JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars 2017 version of the State of the Franchise included some big plans for the Shipyards, some recognition of sluggish local revenue and a subtle hint that EverBank Field lags behind most other NFL stadiums in terms of new construction.
Team owner Shad Khan opened the presentation, saying that he was "extremely unsatisfied" with the team's on-field performance last year. Khan also stated his expectations for the upcoming season.
"I’m very confident our Jaguars of 2017 will be what we’ve all been waiting for and what our fans deserve," Khan said.
Tom Coughlin, the team's executive vice president of football operations, speaking for the first time at a Jaguars State of the Franchise address suggesting that the team adopt the term "grit" to describe itself.
"Grit is guts, it's resilience, it's industriousness, it's tenacity," Coughlin said. "Grit is the ability to focus to stay determined to stay optimistic in the face of a challenge and to simply work harder than the next guy."
Coughlin worked himself into a lather recounting an anecdote about a writer's experience with Bruce Lee that culminated with the moral "you might as well be dead if you put limits on what you can do." His "team first, team last, team always," mantra has been an important building block both in his first time here in Jacksonville and during his tenure in New York.
A great deal of time from both Khan and team President Mark Lamping included discussions about the team's presence in London and where the Jaguars stand in relation to the rest of the league in ticket revenue and stadium construction. As the them of "good but could be better" continued, Lamping said the Jaguars are growing, but so is the rest of the league. They're looking for other revenue streams in Jacksonville to impact the bottom line such as concerts before every Jaguars home game in 2017 at the new Daily's Place amphitheater.
There were a few uncomfortable moments in the room as Lamping extolled the virtues of London and it's potential and current economic impact on the Jaguars but he reiterated, "We never lose site of the fact that winning on the field cures a lot of these ills."
GALLERY: Jaguars new plans for Shipyards & Metro Park
Lamping showed new designs for the Jaguars new vision for downtown development. While a plan to develop the Shipyards was rolled out in the past, this time, the plan was expanded to include development of the Metro Park location and utilizing the Shipyards as a greenspace and park.
Khan reiterated his commitment to Jacksonville and said he thought the ceiling for what can happen in town is "infinite." And while he said he's used to rolling up his sleeves and doing things himself, he understands he can't do that in football.
"I'm excited about the football IQ we now have in the building with Tom, Doug (Marrone) and Dave (Caldwell). And we're hoping to build on that," Khan said.
At least for Khan, standing still on the football field, or in development is not an option.
"The day you stop is the day you die," Khan said. "In business, the work we’re doing here in Jacksonville, I think we absolutely have to keep the pace up, faster, at a higher, different level whether it’s architectural style, experiences, we have to keep moving."
While detailing the new vision for the Shipyards property took up much of Lamping's presentation, unsaid amidst the talk of local revenues and the increased interest in the NFL in the United Kingdom was that the team expects prospective ticket buyers and politicians alike to recognize that the franchise is looking for bigger contributions from them. Whether that means increased cooperation on the Shipyards project from the city or for fans to buy more season tickets, or to allocate more of their recreational spending for concerts at Daily's Place, the flex field and amphitheater scheduled to be completed in time for the first scheduled concert on May 27. Although season ticket renewals for 2017 were nearly equal to 2016 according to Lamping, his outline of how the Jaguars have lagged behind other teams in raising ticket prices as well as inflation seems to signal an increase in the future.
Outside of an acknowledgement that the new league year begins Thursday, there were scant few details discussed about the Jaguars' plans to improve their roster.