JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A year after Jaguars owner Shad Khan said there would be major consequences for team leadership if things didn’t turn around, it looks as if he may have to make good on his word.
The third straight blowout loss for the Jacksonville has many fans fed up. Jaguar Nation watched in dismay Sunday as the team was rolled yet again. This time, the Titans crushed the Jaguars, 42-20, in Tennessee.
Speculation is now intensifying about who should go. As of 3:30 p.m. Monday, head coach Doug Marrone led the way in a News4Jax Twitter poll, with more than 40% of respondents wanting him gone. Tom Coughlin, head of football operations, followed in the poll, at 25%. The poll also included General Manager Dave Caldwell and an “Other(s),” option, but the poll apparently neglected to include an “all of the above" choice because many commented that’s what needs to happen.
WE WANT TO KNOW... Who do you think the Jaguars should get rid of after this latest loss? 🏈
— News4JAX (@wjxt4) November 25, 2019
“I think they’ve got to clean out the whole coaching staff, honestly,” Jaguars fan Peyton Bidwell said. “We got a great quarterback that we’re not playing because we’re paying another guy much more than he deserves.”
Logistically, it’s not as easy to do that as it might seem.
“If you’re going to make big sweeping changes -- people in the front office -- it doesn’t do you any good to make changes before the end of the year,” said News4Jax sports anchor and reporter Cole Pepper.
Pepper said there are two coaches beyond Marrone and Coughlin on staff who have some head coaching experience, and fans may demand a change.
“They want blood. They want someone else to feel bad because their team is not doing well. They want someone else to feel the pain they’re feeling now,” Pepper said. “So they want somebody fired, or a bunch of people fired. They want heads to roll. You still have to replace those heads with other heads.”
Pepper said that he doesn’t think there is any benefit to benching quarterback Nick Foles, either. He also weighed in on the other noted power player at TIAA Bank Field: Coughlin.
“If they’re going to clean house, I suspect Coughlin will be given the opportunity to make the call on his own and retire,” Pepper said.
Pepper added that the upcoming home game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be telling. If the stands are fairly empty, he said, he thinks that will send a strong signal to Khan that coaching changes need to be made.