Gus Bradley talks philosophy, troubled players

Jaguars coach talks with Channel 4's Staci Spanos

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley sat down with Channel 4's Staci Spanos to talk about his coaching style, dealing with players' legal troubles and what it takes to win games.

Bradley is the third head coach the team has had in three years. He's in charge of a team that went 2-14 last year.

Bradley knows if there are no wins on the record book, there won't be as many fans in the seats on game day. He understands some fans may be losing interest in their home team.

"Some may be disgruntled. I understand that. I am not in a position to say, 'Why aren't you buying season tickets?'" Bradley said. "It's my job to try to provide something to them to get excited about. If we do things right, the end result will come. And it's probably no different with our fans."

Bradley must now deal with the controversy surrounding Maurice Jones-Drew.  He's accused of punching a security guard at the Conch House in St. Augustine. Then there's Justin Blackmon, who's been suspended from the first four games of the season because he violated the NFL's substance abuse policy.

"Do you feel like he's (Blackmon) missing out on professional help in terms of any substance abuse issues he may have?" Spanos asked Bradley.

"We've had many conversations and I'm trying to learn the learner," Bradley said. "My relationship with Justin is about trust, and I do trust him. But I'm not naive enough to know that there are distractions out there. I want to be open-minded about it but also have in my mind that we need to tackle this thing."

Bradley said many of the lessons he's learned in life came from his small-town upbringing.

"There's a stereotype of a coach who's hard-changing and tough," Spanos said.

"I am," Bradley replied.

"You're that, too. But you've got the softer side, too," Spanos said.

"I think it goes back. I come from a small town in Minnesota," Bradley said.

Besides hard hits and strong plays, one of Bradley's biggest goals as the new coach has to do with something a little more humbling.

"For me, my personal philosophy is to possess a genuine appreciation for the contribution and commitment everyone makes," Bradley said. "For together we shall get it done. Now I'm not saying that's who I am now. I try to be that person, but that's who I want to become."