Monday Morning Cheerleader: Kelli of the Jacksonville Jaguars
By Steve Mazzucchi
Esquire
Coming off a heartbreaker in Week One and down 10-3 early to the Arizona Cardinals yesterday, Jacksonville was driving for a game-tying score when Cards safety Adrian Wilson — already sitting on a $10,000 fine for a hit the previous Sunday — threw Torry Holt a bump. No flag came, and plenty of booing ensued. So did the Jags settling for a field-goal try, which was promptly batted out of the air and returned 83 yards for an Arizona TD. It was more heartbreak from there, as the Cardinals stomped their way to a 31-17 win.
Kelli, a third-year member of Jacksonville’s ROAR and a future schoolteacher, gave us the postgame breakdown on following that highlight-reel runback from the losing end, her team’s new 33-year-old wideout (“Torry Holt’s still got some magic left — he’s younger than T.O.”), and how her squad is more about hot-stepping than college-style cheering (“We don’t make a big tower on the sideline — that might be hard in boots”).
ESQUIRE: So just how big of a turning point was that non-call on Adrian Wilson?
KELLI: Very big. We could have done extremely well if the ref had called pass interference. The fans were going insane. It really put a damper on the game, and I’m sure our guys are not too happy about it. Maybe the ref sees something we don’t see. I feel like if he’s watching, he should have called that penalty there. But you never know.
ESQ: The Jags then went down 24-3, the largest halftime deficit at home in team history. Is it hard to keep cheering when things don’t seem to be working out on the field?
KS: It’s definitely more exciting when we’re winning, but we have to cheer harder and louder to get everyone excited when we’re losing, because you want to get that energy going. We do different dances every weekend, but the dance routines and cheers that our captains call out are pretty set — there aren’t any changes at the line of scrimmage.
ESQ: In these difficult economic times, the NFL continues to black out local coverage of games that don’t sell out — like this one. Do you think that actually motivates fans to come out for games?
KS: Unfortunately, it has been rough for us to fill our seats. Today’s economy has put a strain on people’s wallets, and it doesn’t help that it’s always really hot here until December. It was in the 90s today, and we were sweating really bad. I guess a blackout works, because if people really want to see the game, they’re going to have to come, but I always enjoy being on TV so people can see us. The organization has different ticket packages to encourage people to come to games. But to really get the fans out, we just need to win.
ESQ: What would you say was the team’s biggest difficulty against Arizona?
KS: That non-call was definitely a difficulty. The block going back for a touchdown was a difficulty. And there were a few passes that weren’t caught.
ESQ: Like rookie receiver Nate Hughes dropping two potential TD catches in a row. Do you think the kid will bounce back?
KS: Oh, yeah. I think the whole team can bounce back from the negative things that happened today. I was crossing my fingers behind my pom-poms when we had the ball, down 31-to-17 with five minutes left, praying for a turnaround. It didn’t happen this game, but hopefully it will next week against Houston.
ESQ: But the Texans had a big upset win this week, too. In which area do the Jags most need to improve to get that first victory?
KS: I think our offense and our defense need to step it up. All they can do is get better. You can only go up from 0-and-2.
ESQ: You’re a cheerleader. Give us some reasons to be excited about the rest of the Jaguars’ season.
KS: It’s only been two games, and we played fairly well against a team that was 12-4 last season and one that just went to the Super Bowl. We’ve got Maurice Jones-Drew — the fantasy owners out there should definitely pick him up — plus Torry Holt and a clutch kicker in Josh Scobee, who has saved us a lot. I think we’ll do great the next game. And the next game. I think we’ll go far.
ESQ: Speaking of going places, you’re also getting a degree in elementary ed. What else do you do when you’re not learning how to mold young minds?
KS: I really enjoy doing charity events with the ROAR. We do Dreams Come True, which is like Make-A-Wish, and visit kids in the hospital. We give out presents, have pizza with them, hang out, and take pictures. It’s very rewarding, and don’t worry — we wear black dance pants and our uniform top with a zipped-up jacket. No booty shorts like on gameday.
