The Jaguars 2021 season has been a season of disaster. Trevor Lawrence has yet to look like a #1 overall pick, and now former Jaguars head coach, Urban Meyer, was (rightfully) fired after 13 games. As the Jaguars face their 10th losing season in 11 years, wholesale changes must be made. The Jaguars will likely receive the #1 overall pick for a second consecutive year, and they have plenty of holes that need filling. In a world where every NFL team is looking for a young offensive-minded coach, the Jaguars, specifically, should take an old-school approach.
Jim Caldwell is the first person in my mind that the Jaguars should call. Ever since Sean McVay was hired by the Rams, teams everywhere have looked for young offensive coaches hoping to duplicate LA’s success. So far, no one’s been quite as successful, in large part because not many teams had the roster the Rams have. The Jaguars have some talent, but given the historical dysfunction revolving around Jacksonville, bringing a rookie head coach in might not be the best move. Instead, they should hire a veteran head coach who stabilized the Lions, one of the NFL’s most historically dysfunctional franchises.
Prior to Jim Caldwell’s hiring, the Lion’s had 12 losing seasons, including the famous 0-16 season, with one playoff appearance in 13 years. In Jim Caldwell’s four seasons as head coach, he was 36-28, with two playoff appearances, and has an overall head coaching record of 62-50. He was fired after two straight 9-7 seasons, which at this point would be a blessing for Detroit. Since Jim Caldwells time with the Lions, he’s been with the XFL, the Miami Dolphins and is now on his couch waiting for a call. Assuming that the Jaguars are self-aware of their history and the debacle that was Urban Meyer, Jim Caldwell should be their first call.
Let’s Be Honest About The Jaguars
Since their birth in 1995, the Jaguars have been horrid. In 27 years, the Jaguars have had just eight winning seasons. They’ve ended the season with five or fewer wins 12 times and have won double-digit games six times. There’s no better word to describe the Jaguars organization other than pathetic. For a team that’s had a top-five pick as many times as they’ve had, there’s no reason they should be as bad as they’ve been.
The last good head coach the Jaguars had was Tom Coughlin, and he was replaced in 2003. The last good team Jacksonville possessed was in 2017 when their defense was the best in the league. Since 2017, by season, they’ve won five, six, one, and two games. Their drafts are subpar, their player development isn’t where it needs to be, and the good players they draft wind up being traded, i.e., Jalen Ramsey. If not “pathetic,” it’s some of the worst mismanagement I’ve ever seen from a franchise.
Year after year, the Jaguar’s total attendance is near the bottom of the league. Since 2015, they’ve been in the bottom 15 for attendance five times. The two seasons they weren’t were 2018, the year Jaguars fans thought they’d be good, and 2020, the COVID year. The idea’s been thrown around that the Jaguars could be moved, potentially even to the UK. If Shad Khan hopes to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville, he needs to put a good product on the field to get butts in seats.
This brings us to Jim Caldwell.
Caldwell to Jacksonville
Not many people truly realized how good Jim Caldwell was until he left Detroit. Many thought he was closer to average given his record, but clearly, that’s not true. Detroit was mad they only won 18 games in two seasons, yet in the past four years, they’ve only won 16. Jim Caldwell is a leader, and be it with the Colts or Lions, he’s a damn good football coach. The Lions were wrong for firing him, and the Jaguars would be making a mistake to not at least interview him.
If the Jaguars elect to go the route of Brian Daboll or Eric Bienemy, you won’t get much pushback from me. Although, again, I would lean towards hiring a head coach familiar with chaotic franchises rather than put it on a rookie head coach. The good news for whoever Jacksonville does hire is that they’ll be going to a patient franchise. Barring an Urban Meyer-esc season, the next head coach will have a few years to put together a winning program. I don’t know if it’ll happen, but I hope Jim Caldwell gets a shot.
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