ORLANDO – It's been made very clear this off-season that the Jaguars are not ducking expectations. Their goal and their focus is winning the Super Bowl.
"To be able to finally break through is a great sense of accomplishment," Khan said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando. "I think what’s fun going forward is expectations, but then a high degree of confidence that we’re going to deliver.”
Khan and Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin shared the expectations that the Jaguars will face this season pale in comparison to the expectations they put on themselves.
UNCUT VIDEOS: Shad Khan | Tom Coughlin
Last year, when Coughlin was hired, there was no clear proof that the structure Khan envisioned would work. But after a few tweaks, Coughlin, general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marone settled into a rhythm and it resulted in one of the best seasons in Jaguars history.
"Our expectations are very high and anybody that comes on board has to understand there’s a way to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish, and it’s through team, it’s through individual improvement and it’s through a relentless drive in team success," Coughlin said.
Khan said some people in the league thought having the mix of three "cooks in the kitchen" was unorthodox, but it worked.
"I felt, for us, it was right. Tom is a unique individual. I thought he was perfect for what we wanted to do. Doug, we had known, was perfect for what we wanted to do. Maybe the organization is untraditional, but it was going to work. Where we were, I think we were ready to try something different. Fortunately, it has worked.”
Another major difference this off-season, is the way that other teams and players now view the Jaguars. That includes the way other owners interact with Khan.
Khan admitted that other owners would try to keep his spirits up saying things like, "Stay the course, you'll get there." Now, the conversations are much different.
Coughlin said there was no secret to what turned the team's fortunes around.
"We basically rolled our sleeves up. There was no great philosophical discussion," Coughlin said. "I knew exactly what Doug was all about and Dave and I knew what we wanted to do in terms of trying to provide the kind of players that we were looking for in Jacksonville. We wanted to run the football, we wanted to have an outstanding defensive team, we went out and did some things about that to create those opportunities. It was a team concept all the way.”
Khan was also asked about the stalled progress of the fan entertainment zone proposed in Lot J. The area will need environmental remediation before any structures can be build on the site.
"That is very important for us, local revenue, and also really to play a role in Jacksonville development and the potential," Khan said. "But you have to wait. We have State of the Franchise coming up (April 19) and we’ll have a lot of information on that, where we’re headed, so I feel very good."
The Jaguars also announced that their new uniforms will be unveiled next month. The new uniforms will feature more teal, reminiscent of the Jaguars uniform from the time when Coughlin was the head coach. The two-tone helmet is also expected to be replaced.
WATCH: Jaguars will have new uniforms for 2018 season
"I had my first stab at the uniform and I think it was different and edgy and obviously disliked," Khan said. "Teal obviously resonates with people because of the success we had historically and we [wore] teal. Tom felt last year, we were allowed two or three games we could have teal and he choose to [wear those] for the big games and it worked."
Coughlin commented for the first time publicly about extending QB Blake Bortles contract.
"He’s improving, and that’s the whole key. I mean some of his best games were in the playoffs. You can’t ask for a better circumstance," Coughlin said. "In other words, you set it up, you want to know how a guy performs in big games. Two of his best quarterback ratings were in those games, so we definitely feel that he is a young player, he’s played a lot of football, but he’s making progress in his game and we just look forward to the continuance of that.”