don't see Jags players wanting to leave en masse when their contracts are up. I don't hear about the league's free agents taking less money to move to Buffalo, Cleveland, Oakland, KC, Detroit, etc., etc.

Offer equal money to a player and I bet most would choose the Jags over more than half the other teams.

No state income tax, comparatively low cost of living, cheap mansions on the water and golf courses, 70 degrees in December on the turf field, and a "players' head coach" are reasons that almost any NFL player would like about playing for the Jags.

Sure, Mark "Diva" Sanchez is glad the Jags didn't trade up for him, and mediocre Tony Romeo wouldn't have met Jessica if he played for the Jags. But I bet T.O. would rather be here right now for the same money......maybe even a little less money?

Paul Kuharsky: I agree it's a myth, for some of your reasons, but predominantly for this one -- veteran players will happily go to any of the 32 NFL markets, provided the team in that market offers them the most money. (Equal money decisions like you paint seem rare to me.)

Certainly a high percentage of warm-weather guys would prefer to live in or around Jacksonville than Buffalo or Detroit or Minneapolis or Cleveland. Certainly guys who are more tax savvy or have representatives who are would prefer to play in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Miami, Nashville, Houston, Dallas or Seattle to avoid state income taxes.

Paul in Arlington, VA: Here's a myth about the Jaguars: MJD will struggle under a full load. Why its wrong: The answer has little to do with MJD's abilities. The Jaguars have added Monroe, Thomas, and Britton to the l
ine and are getting Manuwai (who is perhaps the most underrated OG in the NFL) and Williams back. They have a serious stable of hogs up front. MJD is going to have a lot of room to run and will be extremely productive with 20-25 carries per game.

Paul Kuharsky: Like the Garrard-as-a-franchise-quarterback-debate, I'd rate this as an opinion you can have a strong objection and counter argument to. But how can you call it a myth? Maurice Jones-Drew hasn't had a full load for a full season yet. So people who say he can't aren't misinformed or carrying on with inaccurate info, they are expressing an opinionated prediction, as are you. I think he will handle the load fine. But we'll both have to wait and see.

James from Auburn, ME: I believe that the biggest myth about the Jaguars is the constant chatter that they will be moving to LA in the near future because they covered seats a few years ago. People overlook the fact that they have a larger stadium for the Florida/Georgia game, the Gator Bowl, and the hopes of parlaying their Florida location into being a part of the Super Bowl rotation eventually. Indianapolis is the 24th TV market in the country, and Jacksonville is the 44th, yet both of their stadiums seat 67k (after Jax covers its 10k seats that is). When Indy built their new stadium they sized it to their market, because they didn't have dreams or aspirations of hosting a Super Bowl, nor do they have a prominent college football game like FLA/GA or the Gator Bowl. The covered seats do not reflect an imminent move to LA. Teams usually leave town when there is a stadium issue between them and the city, commonly using the threat of a new city to get the new stadium and/or lease that they desire. Jax has no such issue and Wayne Weaver has said numerous times that he has no intention of moving them, nor selling to an owner that would. He seems very rooted in the area and to speculate that he is lying and plotting an exit from town because of the seats being covered (as many national sportswriters insist) is just lazy speculation without researching any facts.

David in Montreal: Without a doubt, the biggest myth about the Jaguars that you hear over and over again, is that they're moving to LA.

Paul Kuharsky: I think the economy will further slow down talk of a team heading for LA. But I can understand why every time people look to make a list of teams that could go, the Jaguars are on it. Scan the league for teams that are in smaller markets who might benefit from a move or who might be available for purchase by someone who wants to relocate, and Jacksonville is one of the teams that would seem in line to be a candidate. That doesn't mean I see the Jaguars going anywhere or think the idea that they will leave for Hollywood should have any legs.