by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Hunter Robinson has two children: a 2-year-old boy and a 248-page book.
The boy “is a handful.” The book is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ media guide and it’s a handful, too.
“I start on it right after the season and it’s time-consuming,” said the 33-year-old who works in the team’s public relations department. “Everything is checked and double-checked. We want total accuracy.”
The fact-checking extends to the players. Each has a biography in the book and each is asked to read what it says about him.
“It’s the toughest for rookies,” said Robinson. “Chasing them down sometimes isn’t easy. But we have to get them because their colleges don’t always provide accurate information. They get things wrong like birthdates and what the player majored in.”
Accuracy has been the byword since a major goof several years ago. It was before Robinson took over and it was glaring: then-quarterback Mark Brunell was listed as being No. 80 instead of No. 8.
This year’s edition appears to be free of errors — certainly not major ones — and it’s full of information about Jaguar players and statistics throughout the team’s history.
It’s more than a guide to help the media; these books — which once went to only newspaper and broadcast workers — are now universally sold to the fans. The price is $10.
The oddity this year is its size: the 248 pages is 120 pages fewer than last year, and Robinson says the reason transcends mere cost-cutting.
“During our sessions at the NFL Business Summit in Philadelphia this spring, the teams talked about the future of the printed media guides and the evolution of media Web sites and CD/DVDs,” said Robinson. “The group discussed a move to abridging the media guide and posting more content on the media Web site within two years.
“The reasoning for this is to keep the information up to date and more accurate for the media. A large portion of the media guide is already out of date when the books come back from the printer. There are four teams – Philadelphia, Buffalo, Jacksonville and San Diego – to be the first to move in this direction.
“Many teams have already expressed the desire to abridge their media guides in 2008. With the media Web site versus the printed book, we can actually update the information daily, not just once a year.”
That won’t play well with veteran writers and broadcasters but, said Robinson “we agreed to do it. There’s a lot of old information that can be found on the Web if you really need it — for instance, how often does anyone want to know how many yards Fred Taylor had in 1998?”
Robinson, a Virginia native and a University of North Florida graduate, said that 7,500 copies are printed with Jacksonville’s Hartley Press doing the work. They’re distributed to a wide array: media, other teams, staff, VIPs and sold to fans.
This year’s cover is simple: a helmet. It was patriotic last year, a stadium scene with a giant American flag and jets flying overhead.
“Our staff gets together and decides,” said Robinson. “My boss, Dan Edwards (the vice president for communications) approves it. I like it.”